by Kristen Trotter
Crimson White
February 17, 2006
Standing in front of a group of third graders at Englewood Elementary, Courtney Sanders stumped the class when she asked them what they had in common with Egyptian children.
Finally, one student found an answer: “We’re human, and they’re human!”
This is the kind of cultural understanding Sanders, who studied for a semester in Cairo, said she wants to foster.
Last semester, Sanders founded Americans for Informed Democracy, a UA student group. She was teaching at Englewood as part of Crimson Cultural Connections, a new program started by AID.
“We want to encourage dialogue so Americans can make informed choices,” Sanders, a senior majoring in political science and economics, said of the group’s mission. The UA chapter of AID is part of a national student- and young professional-led organization.
Last semester, the group hosted a videoconference with students from Lebanon, France and Ecuador on “strategic actions to improve Western-Muslim relations.” The group will host another videoconference on Monday called “Six Months after Katrina.”
AID began screening internationally oriented documentaries once a month in Nott Hall. Wednesday, the group hosted a screening of “Promises,” a documentary about Palestinian and Israeli children in Palestine.
Kendall Smith, a freshman majoring in international studies and Spanish and an AID member, said the group had long, excellent discussion afterward on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the cartoons depicting the prophet Muhammad as a terrorist that have inflamed violence around the Middle East.
Another accomplishment of the group was starting an international book club, which is also an Honors College class. Sanders said about 15 students are enrolled for credit, but anyone is welcome to come.
The group meets on the first Tuesday of every month to discuss an international book. Most recently, the group discussed “Palace Walk” by Naguib Mahfouz, an Egyptian author.
Both the book club and Crimson Cultural Connections will serve as templates for the national organization. Sanders said she laid the foundation for the Cultural Connections program last semester.
Partnered with Capstone International, the program sends teams of international and returning study abroad students into local schools to increase the students’ cultural awareness
“If we want to change minds, why not start with children?” Sanders said. “And why stop with one school?”
Smith said she sets up the videoconferences, which she has found to be a very rewarding experience.
“We’re in there with schools like NYU and Berkeley,” she said. “And I really felt like we made an impression.”
Students who sign up to attend the videoconference are given material to read before the conference to make sure they are informed and prepared. The conferences are open to anyone who wants to participate, as long as they contact Smith first.
The next videoconference, with New Orleans community leaders and residents, is an attempt to maintain the dialogue about Hurricane Katrina, Smith said.
Fran Oneal, director of the International Honors Program, is the faculty adviser for AID.
“Alabama students benefit by going out of their comfort levels and entering conversations across culture on issues that matter, and I support that,” Oneal said. “The more we can do to get students thinking and talking about world issues, the better off we are in the future.”
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