World Cinema Day 2023
WoWorld Cinema Day, a collaboration between UW-Madison’s IRIS and the Wisconsin Film Festival that began in 2004, brings school children and teachers to Madison for the screening of a high-quality, international film with an introduction and post-film discussion led by a member of the UW faculty or staff. This year’s film is Rickshaw Girl. The film intro & Q&A will be led by the author of the novel of the same name, upon which the film is based, Mitali Perkins.
Register here.
Children’s Literature Day 2023: Folk and Fairytales
This special educator workshop and celebration features award-winning authors and local experts, who will share books focused on folk and fairytales from various world regions. Authors will present mini lectures, engage in a roundtable discussion, and sign copies of their books for attendees. We have two award winning authors joining us in-person:
Rochelle Hassan, author of The Buried and the Bound (grades 9 and up), is a middle grade and young adult fantasy author. Her work includes The Prince of Nowhere(HarperCollins, May 2022) and The Buried and the Bound(Macmillan, January 2023). She likes chai, animated films, used bookshops, and traveling light.
Karla Arenas Valenti, author of Loteria (grades 4-7) is the author of the bestselling and highly-acclaimed middle grade novel, LOTERIA, as well as numerous picture books, chapter books, and upcoming middle grade novels. Her storytelling is seeded in Mexican culture and lore, and often deals in explorations of philosophical and identity-based themes (inspiring the mind) while also taking readers on riveting magical realist adventures (inspiring the heart).
Register here
Past Workshops
Colonial Famine and Historical Memory: Perspectives on the Great Hunger (An Gorta Mór) and the Holodomor
February 4, 2023
This 1-day, in person teacher training workshop, designed for Wisconsin middle and high-school teachers, will address the subject of colonial famine and memory, focusing on the two examples of the Great Hunger (An Gorta Mór) in Ireland (1845) and the Holodomor (1932) in Ukraine. Two lectures by regional experts will be bookended with interactive activites to help teachers network and engage with the workshop topics.
Q&A For Teaching About Ukraine: A Webinar for K-12 Educators
May 10th, 2022
This virtual event intends to create a space for K-12 educators a space to engage with regional experts, address concerns, and explore ways to talk about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in the classroom. Beginning with short presentations by four UW-Madison panelists, teachers will then have 30 minutes for Q&A/discussion.
2022 Global Learning Summit
April 9th, 2022
The Global Learning Summit is for Wisconsin K-12 educators and high school students, with an accompanying teacher. Teachers attend a morning workshop from 9:00-11:30 and are joined by high school learners at 11:45 for an engaging keynote, Q&A with globally engaged citizens, and collaborative action planning time. Review the Global Learning Summit Agenda to learn more!
Empowering Educators to Teach on Genocide
January 15-16th, 2022
This workshop was designed to is to help teachers prepare for the implementation of Act 30 by presenting lectures by experts on cases of mass atrocities and genocide in Europe, Rwanda, Cambodia, Argentina, and China in a two day event.
“All the Frequent Troubles of Our Days” Book Discussion
December 14th, 2021
In 1986, the Wisconsin State Legislature voted to designate September 16 as Mildred Fish-Harnack Day. During this virtual and casual book discussion, teachers of all grade levels will be able to explore the themes of the book, All the Frequent Troubles of Our Days by Rebecca Donner, and share how they plan to use information from the book, a true story about the life and death of Mildred Harnack, in the classroom.
Global Partitions
May 4, 11, and 18, 2021
During this workshop expert regional scholars will lead teachers through a critical exploration of partitions in Bangladesh, Ireland, and South Africa. Each event will consist of a 45-60 minute presentation by a regional scholar followed by discussion and a Q&A session.
Cyber-Capabilities and Accelerating Global Change
March 13 & 20, 2021 via Zoom
During this virtual professional development workshop for K-14 educators will a) examine the transforming face of international relations on the macro and micro level, b) receive an updated curated e-book of relevant source materials and classroom activities, and c) develop practical exercises that prompt student participation and collaboration.
Your Digital Personality With Visiting Scholar Ekaterina Libova
May 3, 2020 6-7pm via Blackboard Collaborate Ultra
In this free k-12 teacher webinar, Wisconsin teachers will consider the international legal rights to privacy and autonomy of our “digital identities” that are already in place and discover which legal protections maybe lacking.
The End of Democracy? Eastern Europe 30 Years after the Fall of the Berlin Wall
March 16, 2019 – 9am to 3:30pm at the Pyle Center
This workshop will look at post-1989 transitions to a market economy, communist nostalgia, and other drivers behind the rise of populism we see today in countries like Germany, Poland, and Hungary. We will explore this topic with three experts over the course of the morning and afternoon.
Teacher Workshop on Nationalism and Populism in Advanced Democracies
March 10, 2018 – 9am to 3:30pm at the Pyle Center
The workshop will look at the history and the politics of nationalism in the post-War and Cold War eras, and how populism is coming back into fashion in both Europe and the US since the Fall of the Berlin Wall (1989). We will examine the crises that led to a surge in nationalism (such as globalization and the refugee crisis) and how populist tactics from both the left and right ends of the political spectrum are hampering the day to day workings of political life (Germany, Spain, the US, the Netherlands). We will also look at the history of why certain countries and areas of Europe and the US are more susceptible to nationalist leanings than others.
Understand How the EU Impacts Human Right Regimes
April 1, 2017 – 9am to 3:30pm at the Best Western Plus InnTowner
Human rights are an essential part of learning about our world. Yet how can it be taught effectively to students in a globally competent manner? Prof. Mert Kartal and Dr. Jess Clayton address the concerns of human rights in the EU context.