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“Oman: Model for Global Citizenship,
A Teacher Training and Curriculum Development Study Tour for American Teachers"
The study tour program, entitled "Oman: Model for
Global Citizenship, A Teacher Training and Curriculum Development Study Tour for American Teachers," took place between December 28, 1997 and January 6, 1998. In early 1995, Program
Development advisor at the Center for Global Peace and SIS Adjunct Professor Carole O'Leary received a grant from the United States Institute of Peace to implement a year long
series of 5 teacher training and curriculum development workshops for 33 high school teachers from the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia. These workshops explored the role of
culturally constructed identities as root causes of international conflict situations. Case studies included the Israeli-Palestinian dispute, Bosnia, South Africa, Guatemala and
Kashmir. Teachers who had participated in the AU-USIP workshop series were invited to apply for the study trip to Oman.
Ten teachers were selected with a priority given to
teachers representing underprivileged schools/school districts. Professor Abdul Aziz Said, Director of the AU Center for Global Peace and Occupant of the Mohammed Said Farsi Chair of
Islamic Peace accompanied the group as the Senior Academic Advisor, joined by Betty Sitka, the Center's Associate Director. The trip was funded by the Office of the Special Advisor
to His Majesty Sultan Qaboos for External Liaison, H.E. Dr. Omar Al Zawawi.
Oman was chosen as the location for the study tour due
to its location in the Middle East and because of Oman's distinct vision of foreign policy and international relations. The culture of the Omani people traditionally favors a
cooperative, internationalist and nonviolent approach to conflict resolution. The practice of nonviolent conflict resolution applies to internal disputes and Oman's role as a
mediator in the turbulent region of the Middle East. Oman is a nonaligned nation, traditionally seeking cooperative relations with all states irrespective of their political systems,
religion or ethnicity. In its mediator role in the Middle East, Oman's officials have served to assist Qatar and Bahrain, The UAE and Iran, Saudi Arabia and Yemen, and Arabs and Israelis
in the peaceful resolution of long-standing conflicts.
During the study tour, the delegates visited the Ministries
of Foreign Affairs, Commerce and Industry, Municipalities and Environment, Social Affairs, Labor and Vocational Training, and Education where they had the opportunity to meet with
many of the Omani officials. The delegates visited the Sultan Qaboos University and the towns of of Nizwq, Bahla, Nakhal and Rustaq.
Members of the study tour delegation to Oman are
involved in the production of curriculum materials to be shared with colleagues nationwide. The goal of Professor O'Leary and the teachers in the delegation is to incorporate these
materials into Maryland's new Core Learning Goals initiative, both in World History and US History, and into the Virginia and DC curricula. Several of the teachers will introduce the
curriculum materials at the meeting of the National Council for the Social Studies in November of 1998.
If you would like to inquire about the curriculum or have
ideas about a teacher tour to another country, feel free to contact Carole O'Leary at the Center for Global Peace.
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