Annual Report 1998. Programs for Americans
Productive cross-cultural encounters take many forms and are essential
for understanding other peoples and places. Those who study in the
Middle East and North Africa can experience the culture and society
firsthand. Fortunately, improved understanding doesn't have to depend
on first-person experiences. School curricula also provide opportunities
for students to learn about the history and culture of the world's
people. AMIDEAST provides services that help Americans better understand
the Middle East and North
Africa through study or travel abroad as well as in their classroom
surveys of the region. The organization also assists U.S. college
and university administrators in evaluating the educational qualifications
of their applicants from the region.
The challenges of arranging group trips abroad can seem daunting
to those without personal or professional contacts in the host country.
Through its permanent offices in the Middle East and North Africa,
AMIDEAST provides a range of services that support U.S. educational
institutions and other organizations seeking to establish study
or travel programs in the region. Professional staff in AMIDEAST's
field offices develop programs tailored to the needs and interests
of each group, including lectures and other academic components,
language instruction, conferences and workshops, professional meetings,
internships, field trips, local travel, housing (including homestays),
and financial administration.
In 1998, AMIDEAST enabled the directors of nine different programs
to plan their trips to the Middle East and North Africa with confidence.
Well over one hundred participants returned to the United States
with more open minds,
greater understanding of Arab culture and society, and enthusiasm
for communicating their newfound knowledge to others. In addition,
in Damascus, AMIDEAST offers Arabic language instruction to Americans
and other expatriates living there.
AMIDEAST helps the School for International Training implement
an on-going semester program in Morocco, and another in Israel,
the West Bank/Gaza Strip, and Jordan. On an annual basis, the Institute
for European Studies calls upon AMIDEAST to administer a trip to
Morocco for students participating in its Spain-based study abroad
program. Williams College and Vassar College relied upon AMIDEAST
services in implementing new study abroad programs in 1998, and
their success has encouraged both institutions to repeat these programs
in the future. Two groups of educators funded through the Fulbright-Hays
Seminars Abroad program contracted with AMIDEAST to arrange their
summer visits to Morocco and Jordan.
Participants on the Fulbright-Hays Seminar Abroad in Tunisia pause
for a group photo outside the Chamber of Deputies. Says group leader
Brian Murphy, International Programs Coordinator at North Georgia
College and State University, "Thanks to AMIDEAST, we attained
a level of cultural immersion that was truly impressive."
Travel and Study Abroad Programs
Arabic Language Program in Damascus
Sponsor:
Providing instruction in beginning and intermediate colloquial
Arabic to Americans and other non-native speakers in Damascus.
College Semester Abroad Program in Morocco
Sponsor:
- School for International Training/World Learning, Inc.
Providing institutional support, orientation, and arranging homestays
for twenty-three students and their professors in two semester programs.
College Semester Abroad Program in Morocco
Sponsor:
Providing institutional support, orientation, and arranging three-month
homestays for eight students.
Peace and Conflict in the Middle East College Semester Abroad
Program
Sponsor:
- School for International Training/World Learning, Inc.
Providing program support and arranging homestays, lectures, and
site visits in the West Bank/Gaza Strip and Jordan for nineteen
students during their two-month program that also included time
in Israel.
Fulbright-Hays Seminar Abroad in Jordan
Sponsor:
- U.S. Department of Education
Arranging lectures, cultural activities, housing, local transportation,
and site visits for a three-week visit to Jordan by fifteen educators,
as part of a six-week program in Jordan and Israel.
Fulbright-Hays Seminar Abroad in Tunisia
Sponsor:
- U.S. Department of Education
Arranging lectures, cultural activities, housing, and site visits
for a four-week program in Tunisia for fourteen university educators.
International Reciprocal Student Exchange Program, Tunisia
Sponsor:
As part of an annual exchange, coordinating a program for one American
student at the Bourguiba Institute of Modern Languages.
Study Abroad Internet Web Site
Sponsor:
Maintaining nearly eighty profiles of study abroad programs in
the Middle East and North Africa, and making the information available
to the public on AMIDEAST's web site. Originally developed with
a cooperative grant from NAFSA: Association of International Educators
and USIA.
Study Tour in Jordan
Sponsor:
- American Friends of Meretz
Programming a four-day visit for five members of the American Friends
of Meretz. The group met with a number of key politicians, journalists,
and economists in Jordan.
Study Tour in Jordan and Syria
Sponsor:
Arranging housing, local transportation, lectures, cultural activities,
and site visits for a three-week study tour for eleven students
and their professor.
Study Tour in Morocco
Sponsor:
- Institute of European Studies
Organizing a ten-day study tour of Morocco for twenty-one U.S.
university students and two academic advisers.
"Learning about Jordan and its people was truly enlightening.
From my experience last summer, I've been able to improve our sixth-grade
social studies curriculum, introduce current events lessons, and
convey to my students what life is really like on the other side
of this shrinking world. At the personal level, my three weeks in
Jordan are the highlight of my travels around the world, and I made
some lasting friendships there. In my opinion, the overwhelming
success of our program was largely due to the phenomenal efforts
of AMIDEAST staff, who made all our program arrangements."
—Marion J. Payne, participant in the Fulbright-Hays Seminar
Abroad in Jordan.
One of AMIDEAST's most important activities in helping Americans
better understand the people of the Middle East and North Africa
is the production and distribution of educational materials about
the region's history, culture, and society. In 1998, AMIDEAST completed
its latest educational video, Young Voices from the Arab World:
The Lives and Times of Five Teenagers. Developed to meet the need
for appropriate audiovisual resources at the middle school level
in particular, Young Voices conveys everyday aspects of Arab culture
and society through the lives of five young people from Jordan,
Lebanon, Egypt, Kuwait, and Morocco. Narration by noted radio personality
Casey Kasem provides historical, geographical, and other background
information.
The quality and educational value of Young Voices has already received
national recognition; the video was awarded Honorable Mention in
the 1998 Columbus International Film and Video Festival, and a Golden
Eagle in the 1998 CINE Competition.
In addition to producing original resources to meet specific needs,
AMIDEAST also helps teachers and librarians identify books, videos,
and other resources that are appropriate for the social studies
curricula at each grade level, and that are generally unavailable
in U.S. bookstores. In 1991, AMIDEAST began distributing a few carefully
selected materials produced by other publishers. By 1998, the number
of resources the organization distributes reached 128, presented
in two separate catalogues for the elementary and high school levels
and reaching over 100,000 educators. Among them are many titles
that AMIDEAST imports from overseas and makes available in the United
States. These include folktales in translation and a series on ancient
Egypt from Hoopoe Books in Cairo; and biographies on important figures
in Eastern history, a series based on the travels of the thirteenth-century
Moroccan explorer Ibn Battuta, and stories from the Qur'an, published
by Hood Hood Books in London. In 1998, AMIDEAST began distributing
games for learning the Arabic language and an audiotape of Arabic
songs produced by the Lebanese publisher Tala, and a CD-ROM on the
Middle East produced by the London-based publisher Sindibad. AMIDEAST
also introduced to its collection an autobiographical account of
Abu Dhabi's rapid development, aptly titled From Rags to Riches,
through a donation from the author.
With input from educators and Middle East experts, AMIDEAST staff
selected these and other resources from among the hundreds we reviewed.
The organization could not pursue this activity without support
from donors who share our commitment to improving Americans' understanding
of the Middle East and North Africa. In 1997, AMIDEAST established
the Arab Heritage Fund, and since that time, support from the fund
has enabled AMIDEAST to bring a greater number of educational resources
about the region into more American classrooms. We hope that the
improved understanding we foster today will result in closer cooperation
in the future between the United States and the Middle East and
North Africa.
Educational Resources and Workshops
Arab Heritage Fund
Sponsors:
- Various individual donors
Managing a fund that supports AMIDEAST's nationwide efforts to
bring accurate and useful educational resources about the Middle
East and North Africa to U.S. classrooms
Arabic Alphabet Poster
Sponsor:
Distributing a full-color, illustrated poster depicting the Arabic
alphabet.
Calligraphy T-shirts
Sponsor:
Distributing T-shirts with specially commissioned calligraphic
renderings of three Arabic proverbs.
Culture Workshop
Sponsors:
- NAFSA: Association of International Educators
- AMIDEAST
Organizing and hosting a three-day workshop entitled "Educational
Crossroads: Arab Students in the United States," featuring
panels and presentations on history and politics, the peace process,
religion, women, student advising, and education in the Arab world
for twenty-eight international student advisers from around the
United States.
Education in the Arab World
Sponsors:
- AMIDEAST
- Hunt Oil Company
- National U.S.-Arab Chamber of Commerce
- Linda Braidwood
- William Crawford
Distributing Volume I, a 750-page reference on educational systems
and institutions in Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon,
and Morocco. Compiling Volume II, which includes chapters on education
in Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates,
the West Bank/Gaza Strip, and Yemen.
"Excellent job! This video covers so many important issues
in a natural and convincing way: religion, family, history, the
environment, etc. I will recommend it highly to my teachers."—University
outreach coordinator, in a written evaluation submitted after the
premier of Young Voices from the Arab World at the 1998 Film Festival,
Middle East Studies Association annual conference
Young Voices is AMIDEAST's latest classroom resource for helping
young Americans better understand the Arab world.
Educational Resource Distribution
Sponsors:
- AMIDEAST
- AMIDEAST's Arab Heritage Fund
Distributing to U.S. educators a selection of books, videos, posters,
and other educational resources about history, culture, and society
in the Middle East and North Africa; serving as a U.S. distributor
for publishers in Egypt, Lebanon, and the United Kingdom.
Young Voices from the Arab World: The Lives and Times of Five
Teenagers
Sponsors:
- AMIDEAST
- AMIDEAST's Arab Heritage Fund
- Amoco Foundation, Inc.
- Aramex, Lebanon
- Banque Audi, Lebanon
- Nazih Talib, Dar Al-Handasah, Lebanon
- Ford Motor Company Fund
- Dorothy and Kenyon Gillespie
- Islamic Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization
(ISESCO)
- Metropolitan Bank, Lebanon
- Milad Sarkis
- United States Outreach Fund of the Middle East Institute
- World Vision International, Lebanon
Producing an award-winning educational video and guidebook for
use in U.S. classrooms in grades five and above.
By Mark Sigrist
Director, AMIDEAST/Syria
How many study abroad programs can offer discussion on American
foreign policy with a U.S. ambassador? A personal appointment with
the highest-ranking religious figure in the country? Frank exchanges
with some of the country's most prominent social commentators and
intellectuals? Visits to archaeological sites containing traces
of the oldest known civilizations in the world?
AMIDEAST arranged these and other rich experiences as part of a
recent short-term study abroad tour for undergraduate students from
Williams College. The success of this program highlights some of
the benefits of studying abroad in the Arab world and raises the
question of why so few American universities pursue study abroad
opportunities in the region.
The Arab world is home to some of the most pressing political issues
in the world, and their prominence and politicization in the American
media give a distorted view of the region, especially for those
who have never visited it. Some years ago, I participated in a study
tour of what was still the Soviet Union, and I remember feeling
uneasy about visiting America's Cold War adversary. My uneasiness
stemmed from media stereotypes of an "evil empire." Were
Soviet citizens also "evil?" Today we quickly dismiss
Cold War images as anachronisms. Yet, the stereotypes that many
Americans hold of Arabs echo these outdated images and deter students
and faculty from pursuing study abroad in the Arab world. As a result,
much of the region remains off the beaten path of study abroad destinations.
Precisely because it is off the beaten path, a country like Syria
can offer students an unparalleled study abroad experience, including
unique access to prominent Arab and American authorities. This is
partly due to the scarcity of requests these authorities receive
from visiting Americans. But, I also think that prominent Syrian
authorities see in American students a special opportunity to make
a lasting and positive impression where one is sorely needed.
On a visit to Abou Nour Mosque in Damascus, our students were invited
to listen, in simultaneous English translation, to a Friday lecture
by Dr. Ahmad Kuftaru, the supreme Sunni Muslim leader—or Grand
Mufti—of Syria. This was followed by a personal audience with
the Grand Mufti himself. Students also discussed contemporary issues
facing Arab women with Dr. Bouthaina Shaaban, an internationally
recognized authority on this subject; the peace process from a Syrian
perspective with Dr. Elias Sam'o, director of international relations
at Aleppo University; and U.S. foreign policy with U.S. Ambassador
Ryan C. Crocker. Were Syria as popular a destination for study abroad
as Paris or London, it is doubtful that such prominent authorities
would have so graciously devoted their time to our group.
"I come from Mesopotamia." Blank looks from our students
met these introductory remarks by lecturer Dr. Elias Sam'o, for
they did not immediately associate the Arab world with Mesopotamia—the
"Cradle of Civilization"—largely due to the political
lens through which they are accustomed to viewing the region. Students
of history or archaeology will find traces of many prominent early
civilizations in the Arab world. It is possible to wander freely
among the ruins at breathtaking sites like Palmyra, a Roman city
in the middle of the desert, without being cordoned off or hindered
by huge numbers of other visitors as in Athens or Rome. Students
feel as if they are actually exploring a place, and indeed many
archaeological sites in the region remain unexcavated.
Contemporary political events might have presented obstacles to
others contemplating a study tour to Syria. Fortunately for eleven
students from Williams College, faculty leader Dr. William Darrow's
previous travel and living experience in the Middle East let him
know that these obstacles are usually more perceived than real,
as were my own misgivings about visiting Moscow in 1990. In Darrow's
words, "Damascus provides unparalleled resources for language
and cultural study, and Syria is endlessly fascinating. Certainly
questions of long-term stability and also convincing college students
and their parents that Syria is safe (which unquestionably it is)
are concerns, but not insurmountable."
The experiences of the eleven Williams College students, and others
who seek study abroad locations off the beaten path, point to one
of the core benefits of study abroad. In leaving their own culture
behind, students gain a better understanding of other people and
cultures. They also come to better understand themselves, partly
by understanding who they are not. This is becoming increasingly
difficult for American students because of the pervasive influence
that U.S. culture and the English language have on the contemporary
world. Familiar restaurant chains, movies, clothes, social patterns,
and political and economic systems greet students upon their arrival
in many popular study abroad destinations. Yet, while American students
can watch Titanic in a Damascus movie theater and hear hits by Celine
Dion on local radio, reminders of home are likely to prove more
the exception than the rule in many Arab countries.
Study abroad in the Middle East and North Africa can offer students
insight into the unique aspects of their own culture as well as
Arab culture. Perhaps more importantly, it can lead to the sometimes
startling revelation that our cultures share many common elements.
In this ever-shrinking world, such knowledge is valuable indeed.
AMIDEAST supports quality educational exchange in part through
its Institutional Membership Program. Members benefit from a range
of research and information services designed to help
U.S. education and training institutions evaluate, advise, and
communicate with students from the Arab world. AMIDEAST's field
offices also provide logistical support to members traveling to
the region. Members include colleges and universities, technical
institutes, community colleges, English language institutions, credentials
evaluation services, and international education organizations.
A current listing of member institutions appears on page 21.
In 1998, AMIDEAST staff provided assistance to representatives
from ten member institutions who visited the Middle East and North
Africa. Field staff helped these individuals arrange meetings and
presentations at local educational institutions, organized group
advising sessions, and provided office space and logistical support.
The following member institutions made visits to the Middle East
in 1998: American International College, University of Delaware,
Endicott College,
The Grier School, Montana State University/Billings, Murray State
University, Northeastern University, Southern Illinois University,
Skagit Valley College, and Stanford University.
AMIDEAST's research assistance on questions about Arab educational
systems and credentials remains the membership service most in demand.
In 1998, staff responded to over 200 requests for information from
members. AMIDEAST also continued to provide members with electronic
updates on important educational developments in the Middle East
and North Africa.
Williams College students—including Channing Powell, pictured
above— gained a deeper understanding of Arab culture and society
through their interaction with Syrians from all walks of life.
|
