NEWS AND EVENTS : |
Announcement: The Luce Project is making available grants to faculty and graduate students who would be interested in writing case studies of international events related to religion, media and international relations. Click Here for details. |
Announcement: The latest issue of the Middle East Studies Program Newsletter was recently mailed to all the people who are on our active mailing list. If you have not received a hard copy it means that we don’t have your mailing address. If you are interested in receiving a hard copy of this and all future issues please send me your mailing address. The online version of the newsletter is available at: http://middle-eastern-studies.syr.edu/Newsletter.htm |
Amos Kiewe Course Reminder: Amos Kiewe wants to remind everyone that he is teaching a course on anti-Semitism this fall. In case there are interested students from the Middle Eastern Studies program, he thinks there are still few spaces. |
Information Meetings: Egypt – Sept. 4th noon at SU Abroad (The due date has passed for the spring but Ginny A. Pellam-Montalbano will talk about Fall 09.) |
Announcement: Todd G. Patkin Visiting Fellowship in Arab Democracy and Development. Click Here for more information. |
Announcement: The Middle East Journal Electronic Archive Now Available. Click Here for full details. |
Announcement: The New York Board of Education has approved our proposal to offer a MAJOR (B.A. degree) in Middle Eastern Studies beginning Fall 2009. Students interested in the major can take classes during the 2008-09 academic year and then officially declare their MES major in Fall 2009. |
Announcement: MES has been accepted as an institutional member of the Middle East Studies Association (the largest and most prestigious academic organization in the world devoted to the study of the Middle East). |
Announcement: Accepting Applications: Leaders for Democracy Fellows Program Click Here for details. |
Annual Report Click Here for annual report in printer friendly .pdf format. |
Two New Courses for Fall of 2008 Click Here for details. |
Library Consultant Visit: June 10, 2008 Dr. Ali Houissa, Middle East and Islamic Studies librarian at Cornell University and past President of the Middle East Librarians Association will be on campus to consult with the librarians and faculty on Monday, June 9, and Tuesday, June 10. At the request of Dean Thorin, Dr. Houissa has agreed to consult with the library to examine the current collection for strengths and needs as it supports the teaching and research of the Middle Eastern Studies program. The main purpose of the consultation is to more clearly determine the scope of the collections that are needed, the kinds of materials to acquire, and related budget/personnel issues. To realize that objective, portions of the visit will be for meeting with faculty (or chairs of programs with interest in the area) and another portion will be devoted to the library. The library portion will mainly include meetings with interested managers/librarians, visits to the book stacks and reference collections in the main library. The schedule is being developed and I welcome your ideas for these meetings. The Library will receive a report from Dr. Houissa, which will include recommendations based on these discussions and existing assessments of the collection, already done by the Library. In addition he will include information on acquisitions channels for Middle Eastern materials and related services. If you will be on campus during that time and would like to meet with Dr. Houissa, please indicate your interest and availability as soon as possible in an email message to Roberta Gwilt, Assoc. University Librarian for Academic Resources at rbgwilt@syr.edu. Considering the importance of this issue even the If you are not going to be on campus please tell me what type of collection buildup (i.e., Arabic literature, Ottoman history, Egyptian films) you are most interested in so that we can give our “wish list” to the library. |
The Fulbright Scholar Program The Fulbright Scholar Program is now accepting applications for 60 awards for lecturing and research in North Africa and the Middle East during the 2009-10 academic year. Awards for both faculty and professionals range from two to ten months and are available in all disciplines. Multi-country research awards allow one to spend time in two or more countries. Applicants may propose projects and host institution preferences or respond to specific institutional requests in certain countries. Foreign language skills are needed for most research awards, but lecturing assignments are in English. Applicants must be U.S. citizens, have a Ph.D. or equivalent terminal degree or professional credentials, and have a record of university lecturing or advanced research and publication. New for 2009-10: The application deadline for 2009-10 awards is August 1, 2008. For information and application forms, visit www.cies.org or contact: |
Dissertation Proposal Development Fellowship (DPDF) Click Here for details. |
We Welcome New Professor: Miriam F. Elman to Syracuse University. Miriam (Ph.D., Columbia University, 1996) will join the Political Science Department as an Associate Professor in Fall 2008. Dr. Elman’s work focuses on international relations theory and security studies in general, and the relationship between democracy and war in particular. With regard to Middle East Studies, her research and teaching interests include: democratization in the Middle East; the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; and the intersection of religion and politics in the region. She is the editor of Paths to Peace: Is Democracy the Answer? (MIT Press, 1997), and the co-editor of Bridges and Boundaries: Historians, Political Scientists, and the Study of International Relations (MIT Press, 2001) and Progress in International Relations Theory: Appraising the Field (MIT Press, 2003). Elman’s research has been supported by Harvard University’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, where she was a Security Fellow from 1995-1996 and from 1998-2000, and by the Center for the Study of Religion and Conflict at Arizona State University, where she taught from 1995-2008. Her recent publications include a series of essays on the role of religious political parties in promoting and moderating violence. She is also currently co-editing a book on the city of Jerusalem viewed from an interdisciplinary perspective. Joining the Maxwell School in Fall 2008, Elman plans to develop a cross-disciplinary faculty-student project on Democracy in the Middle East and will teach Politics of the Middle East (Fall 2008) and Religion in the Israeli Palestinian Conflict (Spring 2009). |
Award Ceremony Friday April 25 Come and celebrate with us the first ever Middle Eastern Studies ceremony. We will recognize a few students who have received various awards, say goodbye to our 20 democracy activists from the Arab world, and celebrate the end of the 2007-08 academic year over dinner and music. Free and open to the public. |
Film: The Cult of the Suicide Bomber Wednesday, April 23 (2:15-4:00 pm) 060 Eggers Hall Their devastating and deadly actions punctuate the world news almost nightly, yet they remain faceless figures amidst the violence and turmoil that engulf the Middle East. And, whether it's the C4-laden martyrs of Hezbollah or the car bombing insurgents of Iraq, what could possibly compel a suicide bomber to voluntarily take their own lives, along with those of hundreds of innocent victims? There is perhaps no one better equipped to investigate this terrifying practice than Robert Baer, a decorated, former Middle East CIA Agent and the man George Clooney's character was based on in the Academy Award®-winning film, Syriana. Robert Baer returns to his former center of operations, the Middle East, to trace the origins of the modern day bomber. In this poignant documentary, Baer reveals the fascinating story of a 13-year-old suicide bomber (Hossein Fahmideh) who was martyred in the Iran-Iraq war and is now a hero in Iran; and visits his highly decorated grave in the graveyard of martyrs just outside Tehran. Approx. running time: 96 minutes Free and open to the public. |
Call for Newsletter Content: Once again we are collecting news about students, faculty, staff and alumni affiliated with the Middle Eastern Studies Program for our upcoming newsletter. Alumni News (jobs, publications, graduate degrees, travels, marriage, children, new contact info, etc.) Faculty News (recent publications, grants received, conference presentations/talks, editorial responsibilities, new courses offered, travels, etc. Student News (awards and degrees received, travels, internships). Also feel free to list the titles of your Honors Thesis, Master’s Thesis, Ph.D. dissertations (completed or currently in progress). Please e-mail this information to me (mboroujerdi@maxwell.syr.edu) by April 21 at the latest. |
Announcements: New Islamic Law course announced. Click Here for details. Student Paper Award. Click Here for details. Arabic 101& 102 will be offered this summer at Syracuse University: Film Reminder: Deserted Riviera. Click Here for more information. Position: Middle East Studies Post Doctoral Fellowship Position Announcement, Cornell. Click Here for more information. |
End of the Semester Dinner Reception and Award Ceremony The Middle Eastern Studies Program will hold its end of the semester dinner reception and award ceremony on Friday April 25 from 5:00 to 8:00 PM in Pubic Events room. At this event we will also say goodbye to the democracy activists from the Arab world who will be on campus from March 15 to April 26 (more on this later) Please keep this date open on your calendars. |
Documentary “Faith Without Fear” Muslim Students Association is inviting anyone interested to view a documentary “Faith Without Fear” (2007) produced by Gordon Henderson and Silva Basmajian, directed by Ian Mcleod, which follows Irshad Manji (current leader of Moral Courage Project at NYU, and the author of “Trouble with Islam”), often referred to in American media as Muslim dissident, on a journey through some Muslim and not communities. In light of Ms. Manji’s lecture on the 15th of February this documentary becomes an important introduction to her perspective on Islam and contemporary conditions in/of Muslim communities. Thu Feb 14 2008 |
Nowrouz Celebration 1387 in the Ballroom of Click Here for poster in printer friendly .pdf format |
Hasan Abdullah Yabroudi Student Paper Award 2008 This year the Middle Eastern Studies Program will launch its annual essay contest for undergraduate and graduate students. The Hasan Abdullah Yabroudi Prize will be awarded to the best two essays dealing with any aspect of the Middle East written by one undergraduate and one graduate student enrolled at Syracuse University. The authors of the winning papers will be presented with an award of $500 and a certificate. The entries, which can originate as course papers, will be evaluated by a faculty committee on the basis of originality of research and conceptualization, cogency of argument and clarity of writing. The essays must not exceed 7500 words (including bibliography) and must have been produced between May 13, 2007 and April 1, 2008. Essays can be nominated by the faculty or by students (with a letter of support from a faculty member). Please send 2 copies to the Yabroudi Prize Contest, Middle Eastern Studies Program, 332 Eggers Hall. For further information, please contact Mehrzad Boroujerdi at (315) 443-5877 or mboroujerdi@maxwell.syr.edu. Submission deadline is April 7, 2008. Please note that we have changed the submission deadline from the original date of May 15 because we would like to present these awards at an end of the semester party on April 25 at 5:00 PM in 220 Eggers Hall. |
Spring Film Series
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New Database Subscription The library’s subscription to the Middle Eastern & Central Asian Studies database has started. This database is now available on the library’s Find Articles/databases page, and should be available through the catalog before too long. To find it on the databases page, you can click on M or type Middle Eastern into the search box. |
Rami Khouri Lecture: Free at last! Free at last! Allahu Akbar, we are free at last! November 13, 2007 Middle Eastern Studies Program Presents the Fall 2007 Film Festival Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Vilifies a People Divorce Iranian Style The Yacoubian Building In the Name of the Father Information Meeting for Students Interested in Studying in Egypt, Turkey, and London (Muslim Cultures Program) October 29, 2007 Click Here for poster in printer friendly .pdf format. Tenure Track Assistant Professorship in Arabic Syracuse University announces a tenure-track assistant professorship position in Arabic in its Department of Languages, Literatures & Linguistics. The position will begin in fall 2008. The successful candidate will teach advanced Arabic language courses, as well as courses in Arabic Linguistics, Literature & Culture. The candidate's research specialty may be in one or more of these areas. We seek candidates with native or near native fluency in Arabic and a demonstrated record of excellence in research and teaching. The candidate hired must have Ph.D. in hand by August 2008. Salary is competitive. Send cover letter, dossier (CV, 3 letters of recommendation, evidence of teaching excellence and research interests, with at least one writing sample) to Gerlinde Ulm Sanford, Chair / Languages, Literatures & Linguistics, 340 D HBC Hall, Syracuse, NY 13244-1160. Submission deadline is December 1, 2007 (postmark). Women, minorities urged to apply: AA/EOE employer. Luce Project in Religion, Media and International Relations: In its work augmenting the number and variety of graduate-level courses related to the study of its major themes, the
Luce Project announces the availability of development grants for faculty who wish to incorporate one or more of the
Luce subject areas into their courses. Curriculum Development Grants As part of its plans to augment the number and variety of Middle East-related courses offered at both the undergraduate and graduate level, the Middle Eastern Studies Program announces the availability of two curriculum development grants of $4,000 each to full-time tenured or tenure-track faculty members. Half of the funds will be given once the proposal is selected, and the other half will be distributed at the beginning of the semester in which the new course is first offered. Please electronically submit your course proposals (1-3 pages) by September 20, 2007 to Mehrzad Boroujerdi at mboroujerdi@maxwell.syr.edu Major Gift Received Mr. Abdallah H. Yabroudi (78 BS/’79 MIE Engineering), Chairman and Deputy Managing Director of Dubai Contracting Company has provided a $300,000 endowment for the Middle Eastern Studies Program named after his father, Hasan Abdallah Yabroudi. Established by Mr. Yabroudi’s father in 1962, Dubai Contracting Company is an international private construction company with over 5,000 employees that specializes in building and civil engineering projects, including high-rise construction projects. Mr. Yabroudi has also helped MESP establish a best paper award named after his father. Middle East Film Festival On March 5, 2007 the Middle Eastern Studies Program launched the first film in SU’s inaugural Middle East film festival, which was founded by the Chancellor’s Feinstone Grant for Multicultural Initiatives. For a period of five weeks the program provided students and the greater Syracuse community the opportunity to view some of the region’s most important films. The series began with the highly acclaimed and politically charged film Paradise Now that explores the Palestinian-Israeli conflict by tracing the lives of two Palestinians who are chosen to go on a suicide mission into Israel. In the following weeks, the screened films included Children of Heaven (Iran), Turtles Can Fly (Iraq), and Yol (Turkey). Middle East Partnership Initiative Under a program funded by the U. S. Department of State’s Middle East Partnership Initiative, 22 emerging leaders from fifteen countries in the Middle East came to Syracuse University for a month-long fellowship at the Maxwell School in February 2007. The Middle Eastern fellows studied the foundations of democracy before participating in a three-month skill-building internship, in Central New York or Washington, DC. The participants, men and women ranging in age from 25 to 40, returned to their home countries in June with new knowledge and skills to help foster positive democratic change. While at the Maxwell School, the fellows – representing Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, the Palestinian territories, Qatar, Syria, Tunisia, UAE, and Yemen – participate in classes, lectures, panel discussions, and simulations. The academic program focused on comparative politics and the development of democratic institutions; leading and managing the democratic state; and citizenship, private action, and private enterprise. The internships provided the opportunity for participants to work in organizations that match their professional interests and provide a grassroots view of democracy in action. North African Journalists Visiting SU Thanks to another State Department-funded program -- Edward R. Murrow Program for International Journalists -- twelve journalists from Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia and France came to Syracuse University for a seven day period in April 2007. The journalists, who ranged in age from their late 20’s to mid 40’s, spent their week in Syracuse participating in a series of social, academic and professional events around the city and campus. This was the second year in a row that the Maxwell School and the Newhouse School of Communications had jointly participated in the widely successful Edward R. Murrow Program. |