Global studies spark teen interest
By Jennifer Hiller
Advertiser Education Writer
The school day is over, but some Radford High School students are busy looking up information on the Internet about conflicts in Mexico, the Philippines, New Caledonia and Samoa.
They've gathered information on jihad and on the Hawaiian sovereignty movement. They discuss human rights, global warming and globalization at length.
Oh, and they've also solved the sticking points of the Kyoto Protocol, the environmental treaty that most countries with the exception of the United States have signed.
Welcome to class.
About 20 Radford students are taking a global studies and media literacy class after school as an elective that also satisfies part of their graduation requirements. It's a course their teachers and the Pacific and Asian Affairs Council hope to spread to other high schools across the state.
The course, called "Upload the World," teaches students everything from Web-site design to current events, cultural differences and how globalization happens. It's being piloted at Roosevelt High School this semester and will start at Kailua High in the fall.
"We're trying to keep the kids up with what's going on at the university level," said Radford teacher Leonard Wilson.
"It brings these real issues to the mind of high school students."
The curriculum was first tried at Radford and comes from PAAC and Punahou School's "Global Eyes" program. It's an outgrowth of PAAC's extracurricular clubs at high schools across the state, which try to bring global issues and awareness to Hawai'i's teens as a way to spark interest in international relations.
"It's a chance to get more depth into the curriculum," said Adria Estribou, high school program coordinator with PAAC. "Sometimes there's no right answer to the questions we talk about, so in that respect it's more like a college course."
But supporters of the global studies program are also cautiously watching the Department of Education's budget. While the global studies course is financed by the individual schools and costs about $5,000, school budgets could take a hit next year because of the state budget shortfall.
DOE officials have already notified PAAC that they will discontinue financing the PAAC club program. PAAC, which has been a presence in Hawai'i schools for five decades, is starting to look toward fund-raising or corporate sponsorship as a way to keep the popular clubs alive.
Estribou takes the more detailed and in-depth curriculum to Radford and Roosevelt in the afternoons, bringing articles for students to read and discuss and asking them to write answers to questions such as: "Why is globalization hard to stop?"
Students don't need to have extensive knowledge about international news and events to sign up for the class, but they pick it up quickly. "There's a curiosity, but it's a completely different thing for them to think about," Estribou said. "It's a new way of learning."
Janell Saragosa, 17, a senior, said she prefers the nearly 2 1/2-hour global studies class over the 45-minute classes she takes during the regular school day because of the unusual coursework. "It's different and it's more fun," Saragosa said. "I wish all of my classes were like this."
Rus Shokunbi, 18, said the Radford students had to represent the United States when PAAC clubs from across the state met for their yearly conference in February. Each school represented a country and the group had to iron out the problems with the Kyoto Protocol.
As in real life, most other countries were enraged at the Radford students representing the United States, which has been reluctant to sign the agreement. "You can see how much anger there is against the United States and how it develops," Shokunbi said. "People got pretty mad at us at that conference. There was a lot of animosity."
In class, students are often able to research the regional conflicts and global issues that interest them the most, he said. "There's a lot of freedom to do what you want. I think it's better than regular classes because you're here longer and get to know people better," Shokunbi said.
The students also incorporate community service into their class. "You have all of these issues that are very weighty and depressing like global warming and terrorism," Estribou said. "They try to do something positive with it."
In response to the terrorist attacks and subsequent stereotyping of Arab Americans, the Radford students have created a video called "Don't Hate, Communicate." It's about an Afghan student and the difficulties she's faced since Sept. 11, and will be shown to elementary schools and Radford students as a way to teach about stereotyping.
Reach Jennifer Hiller at jhiller@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8084.
