Message from Clay Dube

[clay dube]

Below is the LA County Office of Education's History Day announcement. It is, of course, is a big event. I'm not sure of the contours of the 2011 topic, but perhaps it includes public diplomacy, something that's been in the news lately. Public diplomacy is often linked to "soft power," the idea that a country's culture and society is attractive to others and that this attraction affects policies and relations.

USC has a Center on Public Diplomacy. We also are looking at the Shanghai Expo as a major experiment in public diplomacy both for the Chinese and participating nations. One of the US efforts in this regard is the student ambassador program at the USA Pavilion. You can learn more about this, see videos, and see what students are writing about the experience by clicking on the EXPO button in the upper right corner of the USCI website:
http://china.usc.edu

History Day L.A. Debate and Diplomacy in History: Successes, Failures,
Consequences
March 12, 2011
8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Azusa Pacific University
Azusa, CA 91702-7000
This annual event encourages teachers to engage their students in History Day
learning opportunities (i.e. exhibits, performances, web sites, posters,
documentaries, papers) for the purpose of increasing academic rigor of historysocial
science education, meeting the California History-Social Science Academic
Content Standards, and building skills of collaboration and team work. Last year
more than 600 students participated in the event. Winners of the competition
compete at the California History Day state competition.
Fee: $40 per student
Deadline to Register: February 4, 2011
A Request for Information is attached. Contest details and registration materials can
be found at http://www.lacoe.edu/historysocialscience