Outreach

The South Asia Program (SAP) at Cornell University has several outreach opportunities for use by area primary and secondary teachers in developing units on South Asia. Countries included are Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.

CULTURE KITS

                   

The South Asia Program has extensive kits for India, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka and in addition, an extensive Nepal kit around water awareness and issues surrounding them in Nepal that combine Science, Social Science. The Cultural Kits consists of several items listed below which describes the educational information about the country, its culture and people particularly children:-

 Map of the country showing major cities, temperature, main industries, minerals and other useful information.
 Flag of the country.
 Materials containing history of the country in the native language.
 Cultural materials such as greeting cards, calendars, musical instruments, children games, clay pots, stamps, currency, traditional sandals, magazines, hand-embroidered clothing and jewelry.

Click below for detailed information on the culture kits:

PAKISTAN KIT

CURRICULUM PLANS

Bangladesh Curriculum Unit
Students will be able to demonstrate an understanding of Bangladesh's history and geographic location, and also appreciate Bengali poetry while at the same time learn about Bangladeshi geography and history. This curriculum consists of 5 individual class lessons as follows: Lesson 1 --Introduction to Bangladesh, Lesson 2--Children In Bangladesh, Lesson 3--Village & City Life In Bangladesh, Lesson 4--Transportation In Bangladesh, Lesson 5--Assessment (Tour of Bangladesh Essay Quiz).
Click here to download

India's Rise in the Global Economy
According to a July 2008 New York Times article entitled “In India, Magazines That Translate Well,” many new India magazines are copying western counterparts such as Vogue, Rolling Stone and Golf Digest: “Most of the new Western magazines being published in India are not really Western at all — they are written, photographed, edited and designed almost completely in India. Many are published under licensing agreements with the media company that owns the name. Even though they are all published in English, their content may be completely different from their American or British counterparts." Students will analyze issues related to the India's economic growth at the beginning of the 21st century.
Click here to download

Nepal, Water and Development
Nepal, Water and Development is a five day, forty minute curriculum designed for use in the 6th grade New York State schools, and which is adaptable for use in other states for the 5th through 7th grades. It looks at the challenges to water availability in Nepal, teaches students about a simple water purification method, examines water usage and class, and discusses international development. The curriculum is comprehensive including all background and assessment materials necessary for its completion.
Click here to download

Water’s Impact on South Asian Women
A curriculum unit designed for NYS Global History & Geography students by Kara A. Wilcox of Dryden High School Social Studies Department. This curriculum unit focuses on the impact that water has on women in South Asia, specifically in India. As water collection is the job primarily of girls and women, the goal is for students to better understand how water collection and issues surrounding water results in gender disparity and discrimination in India. This unit is designed for a ninth grade Global History & Geography I course. It could be taught in conjunction with a study of Indian culture, or either immediately before or after a unit of study on the Early River Valley Civilizations, including the Indus Valley civilization, in which water availability is key.
Click here to download

South Asian Literature: The Identity Politics of Iqbal, Manto and Lahiri
On October 6, 2007 the South Asia Program participated in an International Studies Institute titled Teaching International Literature to Adolescents. Omer Bajwa, Cornell University alum presented South Asian Literature: The Identity Politics of Iqbal, Manto and Lahiri. As part of his presentation, Mr. Bajwa provided a PowerPoint presentation with extensive material for teaching about South Asian literature to adolescents, including background on authors, historical context for examined texts, and web-based resources.
Click here to download

LENDING LIBRARY

The South Asia Program has a collection of books, DVDs and other resources on a broad spectrum of topics from cultural to political, with something for all age groups and interests. These are available to educators for borrowing free of charge. Our collection relates to all South Asian countries. To see a list of our collection along with borrowing instructions, click here

PRESENTERS AND PRESENTATIONS

INDIA--Oral History, Migration, Ethnic Minorities and World Music Interactive Presentations
Barbara C. Johnson, an Anthropologist, former Associate Professor at Ithaca College, experienced Grades 2-14 presenter, is currently a visiting scholar (2008-2009) at the South Asia Program. Barbara offers an interactive ethnography of Jewish communities in India. She is available for middle, high school and college presentations, using slides and video excerpts to discuss the history, life, music and culture of Jewish communities that have migrated to the South Asia region from the Middle East centuries ago, initially making their lives in India, and in the 1950s and 1960’s returning to Israel to settle and make new lives in that country.

INDIA—Dance Presentations & Indian Culture
Durga Bor, Cornell Dance Lecturer and performer, offers a multimedia program for students of all ages, which includes classical Indian dance in the form of a performance, lecture-demonstration and/or workshop for K-12 and Post-Secondary levels 13-16. Slide presentations include: A Walk through India (geared for younger children, showing street scenes from India, animals, temples and caves as well as different performance art); The Role of Dance in Indian Culture this colorful presentation can be modified to be age specific. It focuses on the many styles of dance, divided into classical and folk sections, and explains the functions of these dances in relationship to particular holidays, festivals, religions, etc.; Hinduism, Caste and Culture, this curriculum was made specifically for sixth grade global studies, focusing on Mahatma Gandhi, peaceful resistance, Hinduism and caste in India. It relates specific dances to Hindu Gods which Durga performs intermittently throughout the presentation, which is about one hour long; Indian Culture, another colorful presentation designed for third graders, but can be adapted to all age levels. This is a general slideshow showing different food, dress, religions and customs of India.

INDIA—Cooking Class
Simple recipes will be taught by various SAP staff and volunteers. This would be accompanied by some basic Hindi language examples, including a few phrases and the spellings of student’s names in Devanagri script, and some stories about the cultures and religions in selected regions. These are geared for any level K-12.

VOLUNTEERS

The South Asia Program provides volunteer opportunities for students, staff, faculty and community members in order to engage the commuity through our outreach efforts.

Elementary & Secondary Schools
Our most popular outreach efforts are the after-school language and culture programs in elementary and secondary area schools. Volunteers are given an opprtunity to use a wide variety of activities to expose the students at the after-schools to South Asian language and culture. The time commitment is about one to two hours a week for 5-6 weeks depending on your schedule and the schools.
We also have opportunities for volunteers who would just like to do a one-time presentation.

Community Colleges We are seeking faculty and graduate students to make one-time presentations on aspects of South Asia to community college students and faculty.

Click here for Volunteer Sign-Up

WORKSHOPS FOR K-12 TEACHERS

Register for the upcoming workshops, access classroom resources and view slideshows from past workshops at the Cornell Educational Resources for International Studies (CERIS)  Professional development web site.