MAAAS 2003 CALL FOR PAPERS

The Ninth Annual Mid-America Alliance for African Studies (MAAAS) Conference

"Teaching Africa: New Themes, Techniques, and Technologies"
Oct. 3-4, 2003
University of Kansas

The ninth annual MAAAS conference theme will explore all aspects of the teaching of Africa, at all levels of the curriculum from Kindergarten through Grade 12, university undergraduate teaching, and outreach activities related to instruction. New classroom techniques and use of technology, as well as low-tech options and themes are all within scope for the conference. Presenters may wish to consider the following possibilities for presentation of papers and organization of panels:

What philosophical and intellectual underpinnings are important for teaching about Africa? What creative responses have been designed to address problems encountered in classroom teaching about Africa? Are the results of current research being integrated effectively into teaching about Africa and African peoples? How are stereotypical notions about Africa and African peoples most effectively dealt with in the classroom? What new methods are being sought to introduce and explore controversial topics into the classroom so as to overcome stereotypes and misinformation? How are African cinema and film resources being utilized to teach African politics and culture? How are themes found in African fiction, drama, and poetry being used to present contemporary problems of the social, political, and natural environment? How are other forms of African material culture being utilized as a means of introducing African cultural themes? How can African popular culture be used to introduce the urban and rural experience? What sources are being used to teach about gender and sexuality in the African past and present? How do we teach African economies, politics, society, environment, and international relations? How can we most effectively teach African development? How is information on Africa integrated into courses in the natural sciences?

How is the new electronic technology of the Web being used for innovative teaching? How are virtual exhibits and electronic representations of African cultures being utilized for the teaching of the plastic arts? What initiatives are completed or underway to develop distance education modules for the teaching of Africa? What Web sites are available for the effective evaluation of instructional resources available for K-12 and undergraduate teaching about Africa? How are GIS applications being utilized to present spatial and statistical data in the African context? What digitization projects of African cultural resources have been/are being undertaken to present African material in the classroom? How can the Internet be used to expand access to African archives or literary texts? What efforts are being made to address the issue of accountability and reliability of electronic information utilized by students in their completion of assignments with African content?
These are but a few of the questions that might be explored in developing a paper or panel for MAAAS 2003. Paper proposals should not exceed one single-spaced page. Panel proposals of 3-4 pages should not exceed one page for each paper included in the panel and a one-page panel proposal. The deadline for proposal submission is June 1, 2003.

A limited number of professional development grants may be available to help defray expenses for Africanists from within the region to attend the conference, contingent on funding. Information on funding for such grants will be available on or soon after May 15th, 2003. See accompanying article below for further details.

Membership in MAAAS is required for all conference presenters. Membership fees are $20 for individuals, $15 for students, and $30 for institutional memberships. All proposals and conference correspondence, including payment of membership and registrations fees, should be sent to: