On September 4, teachers from Bloomington High School South invited the IAUNRC's Cultural Outreach specialists and graduate student volunteers Joshua Sims, Stuart McLaughlin, and Vefa Avci to deliver an interactive history lesson designed to pique students' interest in the impact of Mongol Empire on world history. The IAUNRC specializes in tailoring its cultural outreach content to the needs of its audiences in all levels of education; on this occasion, the history presentation incorporated lesson material on geography, culture, and larger contexts of world events caused by the expansion of the Mongol Empire.
Student attendees listened to a multi-part presentation on the history of Mongol imperial expansion, world technologies that flourished due to heightened interaction between societies and groups of the Eurasian landmass, and the impact of the Mongol Empire on modern-day Mongolian historical and cultural heritage. Additionally, students took part in a demonstration for building a replica Mongolian ger felt yurt, tried on traditional Mongolian clothing, and tested their knowledge with review quizzes designed to link the presentation with course material covered in the students' classes.
The IAUNRC also organized crafts tables and miniature felt ornament decorations to teach elementary students about the unique features of Mongolian yurts during a holiday-themed cultural festival at Highland Park Elementary on December 5. Student audiences are often intrigued and surprised to learn about the extent to which the history of the Mongol Empire indelibly affects world history, and the IAUNRC's Mongol History materials are representative of the engaging style and wide application potential our outreach services have for educators and lifelong learning institutions.