College Updates From World View
July 2009

The Middle East and Turkey

This year World View’s March regional seminar focused on the Middle East, and our June Study Trip Abroad was to Turkey. This edition of College Updates provides resources for learning about and teaching the Middle East, a crucial area of the world that is in the news daily. It also offers connections to Turkish educators.

Resources provided below include news sources, country information sources, data sources, US embassy and consulate websites, resources to integrate the Middle East into the classroom, and organizations promoting the teaching or study of the Middle East. These resources are from a website created by the UNC University Library and World View: www.lib.unc.edu/instruct/worldview/middle_east/index.html.

We also encourage you to contact an educator in Turkey to establish email correspondence between your students and students in Turkey. This offers the rare opportunity for your students to correspond with Muslim students in a secular state that is friendly to the United States. It also could lead to broader collaboration between your college and educational institutions in Turkey. Please contact Neil Bolick at 919-843-5332 or nebolick@unc.edu if you are interested.

News Sources

Baghdad Bureau and Middle East Section
New York Times stories about the Middle East and the Iraq War.

BBC Country Profiles
Each country profile provides links to the major newspapers, television stations, radio stations, and news agencies in each country. Scroll to the end of the profile for each country's media.

CNN Middle East Section
CNN's news stories about the Middle East.

fair.org
A national media watch group, offering criticism of media bias and censorship.

ICON: International Coalition on Newspapers
ICON provides reliable information about newspapers published outside of the United States. It includes bibliographic descriptions of titles as well as specific information on each institution's holdings. You can search by country or title.

Link TV
Link TV broadcasts programs that engage, educate, and activate viewers to become involved in the world. These programs provide a unique perspective on international news, current events, and diverse cultures, presenting issues not often covered in the U.S. media.

Middle East Desk, New York University
Designed for journalists, this site gives current news, analysis, and country profiles for countries in the Middle East.

newseum.org
Front pages from newspapers around the world.

NPR Middle East Page
NPR's news stories about the Middle East.

Universal Database of Central Russian Newspapers
Universal Database of Russian Newspapers offers access to full-text electronic versions of major Russian and many NIS periodicals on the same day they are published. The Universal database includes archives of back issues of newspapers and journals.

www.world-newspapers.com/east.html
Links to newspapers from the Middle East.


Country Information

BBC Country Profiles
Includes full profiles that provide an instant guide to the history, politics, and economic backgrounds of countries.

CIA WorldFactbook
CIA fact sheets for countries around the world.

Country Studies/Area Handbooks
Descriptions and analysis of the current and historical setting of social, economic, political, and national security systems in specific countries.

Middle East Desk, New York University
Designed for journalists, this site gives country profiles for countries in the Middle East as well as current news and analysis from these countries.

Middle East Policy Council
Middle East Policy Council's country profiles. These profiles are specifically designed for educators.

National Geographic: Travel & Cultures- Caucasus and the Middle East
National Geographic's country profiles for the Middle East.

NationMaster.com
This resource lets you graphically compare nations. You can interactively generate maps and graphs with a range of different statistics. This tool also includes quick country profiles.

US Dept of State, Background Notes
US Dept of State's country profiles.

Data Sources

Data Finder
Search or browse for statistics and datasets. Resources include databases licensed by the University Library, sources freely available via the Internet, and print materials.

International Data Base (IDB)
The International Data Base (IDB) is a computerized source of demographic and socio-economic statistics for 227 countries and areas of the world. The IDB was created in the Census Bureau's International Programs Center in response to the information requirements of IPC staff to meet the needs of organizations that sponsor IPC's research efforts. The IDB provides quick access to specialized information, with emphasis on demographic measures, for individual countries or selected groups of countries.

UNdata
UNdata provides simultaneous access to 14 statistical databases from the United Nations and other international organizations through one interface. Search or browse for data and create tables. Areas of coverage include agriculture, education, energy, industry, labor, national accounts, population, tourism and trade.

US Embassy and Consulate Websites

Bahrain bahrain.usembassy.gov
Egypt cairo.usembassy.gov
Iraq iraq.usembassy.gov
Israel telaviv.usembassy.gov jerusalem.usconsulate.gov
Jordan amman.usembassy.gov
Kuwait kuwait.usembassy.gov
Lebanon lebanon.usembassy.gov
Oman oman.usembassy.gov
Palestinian Authority gaza.usvpp.gov
Qatar qatar.usembassy.gov
Saudi Arabia

riyadh.usembassy.gov
jeddah.usconsulate.gov

Syria damascus.usembassy.gov
Turkey turkey.usembassy.gov
istanbul.usconsulate.gov
United Arab Emirates abudhabi.usembassy.gov
dubai.usconsulate.gov
Yemen yemen.usembassy.gov

Course Materials

Global Connections: The Middle East [Educator Resources]
Rich collection of background articles, lesson plans, timelines, and more. Resources are indexed to help educators quickly find materials most relevant for their course needs.

Understanding Afghanistan: Land in Crisis
The site contains news, background information, interactive and traditional maps, photographs, audio, and film.


Early College High School Course Materials

A Visit to Jordan

Aida and Its Relevance to the World Today

Frontline: Muslims

Global Connections: The Middle East [Educator Resources]

Hyphenated Americans

Iran Through the Looking Glass: History, Reform, and Revolution

Israel: Diversity and Identity

Journey along the Silk Road

Portraits from the Israeli/Palestinian Conflict

Portraying the Arabs

(Re)embracing Diversity

Shifting Sands: Balancing U.S. Interests in the Middle East

Teaching about the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

Teaching with the News

Organizations Promoting the Study or Teaching of the Middle East

AMIDEAST
AMID EAST is a Washington, DC based private, nonprofit dedicated to building understanding among students in the Middle East and America. This site offers student exchange opportunities and teacher placement for English Language Instruction.

Middle East Outreach Council
Middle East Outreach Council (MEOC) is a national nonprofit organization based in Washington, DC working to increase public knowledge about the peoples, places, and cultures of the Middle East, including the Arab world, Israel, Iran, Turkey, and Afghanistan. MEOC is a national network of educators dedicated to disseminating apolitical and nonpartisan information, resources and activities furthering understanding of the Middle East.

Middle East Policy Council
The Middle East Policy Council provides political analysis of issues involving the greater Middle East. Through its programs, publications, and website, the Council strives to ensure that a full range of US interests and views are considered by policy makers.

Middle East Studies Association (MESA)
A private nonprofit, non-political organization of scholars and other persons interested in the study of the Middle East, North Africa, and the Islamic world. MESA is dedicated to promoting high standards of scholarship and instruction, to facilitating communication among scholars, and to promoting cooperation among those who study the Middle East.

National Council on U.S. - Arab Relations (NCUSAR)
An American nonprofit organization dedicated to improving American knowledge and understanding of the Arab world through people-to-people exchanges and educational programs.

Saudi Aramco
A magazine that focuses on the history, society, and culture of Middle Eastern lands. Teachers, students, librarians and others can request a complimentary subscription by writing to Aramco World, Box 469008; Escondido, California 92046-9008.

Southeast Regional Middle East and Islamic Studies Seminar (SERMEISS)
A professional society for faculty from various fields whose common connection is the study or teaching of the Middle East and Islamic World. SERMEISS sponsors two meetings annually designed to provide interaction among teachers interested in the Middle East and Islam at three levels: trained specialists in Middle East and Islamic Studies, non-specialists who include the region in their college teaching, and secondary school teachers. Some sessions allow specialists to present their latest research and other sessions focus on new teaching strategies and materials.

Community College and K-12 Symposium Combined

World View's Annual
Global Education Symposium
"21st Century Skills for the
Global Economy"

October 14-15, 2009
Registration Now Open

Co-sponsored by:
Center for International Business, Education, and Research;
North Carolina State Board of Education;
UNC School of Education; Thomas H. Maren Foundation; and The Center for International Understanding

Because of the economic downturn, World View will not hold separate K-12 and community college symposia this year. We will hold one symposium in October for both community college and K-12 educators.

Today’s employers need graduates equipped with the skills necessary to compete in an increasingly global, knowledge-based economy. World View’s symposium offers educators techniques for integrating 21st Century skills across the curriculum. There will be general sessions, concurrent sessions on both content and course applications, and support for college-based teams in creating an Action Plan for globalizing institutions.

Cost (North Carolina Educators): Registration is $150 per person.  A team of 4 is $500 (save $100).  A team is comprised of 4 or more individuals from a school, college, or district.  Only $125 for each additional team member per seminar.

Cost (Out-of-State Educators): Registration is $250 per person.

 REGISTER A TEAM AND SAVE!
PROGRAM, REGISTRATION, & HOTEL INFORMATION AT www.unc.edu/world
OR please call 919/962-9264.
 



Mexican Children
in the Classroom

This manual has been used primarily as a K-12 resource, but The Center for Global Initiatives at UNC would like to make it available to any community college educator that might use it in his or her college or community. This educators’ manual describes the educational background of Mexican-born children and their American-born siblings, the Mexican educational system, the geography and history of Mexico, cultural differences between Mexico and the United States, and Mexican customs and traditions. In the form of a CD, this resource is used by NC school systems, the Department of Public Instruction, county health departments, and nonprofit organizations that work with families and children in the Latino communities across the state and along the east coast. The CD is being used by many higher education institutions for pre-service teacher training.

The project is a collaboration between UNC's Center for Global Initiatives and School of Education. To request your copy, click here. For questions or comments, please contact Tripp Tuttle at tripp.tuttle@unc.edu or 919-962.3094.
 


New from Globalization 101

Globalization101.org is an Internet resource offered by the Levin Institute to promote a greater understanding of globalization. New recommended articles are listed below.

 

Community College Delegation
Heads for Jordan  

"Glenn Cummings, the newly appointed deputy assistant secretary of the US Department of Education and a former community college dean [recently led] a delegation to an international conference promoting community colleges in Amman, Jordan.

The delagates-- which include George Boggs, president of the American Association of Community Colleges-- will join education representatives from the Broader Middle East and North Africa (BMENA) region to make presentations on topics including business and education partnerships that promote workforce development and technological innovations that improve instruction and expand learning options."

For more information or to read this article see:
www.communitycollegetimes.com or
www.edblogs.gov

 



American Community Colleges
in the Downturn 

"The recent global economic downturn is causing U.S. workers and employers to look to the educational system for skills that will allow them to thrive when the economy recovers. The Community College Research Center's (CCRC) mission is to conduct research on major issues affecting community colleges in the United States and to contribute to the development of practice and policy that expands access to higher education and promotes success for all students.

A boom in demand for education typically occurs in downturns, and this one is no exception, although the magnitude of the downturn is greater than has been experienced in many years.  Workers are being dislocated from industries that often won't return, and need to retrain."

For more information or to read this article see:
http://ccrc.tc.columbia.edu
 


Support Global
Education in NC

Like schools and colleges across North Carolina, World View has been hit extremely hard (permanent cuts in the state appropriation and registration income cut in half) by the current economy. Please send a contribution to World View to support global learning in schools and community colleges across North Carolina.

Please make check payable to World View, and mail your tax-deductible gift to:

World View
208 North Columbia Street
CB #8011
Chapel Hill , NC 27599-8011
 

Do you have information to share?

Do you have information to share with educators? If so, please send information about global education programs that are offered in your college, announcements about globally focused seminars, and new resources for college faculty.
Email Neil at nebolick@unc.edu.
 
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Disclaimer: World View at UNC-Chapel Hill provides information, resources, and announcements for educational purposes only. It does not represent an endorsement of organizations or points of view by World View or The University of
North Carolina at Chapel Hill.