Virginia State University News May 8, 2012 Expanding borders for global learning lead VSU faculty to Morocco A cross-disciplinary group of Virginia State University faculty are headed to Morocco on June 8, 2012, as part of an International Faculty Development Seminar sponsored by the University System of Georgia's Africa and Middle East Councils. The seminar promises an intellectual and cultural cornucopia that includes academic interactions with faculty at Hassan II University, lessons on basic communication in Arabic and attendance at cultural events such as the international Sufi music festival in the ancient city of Fes. The seminar features onsite lectures that explore the geographical and cultural diversity of this North African Islamic nation-from the urban communities of Casablanca and Marrakech to the Sahara Desert. Seminar topics include the historic significance of North African contributions to Western Thought as well as contemporary issues such as linguistic diversity, globalization's impact on cultural identity and the political upheavals of the region. VSU's participation in the seminar is an extension of a curriculum internationalization initiative funded by a U.S. Department of Education/Title VI grant in 2010. The grant project, "Building a Community of Arabic Language Learners at Virginia State University," is in its final year of completion. In addition to providing academic support and learning resources to enhance students' success in Arabic language courses, the project has supported cultural immersion experiences for students traveling to Morocco, co-sponsored two new Islamic Studies courses, and promoted the internationalization of general education and major courses to increase students' awareness of world regions where Arabic language is spoken. The project directors are Dr. Maxine Sample, Professor of English and Director of International Education (msample@vsu.edu); and Dr. Joyce Moody Edwards, Chair, Department of Sociology, Social Work and Criminal Justice (jedwards@vsu.edu). During spring semester, Curriculum Enhancement mini-grants were awarded to the following VSU faculty to redesign an existing course or create a new course infused with content related to the Islamic world: Dr. Benita Brown, Associate Professor of Dance; Dr. John E. Fife, Assistant Professor of Psychology; Dr. Sandra N. Evans, Director of the First-Year Experience; Dr. Mokerrom Hossain, Professor of Criminal Justice, Dr. Osayimwense Osa, Professor of English, and Dr. Linda Noel-Batiste, Assistant Professor of Administrative and Organizational Leadership. Previous grant recipients include Dr. Ghyassudin Ahmed, Associate Professor of Sociology, who visited the United Arab Emirates in March; and Dr. Michael McClure, Associate Professor of English, who will participate in a faculty development seminar to Spain and Morocco sponsored by the Council for International Education Exchange (CIES) in June. The seminars abroad provide global encounters that will inform the cultural perspectives that faculty bring to the classroom. Proposed projects include an exploration of ceremonial and traditional dance in Arab and Berber cultures; a cross-cultural examination of the influence of culture on psychopathology; a comparative criminal justice course focused on the criminal justice systems in selected Arab and non-Arab Muslin countries; a broadening of multicultural literature to include young adult and children's literature of the Arab World; a course on the sociology of Islam; the development of a cross-cultural communication course for school personnel, and a theme-based Globalizing the First-Year Experience program. These initiatives seek to provide students greater exposure to the cultures of the Arabic speaking and Islamic worlds through curricular encounters across the disciplines. The faculty development seminar to Morocco is being led by two Georgia College and State University faculty: Dr. Olufunke A. Fontenot, Professor of Criminal Justice and Associate Dean of the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences; and Dr. Sunita Manian, Professor of Political Economy and Coordinator of Interdisciplinary Studies. SANDRA M. PHOENIX Executive Director HBCU Library Alliance sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org> www.hbculibraries.org<http://www.hbculibraries.org/> 800-999-8558, ext. 4820 404-520-0593 Skype:sandra.phoenix1 1438 West Peachtree Street NW Suite 200 Atlanta, GA 30309 Toll Free: 1.800.999.8558 (Lyrasis) Fax: 404.892.7879 www.lyrasis.org<http://www.lyrasis.org/> Honor the ancestors, honor the children. Register now http://www.hbculibraries.org/html/2012meeting-form.html for the October 21-23, 2012 HBCU Library Alliance 5th Membership Meeting and the Photographic Preservation Pre-Conference in New Orleans, LA. The Pre-Conference and Membership meeting are open to directors and other librarians.