New Global Classroom Focusing on Indigenous Languages and Cultures

Dr. Janet Chernela received funding from UM's Office of International Affairs to develop a Global Classroom project with an overseas university. Between 2014 and 2016, she worked with the administration of the University of the State of Amazonas (UEA) to develop a joint course which would focus on the indigenous languages and cultures of the state. UEA is located in Manaus, the largest city in the Amazon basin, in the north central portion of Brazil. In addition to being a university in its own right, UEA is the center of an innovative satellite network of 60 university campuses spread throughout a vast rain-forested area the size of Austria. UM's Global Classrooms course will work with the principal campus of EUA as well as one of its rural satellite campuses in a community whose population is 85% indigenous. The course, which begins January 30, will consist of a series of joint seminars led by Dr. Chernela with two UEA linguistics professors who specialize in Amazonian languages, and visiting indigenous speakers. The course will have a virtual 'field' component in a small indigenous settlement in Manaus where the UEA students maintain ongoing research projects in linguistic anthropology.  

The course was established with the participation of Emily Dooley and Emily Masucci and now has additional input from Delia Dreher, Emily Colon, and Matt Aruch.  

UM students Emily Dooley and Emily Masucci with members of the indigenous community in June, 2016.

For more information about the Global Classroom, please see attached flyer. 

Published on Tue, 01/31/2017 - 09:56