One mission of the Center for African Studies is to assist educators at all levels in teaching about Africa. We do this through training, curriculum development, collaboration and consultation. Training occurs at the graduate and undergraduate levels and in workshops and institutes. Examples of curriculum development include our online sites, Understanding the Horn.
At UC Berkeley, our collaborators include the other area centers and institutes, and the Office of Resources for International and Area Studies (ORIAS orias@berkeley.edu). ORIAS provides:
- free accredited workshops on international humanities and world history topics.
- newsletter updates covering resources, local events, and travel opportunities of interest to educators.
- a speakers bureau that brings trained graduate students into classrooms for presentations.
- an online calendar highlighting local educational and cultural events.
- one-on-one assistance finding curricular resources and locating classroom speakers.
- curated curriculum-building materials and professional travel opportunities.
We also collaborate with the the UC Berkeley History-Social Science Project (HSSP ucbhssp@berkeley.edu). The UCBHSSP bridges the academy and K-12 communities to help teachers strengthen their instructional practice and provide equitable educational opportunities to all students, through a model of learning, practicing, and doing. Located in the UC Berkeley History Department, UCBHSSP is a member site of the California Subject Matter Projects.
Nationally, we work closely with the African Studies Association Outreach Council. The Council's web site links to events, resources and news around the country. As time allows, we consult on curriculum, ideas and best practices for teaching about Africa.