Georgia Southern University Faculty Member to Host Conference On Teaching Southeast Asia

March 6, 2014

Paul Rodell, Ph.D., of the Department of History at Georgia Southern University, will host a Teaching Southeast Asia workshop for college and university faculty members in Georgia from April 11-12 at Georgia Perimeter College’s campus in Clarkston, Ga. Admission is free and will include five regular sessions, a Friday evening program and lunch on Saturday.

“The workshop model is based on the one used by the Asian Studies Development Program of the East-West Center (EWC) in Honolulu,” Rodell said. “I am a fellow of the EWC and have participated in two of their summer seminars in Hawaii and organized and hosted another seminar in Savannah a few years ago. All of the speakers at the April conference will present their topics in a way that provides incentives and tools to incorporate a variety of aspects about Southeast Asia into existing curriculum.”

The conference will open Friday, April 11, with a session by Rodell that focuses on how to approach the history of Southeast Asia. The session will include several resources, including a free book of primary source documents, articles and maps. Other Friday sessions will include Jonathan Leightner, Ph.D., of Georgia Regents University discussing the 1997 economic meltdown in Asia; Robert Batchelor, Ph.D., of Georgia Southern University speaking on his discovery of the Selden Map; Eric Kendrick, Ph.D., of Georgia Perimeter College discussing the role of minorities in Laos, Vietnam and Burma; and another presentation by Rodell on the classroom use of translated Southeast Asian literature. Friday will conclude with a session on using YouTube to explore Southeast Asian music for historical, sociological, political and religious themes.

The Teaching Southeast Asia conference is sponsored by the Asia Council of the University System of Georgia, which was developed about 20 years ago, along with several other regional councils, in an attempt to internalize curriculum.

“This is the third conference focusing on the teaching of Asia,” said Rodell. “The first was offered for teaching India in the undergraduate curriculum, and last year the focus was on China. For logistical reasons, we had to hold the workshop near Atlanta, but I hope that faculty members from south Georgia and other areas will attend, too. Faculty statewide need these kinds of programs.”

The deadline to register for the conference is March 31. For more information about the conference or to register, contact Rodell at rodell@georgiasouthern.edu.

Georgia Southern University, a Carnegie Doctoral/Research University founded in 1906 offers more than 120 degree programs serving more than 20,000 students. Through eight colleges, the University offers bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degree programs built on more than a century of academic achievement. The University is one of the Top 10 most popular universities in the nation according to U.S. News & World Report, and is the top choice of Georgia’s HOPE scholars. Georgia Southern is recognized for its student-centered approach to education. Visit: www.georgiasouthern.edu