Initiatives and events listed below are the product of single WIRC-member units or smaller collaborations, covering fewer world regions within a single program or event. Although more limited in terms of global reach, these programs provide opportunities for focused engagement.
2026-2027 Engaging Eurasia Teacher Fellowship | Apply by April 30
Are you a high school or community college educator interested in deepening your understanding of the history, culture, and current events of Russia and Eurasia? Applications are now open for the 2026-2027 Engaging Eurasia Teacher Fellowship, which will be devoted to the theme “Science, Health, and Medicine in Eastern Europe and Eurasia.” Over the 9-month fellowship, fellows will participate in 8 content webinars, hearing from scholars with expertise on the fellowship topic. For more information and to apply by April 30, click here.______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
AI and Society: Community Impacts and New Directions
Friday-Saturday, June 27-28, 2025
This interactive workshop offers a comprehensive exploration of artificial intelligence (AI) and its wide-reaching impact across various sectors, with a focus on how these advancements intersect with education, ethics, and community well-being. As AI rapidly reshapes industries from healthcare to journalism and the arts, it’s important for educators, community organizations, and local businesses to consider how these changes affect long-term resilience and everyday life in communities across Wisconsin.
Co-sponsored by the Latin America, Caribbean, and Iberian Studies Program (LACIS), the Institute for Regional and International Studies National Resource Center (IRIS NRC), and the Center for South Asia (CSA)
“Teaching Los Tsev: Cia Siab in WI” K-14 Panel and workshop on Teaching Hmong Studies
Kong Pheng Pha, Mai See Thao, Choua Lee, Chundou Her
Wisconsin Historical Society
April 12, 2025 @ 8:30 am – 12:30 pm
This panel brought in scholars and educators to share insights on teaching Hmong studies in the state of Wisconsin, as well as offer commentary on the field’s continuing expansion. In light of recent legislation that now mandates the teaching of Hmong and Asian American history in the state’s K-12 classrooms, panelists offered commentary on how they have taught Hmong studies, and what implications this legislation will have on ethnic studies more broadly. Panelists connected the teaching of Hmong history, politics, and contemporary experiences to language revitalization and pedagogy, with implications on both K-12 and higher education.
There was also a K-14 Educator Workshop on Teaching Los Tsev: Cia Siab in WI Exhibit (with lunch provided) that morning that used the Los Tsev: Cia Siab (Hope) in WI exhibit at the WHS as the basis for engaging a curriculum for K-14 teachers to understand Hmong history and experiences in Wisconsin. The workshop allowed participants to engage in dialogue around Hmong studies pedagogy and examine exhibit objects to ask questions about refugee migration, experiences, and identities. Find out more here.
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Empire and Identity in France and Russia: A Professional Development Workshop for K-14 Educators
Saturday, February 1, 2025
9:30am-3:30pm
Ingraham Hall
1155 Observatory Drive
France and Russia, two countries separated by a continent, share histories of absolutist rulers, violent revolution, and colonialism. Sources of intellectual and cultural inspiration for each other, they also share complex concepts of identity and what it means to be French or Russian in their respective multi-ethnic societies. They have been both allies and adversaries in multiple global conflicts, and today are at odds over Russia’s war on Ukraine.
This 1-day teacher training workshop will help Wisconsin educators understand the current relationship between the two countries, and how their shared past as empires has shaped the modern-day identities and politics of their people and the relationship of the two regions with each other. Participants will hear from University of Wisconsin-Madison speakers knowledgeable about the regions’ legacy of empire on current events and concepts of identity – lessons that can be applied to classroom instruction on concepts of citizenship and the politics of migration in the United States.
“Empire and Identity in France and Russia” will be of interest to teachers in a wide range of subjects, such as social studies, history, geography, politics, communication, and language arts. We welcome participation by teachers in other fields, as well as librarians, administrators, and pre-service teachers.
Registration cost (includes lunch and additional classroom resources): $35 for in-service teachers, $25 for pre-service teachers. Limited financial assistance will be available to cover hotel costs for attendees coming from outside Dane County. Find out more about this event .
Co-sponsored by the Center for European Studies and the Center for Russia, East Europe, and Central Asia.
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Refugees, Dehumanization, and Rehumanization: A Practical, Pedagogical Workshop for Community-College Educators
NOVEMBER 4, 2023 | 9-3 | Edgewater Hotel, Madison, WI
*The workshop included a documentary film screening on Friday, November 3.*
In coming decades, we are likely to see rising numbers of refugees worldwide, reaching up to 1.2 billion people in motion by 2050. This workshop offered ideas and information useful to teaching current students in the context of past and impending global transformations that will define their generation. Experts on Latin America, Southeast Asia, and the United States discussed the processes that dehumanize refugees, along with ways to re-humanize them and counter dangerous trends that can lead to indifference, fear or violence. The workshop continued conversations from “The Growing Crisis of Refugees and Statelessness” workshop of 2020, while offering new insights on unfolding events and optimistic perspectives on possibilities for the future.
· Participants had the chance to work directly with the workshop’s speakers to develop new material for their courses.
· All participants were eligible to receive a professional development digital badge from Madison College.
· Up to 15 participants traveling an hour or more were eligible for a free night at The Edgewater Hotel on November 3rd.
· In addition, the first 10 registrants received a FREE copy of Gendered Asylum: Race and Violence in U.S. Law and Politics, a fascinating book by one of our featured speakers, Professor Sara McKinnon.
Registration covered:
· An optional, but delicious dinner at the Edgewater Hotel on Friday evening
· Breakfast, lunch and refreshments throughout the day on Saturday
· The workshop’s full array of presentations, materials and mentoring
Sponsored by: Madison College and the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Latin American Caribbean & Iberian Studies (LACIS) Program, European Studies Program, and the African Studies Program.
MORE INFORMATION | REGISTRATION
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9 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. on February 4, 2023 (Ingraham Hall)
A professional development workshop for Wisconsin teachers, organized by the Center for Russia, East Europe, and Central Asia, and the Center for European Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
This 1-day teacher training workshop will address the subject of colonial famine and memory, focusing on the two examples of the Great Hunger (An Gorta Mór) in Ireland (1845-51) and the Holodomor in Ukraine (1932-33). Participants will learn about the history of each event, and their lasting impact on life, culture, and politics in the respective regions today. Workshop participants will receive a reader, visual media resources, and a certificate of completion with contact hours. The workshop will also incorporate synthesizing activities, which can be used in the classroom.
“Colonial Famine and Historical Memory” should be of interest to teachers in a wide range of subjects, such as social studies, history, geography, politics, communication, and language arts. We encourage participation by teachers in other fields, as well as librarians, administrators, and pre-service teachers. The workshop content will be most relevant to teachers of 6th-14th grades, but all Wisconsin K-14 teachers are welcome.
For more information about this workshop, and to register, please see the event page.
Fall 2022 Workshop: The South and Southeast Asian Refugee Experience in Wisconsin
November 19, 2022, 8:30 AM-4:30 PM
A Curriculum Development Workshop for Community College and K-14 Educators
This workshop is designed for current K-14 educators who are seeking ways to incorporate discussions and material on refugee experiences in their classes. As part of Madison College’s new Hmong Studies Initiative, our featured speakers will focus primarily on Hmong experiences and comparable experiences from Afghan and Vietnamese perspectives.
Presentations will offer educators a variety of ideas and concepts for easy mapping and adaptation across a variety of subjects. Topics will include reading and writing memoirs in addition to accounts of Hmong, Vietnamese, and Afghan refugee experiences. Educators will have the opportunity to participate in breakout discussions throughout the day to exchange ideas and develop lessons.
Featured speakers:
- Chong Moua (Lecturer in Asian American Studies and PhD Student at UW-Madison)
- Stephanie Taylor (Refugee Wellness Coordinator, Jewish Social Services of Madison)
- Muhammad Din Hajizada (Case Aide, Jewish Social Services of Madison)
- Mai Elliott (Pulitzer Prize Nominee, Author of The Sacred Willow: Four Generations in the Life of a Vietnamese Family, Consultant for the Ken Burns documentary The Vietnam War)
- Mai Neng Vang (Doctoral Candidate in Educational Policy Studies at UW-Madison)
- Tou SaiK Lee (Poet, Hip Hop Artist, and Master’s Student at UW-Madison)
Resources from the workshop will be posted here at a later date.
For more information on this event, please contact Mary McCoy at mccoy2@wisc.edu or Andrea Fowler at assistantdirector@southasia.wisc.edu.
Sponsored by: Madison College Center for International Education and UW-Madison’s Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Center for South Asia, and Asian American Studies Program.
Environmental Crisis, Development, and Human Rights in South Asia: Past and Present – An online workshop for educators seeking new ways of addressing the climate crisis. Sponsored by the Center for South Asia
Supporting materials will be provided for all attendees.
Featured speakers include:
Deepa Badrinarayana (Professor, Dale E. Fowler School of Law, Chapman University)
Shobhana Chelliah (Distinguished Professor of Linguistics and Associate Dean of Research and Advancement at the College of Information, University of North Texas)
Thomas Crowley (PhD Candidate in Geography, Rutgers University and author of Fractured Forest, Quartzite City: A History of Delhi and Its Ridge)
These cultural kits are available on loan, free of charge, to educators and community organizations for classroom or event use. Click on the links below to explore the offerings from WIRC Members! Please make requests directly with the Outreach Coordinator for the sponsoring center.