The book, How Maps Change Things, is currently available as an ebook from the New Internationalist Shop and Amazon. It will be released in hard copy in June 2012. As the title suggests, this book is about maps but, as stated on page 9, it explores maps from the point of view of:

“how we shape and use maps and how they in turn shape us. In short, it’s about you and me and ways of seeing: how we see the world and therefore how weunderstand our place in it, how we connect to it and to all the people with whom we share this spaceship called Earth.”

This book presents maps as change agents, unconsciously yet significantly affecting the way we see and interact with the world. To quote the Cultural Detective blog post, the author “shares some terrific stories: one about the role of maps in a territorial dispute between First Nations people and the Canadian government (pages 35-39); another about how a map can skew our view of a country as a source of oil or as a residence of people and families (pages 8-17); and a third showing how a map was used to get one county to pay for a highway interchange that served another county (pages 34-35). There is a chapter about the connection between maps and faith/values (chapter 10 page 141), and how maps are used for disease control and health (page 170), as well as for crime prevention (page 173), a topic of special interest lately with concerns of profiling and ethnic bias.”

In AFS, we aim to provide our audiences with a more global view of peoples and cultures, and this book inspires its readers to reflect on how one understands the world and how/why we see it the way we do.

Next time you look at a map, think about how the way the geography/borders/regions are presented and how this might be influencing how you think about the world, and its relationships, cultures, peoples, and nations.

The Cultural Detective Method:

•An internationally recognized method for bridging differences to leverage diversity

•A proven strategy for introducing and enhancing cross-cultural effectiveness skills.

•A fun, user-friendly process for exploring value contrasts and learning from experience

•A sophisticated tool offered in more than 60 culture-specific and topic-based modules for professional use. View the available modules here.

•A product of collaboration among over 120 intercultural experts globally

•A training tool used by HR professionals, International Education & Business Faculty and Administration, Global Managers, Trainers, Coaches, and Facilitators

Workshop Location:

AFS USA, New York Topps Building One Whitehall, 2nd Floor New York, NY 10004

Faculty:

Tatyana Fertelmeyster, MA

Tuition:

Regular tuition: $995 Early-bird discount: $925 if paid in full by April 13, 2012

Hotel Accommodations:

Many options for accommodations are available. As a courtesy, Cultural Detective has negotiated a discounted rate of $179/night at the Double Tree Hilton Hotel New York- Financial District.The hotel is located just a couple blocks from the workshop location. Reservations specific to the Cultural Detective group can be made online by clicking here.

For more information, visit: http://www.culturaldetective.com/services#CERT  or contact:

Mary Kibbe mary@culturaldetective.com Coordinator, Cultural Detective® Facilitator Certification Workshops