September 2005
Proposal to Establish a
Middle East Institute
College of Arts and Sciences
GeorgiaStateUniversity
In the aftermath of September 11, 2001, American universities struggled to meet the dramatic rise in student interest in Middle East languages, religion, politics and culture. At the University of Chicago, for example, Arabic enrollments soared by seventy percent. StanfordUniversity’s course on the Arab-Israeli conflict drew 100 students, rather than its typical 40 student enrollment. University of California Los Angeles created 50 seminars (pass-fail courses that do not count towards a degree) on topics relating to Islam, national security, a ‘clash of civilizations’, and political violence.
Many universities found themselves unprepared to handle this demand for Middle East Studies courses. The president of University of Oklahomarushed to hire the institution’s first professor of Middle East history and culture in the weeks after the attack.Universities that lacked faculty qualified to teach Arabic, Islamic Studies or Middle East history, were forced to rely on individuals without doctoral degrees to teach in these critical fields. GeorgiaStateUniversity, on the other hand, had already established a Middle EastCenter with a critical mass of highly regarded specialists in the region and an undergraduate BIS degree in Middle East Studies.
While the initial interest in Middle East Studies at some universities may have been ‘crisis driven’; the sustained need for systematic study of this region is now acknowledged. Universities are now making long term investments in Middle East studies. New initiatives include: a Muslim societies and social movements ‘cluster’ at San FranciscoStateUniversity, a new Institute of Hebrew and Islamic Studies at University of Dallas and a new Middle EastCenter at BrandeisUniversity. The number of job listings in key areas such as Arabic and Middle Eastern history also continues to grow. Finally, the U.S. Congress has increased the number of Middle East Studies centers funded under Title VI of the Higher Education Act, to 17 in 2003 from 14 in 2001.[1]
This proposal is presented within the context of a growing and continued need for increased educational opportunities in Middle East Studies. This is particularly crucial in Georgia, where no other USG system offers an undergraduate degree in this field and no university, public or private, offers a graduate degree in Middle East Studies.
Proposal
This proposal requests that the existing Middle EastCenter for Peace, Culture and Development become the Middle East Institute. The Middle EastCenter was createdin 1999; its current status as a center is now limiting its ability to grow and make greater contributions to GeorgiaStateUniversity and the University System of Georgia.
The creation of the Middle East Institute would require no new funds, though additional faculty lines are included in the Institute’s five year plan. The Institute would occupy the Middle EastCenter’s existing space at the 11th floor of 34thPeachtree Street until relocating to the proposed new humanities building.
The Middle East Institute would be governed in accordance with existing College of Arts and Sciences policy.
The creation of a Middle East Institute will offer new opportunities for students and faculty in the area of Middle East studies and languages.
Rationale
The transformation of Middle EastCenter into a Middle East Institute is necessary to allow the expansion of the Center’s current activities in the area of Middle East Studies. This transformation will create benefits not obtainable under the status quo. These benefits include:
- Expansion of Degree Programs
The existing BIS degree in Middle East Studies (Appendix A) has attracted a modest number of students since its inception. Many more students have said they would have been interested in the degree if only they had found out about it earlier in their academic careers. The drawbacks of the BIS program, including low visibility and cumbersome application and registration processes, are limiting growth in this area. The creation of a Bachelor of Arts in Middle East Studies, which cannot be done unless the Middle EastCenter becomes an Institute, will be attractive to the growing number of students interested in studying about the Middle East region. Currently, no institution in the USG system offers a degree in Middle East Studies. In the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, and with growing military employment in Georgia, many jobs are now available to students with an understanding of the Middle East region.
Creation of the Institute will allow creation of a Master’s level program in Middle East Studies. The Middle EastCenter regularly receives inquiries about our non-existent graduate program. Again, GSU could fill an important niche in Georgia by creating the first graduate program in Middle East Studies. This graduate program would appeal to students who plan future careers in various forms of government service and education. The existing faculty (16 graduate faculty members) is sufficient to launch the graduate program. Furthermore, with a graduate program in place, GSU will be eligible to compete for federally funded FLAS (Foreign Language Area Studies) grants. These grants provide graduate students who study Middle Eastern languages with a $14,000 annual stipend and $11,000 institutional tuition payment.
Creation of the Institute and expansion of its degree programs will boost the Middle East language program, which currently consists of Arabic, Turkish and Hebrew. These languages have been identified by the Department of Education as ‘critical languages’ in which the US must increase its national level of competency. Arabic enrollments have continued to grow steadily in the past 5 years (Appendix B). Though the Turkish program and a potential Persian program are still in the developmental phase, the new Institute hopes to create a solid language program that teaches these four languages at three levels of competency (beginning, intermediate, advanced).
Students also have the opportunity to achieve greater understanding of the politics and culture of the region through activities such as the Model Arab League. In the Model Arab League program, students act as delegates from a Middle Eastern country and represent their positions on important economic and political issues. The GSU team, though only two years old, has achieved numerous awards.
- Joint Faculty Appointments
Currently fifteen full-timefaculty members (plus one vacant tenure line) are affiliated with the Center. With the creation of the Institute these faculty could have a more formal relationship with their colleagues from various disciplines. Affiliation with the Institute would also enable them to have a strong identity in both Middle East Studies and their home discipline. Joint appointments will also enable a more accurate and fair recognition by GSU of the service and teaching roles these faculty members undertake outside their home department. Joint faculty appointments will not detract from existing departmental strengths but strengthen both departments and the Institute.
- Research
As an Institute, with associated degree programs, the Middle East Institute would have a greater capacity to foster interdisciplinary research in Middle East Studies than the status quo. The Institute will provide a nexus for faculty with complementary research interests as well as continue its practice of bringing leading Middle East scholars to campus for scholarly presentations.
- Grants and Professional Training
Middle EastCenter faculty members have a proven track record of receiving funding to conduct professional training in the Middle East or for citizens of the Middle East (Appendix D). Over $4.6 million in external grant funds have been obtained since 1999. Of specific note are numerous grants from the US State Department to support journalism training abroad and USAID sponsored ESL training for Egyptian teachers. The Middle EastCenter has provided an umbrella to aid in the successful acquisition of these grants. Creation of the Institute will stand as an even stronger sign of GSU’s commitment to working effectively in the Middle East and will increase overall competitiveness in grant competitions.
- A State-Wide Resource
GeorgiaStateUniversity, in partnership with EmoryUniversity, has established the Georgia Middle East Studies Consortium, to serve as a resource for institutions of higher education throughout the state. The Middle EastCenter is also an active participant on the University System of Georgia Middle East Council.
- Title VI Funding
In 2003, the Middle EastCenter became a Title VI funded National Resource Center in Middle East Studies. This grant was a joint project between the Middle EastCenter and the Department of Middle Eastern and South Asian Studies of Emory University, in which the GSUMiddle EastCenter was the lead institution. In Fall 2005, the Center will reapply for an additional four year funding cycle. Creation of the Institute will greatly increase the Center’s competitiveness for future Title VI funding.
- Supporting the GSU Strategic Plan
Creation of the Middle East Institute strongly supports the goals of the University’s Strategic Plan to “enhance interdisciplinary research programs” and to “promote interdisciplinary, intercultural and international perspectives among students”. Compared to other institutions in its peer group, GSU lags in area-study specific degree programs and independent units.Creation of the Middle East Institute will help close this gap.
Historical
Background
The Middle EastCenter was formed in 1999 in an effort to capitalize on the emergence of a strong group of faculty with scholarly and professional expertise in the Middle East. The Middle EastCenter created an umbrella to harness and support the efforts of these faculty members and to create an entity that was larger and more dynamic than the sum of its parts.
The September 11, 2001 attacks had an immediate effect on the Middle EastCenter and highlighted the important need for this Center to expand its activities. As students and the community anxiously sought answers to critical questions regarding the Middle East Region, Center faculty delivered extensive lectures, interviews and outreach programs on campus and throughout the state of Georgia.
The need to achieve a greater understanding of the Middle East became apparent in a dramatic and sustained increase in student demand for courses on the region and its critical languages after 9-11[2] and the sustained enrollment growth over the past four years. In 2003, the Middle EastCenter became a federally funded (Title VI) NationalResourceCenter in Middle East Studies, with funding of over $750,000 for a three-year period. This funding, and continued university commitment, has allowed the Middle EastCenter to grow and develop in many key areas.
Academic Programs
The Middle EastCenter has created a significant number of academic programs to meet student demand for formal degrees in Middle East Studies and related topics. Current academic programs include a Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies degree (approved in 2001) in Middle East Studies and a minor in Middle East Study. Despite the youth of the degree programs, three students have graduated with the BIS degree and three have completed the requirement for the minor. Unfortunately the current student database does not display students who have a double-major, which is very common for Middle East Studies students; thereforedata on students tends to undercount Middle East Studies students. Currently at least five students are enrolled in the BIS degree program, a further nine have declared Middle East Studies as their minor.
The Middle EastCenter has also participated in the creation of a minor in Jewish Studies and a minor in Arabic Language and Literature.
Middle East Studies have been integrated across the curriculum, and now reach over 28 courses across eight disciplines. These courses support credit hour generation in home departments as well as providing an opportunity for growth in interdisciplinary studies. Particularly impressive is the fast growth of Arabic enrollments, increasing from 15 in Spring 2000 to 104 students in Spring 2005. Arabic is now taught through the 3000 level.
Persian, Hebrew and Turkish enrollments, though small by standards of Romance languages such as Spanish and French, now fall well within the norm for these highly specialized languages. Creation of the Institute and a graduate degree program will significantly increase enrollment in these language courses.
Study Abroad Programs
Students are able to experience the Middle East first-hand through study abroad programs offered by Middle EastCenter faculty. In recent years four study abroad programs have been offered to Egypt (including two in 2004), plans are underway for a program in Tunisia in May 2006. High student demand for all these programs, despite instability in the region, demonstrates the strong and growing interest in the region.
Research
Middle EastCenterfaculty makes a strong contribution to research on Middle East Studies and are actively engaged in field research. In recent years MEC faculty have received three research grants from the AmericanResearchCenter in Egypt and two Fulbright grants for research in Egypt and Jordan.
Links with Institutions in the Middle East
The Middle EastCenter fosters collaboration between GSU and institutions of higher education in the region. Key partners include BenGurionUniversity in Israel (Middle East Studies), YarmoukUniversity in Jordan (Communications), CairoUniversity in Egypt, (Biotechnology) and BogacikiUniversity in Turkey (Applied Linguistics/ESL). Through these partnerships faculty and students from GSU and the Middle East can engage in an array of joint activities and further understanding between cultures.
External Grants
The Middle EastCenter actively supports professional training in the region in key areas, including: journalism, ‘English as a Second Language’ and biotechnology. MEC faculty members have received numerous grants from the U.S. State Department, the U.S. Agency for International Development and Institute for International Education to support these projects.
Outreach
As a Title VI center, the Middle EastCenter works closely with K-16 educators to expand the ability to accurately teach about this important region. In recent year, the MEC has offered two K-12 workshops and two workshops for non-specialist college-level instructors. These activities have been supported by funding from the Board of Regents and SaudiAramco Foundation.
The Middle EastCenter has recently formed a new partnership with the Dekalb International Task Force to work more closely with schools in the metro area on pedagogical issues of teaching about the Middle East as well as the means to best meet the needs of large student populations in the area from the Middle East and Islamic World.
Middle EastCenterFaculty Members
Dona J. Stewart, Associate Professor of Geography and Director of the Middle East Center (Ph.D. University of Florida), Middle East Geography, urbanization and political economy)
Carolyn Codamo, Faculty Associate, Office of Undergraduate Studies (Ph.D.GeorgiaStateUniversity), Middle East media education and issues
Mohammed El-Nawawy, Assistant Professor of Communications (Ph.D. Southern Illinois University/Carbondale). Middle East media, media and globalization
Michael Galchinsky, Associate Professor of English, (Ph.D.University of California at Berkeley), Jewish Studies
Melinda Hartwig, Assistant Professor of Art History, (Ph.D. Institute of Fine Arts), Near East art and architecture, Egyptian tomb paintings
Michael Herb, Associate Professor of Political Science (University of California at Los Angeles), Gulf monarchies, democratization in the Middle East
John Iskander, Assistant Professor of Religious Studies (Ph.D. University of California Santa Barbara), Islam, contemporary Muslim belief and practice, pilgrimage
Amira Jarmakani, Assistant Professor of Women’s Studies (Ph.D. Emory University), Arab feminisms, Arab-American feminisms.
Kwame Lawson, Assistant Professor of Arabic, (Ph.D. University of St. Andrews), Arabic and Arabic literature
John Lee, Assistant Professor of Social Studies, (Ph.D.University of Virginia), Middle East Social Studies Education
Kathryn McClymond, Assistant Professor of Religious Studies (Ph.D.University of California at Santa Barbara), Judaism
S. Rashid Naim, Lecturer in Political Science, Middle East, South Asia, Islam and Politics
Gayle Nelson, Professor of Applied Linguistics/ESL, (Ph.D.University of Minnesota), Intercultural Communication
Stephen Rapp, Associate Professor of History (University of Michigan), Eurasia with an emphasis on late antique and medieval Caucasia; encounters involving the (pre-Islamic) Iranian, Byzantine, and Islamic commonwealths
Donald M. Reid, Emeritus Professor of History (PrincetonUniversity), Modern Egypt.
Lauren Ristvet, Associate Professor of History (CambridgeUniversity), Ancient Mediterranean, Near East
Leonard Teel, Professor of Communication (Ph.D. Georgia State University), founder and director of the Center for International Media Education (CIME), Middle East Media training.
Ziporah Wagner, Visiting Lecturer, Hebrew
Open Line, Tenure-Track, Modern Middle East History, to begin August 2006
Khalil Abdur Rashid, Visiting Lecturer, Modern Standard Arabic
Yesim Ozbalas, Visiting Lecturer, Modern Turkish Language
Appendices
A. Middle East Studies BIS Degree
B. Arabic Language Course Enrollments 2001-2005
C. Middle East Studies Courses Credit Hour Generation AY2004
D.Grants Received by MEC Faculty
Appendix A
MIDDLE EAST STUDIES
Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies (BIS)
College of Arts and Sciences
(Revised March 2004)
Area F: Courses appropriate to the major (18 hours)
- Competency in Arabic, Hebrew, Turkish, Persian, or another Middle Eastern language through the 2002 level is required. (12 hours).
- Courses appropriate to the major chosen in consultation with advisor (6 hours).
Area G: Area of Concentration (27-33 hours)
- Select two courses (6-8 hours)
HIST 4780The Middle East, 600 – 1800 (4)
HIST 4790The Middle East since 1800 (4)
POLS 4260Politics of the Middle East and North Africa (3)
GEOG 4408 Geography of the Middle East (3)
RELS3400 Introduction to Judaism (3)
RELS3500Introduction to Islam (3)