Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, April 1998, Pages 89-90

Education

Year-Long Exhibit on Michigan’s Arab-American Community to Be Shown in Detroit, Lansing

By Betsy Barlow

The Detroit Historical Museum is hosting an exhibition celebrating the uniqueness and historical complexity of Michigan’s Arab-American community from March 20 through Oct. 4, 1998. Entitled “A Community Between Two Worlds: Arab Americans in Greater Detroit,” the exhibit examines how life in Arab Detroit has changed since immigration to Michigan began, how Arab culture is part of American culture, the role of traditional artists in preserving Arab identity, and the links which tie Detroit to the Arab world.

The exhibition was developed and curated by the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services (ACCESS) in Dearborn and the Michigan State University Museum, in collaboration with the Detroit Historical Museum. The exhibit can be seen at the Detroit Historical Museum, 5401 Woodward Ave., Detroit, from Wednesdays to Fridays, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., and on Saturdays and Sundays between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. through Oct. 4, 1998.

It then will move to the Michigan State University Museum, East Lansing, from Nov. 22, 1998 through June 6, 1999.

In connection with the exhibit, a reading/discussion series on Arabs in America will be held from March through June 1998. Registration should be made with the ACCESS Cultural Arts Program, 2651 Saulino Court, Dearborn, MI 48120; phone (313) 842-7010.

In addition, the sponsors of the exhibit scheduled a special conference on “An Arab American Century” on March 28 and 29 at the Detroit Historical Museum, to explore the historical development of Detroit’s Arab-American community. The conference is funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Scheduled speakers included Dr. Alixa Naff, Naff Arab American Collection; Dr. Yvonne Haddad, Georgetown University; Dr. Barbara Aswad, Wayne State University; Dr. Anne Rasmussen, College of William and Mary; Sally Howell, ACCESS; Drs. William and Yvonne Lockwood and Dr. Janice Terry, Eastern Michigan University; Dr. Michael Suleiman, Kansas State University; Ms. Lisa Majaj, University of Michigan doctoral student and poet; Dr. Andrew Shryock, SUNY at Buffalo; and Dr. Nabeel Abraham, Henry Ford Community College, Dearborn.

Major funding for the exhibition was provided by the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, the Ruth Mott Fund, the Lila Wallace-Reader’s Digest Community Folklife Program, the Michigan Humanities Council, Target Stores, CMS Energies, Terry Daoud, Yehia Shousher, The Arab American Advisory Committee, and the Arab American Arts Council.

Model Arab League Programs

The National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations (NCUSAR) is in the midst of its program of Model Arab Leagues in 18 sites this spring. Different schools or colleges represent the 22 Arab countries at meetings of the political, economic, social, security and Palestinian affairs committees and the plenary body. They present papers, draft resolutions, and attempt to persuade other delegations to support their initiatives.

The program has for more than a decade offered high school and college students a chance to develop their knowledge and leadership skills. Participation is a gateway to other NCUSAR programs, such as study visits to Syria, Morocco, or Kuwait. For more information about this year’s series, or to sign up for the program next year, call (202) 293-0801.

Scheduled Conferences

The Southeast Regional Middle East and Islamic Studies Seminar held its spring meeting March 6-8 at Mary Washington College in Fredricksberg, VA. The organization is open to college or secondary teachers with a special interest in the Middle East and the Islamic world. For information about their Fall 1998 meeting, or to join the organization, contact John Parcels at SERMEISS, P.O. Box 8023, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA 30460.

Georgetown University’s Center for Contemporary Arab Studies sponsored a Saturday Seminar on March 14 designed for elementary school teachers. The speaker was Audrey Shabbas, executive director and founder of AWAIR, and author of The Arab World Notebook and The Arabs: Activities for the Elementary School Level.

Turkish Consul General in Chicago Altay Cengizer spoke March 13 on “Turkey: What Does It Stand For at the Threshold of a New Century?” at the University of Michigan. The U-M also will present a workshop on “The Republic of Turkey at Age 75” on April 4. For information, call Betsy Barlow, (313) 764-0350.

The Badlisy Center for Kurdish Studies held its second international conference March 20-21 at Princeton University on the theme “The Regional Dimensions of Kurdish Identity: Prospects for the 21st Century.” Co-sponsors were Princeton University and Florida State University.

The 40th anniversary of Title VI, the section for international education and foreign- language training in the former National Defense Education Act, later known as the Higher Education Act, will be observed at a conference at the Omni-Shoreham Hotel in Washington, DC April 16-17. The conference promises to “celebrate the accomplishments during the past 40 years” and to examine the nation’s priorities in international knowledge needs and to consider how American colleges and universities can best respond to new challenges. It is being planned by Indiana University with funding from the International Education and Graduate Programs Service of the U.S. Department of Education.

Invited speakers include senior staff at the Department of Education, university officials, and U.S. Rep. David Obey (D-WI), invited, and U.S. Rep. Lee Hamilton (D-IN), as well as Kenneth Prewitt, president, Social Science Research Council, and Samuel P. Huntington, Harvard University. For further information, contact Ms. Edda Callahan, Title VI 40th anniversary conference, Bryan Hall 205, Indiana University, Bloomington IN 47405-1203; phone (812) 855-5021; fax (812) 855-6884.

The American Research Center in Egypt (ARCE) will hold its 49th annual meeting at the University of California at Los Angeles from April 24 to 26. For more information contact Elaine Schapker at ARCE in New York City, phone (212) 529-6661.

Villanova University will again be the site of the annual conference of the American Council for the Study of Islamic Societies, to be held this year May 8 and 9. The theme is “Muslim and Western Interpretations of Contemporary Islam.” Participants are asked to register by April 1 with the American Council’s program coordinator, Ms. Susan Hausman, 421 SAC, Villanova University, 800 Lancaster Avenue, Villanova, PA 19085; phone (610) 519-4791.

Summer Language Opportunities

The Eastern Summer Consortium, a cooperative formed by the Middle East Centers of Columbia, Harvard, New York, Ohio State, Princeton and the University of Michigan, will be held at Ohio State University. Intensive (one-year equivalent) instruction will be offered in both first- and second-year Persian and Turkish. The emphasis in all courses will be on reading, writing, oral comprehension and speaking. Each course will offer 15 quarter hours of graded undergraduate credit. Tuition is $1,229 for Ohio residents and $3,632 for nonresidents. Financial aid is available to qualified applicants. The application deadline is April 1, 1998. For further information, contact Stafford Noble, coordinator, The Ohio State University; phone (614) 292-9255.

The Western Consortium, composed of several universities in the western U.S., will be held at UCLA and will offer courses in Arabic, Egyptian Arabic, Eastern Armenian, Western Armenian, Hebrew, Turkish, Persian, Uzbek and Azeri. Courses start June 29 and extend through Aug. 21. For more information, contact the Center for Near Eastern Studies at UCLA, (310) 825-1181.

Other U.S. Summer Programs

Some Middle Eastern centers are offering summer institutes for teachers. Harvard’s Teaching Resource Center is organizing a program featuring lectures, films and literature on “Nationality and Minority Rights” from June 29 through July 2. A cosponsor is the Harvard Center for Russia, Eastern Europe and Central Asia. The registration fee is $25.

Harvard will also participate in a July 6-10 workshop entitled “Teaching About the Middle East: Content, Method and Curricula” at Keene State College Summer School. Participants will receive three credits from Keene State College or 30 Massachusetts professional development points (PDPs). Tuition is expected to cost $450 for New Hampshire residents, and a little more for those out of state. Campus housing is about $70 for the week. For further information, write to CMES, 1737 Cambridge Street, Cambridge, MA 02138.

The University of Michigan will offer a summer seminar from June 28 through July 2 on “U.S. Middle East Policy: What Is It? What Should It Be?” Campus accommodations are available at modest cost for the three or four nights of the program, and the cost of enrollment is $50, which includes two lunches, morning coffee and doughnuts for the four days, and some teaching resources. For further information, contact Betsy Barlow, Center for Middle Eastern Studies, Suite 4640, 1080 S. University Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1106.

AWAIR is presenting a one-week program July 13-20 on “Understanding Islam” at Ghost Ranch, Abiquiu, New Mexico, the former home of Georgia O’Keeffe. Audrey Shabbas and a distinguished group of scholars and craftspersons will provide the academic leadership. Call Ghost Ranch (505) 685-4333 to register. The fee is $150, with full week’s room and board costing $300 (camping is possible for a reduced fee).

Summer Programs Abroad

The Middle East Technical University offers a range of programs, all taught in English, at its Ankara campus. In addition to technical and science courses, students can enroll in courses such as Islamic Art and Architecture, or Roman, Greek and Byzantine Art and Architecture, or technology development in Turkey. The session also includes day excursions to nearby sites of interest. Basic tuition is $1,210 for two 3-credit courses. Accommodations in the dormitories (2 per room) is $330 per person. Students can also choose to live with host families. For more information, check their Web page: http://www.po.metu.edu.tr/IRO/SSCH/

The National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations sponsors two opportunities for students to learn Arabic abroad. A three-week program in Fez, offering Modern Standard Arabic, colloquial Moroccan Arabic, and Arabic calligraphy is available for $2,200.

Also, a six-week program in Aleppo, Syria, enables students to earn up to 7 credits, at a cost of $3,200. Both programs include round-trip airfare from Washington, tuition, transportation, accommodation, two meals per day, and an orientation session. For further information contact the National Council at (202) 293-0801.

The Middle East Children’s Alliance offers a trip entitled “After Oslo? A Social and Political Trip to Palestine and Israel” June 12-26. Leaders of the trip are Barbara Lubin, Middle East Children’s Alliance, and Professor Joel Beinin, Middle Eastern historian at Stanford. The trip will explore the current status of the “peace process,” and will include visits to West Bank and Gaza refugee camps, Birzeit University, the Golan Heights, Bethlehem, Ramallah, Jaffa, Acre, and Haifa, a walking tour around Jerusalem’s Old City, meetings with Palestinian and Israeli peace activists, meetings with people in West Bank settlements and activists monitoring settlement activity.

The trip cost of $2,800 includes all expenses in Israel and Palestine, including two meals a day, travel, hotel accommodations, and airfare. For more information, contact Penny Rosenwasser, Middle East Children’s Alliance, 905 Parker Street, Berkeley, CA 94710; phone (510) 548-0542.

Educational Resources

The National U.S.-Arab Chamber of Commerce (NUSACC) recently published the 1997 U.S.-Arab Commercial Directory and Economic Guide. The publication contains over 2,000 corporate listings of U.S. and Arab companies, a quick resource guide of hotels, banks and airlines, and a unique economic information section on each of the Arab countries. The publication is designed to promote commercial ties between the U.S. and the Arab world.

The NUSACC, established in 1967, leads trade missions to the region, arranges one-on-one meetings with visiting Arab delegations, hosts conferences and seminars, and also produces a variety of publications. For information about joining the organization or obtaining a copy of the Commercial Directory and Economic Guide, contact the headquarters office, 1100 New York Ave. NW, East Tower, Suite 550, Washington, DC 20005; phone (202) 289-5920; fax (202) 289-5938.

To Set Them Free, a book written by Barbara K. Walker about Ataturk’s early years, has now been published in a bilingual Turkish/English edition. The 272-page book includes 34 rare photographs. Contact the publisher, Pro Lingua Associates, 154 Elm Street, Brattleboro, Vermont 05301, phone (800) 355-4775 to order the book. The same publisher has also produced “Story Cards: The Tales of Nasreddin Hodja,” which contains a boxed set of 40 cards, each with an illustrated Hodja story, which should be popular with students.

The Middle East Center at the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies at the University of Washington recently agreed to provide Arabic distance-learning programs at seven institutions in the upper Midwest, where there previously had not been an opportunity to study Arabic. The institutions are Montana State University-Billings; University of Montana-Missoula; Carroll College, Helena, MT; Rocky Mountain College-Billings; South Dakota State University-Brookings; University of North Dakota—Grand Forks; and Idaho State University-Pocatello.

The Center at the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations at Washington will provide weekly instruction, augmented by on-site TAs, who will be trained in intensive workshops at the University of Washington each summer. During their junior year, students will attend Al Akhawayn University in Morocco, where they will continue their intensive training in Arabic and Arab culture.