Media

HKU Faculty of Education Distinguished Lecture on Diversity and Citizenship Education in Multicultural Nations

07 Jun 2010

The Faculty of Education, in support of the University's drive to strengthen knowledge exchange, one of the three strategic themes of the University's Strategic Development, takes the initiative in knowledge sharing with the public by organizing the Distinguished Lecture for education professions and a series of education seminars for parents. The Distinguished Lecture entitled "Diversity and Citizenship Education in Multicultural Nations" will be delivered by Professor James A. Banks.

Immigration is increasing racial, ethnic, cultural, linguistics and religious diversity in nations around the world. Multicultural nations need to balance unity and diversity. The rapid increase in the population of residents from other cultural and ethic backgrounds in Hong Kong challenges the concepts of citizenship and citizenship education. In the lecture, Professor Banks will describe how various nations around the world are dealing with diversity, citizenship and educational issues related to immigrant groups.

There is a need to transform citizenship education so as to help students develop reflective cultural, national, and global identities and a commitment to take civic action. Such transformation will make their communities, nation, and the world more democratic, just, and cosmopolitan.

Professor Banks holds the Kerry and Linda Killinger Endowed Chair in Diversity Studies and is the founding Director of the Center for Multicultural Education at the University of Washington, Seattle. He is a member of the National Academy of Education, and a past President of the American Educational Research Association (AERA) in 1997-98 and the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) in 1982. He was a Spencer Fellow at Stanford University in 2005-06. He received Jean Dresden Grambs Distinguished Career Research in Social Studies Award of NCSS and Inaugural Social Justice in Education Award of AERA in 2001 and 2004 respectively.

Media representatives are cordially invited to the Distinguished Lecture, the details are as follows:

Date: June 8, 2010 (Tuesday)
Time: 5:00 - 6:00 pm
Venue: LG06, Hui Oi Chow Science Building, HKU

For media enquiries, please contact Ms Queenie Wong, Development and Communications Manager, Faculty of Education, HKU (Tel: 2219 4270 / Mobile: 9220 5840 / Fax: 2540 6360 / E-mail: qlpwong@hku.hk )