Education

Many study abroad programs in the Middle East and other hot spots around the world have been curtailed or postponed as the number of countries on the State Department’s travel warning list has grown to three dozen. The disappearance of a rabbinical student from Lakewood last week is the latest episode to heighten security concerns … Continued

It is early on Sunday morning and the sound of school bells can be heard. Playgrounds are full. Students are in lines singing the Palestinian national anthem. Teachers are supervising activities. Speeches are being delivered. This, however, is not a typical school assembly, as falls on day 48 of a war that has seen unprecedented … Continued

In response to the growing interest in understanding Arab contemporary society, the College of Arts and Sciences has launched a minor degree program in Arabic. The 20-credit-hour program prepares students to read, write and communicate orally in Arabic at a functional level in an international setting. It also trains them to recognize and respond to … Continued

A Detroit-area school district with a growing Arab-American population has agreed to improve its programs for students with limited English skills and to potentially hire more educators of Arab descent. In a 31-page agreement with the Department of Justice, the Crestwood School District in Dearborn Heights says it “shall take appropriate action to overcome language … Continued

Eric Thompson said among the first challenges in his Arab immersion class was learning the Arabic word for “yes.” To the Arnold resident, it sounded a lot like the English word, “no.” “So when teachers are congratulating you, you’re saying, ‘Oh, I have messed up,’” said the 17-year old, who is among dozens of foreign … Continued

The Center for Palestine Studies at Columbia University’s Middle East Institute is pleased to announce and to invite applications for the 2011-2012 Ibrahim Abu-Lughod Award, a post-doctoral fellowship in Palestinian Studies. The one-semester fellowship carries a stipend of $25,000 and the status of post-doctoral research fellow or visiting scholar at Columbia University, as appropriate. The … Continued

In 2002, the Arab Human Development Report, produced by the United Nations Development Programme, reported that “educational achievement in the Arab countries as a whole is still modest when compared to elsewhere in the world, even in developing countries”. Spurred by that analysis, Jordan launched a campaign a year later to tackle persistent underperformance. This … Continued

The Arab American National Museum will be offering Arabic Classes with Yasser Mansour. Intro to Arabic returns to the museum in early February. These small-group sessions held weekly on Saturday mornings allow for plenty of practice and interaction during the 10-week semester. Tuition, $235/$200 Museum Members, must be paid no later than 5 p.m. Friday, … Continued