Northeastern Illinois University will host a series of lectures regarding current issues in the Middle East starting Jan. 28. The topics of these lectures will emphasize current affairs in Turkey, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Middle Eastern women, and the historical origins of Islamic extremism.
“We wanted to design a course that tackles four major issues in the Middle East,” said Mateo Farzaneh, History professor and one of the coordinators of the series. “I want people to take away how important the Middle East is to the global economy and global politics; I want them to understand that these problems were not created overnight, and I want students to be engaged in a national discussion.”
Organized by the History department and sponsored by the Asian and Global Resource Center of the Angelina Pedroso Center for Diversity and Intercultural Affairs, the lecture series is part of Northeastern course History 382: The World in the Twentieth Century.
“Diversity and multicultural competence broadens our understanding of the human experience and contributes to enriching the educational environment,” said Yasmin Ranney, director of the Asian and Global Resource Center. “By doing programming such as the Middle East series, we are encouraging our students to engage in and understand current world events in a more nuanced and meaningful way.”
The series is free and open to the public. All lectures will be recorded and available for viewing in the Pedroso Center. Here is the lecture schedule:
Wednesday, Jan. 28, 7:05 p.m.
Turkey: Ipek Yosmaoglu (Northwestern University)
Wednesday, Feb. 25, 7:05 p.m.
Israel-Palestine Conflict: Orit Bashkin (University of Chicago)
Wednesday, March 25, 7:05 p.m.
Middle Eastern Women: Sholeh Shahrokhi (Butler University)
Wednesday, April 22, 7:05 p.m.
Historical Origins of Islamic Extremism: Henri Lauziere (Northwestern University)
