|  | | SEPTEMBER 2022 NEWSLETTER | | News and Announcements | | National Resource Center grant renewed by the U.S. Department of Education | We are pleased to announce that The U.S. Department of Education has selected the Atlanta Global Studies Center for renewed Title VI National Resource Center funding totaling $1.05 million over the next four years! The funding will allow the Center to expand and enhance high-quality global education and language instruction for more students from Kindergarten through college, support faculty who conduct research on pressing global issues, and connect entities from the educational, business, media, government, and non-profit sectors to collectively advance global education, research, and engagement in the region and nationally. | | Supporting “Global at Home” Projects that Address UN Sustainable Development Goals |  | The Atlanta Global Research and Education Collaborative (AGREC) has proudly supported fourteen "global at home" collaborative projects since 2020 by leveraging the resources of six area higher education institutions and connecting faculty, students, and community partners who work on global issues at the local level. AGREC has recently selected 11 additional projects for funding this academic year and will announce the winning projects next month. Each newsletter features the incredible work of a past or current AGREC project.
To address the global issue of water quality degradation from cities, AGREC funded the “Water Quality Monitoring Network for Highly Impacted Urban Headwaters in Metro Atlanta (GA) project” in 2020-2021, building upon relationships between Spelman College, Georgia State University (GSU), NGOs, and community-based watershed advocacy organizations to better identify and address sewage spills in Atlanta. Project PIs, Dr. Richard Milligan, Assistant Professor of Geosciences at GSU, and Dr. Na'Taki Osborne Jelks, Assistant Professor of Environmental and Health Sciences at Spelman College, and project team member, Dr. Christine Stauber (Public Health, GSU) developed a community-based water quality monitoring network in watersheds totaling 300 square-miles of highly urbanized and densely populated headwaters of two rivers in metro Atlanta, providing greater regulatory effectiveness, better relations between impacted communities and watersheds, and new opportunities to improve both watershed and public health. The Chattahoochee Riverkeeper, American Rivers, and the West Atlanta Watershed Alliance developed a system whereby students at Spelman and GSU learned to process and analyze water quality samples routinely collected by community members of the South River Watershed Alliance, Flint Riverkeeper, and ECO-Action. READ MORE. |
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| | Global Scholars | Congratulations to the 30 Global Scholars who graduated from Georgia State University this summer and earned their Global Scholar digital badges! Students in bachelor-degree programs across the university earn this distinction by completing at least 5 Global Scholar courses with a grade of B or better and maintaining a GPA of 3.0 or higher. Learn more on the Global Scholar webpage.
The Office of International Initiatives and the Atlanta Global Studies Center has released its AY21-22 Global Scholar Distinction Program Report. 618 Panthers have received the Global Scholar Distinction since Fall 2018. Since Spring 2020, 482 students have received a Global Scholar Distinction digital badge to signal their achievement on their professional profiles. Interest in the distinction is growing, with students from 7 colleges and an increasing number of departments. The number of graduates who earned the distinction rose by 11% over the last year. | |  | Teaching Environmental Activism in World Language ClassroomsLast year, K12 language teachers from Metro Atlanta schools developed interactive and reproducible units for teaching environmental activism in Middle and High School Spanish and German classes, using a technique known as MovieTalk. Five complete units, which are available for all teachers on the AGSC website, can be modified for the instruction of other world languages. These well-designed units were the final project of a year-long Professional Learning Community on Teaching Global Sustainability, led by Dr. Garrett Delavan, Assistant Professor of World, Dual, and ESOL Language Education in Georgia State University’s College of Education & Human Development. |
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| | Become a Faculty Affiliate of the Atlanta Global Studies Center | The Atlanta Global Studies Center invites faculty from any college or department of Georgia State University or Georgia Institute of Technology to express their interest in affiliation. All members of the faculty, as well as academic program and administrative officers, are eligible for affiliation. To express your interest, please complete this short form. |
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| | Upcoming Events | | We need you! Voices of Youth |  | The mental health of future generations is important and vital to a sustainable future! Voices of Youth 2022 will bring awareness and promote mental well-being to future and current generations. This is a chance for youth to speak up on what it means, and what it takes, to be mentally strong and resilient. The project goal is to provide a platform for youth to share their journey and experiences relating to mental well-being, to connect with necessary resources and to emphasize that the youth are not alone in this journey.
Click here to submit a video (max. 1 minute long) to be included in the Voices of Youth 2022 video campaign that will be shared worldwide. |
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| | Faculty Teaching and Learning Community on Virtual Exchange | Join a supportive community of faculty interested and engaged in virtual exchange! Feel free to join any meeting and come for all or a part of it. All are welcome! The community will meet the third Wednesday of every month from 2:30 to 4pm (September 21st, October 19th, and November 16th).
Zoom Meeting Link (No registration required)
For questions please email Dr. Yali Zhao, yzhao@gsu.edu. This Faculty Community is supported by the Office of International Initiatives and the Atlanta Global Studies Center. | | Perimeter College “Discover Asia” Faculty Development Series |  | The Perimeter College Asian Studies Program will continue its “Discover Asia” community-based faculty development series in Fall 2022. In Fall 2021, the series explored the cultures of China, Japan, Korea, and India. In Spring 2022, the series focused on Southeast Asian culture and food through outings to Vietnamese, Malaysian, Lao, and Thai restaurants. This fall, the will examine Korean culture, starting with the Atlanta Korean Festival in Norcross on Saturday, September 10 (free admission). For info on this or future Fall 2022 events in the Korean culture series, contact Eric Kendrick, ekendrick@gsu.edu. | |  | Mark your Calendar for the Global Career Series | This series inspires students to build global skills and pursue global careers, internships and volunteer opportunities. Representatives from internationally-focused organizations speak to students about opportunities in Atlanta and/or abroad. Register here.
Sessions take place every day during International Education Week, November 7th to November 11th, 1-2pm. Session details will be announced soon.
The Global Career Series is organized by the Atlanta Global Studies Center, CULTR (Center for Urban Language Teaching and Research), the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies Career and Alumni Services, GSU’s Global Studies Program, and GSU’s Study Abroad Programs | | Student Opportunities | | | | Virtual Positive Impact Internship | October 3rd – November 14th, 2022 As the world continues to become increasingly more interconnected, so do the social, economic, and environmental issues facing society today. For many, creating a positive impact in the world has become a prerequisite in choosing a career path. Indeed, 9 out of every 10 people consider meaningful work to be more important than salary. The Positive Impact Internship brings together students from all around the globe and challenges participants to develop innovative solutions for purpose-driven organizations throughout Brazil over the course of a six week virtual project-based internship. Although the internship is unpaid, students gain valuable skills in cross-cultural communication, problem-solving, and teamwork. Apply by September 15th. One GSU student from an under-represented group will be selected for a sponsored internship based on the merits of his/her application. Under-represented students include those who identify as first-generation, BIPOC, disabled, LGBTQ, or as a member of another minority group. Students from any university may apply. For students who are not offered a sponsored internship, the fee is $750. | | Opportunities at the International Rescue Committee | The IRC is currently recruiting for its Fall internship program. A number of internships are still available, particularly in these areas: Adult Education – Assisting with English language classes, cultural orientations, job-skills classes, civics instruction, and more. Resource Development– Assisting to establish strong, mutually-beneficial connections between the community and the IRC in Atlanta in order to garner monetary, in-kind and volunteer resources for refugee clients. Youth Education – Assisting high school-aged refugee youth with academic adjustment and social success. Employment Services – Helping to find full-time employment for all of our families and guiding them through the recruitment process. Learn more here. | | AGSC Partner Events | |  | The Atlanta German Cultural Center and Agnes Scott College are pleased to host “A Reading, Discussion, and Reception with Andrea Wulf,” September 20, 2022, 7-9pm
Woltz-Garretson Great Room
Rebekah Scott Hall Agnes Scott College
141 East College Avenue
Decatur, GA 30030
To RSVP, click here.
From Andrea Wulf, the best-selling author of The Invention of Nature, comes an exhilarating story about a remarkable group of young rebels who changed the way we think about ourselves and the world. The French revolutionaries may have changed the political landscape of Europe, but the young Romantics incited a revolution of the mind that transformed our world forever. We’re still empowered by their daring leap into the self. We also still walk the same tightrope between meaningful self-fulfillment and destructive narcissism, between the rights of the individual and our responsibilities toward our community and future generations. At the heart of this inspirational book is the extremely modern tension between these dangers of selfishness and the thrilling possibilities of free will. | | | | | | Recaps | |  | Clarkston Summit | On May 14th 2022, the Atlanta Global Studies Center, along with GSU’s Prevention Research Center, the Office of University Research and Services, Perimeter College’s Office of Community Engagement, and Emory University’s Office of Global Strategy and Initiatives, co-sponsored the Clarkston Summit with nearly 250 attendants.
Community organizations presented the challenges of resettlement, education, and health care, offering recommendations for future engagement and improvements such as the development of a system which recognizes education and professional training from countries of origin, better access to and affordability of childcare, transportation solutions and ride sharing, the expansion of youth activities, and improved training for community volunteers.
In the afternoon, participants attended sessions focused on specific community needs. Many were coached on Stop the Bleed and CPR life saving techniques. Working groups discussed the quality and availability of housing and issues that affect employment, including lack of reliable transportation and systemic discrimination. Members voiced support for the creation of advocacy coalitions that would represent Clarkston residents and work with government agencies to accomplish goals such as translating the Georgia Driving Test into refugee-spoken languages, increasing housing subsidies, and improving code enforcement. Read the full report here. | | The Arabic Teachers Council of the South Strengthens Regional Cooperation for Arabic Language Instruction In partnership with Qatar Foundation International, Atlanta Global Studies Center, Amana Academy, and Alif Institute, the Arabic Teachers Council of the South hosted a 2-day conference that featured top scholars in the field of Arabic language instruction and included sessions on language assessment, state and regional initiatives, and the integration of culture and the arts into Arabic language programs. Amana Academy, a K-8 tuition-free public charter school with over 700 students that provides Arabic instruction to students across grade levels, graciously provided a fully-equipped venue and the technical support for this hybrid event. Keynote speaker, Dr. Mahmoud al-Batal, delivered an inspirational talk in Arabic during a festive dinner at Alif Institute. The first day of the event ended with a Tarab sing-along and dancing. In all, 109 participants representing states across the southern U.S. attended. K12 teachers who participated earned a professional development certificate endorsed by the Georgia Department of Education, Atlanta Global Studies Center, the Arabic Teachers Council of the South, and the Georgia Arabic Teachers Association.. This event, which took place March 26th and 27th, was made possible through support and funding from Qatar Foundation International (QFI). QFI is an educational organization based in Washington, DC, committed to advancing Arabic language teaching and learning. QFI supports innovative, research-based Arabic language programs and works to increase access to Arabic instruction for educators and students around the world. Visit www.qfi.org. | | | |
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