Presentations on Middle East and Islam by UNC and Duke Faculty

UNC Prof. Omid Safi

We're all excited about the possibilities MOOCs represent--lectures by extraordinary speakers/scholars made available to thousands of interested viewers.  But what if you could listen in to those lectures without the exams and assignments? 

 

Well, you can.  Many professors regularly share their expertise at public events, and more and more university centers are capturing their presentations on video.  YouTube and iTunes are chock full of great talks by scholars available to the public.

 

Our Center's faculty have been particularly generous in their public presentations, and their audiences let them know how much it's appreciated.  Here are some brand new additions to UNC and Duke faculty presentations on the Middle East and Islam.  UNC Professor Omid Safi (photo above) is a featured speaker in all of them, and for that he has earned my deepest gratitude as well as coveted membership in my Outreach Hall of Fame.

 

A New Iran?

Leading Iran scholars at UNC and Duke discuss the history of US-Iran relations at length and offer insight into the “new politics” of Iran.

 

Where the Light Enters: Discovering the Poetry of Rumi with Prof. Omid Safi

UNC Prof. Omid Safi discusses the poetry of the 13th century Persian poet and mystic, Rumi, as part of the “Muslim Journeys” program at Southwest Regional Library, Durham.

 

Global Protests in Context

 Panel discussion by UNC and Duke faculty on protests in Gezi Park, Tahrir Square, and Raleigh, NC (Moral Mondays)


For links to more faculty presentations, click here.  And don't worry.  There are no pop quizzes.

 

 

 

Better Together: Meeting International Education Goals in Partnership

I recently wrote about the great partnership the UNC-Chapel Hill National Resource Centers (NRCs) share with World View, a program to support international education in North Carolina K-12 schools and community colleges.  It's a powerful and exciting collaboration that brings the world to teachers in classrooms all over the state through professional development, curriculum grants, and online resources.

You can read the article here.  Thanks to Katie Bowler and the UNC Global team for featuring it on their site!

Video of Think Fast Forum: The Boston Marathon Bombing

A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned that UNC faculty would be joining in a Think Fast Forum on the Boston Marathon Bombing.  The purpose--to delve into our unanswered questions about home-grown terrorism, religious extremism, the pressures of the 24-hour news cycle, the legal system, and political struggles as far away as Chechnya.  

The video of that panel discussion is now up and available here.  It's a great record of a deep conversation about issues that continue to challenge our society.  Don't miss UNC religious studies professor Omid Safi's powerful  conclusion. 

 

 

 

"ReOrienting the Veil" and the Media

Does this look menacing to you?

So thrilled with the success of our ReOrienting the Veil conference!  Great presentations and conversations about the complex issues of covering by Muslim women.  And we were featured in all kinds of media. Here's a sampling of our clips:

UNC professors Sahar Amer and Banu Gökariksel, “Muslim Women Speak Up About the Veil,”  “The State of Things,” NPR, 2/22/13

"Lifting the Veil: UNC conference focuses on understanding the Muslim veil,” The Herald-Sun, 2/24/13

And a follow-up opinion piece in the same paper:

"Tolerate the Veil," Opinion, The Herald-Sun, 2/26/13 

Our UNC students were in the media mix as well.  Here's a story filed by Sefe Emokpae of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication.  The feature begins at 13:15

And of course the Daily Tar Heel covered the conference with their trademark professionalism.

Our live tweeting at #Veil2013 even trended on Twitter. Quite an experience. 

And the best part is that the ReOrienting the Veil web site will remain, offering resources, information, images, music, lesson plans, and even a fun quiz.  Please explore and let us know your responses and suggestions. Contact information is on the web site.

#Veil2013 trends on Twitter!
(Click to enlarge)

EU Workshop Coming Up

Please help to spread the word of this upcoming workshop on the EU.  Note that you can attend in Chapel Hill or in Waxhaw, near Charlotte. (And don't forget that Turkey's a candidate country!)

The New NC Essential Standards: Incorporating the European Union

Join your colleagues for a 1-day workshop designed to help North Carolina K-12 teachers better understand our interconnected world by learning more about the European Union. This workshop will include presentations on the European Union and transatlantic relations, along with sessions on how to incorporate the EU into the new NC Essential Standards. Teachers will also learn about resources that use technology to enhance content and better integrate the EU into the school’s curriculum. One CEU will be awarded for completion of the program.

Chapel Hill, Thursday, June 14          Waxhaw (near Charlotte), Friday, June 15

Early Bird Registration Deadline: May 1 (registration fee $30)
Regular Registration Deadline: May 15 (registration fee $40)

Space is limited to the first 60 participants. Register today!

For more information, please email gali@unc.edu and/or call 919.843.9852

Sponsored by: UNC Center for European Studies and EU Center of Excellence

More information and registration form here.

CHOICES Scholars Online

I've spent the last weeks enjoying sessions with teachers at the wonderful NC Social Studies Conference (I've called it Vegas for social studies geeks), a conference on Africa (where a colleague and I presented resources for teaching North Africa and the Middle East), SERMEISS (a small and vibrant gathering), and a new teacher workshop presented by UNC's Office of Admissions.  Saw so many old friends and made some new ones. No wonder I love the early spring.

And what could be better after such a whirlwind of workshops than to open my email and find that CHOICES has been at it again, creating terrific, up to the minute resources on The U.S. Role in a Changing World. My very favorite part is the short, two to three minute videos (CHOICES is calling them "Scholars Online") elucidating particular issues in U.S. policy. 

And there's an even bigger selection here.  Scroll down and take your pick. (The Middle East in Transition, anyone?)  It's absolutely addictive.  Perfect for your own background study and for sharing with students as well. 

Culture Kits on UNC Homepage--and not basketball!

So happy and proud to see my visit to an elementary school and the sharing of the Daily Life in Cairo culture kit featured on UNC's homepage. 

What a fun group this third grade class was!  They loved the stories of watermelon juice you could buy on the street, and how Cairo kids their age were learning both Arabic and English (imagine!), and the games, and (even!) the school books.  Several decided then and there that they would learn Arabic.  I hope they do. 


I'm so very excited for the students and for us!  Carolina does a great job of outreach, and our school partners are the best.  And because basketball will most certainly return to the homepage, I'm including the permanent link.  Enjoy.

Middle East Outreach

I'm still for teaching the world on a shoestring, for sure.  But now I'm the Outreach Director for the Duke-UNC Consortium for Middle East Studies, so resources and support will have a distinctively Middle Eastern flavor.  I'll be adding to resources on our site in the coming weeks. 

And a good time for it!  We're all glued to events in Egypt and Tunisia and Bahrain and beyond. 

Have you been teaching the crucial role of Facebook, Twitter, and informal broadcasting in Egypt?    If so, you may be interested in this recent video from Cairo.  It's a response to international support (also conveyed by social media) in beautiful images and many different languages.  Enjoy!