SUNNYVALE, CALIFORNIA, August 23, 2003: Dr. Yvette Rosser will give a talk August 23, 2003, from 6: to 7:30 pm at the Fair Oaks Community Center, 540 North Fair Oaks Avenue, Sunnyvale, California on the subject of the treatment of India as a subject in American schools. Admission is free. Dr. Rosser’s study, an analysis of the treatment of India in the American secondary social studies curriculum, includes a study of the negative impact that the standard essential presentation of India, in American classrooms, has on the identity formation of American high school students of Hindu descent. She has designed and led several workshops for high school teachers to help them better understand and teach about India. The talk is sponsored by the Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh (“source” above).
Dr. Rosser completed B.A. with Honors in the Department of Oriental and African Languages and Literature, an M.A. in the Department of Asian Studies, and a Ph.D. in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction all from University of Texas in Austin. Her Master’s Thesis topic was Global Education: India in the U.S. Secondary Social Studies Curriculum, and her Doctoral Dissertation topic was Curricula as Destiny: Forging National Identities in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. Currently, she is a Research Associate with the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) in New Delhi, while residing in Austin, Texas. She has published many papers and articles. Her publications include topics that discuss common stereotypes found in teaching about India and suggests corrective strategies for Hindus to strengthen the positive aspects of their religion, culture, and heritage so that it flourishes in America.