The 2006 Summer Teacher Training Workshop will will examine the contributions of people of African heritage to the development of Latin America from early times through the present as well as contemporary social and cultural relations.

10-day workshop, July 22-August 3, 2006
(9 am-4 pm daily, excluding weekends except first Saturday)
4 LAUSD multicultural general salary credits or 4 University Extension quarter-units
Most suitable to middle school and high school history and social studies teachers

This interdisciplinary summer program will trace interactions of Africa and Latin America over the centuries.

The seminar will consider cultures of the African Americas such as afro-Peruvians, afro-Columbians, afro-Argentineans, and maroon communities of Surinam.

Participants will examine the intersection of Latin and African cultures from Veracruz, Mexico, to Salvador da Bahia, Brazil to the Caribbean; and consider the influence of African expression on Latin American religious forms such as candomblé, and performance arts such as tango and capoeira.

The institute will highlight commonalities among various African-inflected cultures while encouraging and providing participants with models of reflection, inquiry, and examination for enhancing classroom practice and student interaction. Participants will gain in-depth understanding of synergies between African and Latino/a culture by examining history, politics, economics, music, religion, and literature; and through information and strategies to counter common misconceptions and stereotypes.