Schedule

 Legendary Empires: Power, People & Politics

Monday, July 17th: Empires of the Middle East

  • 9:30-10:00 Welcome with coffee/tea, Penn’s LGBT Center located at 3907 Spruce Street.
  • 10:00- 11:40 The Age of Empires, a lecture presented by Professor Brian Spooner will first give an overview of the beginning of empire building in the 3rd millennium. He will then provide a more detailed account focusing on the Achaemenians, Parthians, Sasanians, and the Persianate administrations of the eastern Islamic world from the Taherids in Nishapur (starting in 821) to the Ottomans, Mughals and Qajars in the late mediaeval and early modern periods. Finally, he will provide an overview of the Colonial empires’ impact on the Middle East then and now.  Brian Spooner, is Professor of Anthropology, Undergraduate Chair at the Department of Anthropology at the University of Pennsylvania, and Curator of near Eastern Ethnology at Penn Museum.
  • 12:00-1:00 Israeli Lunch from Hummus Grill Menu:
    • Hummus Platter & Pita
    • Shawarma, marinated chicken slow-roasted on a spit over an open flame and shaved to order.
    • Hummus Salad, fresh romaine, spring mix and baby arugula and topped with crisp carrots, sliced cucumbers, onion, red bell peppers, tomatoes, sliced avocado, and hummus.
    • Tabouli, tomatoes, finely chopped parsley, mint, bulgur, onion, and seasoned with olive oil, lemon juice, and salt.
    • Falafel, deep-fried chickpea served with pita
  • 1:00-2:30 The Ottoman Empire, Dr. Tuna Artun will provide a lecture focused on the Ottoman Empire. Dr. Tuna Artun is a historian of the late medieval and early modern Middle East and Balkans. His work deals with the social and cultural history of knowledge in the Ottoman world, with a particular focus on alchemy. More specifically, his research deals with Byzantine history, natural and occult sciences in the Greco-Islamic tradition, and Sufism. He is currently in the process of turning his dissertation, which studied the production of alchemical knowledge in the long-seventeenth century, into a book manuscript.
  • 2:30-3:30 Musical Performance, Al Bustan-Seeds of Culture will provide a musical performance utilizing percussion instruments and demonstration how music can be used as a tool in the classroom.
  • 3:30-4:00 Group Discussion, led by Dr. Anna Viden.

Tuesday July 18: Viewing Middle Eastern Empires Through Art and Culture

  • 9:30-10:00 Coffee/tea, at Penn Museum  located at 3260 South Street.
    • Please click here for parking information at the Penn Museum.
    • Announcement will be sent out in early July regarding which entrance to use at the Penn Museum.
  • 10:00-12:00: Reading for Empire on a Daily Basis, Led by Brahim El-Guabli of Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture
  • 12:00-1:00 Lunch, catered by Widener Auditorium
    • Buffet Style Lunch
    • Fresh Salad
    • Choice of one of three sandwiches (a vegetarian option will be available)
    • Cookie Platter
    • Chips
  • 1:00- 2:00 Penn Museum Break Out Sessions- Syria Tour or Egypt Activity (Galleries), participants will be divided into two groups, each group will participate in both activities
  • GROUP 1: Syria Gallery Tour: Cultures in the Crossfire: Stories from Syrian and Iraq, This new exhibit created in conjunction with the Penn Cultural Heritage Center, sheds light on the ongoing destruction of cultural heritage in the Middle East by showing what’s at stake- the rich history of the region and the diversity of its people- and what’s begin done to prevent the loss of this history and cultural identity. Fascinating ancient art and artifacts from the Penn Museum’s extensive New East collection tells the story of the cultures of Syria and Iraq through time.
  •  GROUP 2: Egypt Gallery Activity: Ancient Propaganda: Developing Visual Literacy, Participants deconstruct the way that ancient cultures represent themselves, looking at iconography, scale/monumentality, and materials
  • 2:00-3:00 Penn Museum Break Out Sessions, Syria Tour/ Egypt Activity (Galleries),  groups switch
  • 3:00- 3:30 Partner/ Group Activity, located in the Widener Auditorium, this activity is curated by the Penn Museum and will include the following:
    • Reporting out on findings from activities by object and by table
    • Model modern relevancy:
      • Photo/ image analysis; posters from WWI, WWII with data collected from monuments
      • Past/ recent events: South and statue removal; integration of slave memorial
    • Discussion: Where of these ideas fit into your teaching practice? Visual/ written literacy; viewing with a critical lens; looking into  the community for relevance
  • 3:30-4:00 Reflection of the past two days, discussion regarding new perspectives, lessons learned, and implications for your teaching/ lessons

Wednesday July 19: Empires of West Africa and Asia

  • 9:30-10:00 Coffee and tea, Meet at the LGBT Center, Please arrive promptly; a bus will take participants over to the PMA at 9:45AM
  • 10:00-12:00 Walking Tour, Tour of the Philadelphia Museum of Art‘s new South Asia Gallery. Meet with Jenni Drozdek, manager of adult learning at West Entrance
    • Please be advised after the tour of the PMA, we will return to Penn’s LGBT Center for the remainder of the day.
  • 12:00 Penn Bus Charter back to LGBT Center
  • 12:15-1:00 Lunch, catered by Ekta Indian Cuisine
    • Garlic Kabob, chicken breast marinated with garlic, sour cream herbs and spices baked in tandoor over
    • Cashew Roll, cashew, potatoes, cheese mixed with green chilies and ginger and fried
    • Naan, white flour bread
    • Basmati Rice
    • Masaladar Chhola, chick peas cooked with onion and tomato sauce, pomegranate seeds and roasted cumin seeds
    • Shabanam Curry, mixed vegetables, cheese, peas, cooked with onion tomato in creamy cashew sauce
    • Mango Chicken, chicken breast cooked with fresh mango, onion and creamy tomato sauce moderately spiced
  • 1:00-2:00  “Behind the Art of South Asian Empires,” lecture by Dr. Devan Patel, Associate Professor of South Asian Studies. In this talk Dr. Patel will provide background information for educators about the art seen in the PMA South Asia Gallery. He will work to help educators understand how they can use the resource of the gallery to teach about South Asian empires in their classroom.
  • 2:00-2:10 Break
  • 2:10-3:10 “Empire of Gold: The Rise (and fall) of Asante in Colonial West Africa,” presented by Dr. Jennifer Hasty, lecturer in the Africana Studies Department. Dr. Hasty will discuss the culture of Asante through modes of kinship, religion, and politics as well as norms and values embedded in proverbs and folktales.  She will then discuss the elements of Asante chieftaincy and the construction of a trans-ethnic kingdom that was a proto-nation-state, and probably would have evolved into a real nation-state if not for European colonialism. She will end her lecture be discussing the decline of Asante in the colonial period and the revitalization of Asante identity in contemporary Ghana.
  • 3:10-4:10 “Korea with Empire in Global History,” lecture by Dr. Seok Lee, Academic Coordinator for the James Joo-Jin Program in Korean Studies at Penn. In this lecture Dr. Lee will give an overview of how Korea has survived invasions by numerous empires and interacted with them in terms of politics, economy, and culture.

Thursday July 20: Empires in Africa, the Caribbean and Asia 

  • 9:30-9:45 Coffee and tea, Please meet and be settled at the LGBT Center by 9:30. We will depart from the LGBT Center promptly at 9:45 and walk over to Van Pelt Library.
  • 10:00-11:20 Using Primary Sources to Teach Empire in India, Class of ’78 Pavilion, 6th floor, Van Pelt-Dietrich Library, presentation by Mitch Frats, Curator, Special Collections, Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts. In this session Mitch will introduce participants to an exciting variety of primary sources related to empire in early modern and modern South Asia. Drawing on the collections of the Kislak Center for Special Collections, the session will highlight diaries, letters, drawings, palm-leaf manuscripts, and other rare documents relating to India which might serve to better understand and teach South Asian history.
  • 11:20-11:30 Walk back to the LGBT Center.
  • 11:30-12:30 Food and Empire in Southeast Asia, lecture by David Deetman,  the Associate Director of the Center for East Asian Studies. David believes that food is a great springboard for discussions of global history, and one of the more positive consequences of the generally negative experience of being under foreign rule is new and exciting ideas in food. In this presentation, Dettmann explores bi-directional borrowings through Southeast Asian food with influences from India, China, and the West.
  • 12:30-1:30 Lunch, catered by Pattaya Thai Cuisine
    • Vegetable Spring Roll, crispy roll stuffed with mixed vegetables served with sweet & sour chili sauce
    • Vegetable & Tofu Pad Thai, stir-fried rice noodles with selected choice, egg, tofu and bean sprouts sprinted with ground peanut (egg not included with the Vegetable and Tofu option)
    • Beef Basil, stir-fried selected choice with onion, bell paper, sweet basil & sweet chili sauce
    • Sweet & Sour Vegetable Tofu, stir-fried selected choice with vegetables and sweet & sour sauce
    • Pineapple Fried Rice, stir-fried rice selected choice with onion, pineapple, egg & cashew nuts in brown sauce
    • Chicken Panang Curry, stir-fried selected choice with onion, pineapple, egg & cashew nuts in brown sauce
  • 1:30-2:30 “Haiti and Empire,” lecture by Dr. Grace Sanders, Assistant Professor of Africana Studies. Haiti is etched in the North American and European mind as a place of black poverty and misfortune. In this lecture Dr. Sander will provide the historical context for understanding Haiti as a central part of U.S. and European social, political, and economic global systems of power. Using geography, storytelling, environmental and social studies Dr. Sanders will help participants incorporate complex intersections of Haitian and world history into their curriculum.
  • 2:30-2:40 Break
  • 2:40-3:40 “From Ancient Axum to Modern Ethiopia: 2500 Years of Empire in the Horn of Africa,” lecture by Dr. Lee Cassanelli, Associate Professor of History.  Ethiopia is one of the few ancient empires to persist into the 21st century.  Even though Ethiopia no longer has an ’emperor’, it remains a multi-ethnic, multi-religious polity held together both by authoritarian institutions and by a ‘great tradition’ reaching back into the past. In this talk Dr. Cassanelli will try to help educators understand broader themes of world empire through the study of Ethiopia.
  • 3:40-4:00 Instruction for Friday’s Session

Friday July 21: Reflection and Discussion 

  • 9:30-10:00 Coffee and tea,  LGBT Center located at 3907 Spruce Street
  • 10:00-11:30 Reflection on the Week and Practical Application, led by Master Teacher Fellow Varley Paul
  • 11:30-12:30 Lunch, provided by the Middle East Center, South Asia Center and Center for Africana Studies
  • 12:30-2:30 Lesson Plan Presentation, each teacher will present their lesson plan to the group
  • 2:30-3:30 Certificates and Announcements, conclusion of the institute