Launching Academic WorldQuest 2022!

The 2022 Anne Smedinghoff

Academic WorldQuest

HS Global Affairs Challenge

It’s Academic WorldQuest Time in Tennessee!

Here is an opportunity to expand your high school students’ horizons and global literacy. Global literacy among Americans—the understanding of how the world is organized and interconnected—is an area in need of attention. The Tennessee World Affairs Council can help!

TNWAC is a nonprofit educational association that focuses resources and programs for students to improve their global affairs awareness. A primary focus of TNWAC’s education program is the Academic WorldQuest competition, along with a weekly online current events quiz, “What in the World?” Teachers are also encouraged to access TNWAC’s extensive Webinar Archive featuring interviews and panel discussions with ambassadors and experts on international hotspots and issues, along with a multitude of other globally significant offerings, all located at your fingertips at TNWAC.ORG!

So, what exactly IS Academic WorldQuest and how does it work?

AWQ uses a Quiz-bowl-like format to test high school students’ knowledge with four-person teams answering questions about ten topics, including current events, based on a Study Guide.

NOTE: There is no limit on the number of teams from any high school that chooses to participate AND/OR one team can be comprised of students from more than one school.

Teams study and practice during the school year, leading to a practice match in December and a State Championship match in February. The state winning team goes on to the national tournament in Washington, DC, a unique trip funded by the TN World Affairs Council that includes visits to embassies, think tanks, and other global affairs destinations.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, both the state level and national 2020/2021 AWQ competition were virtual. An MNPS team—MLK Magnet—emerged as #1 state champion along with Centennial High School in Franklin and the Randolph School in Huntsville, AL, rounding out the top three.

The 2021-2022 AWQ state championship will be IN PERSON, and WACA’s (World Affairs Councils of America) 2021-2022 AWQ National Championship—from among the 90+ councils in the network—is scheduled to be held in person at the headquarters of the United States Institute of Peace in Washington DC on April 29-30, 2022.

Students who participate in WorldQuest are awarded 50 points toward the 100 points needed to qualify for the 2022 Tennessee Global Scholars Certificate program. Details HERE.

Visit TNWAC.org/WorldQuest for all the information you need about Academic WorldQuest including pledging a school/team, practice match information, registration, competition rules and procedures, and important dates.

You should pledge your interest in organizing teams now. [Link] Upon signing up, teacher/coaches and students receive free membership in the TN World Affairs Council and information on membership benefits.

The 2021/2022 AWQ topics are:

Where Climate and Migration Meet
Afghanistan: End of the 20-Year U.S.-Led Intervention
A Human-Centered Agenda for the Future of Work
CDC and the Global Health Agenda
Technology and Democracy: Threat or Promise?
Great Decisions
21st Century Money: Dollars to Digital Currencies
Working for Peace Through Legacies of War: The Case of Vietnam
Insecurity in China’s Neighborhood
Current Events

* TNWAC Practice and Championship matches will NOT include the Great Decisions category. A second Current Events topic round will be substituted. (The Great Decisions category is based on a magazine available for sale. The winning TNWAC championship team will receive copies of the magazine to prepare for the National Championship match.)

Here is a direct link to the 2021-2022 AWQ Study Guide: Academic World Quest 2021-2022 Study Guide (constantcontact.com)

For the Tennessee part of the competition, current events questions come directly from TNWAC’s weekly “What in the World?” Current Events Quiz, published on-line every Monday. You can receive the quiz in email by subscribing to our newsletter (SUBSCRIBE HERE), on the TNWAC web site and in our social media (@TNWAC).

Important Dates for 2021-2022 Academic WorldQuest:

NOVEMBER 1-30, 2021 — PLEASE PLEDGE a school/team NOW. This non-binding enrollment allows us to plan for the competition and to share WorldQuest information directly with schools and teams. You do not need to have formed teams in order to pledge your school/team. LINK HERE
DECEMBER 5, 2021 (1:00pm CT) — PRACTICE MATCH (optional) at Belmont University.
DECEMBER 6, 2021-JANUARY 31, 2022 – TEAMS REGISTRATION
FEBRUARY 6, 2022 (1:00PM CT) – TENNESSEE ACADEMIC WORLDQUEST CHAMPIONSHIP at Belmont University
APRIL 28-29, 2022 Tennessee Championship Team to Washington, DC for visits to international institutions.
APRIL 29-30, 2022 Academic WorldQuest National Championship Reception (Friday) and Match (Saturday), hosted at the United States Institute of Peace

Notes

Teams can prepare for the competition by reviewing the AWQ Study Guide. Questions for nine topics are drawn directly from the Study Guide. The Current Events category questions are drawn from the TNWAC “What in the World? Weekly Quiz” from the SIX weeks of quizzes preceding each event. The quiz is published every Monday and students can subscribe to the Quiz by joining the TNWAC newsletter list on the home page, TNWAC.org and at this LINK.
Students are encouraged to review the TNWAC Global Scholar Certificate Program and use their participation in WorldQuest as credit toward completion.

Carlos and Malú Alvarez National Championship Match. The World Affairs Councils of America will host a national match among many of the 90+ WACs from around the country.

The national competition is attended by 200-250 of the nation’s most promising high school students each year, along with their parents, teachers, and chaperones. The 4-hour AWQ competition is a unique opportunity for students to visit the nation’s capital, perhaps for the first time. A weekend of substantive programming is included to enhance the experience.

Prizes. TNWAC will announce prizes for the TNWAC Championship Match and WACA will announce prizes for the National Championship Match.

Academic WorldQuest 2022 Topics

Where Climate and Migration Meet
Afghanistan: End of the 20-Year U.S.-Led Intervention
A Human-Centered Agenda for the Future of Work
CDC and the Global Health Agenda
Technology and Democracy: Threat or Promise?
Great Decisions *
21st Century Money: Dollars to Digital Currencies
Working for Peace Through Legacies of War: The Case of Vietnam
Insecurity in China’s Neighborhood
Current Events

Study Guide

The AWQ Study Guide provides the topics and reference materials used in the TNWAC practice match and championship match, except for the “Current Events” questions. Current events questions are drawn from the “What in the World? Weekly Quiz.” Get the quiz by signing up for the TNWAC newsletter list on our home page.

For more information on TNWAC’s Anne Smedinghoff Academic WorldQuest (AWQ) program contact Catherine Kelly, Education Outreach Coordinator at < [email protected] > and Patrick Ryan at <[email protected] >

THANKS TO OUR PARTNERS IN GLOBAL AFFAIRS AWARENESS AND EDUCATION OUTREACH

THE MISSION of the nonprofit, nonpartisan Tennessee World Affairs Council is to promote international awareness, understanding and connections to enhance the region’s global stature and to prepare Tennesseans to thrive in our increasingly complex and connected world.

THE VISION of the Tennessee World Affairs Council is a well-informed community that thinks critically about the world and the impact of global events.