In a move to equip future communication and journalism professionals with historical, political and cultural knowledge of the region, Northwestern University in Qatar has begun offering students a certificate program in Middle Eastern studies. 

 

Several seniors are expected to graduate with the certificate this May, having already completed the course requirements that include four graded courses. 

 

“This certificate will ensure that our students are better positioned to meet the demands of a job market that increasingly relies on specialized knowledge of the region,” said NU-Q dean and CEO Everette Dennis. “The specialty will not only serve NU-Q students and others in Education City, but will also have appeal on the home campus which will be sending exchange students to Doha.“ 

 

The announcement of the certificate follows a consensus conference at which some 60 students, staff and faculty from both Doha and Evanston considered prospects for a Middle East studies minor in a discussion on the  role of history, contemporary affairs, religion, politics and the role of the media, said a statement. 

 

 “Today with this certificate we have taken a significant step closer to establishing a minor at NU-Q,” said Dennis, adding that students enrolled at other universities would be able to obtain the certificate by fulfilling the same requirements. 

 

NU-Q currently offers over 20 qualifying courses such as Arab Television Industries, Globalization of Youth Cultures in the Middle East, and Survey of Egyptian Cinema. Qualifying offerings at other campuses at Education City include Arabic Culture and Literature at Carnegie-Mellon University in Qatar, classes on Gulf society, Gulf politics and modern Arabic poetry at Georgetown University in Qatar, and classes on Islamic and Middle Eastern art at Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar. 

 

“NU-Q provides a unique education not least because of its position among neighboring campuses with whom we can collaborate to form a solid and incomparable selection of course offerings,” said Sandra L Richards, liberal arts director at NU-Q. “The Middle East is a complex region, and our aim is to give our students as many tools as possible to analyze events across the Arab world as well as their relationships to the rest of the world.” 

 

Richards played an important role in the development of the certificate, alongside a committee of professors with expertise in the region, including: Khaled Hroub, professor of Liberal Arts in Residence; Joe Khalil, associate professor of Communication in Residence; Ibrahim Abusharif, assistant professor of Journalism in Residence; and Zachary Wright, assistant professor of Liberal Arts/History and Religion in Residence.  – TradeArabia News Service