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HoustonChronicle.com -- http://www.HoustonChronicle.com | Section:
Clear Lake/Bay Area News
Aug. 27, 2003, 1:22PM
Awareness of other cultures important, says professor
Excerpts of an Article By ANDY SUMMA
Copyright 2003 Houston Chronicle
Jeff Lash recently returned from a trip to
the Middle East and Africa with a goal in mind: to show Texas students
that the world is bigger than the Lone Star State.
Lash, 35, an assistant professor of
geography at the University of Houston-Clear Lake, spent July in Africa
and India studying Islamic history and culture. He was among 16 professors
and social studies curriculum coordinators on the trip, which was
sponsored by the University of Texas School of Liberal Arts and funded by
the Aga Khan Development Network, a nonprofit, Switzerland-based aid
organization.
Last year, he won the Dissertation Award in
Geographic Education from the National Council for Geographic Education
for his doctoral dissertation, "Exporting Education: The Case of the
American University in Cairo."
The work examined how American ideas move
around the world.
The purpose of this summer's trip was to
gather information to help write curriculum for Texas public schools.
An educational summit is planned for 2004.
"It can't be overstated how important
it is for students to be aware of the world," he said. "They're
bombarded with media images of different cultures, mostly negative, and
those aren't always reflective of reality."
For students to have a true understanding
of the world, they need to identify with average people in cultures, not
just the extremists.
"Everywhere we went -- from five-star
hotels to poor neighborhoods -- we were greeted with warmth and smiles.
These are the images that are often forgotten when students learn about
other cultures."
Lash said many misunderstandings exist
about other cultures.
Seeing the world as a multifaceted, diverse
community is important to deepening a student's education, he said.
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