Khaled Hroub, a Middle East expert and Liberal Arts professor at NU-Q seen here on a recent trip to Jerusalem, contributed to the development of the Middle East studies certificate.
The Northwestern University in Qatar (NU-Q) has begun offering students a certificate in Middle Eastern studies in an effort to equip future communication and journalism professionals with historical, political and cultural knowledge of the region.
Several senior students are expected to graduate with the certificate in May, having already completed the course requirements that include four graded courses. Seniors must submit applications by April 21 to ensure the certificate is placed in their transcripts before graduation.
Students from other universities in the Education City are also eligible for the certificate course.
Commenting on the new course, NU-Q Dean and CEO Everette Dennis said: “This certificate will ensure that our students are better positioned to meet the demands of a job market that increasingly relies on specialised knowledge of the region. The specialty will not only serve NU-Q students and others in the 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 campuses 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.
They also had agreed on the vital importance of a minor and had worked to define what it would include, outlining Mena resources at NU-Q and in the Education City as well as others in museums and other Qatari institutions.
NU-Q currently offers over 20 qualifying courses such as ‘Arab Television Industries’, ‘Globalisation 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.
Sandra L Richards, Liberal Arts Director at NU-Q said: “NU-Q provides a unique education not least because of its position among neighbouring campuses with whom we can collaborate to form a solid and incomparable selection of course offerings. The Middle East is a complex region, and our aim is to give our students as many tools as possible to analyse 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.
