The cost is $9 for participants attending the evening of Feb. 22 only, and $19 for participants attending both days. The Feb. 23 session includes lunch. The class is free to ABAC faculty, staff, and students. All sessions will meet in Cordell Conference Room 126B in the Carlton Center on the ABAC campus. Preregistration is required. Teachers requesting Staff Development Units (SDU) must attend an additional session on March 2 from 9 - 11:30 a.m.
The class is sponsored by ABAC's Office of Academic Affairs and the Public Service and Business Outreach Center (PSBOC). For additional information, contact ABAC's PSBOC at (229) 386-3267.
Focus on Central Asia includes the following seven presentations: Who are the Muslims?, Islamic Art and Architecture, Politics of Terrorism, Rebuilding Post-Taliban Afghanistan, American Foreign Policy and Central Asia, Adding Central Asia to Your Class, and Tragedy in the Sand: Causes and Consequences of the Aral Sea Disaster.
Who are the Muslims? will meet Feb. 22 from 4:30 - 5:20 p.m. Dr. Alan Godlas (Religion, University of Georgia) is a noted religious scholar who travels and works in Uzbekistan, Iran, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Egypt, Turkey, and Syria. He will provide an overview on Islam, the core values of the religion, and the wide variety of its members.
Islamic Art and Architecture will meet Feb. 22 from 5:30 - 6:20 p.m. Sylvia Godlas, an artist and author, has works displayed in several Middle Eastern museums, and her publications help K-12 teachers place Islamic culture into their classrooms. She will provide an overview of Islamic art, with an additional look at Central Asia's monumental architecture.
Politics of Terrorism will meet Feb. 23 from 9 - 9:50 a.m. Anthony Fitzgerald, an assistant professor of Criminal Justice at ABAC, has spent 15 years with the U.S. Army's Criminal Investigation Division. He has studied terrorism and has had extensive interaction with Saudi investigative agencies during the Desert Shield/Desert Storm campaign. His presentation will look at terrorist motivation.
Rebuilding Post-Taliban Afghanistan will meet Feb. 23 from 10 - 10:50 a.m. Dr. Tom Howard (Geography, Armstrong Atlantic University) has extensive travel and research experience in Central Asia and the Indian Sub-Continent. He will provide a look at the challenges and opportunities for a reconstructed Afghanistan.
American Foreign Policy and Central Asia will meet Feb. 23 from 11 - 11:50 a.m. Dr. Joseph Njoroge, assistant professor of political science at ABAC, is a specialist on American foreign policy. He will address the new importance of this region and how it impacts world politics.
Adding Central Asia to Your Class will meet Feb. 23 from 1 - 1:50 p.m. Missy Phillips (Lassiter High School) has a Fulbright-Hayes Award to study modern Uzbekistan. She combines on-site experience with extensive research to provide an excellent lesson plan for K-12 teachers.
Tragedy in the Sand: Causes and Consequences of the Aral Sea Disaster will meet Feb. 23 from 2 - 2:50 p.m. Dr. Reuel Hanks (Geography, University of Oklahoma) is editor of the Journal of Central Asian Studies and has extensive travel experience in Central Asia. He will examine the disappearance of the Aral Sea and how it will impact the climate, economy, and lifestyles throughout Central Asia.
Dr. John Dunn, Assistant Professor in ABAC's Division of Social Sciences, and Coordinator of Focus on Central Asia, said Americans have important decisions to make regarding Central Asia.
"There are several questions that need to be answered," Dunn said. "Is this region still the center for the terrorist war against America? If not, what can we do to avoid repetition? The first step in answering these questions is to learn about the peoples, cultures, and politics of this region. ABAC's Focus on Central Asia starts us down that road."
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