SUNY Canton to Host African Studies Conference

CANTON, NY (03/18/2016)(readMedia)-- SUNY Canton is partnering with Boston University's African Studies Center to sponsor a conference called "Integrating African Studies Across the Curriculum."

The program, which is open to all faculty and professional staff from colleges and universities across the state, will be held on SUNY Canton's campus from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Friday, March 25, in the Newell Center, Room 109.

"This conference will allow participants to broaden their knowledge of integrating the study of African history and culture into their curricula," said SUNY Canton President Zvi Szafran. "Building curricula that address global issues is more and more crucial for the success of our students in an increasingly globalized society."

Three African study experts from the more than 50-year-old African Studies Center at Boston University, Drs. Diana Wylie, Zoliswa Mali and Barbara Brown, will serve as consultants to the program. The range of topics will include an examination of African language, literature and film; "Afropolitans," a term used to describe a new generation of Africans and people of African descent; and ways to move forward with the integration of these concepts across disciplines.

The purpose of the conference is to provide professional development opportunities and enable participants to help students and community members overcome stereotypical images about Africa. Those attending the conference will be able to leverage their learning experiences to increase the knowledge, understanding and awareness of students to adapt and function effectively in a global economy.

For more information, contact Raj Sashti, conference director and SUNY Canton advisor for international education and economic development, at sashtir@canton.edu.

About SUNY Canton

SUNY Canton is Northern New York's premier college for career-driven bachelor's degrees, associate degrees and professional certificate programs. The college delivers quality hands-on programs in engineering technology, health, management and public service and recently received number one rankings in library resources, library services and tutoring services in the SUNY Student Opinion Survey. The college's faculty members are noted for their professional real-world experience in addition to outstanding academic credentials. SUNY Canton OnLine offers hundreds of flexible and convenient courses as well as ten exclusively online bachelor's degrees. The college's 14 athletic teams compete as members of the NCAA Division III.

-www.canton.edu-