Workshops

Globalization and Cultural Identity

Teacher Training Seminar
Friday, March 3, 2006 to Saturday, March 4, 2006
Amerika Haus, Hardenbergstrasse 22 – 24, 10623 Berlin

While global trends in economics and politics are converging, cultural, religious and social differences seem to be widening. Globalization and the revolution in communications technology bring people together, but also cause fears about loss of cultural identity and an Americanization of the world; simultaneously, literature, film, theatre, art, and dance productions often create a sense of belonging to a specific national, regional, or ethnic zone. How does a multicultural society like the United States negotiate the costs and benefits of globalization? How can the nation-state integrate the multiplicity of voices, beliefs, and lifestyles? How can educators prepare students – regardless of their national origin or cultural upbringing – to master the challenges of globalization? What specific skills are necessary to understand and to contribute to a globalizing world?

The seminar explores these issues from political, economic, and cultural points of view; in addition, a reading as well as a film screening demonstrate how cultural products can be utilized as materials for teaching on globalization.

Friday, March 3:

14:45
Check-in (ID required)

15:00
Welcome by Dr. Roy S. Weatherston, Deputy Cultural Attache

15:15 – 16:15
Opening lecture and discussion with Darrell West:
"Globalization and its Discontents: The Future Meets the Past”

16:30 – 17:30
"The Economic Side of Globalization: The Actors and Victims - Winner and Losers"
Joellen Perry, journalist & Fulbright scholar

17:30
Refreshments

18:00
Debra Earling: Reading from Perma Red

19:00
Reception

20:00
Film-screening of “Brazil”, Terry Gilliam, 1985
This Anglo-American film is a case study in the conundrum of global control, the state, the corporation, and individual identity.  Introduction by John Dean

Saturday, March 4:

9:15
Check-in (ID required)

9:30 - 10:30
Darrell West: "Religion and Globalization"
Lecture and discussion

10:30 – 11:00
Coffee break

11:30 – 12:30
John Dean: "Brazil" - Globalization and Individualism

12:30 – 14:30
Lunch in the neighborhood

14:30 – 16:30
Workshops:
I) Debra Earling: "Cultural Identity and Native Americans"
II) Darrell West "How Globalization Affects You"
III) John Dean: How to teach "Brazil"
IV) Joellen Perry: "The Economic Mechanisms of Globalization"

16:30 – 17:00
Refreshments

17:00 – 18:00
Panel discussion with faculty: Curriculum for a Global World