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Global speaker series on Middle East returns to Wittenberg

Education and peace series opens Sept. 10 with a focus on storytelling.

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By Samantha Sommer, Staff Writer Updated 11:03 PM Thursday, September 3, 2009

SPRINGFIELD — Dan McInnis wants people to see more of the Middle East.

“Showing them more than what they might see on TV on a daily basis is fairly important to me because our perceptions of that area are fairly skewed,” said McInnis, an assistant art professor at Wittenberg University.

McInnis will kick off the eighth annual Global Education and Peace Network speaker series at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 10, in room 105 of Wittenberg University’s Shouvlin Center.

The theme for this year’s series is “Sharing Our Stories: Family and Cultural Traditions that Shape Us.”

Storytelling is the arc that will connect the programs, organizer Nancy Flinchbaugh said.

“The stories we share with each other are the way we share our values and pass on our culture from generation to generation,” she said.

Other monthly programs include stories and songs from Ireland, American Indian stories and peace stories from Islam.

McInnis will share his experiences in Dubai when he taught there from 2000 to 2003, including during the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11. He will also share some of his photographs.

That gives him a unique perspective, Flinchbaugh said.

“It is so crucial to understand how other people view the world,” she said.

The event Thursday will include a potluck of homemade ethnic or cultural dishes. Wittenberg students who belong to Lambda Pi Eta, a national communication honorary society, also will present “Our Story,” which chronicles the network’s history.

The network grew out of study circles formed following Sept. 11 to create globally educated residents.

“Our goal is to try to open up peoples’ perspectives so that they can become aware of other cultures,” Flinchbaugh said.

Contact this reporter at (937) 328-0363 or ssommer@coxohio.com.