CFP for ASA panel, Teaching and Textbooks on Africa for 21st Century Universities

Alix Heintzman Discussion

CFP posted on behalf of Monica Blackmun Visona`, Ph.D.

The authors of a textbook developed for ACASA, the Arts Council of the African Studies Association, are curious to know what types of instructional resources will be useful in years to come.  Of course, we are concerned with practical issues. Are students still able to engage with printed books, or are electronic books less intimidating as well as less expensive?  How easily can text, images and moving images be integrated within an electronic book?  What are the costs and benefits involved in developing and maintaining media-rich electronic resources that would be alternatives to e-books for Africans and non-Africans alike?  We invite presentations on all of these topics, but we are also interested in speakers who place their pedagogy in broader theoretical contexts. For example, in the wake of post-colonial theory, is any single set of narratives still acceptable, especially when the book containing those narratives is primarily shaped by scholars based in the United States rather than Africa?  Are beginning students better served by a broad overview of the field, or by a selection of specialized scholarly essays showcasing current debates or research methodologies?  Should instructional materials stress the skills needed for critical thinking, or introduce a body of knowledge that will serve as the foundation for further study?  Scholars who teach in any field of African Studies are encouraged to share their views on the instructional materials of the future.

Please submit paper proposals to m.b.visona@uky.edu or to RPoynor@arts.ufl.edu before Saturday March 5; decisions about the papers to be included will be made by Monday, March 7th.

Thank you!

Monica Blackmun Visona`, Ph.D.

Director, Certificate of Global Studies
Associate Professor of Art History and Visual Studies
School of Art and Visual Studies,  University of Kentucky
236 Bolivar Street
Lexington, KY 40506

office: 201 Fine Arts Building
office telephone: (859) 257-1398

Categories