DVC EVALUATION: WHY STUDY U.S. HISTORY?

UNCLAS SAN SALVADOR 000300 SIPDIS STATE FOR IIP/G/WHA-JMANES, WHA/PDA-RQUIROZ, WHA/CEN- PDEGLER E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: OIIP OEXC SCUL KPAO ES SUBJECT: DVC EVALUATION: WHY STUDY U.S. HISTORY? ¶1. SUMMARY: On January 31, David Brooks - a Human Rights/Labor officer at Embassy Lima - posed the question "Why Study U.S. History" to an audience of 45 professors, teachers and representatives of museums and the National Archives of El Salvador, all of whom received a copy of the Department of State publication "Outline of American History" and a CD-Rom developed by Dr. Brooks to accompany his presentation. ¶2. SPEAKER'S BACKGROUND: David Brooks holds a M.A. in American Studies and a Ph.D. in Latin American History. He contributed a chapter on ant-Americanism in Nicaragua to Paul Hollander's book "Understanding Anti-Americanism," and he has written for numerous other publications. He joined the Foreign Service in 1994 and received the Secretary's Award for Public Outreach in June 2004. While serving in Nicaragua, he set up the Nicaraguan Association for the Study of the United States, which continues to this day. ¶3. EVALUATION OF THE PROGRAM AND SPEAKER: Dr. Brooks used as a base for his talk the asymmetric relationship between Japan and the United States in the years leading up to and following World War II, showing how two proud societies eventually overcame their many misconceptions about one another to work together for their mutual benefit. Dr. Brooks explained why it was important to go beyond daily headlines and understand what made a society "tick." He encouraged the audience to expand their perspective on US History and US-Salvadoran relations. Dr. Brooks's command of the subject, his strong Spanish skills and his engaging style made him an enjoyable speaker who kept his audience's attention. During the DVC, Dr. Brooks suggested creating an American Studies Group in El Salvador and PAS is now approaching academics and others that may be interested in being part of such a group. ¶4. U.S. EMBASSY-LIMA SUPPORT: Excellent. Post thanks CAO Abigail Gonzalez and speaker David Brooks for their ongoing interest and work on the DVC and their excellent preparation for the conference. Barclay