Diversity and gender issues

Beyond Holidays and Food: Infusing Culture in Schools and Curriculum

Tonnie Martinez, Assistant Professor of Education

We currently live in a world where our knowledge about other cultures, languages, and traditions is extremely important to foster understanding and mutual respect, and we are now expecting teachers to be our first responders on the front line in this complex task. This interactive lecture will challenge school families (teachers, students, and all staff) members to begin to look at all aspects of the school and find ways to which our cultures can be used to influence all aspects of school and how we interact with others throughout the school year.

Cross-Cultural Reflections by a Gringo in South America

Bradley Shaw, Professor of Modern Languages and Director of International and Area Studies

Based on travels in Mexico, Central America, and South America, between 1997 and 2007, the lecture highlights aspects of Latin American culture that are either unknown or unappreciated by the majority of Americans. Moving from specific events to more general observations, Shaw offers personal insights into social and political values on both sides of the linguistic and cultural border that separates the United States from its southern neighbors. Differences between so-called “first” and “third” world countries are not as great as one might think, however. Shaw offers insight into regional and cultural differences with Latin America itself, and reflects on the challenges of being “good neighbors” in light of the growing tension between the United States and the “other Americans” of our hemisphere.

The International Imperative: 10 Reasons for Studying International Studies and National Languages

Bradley Shaw

Professor Shaw’s informal presentation is designed primarily for high school and community college students who contemplate the value of international studies. He gives an overview of the international dimension of the economic and social life of Kansans, highlighting growing exports in both the industrial and the agricultural sector. He also offers some insights into the changing demographic pattern that will have an impact on the changing human landscape of our state. Shaw argues that the internationalization of our economy and society is inevitable, and suggests that it is time for Kansans to “think” or to “be” international. Shaw frames his remarks through a “top-ten” list of reasons why International Studies is a perfect academic complement to one’s major field of study. As the Director of International and Area Studies for the College of Arts and Sciences, Dr. Shaw is prepared as well to answer any questions people may have about international studies at K-State.

Sensitivity Training for Cultural Diversity: Who Are You Seeing?

Donita Whitney-Bammerlin, Academic Program Coordinator, Department of Management

Living in a global society, where every day we all interact with individuals different than ourselves, it has become necessary for everyone to understand how to effectively carry out personal and professional interactions. The lack of knowledge, skills, and practices surrounding diversity can result in the loss of friends, diminished profits/market shares, poor customer service, employee turnover, low job satisfaction, and unnecessary legal battles. This workshop provides a framework of how diversity interfaces with all aspects of our lives including the roles of language, culture, social psychology, and personality to determine how these work together to create the magnification and maintenance of stereotypical differences between and among groups. The main goal of the workshop is to enable the participants to understand how to effectively and efficiently manage themselves and their role in a diverse environment to establish a positive climate for all stakeholders. Come learn how you can be a P.O.P (Proponent of People) and live more meaningfully in a diverse world.

So You Though That Translation Was All About Words? Reasons Why Everyone Who Speaks a Language is Not a Translator

Bradley A. Shaw

It is a light-hearted look at the nature of translation as a means to convey information from one culture to another. Shaw first outlines essential features of the translation process, and discusses why translations often fall short of the mark in transferring essential information from one language and culture to another. The lecture is meant to describe the way translators and interpreters approach their task, how they make decisions about the words they use, and how humans still have an advantage over the computer when it comes to conveying messages from one language to another. Shaw teaches two university courses on translation, and he will draw on that experience, and his participation in professional associations such as the Mid-America Chapter of the American Translators Association, to offer insights into the fascinating field of translation and interpreting.

Violence Against Women: A Cultural Epidemic

Michelle Bemiller, Assistant Professor of Sociology

Violence against women is a serious social problem. Statistics indicate that 1 in 3 women will be the victim of intimate violence in their lifetime. This lecture provides an overview of different types of violence against women (physical, emotional, sexual) as well as characteristics of batterers. The lecture dismantles myths that surround violence against women, focusing attention on awareness and personal and public solutions to assist in decreasing this problem. Participants will be provided helpful information to assist in detecting violence patterns as well as violent tendencies in themselves.