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Promoting Global Citizenship through Cross-Cultural Understanding
Jan. 24, 2008
Idaho’s Visiting Fulbright Scholars Work to Demystify Islamic and American Cultures
MOSCOW, Idaho – The University of Idaho’s commitment to engaging students in transformational discovery and global citizenship recently has gained support from two prestigious Fulbright Scholarship programs.
This spring, the Moscow campus hosts Islamic Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence, Mohamed Adiouane and Fulbright Visiting Scholar Mustapha Mamaoui.
The Islamic Scholar-in-Residence program includes a semester of lectures and outreach activities to be offered on- and off-campus. Adiouane’s first public presentation is titled, “Islamic Values, Human Values.” The talk will be held Thursday, Feb. 13, at 7 p.m. in the Student Union Building Ballroom on the University of Idaho campus. The event is free and open to the public.
The lecture is part of the Martin Forum series, which focuses on international topics. The forum is offered through the University’s Martin Institute and Martin School of International Studies.
Adiouane is professor of Islamic studies from Mohammed V University in Rabat, Morocco, with more than 20 years of experience researching and teaching Islamic literature and rhetoric. As a Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence, he will teach the undergraduate courses, “Islam in the Modern World” and “Islamic Culture and Civilization,” lecture throughout the community, and work with administrators and faculty to develop a Core Discovery Course on Islam.
“In these courses, we hope to build bridges between Islamic culture and Western culture,” said Adiouane. “I want to make some distinctions between Islam as a theory and Islam as a religion and a culture. It is essential to have good relations with people across the world. Friendship is based on understanding our shared affinities, as well as our differences. Islam, Judaism and Christianity each have their own conceptions of life and different ways of social comportment, but I believe they share the same deep conception of God.”
“One of the advantages of having Professor Adiouane here is his expertise in teaching about Islam,” said Bill Smith, director of the Martin Institute and Martin School of International Studies. “That expertise also will help us develop capacity at the university to teach about Islam in a more comprehensive fashion than at present.”
The College of Letters, Arts and Social Sciences (CLASS) Fulbright application that brought Adiouane to Moscow was supported by letters from 15 organizations from within the university and the surrounding community, including Moscow High School, Moscow Civic Association, Moscow Interfaith Association and the Moscow Rotary. During his stay, Adiouane will participate in discussion forums and events to be presented by those groups throughout the community.
The international Studies program is administered in the Martin Institute and Martin School of International Studies. The Islamic Scholar-in-Residence teaches courses in the College of Letters, Arts and Social Sciences.
CLASS also is hosting Fulbright Visiting Scholar Mustapha Mamaoui through March. Mamaoui is a professor at Cadi Ayyad University in Beni Mellal, Morocco, specializing in American literature and postcolonial studies. During his three-month stay at the university, Mamaoui will research American travel writing that focuses on North Africa.
For more information on events and programs offered in CLASS, visit www.uidaho.edu/schedule. For a full schedule of Martin Forum events, visit www.martin.uidaho.edu.
Contact: Joni Kirk, University Communications, (208) 885-7725, joni@uidaho.edu
Photo is available at www.today.uidaho.edu/PhotoList.aspx.
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About the University of Idaho
Founded in 1889, the University of Idaho is the state’s flagship higher-education institution and its principal graduate education and research university, bringing insight and innovation to the state, the nation and the world. University researchers attract nearly $100 million in research grants and contracts each year; the University of Idaho is the only institution in the state to earn the prestigious Carnegie Foundation ranking for high research activity. The university’s student population includes first-generation college students and ethnically diverse scholars. Offering more than 150 degree options in 10 colleges, the university combines the strengths of a large university with the intimacy of small learning communities. For information, visit www.uidaho.edu.
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