Abstract

Title VI Grant

Enhancing International Education for a 21st Century Curriculum

Johnson County Community College (JCCC), the third largest institution of higher education in Kansas, is a comprehensive community college in the metropolitan Kansas City area. It enrolls more than 18,000 credit students and a similar number in continuing education programs and activities. For years JCCC’s mission has included a commitment to diversity, to sharing resources and ideas internationally and to expanding the opportunities for personal growth and cultural enrichment of every college constituency. The college has been willing to advance that mission through the commitment of
resources, both financial and human. Enhancing International Education for a 21st Century Curriculum seeks to build on the existing foundation of courses and programs at the college and to develop areas that are underrepresented in the existing curriculum. The greatest area of need is in the inclusion of content related to the Islamic world. Although attention to Islam and to Islamic societies is evident in courses in Western Civilization, World History, and some additional courses in the humanities, the absence of such content in other areas of the curriculum is apparent. This grant project is designed to address this challenge through four primary objectives. These include:

The growth and development of faculty knowledge and expertise about the Islamic world through a directed seminar series and the expansion of print and media resources on Islam, Arabic language, and the cultures of the Islamic world;

The addition of significant content to the curriculum through the creation of fifteen course modules and nine new courses that focus on Arabic, Islam, and Islamic cultures;

The development of three new Learning Communities for students that bring
together language (Arabic, Chinese, and Russian) and culture studies during the first two years of undergraduate study. Each Learning Community will include content on Islam and Islamic populations in the respective cultures;

The development and expansion of overseas opportunities and on-line
courses for students and faculty to study language and to experience Islamic cultures of the Middle East and Central, South, and Southeast Asia.

This two-year project will be implemented in cooperation with area secondary schools and universities to create a seamless transition for students studying Arabic and Islamic culture. This grant will assist JCCC in achieving an enhanced foreign language program and a more inclusive and vital curriculum for our students and our community.

Johnson County Community College
International Education Office
12345 College Blvd.
Overland Park, KS 66210
913-469-8500, ext. 3496