ASC Hosts Fulbright-Hays Teachers Heading to Morocco
From June 9 through June 11, the African Studies Center hosted a pre-departure orientation (PDO) for 16 US high school teachers ahead of their participation in a Fulbright-Hays Seminar Abroad to Morocco, “Education in Morocco—An Evolving Landscape.” The seminar in Morocco is led by the Moroccan-American Commission for Educational & Cultural Exchange (MACECE), the Moroccan Fulbright Commission.
As shared in the full seminar description here, the purpose of the Fulbright-Hays Seminar is to expand participants’ understanding of the education system in Morocco. It aims to enhance participants’ understanding of the historical and cultural context of the Maghreb, and its influence on social, economic and political Moroccan institutions. Accordingly, participants can compare and evaluate the current educational system in Morocco and its proposed reforms with those of other contexts, to inform a greater awareness that participants can bring back to their home communities in the US.
Led by the ASC’s K-16 Education Outreach Program Manager, Dr. Elsa Wiehe, with support by Assistant Director Dr. Eric J. Schmidt and Program Administrator Natasha Patel, the orientation featured presentations led by ASC scholars, colleagues at MACECE, and members of the Boston Moroccan community to prepare seminar participants for travel in Morocco.
Among the PDO sessions was a critical discussion on curriculum design led by Dr. Wiehe entitled “The Cultural Self in Contexts and Communities.” Ahlam Daoudi and Hafsa El Bastami of MACECE led discussions of Moroccan literature with the teachers, while Dr. Schmidt and BU anthropology graduate Jessica Lambert shared reflections on travel, sound, and research experiences in Morocco. Participants visited the BU African Studies Library and learned of its Morocco resources.
Other highlights include an introduction to basic Darija (Moroccan Arabic) and to the Moroccan Amazigh community led by Sanaa Abidar and Aziz Foulous of the Boston-based Amazigh Indigenous Cultural Community Organization (AICCO), as well as a discussion of Blackness and migration in Morocco led by recent BU anthropology PhD Dr. Gana Ndiaye. Teachers enjoyed a final send-off for their travels with a lesson on preparing Moroccan tea led by Majdouline, an 11-year old Moroccan American.
