When you hear “academic games,” you might think of organizations like Science Olympiad or the Academic Games League of America. While these organizations offer high school students opportunities to participate in competitions in science, history, social studies, mathematics, and more, very few programs exist that particularly prioritize the humanities. Conveniently, one such program has been taking place at Slippery Rock University for over a decade.
This year’s World Cultures and Writing Competition took place on Oct. 7 and included more than 500 students and 53 teachers from 29 area high schools. Students attended classes, workshops, and testing and competition sessions all over SRU’s campus on topics like global languages, global cultures, and English language arts such as creative writing. Students even got to hear about study abroad offerings at SRU and what it’s like to travel internationally.
Yukako Ishimaru, an instructor in the languages, literatures, cultures and writing, served as organizer of the event and spoke to the importance of colleges and universities reaching out to schools in their areas and promoting scholarship in the humanities.
“It’s important to provide opportunities for global education,” Ishimaru said. “By reaching out to these schools, we’re providing them opportunities to broaden their horizons. To broaden their perspectives in a way that is very much needed.”
More information about the competition and programs offered at SRU can be found on the Languages, Literatures, Cultures, and Writing Department webpage.