in the K-14 Classroom
Dealing with African Crises in the K-12 Classroom
As educators our aim is to present our students with sufficient and balanced knowledge sources to develop a comprehensive understanding of the topic under consideration. In studying other societies and cultures through the social studies/sciences and humanities it is particularly important to provide students with a thorough contextual grounding through which they gain a comprehensive understanding of the of the cultures and societies under study.
Unfortunately, with a few notable exceptions, the study of Africa is not thorough and comprehensive. Students leave our schools and colleges withan inadequate and often inaccurate understanding of Africa. Indeed, much of what they (and we) "know" about Africa is all to often informed by representations created by U.S. dominated news and entertainment media that frame Africa in terms of chronic crises-- That is, Africa as the
"Hopeless Continent"
*** Endemic Political Crises: Civil Wars, Ethnic Conflict, Corruption, Authoritarian Regimes
*** Economic "Basket-Case", Institutionalized Underdevelopment
*** Chronic Poverty and Hunger
*** Pandemic Disease: HIV/AIDS to Ebola
Link to Images