STRATEGIES FOR TEACHING THE DIVERSITY OF THE MIDDLE EAST Emma Harver Program/Outreach Coordinator Duke-UNC Consortium for Middle East Studies
Session Goals Share free curriculum and strategies for teaching about the diversity of the Middle East, broadening perceptions of the Middle East beyond conflict. Participate in activities for teaching the cultural and geographic diversity of a multifaceted region across STEAM, so that you can begin to think about how to use them in your classroom! Share resources for teachers offered by the Duke-UNC Consortium for Middle East Studies. As a lifelong learner, broaden your own content knowledge and understanding of various topics relating to the Middle East and World History. Classroom Ideas in BLUE boxes throughout!
Duke-UNC Consortium for Middle East Studies Work with scholars, students, teachers, and community members. Enhance the Middle Eastern curriculum on the two campuses. Stimulate awareness of the importance and richness of Middle Eastern peoples and cultures. We study the Middle East as the region extending from the Mediterranean to the Indian Ocean. As the recipient of a Title VI Middle East Studies grant from the U.S. Department of Education, the Consortium is a National Resource Center.
Consortium K-12 Outreach Online resources for teaching about the Middle East and Islam: ncmideast.org Culture kits for the classroom Small grants to attend the fall meeting of SERMEISS (Southeastern Regional Middle East and Islamic Studies Seminar) Speakers Bureau
Weekly listserv with resources Free Professional Development trainings throughout the year and summer on topics related to the Middle East and Muslim Civilizations! Local Study Tours Film Database Curricular Support Teachers participate in our Local Study Tour in Raleigh: Connecting the Middle East to the Southeast
Classroom Warm-up: Photo Exercise Is this the Middle East?
Muslims preparing to pray at the Ka aba in Mecca, Saudia Arabia
Israelis sledding in Jerusalem, Israel (2013)
Traffic in the United Arab Emirates
Christian girls worshipping in traditional head coverings at a Russian Orthodox Church
Oil well in Qaidam Basin, Qinghai Province, China
Priest prepares for New Year s services at Vank Cathedral, New Julfa, Isfahan
Royal Oman Symphony Orchestra performing with the Bavarian Radio Choir
The Crystal Mosque in Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia.
Where in the world is the Middle East? Shade in the countries you associate with the Middle East. Compare at your tables and discuss.
CCSMEMC Core Areas of the Middle East Algeria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Cyprus (northern), Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, West Bank and Gaza (Palestine) and Yemen
CCSMEMC Core and Extended Regions of the Middle East Afghanistan, Albania, Bangladesh, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Brunei, Burkina Faso, Chad, Djibouti, Eritrea, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sahara, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan
What is our Single Story of the Middle East? 30 seconds: What words come to mind when you think about the Middle East? Write on post-its, add to chart paper.
DIVERSITY is complicated = hard? What helps students remember? Empathy Agency: students participate, simulation Stories: personal connection, surprise Technology
Diversities of the Middle East Examples Religion Geographic Gender Linguistic/ Ethnolinguistic Economic Lifestyles Cultural Political Education and much more!
RELIGIOUS Diversity Arab and Muslim are not synonymous, roughly 18% of Muslims are Arabs Many Arabs follow different faiths and live all over the world. There are Christian Arabs living in the Middle East. In addition to the large Jewish population in Israel, there are also significant Christian and small Jewish communities throughout the region. Egyptian Christians most likely account for about 10% of the population though some sources give between 3-20% of the population Iran: There are about 200,000 Iranian Christians of different backgrounds, and Iran also has about 25,000 Jews and 20,000 Zoroastrians
Many Arab cultural influences in Islam Qur an written in Arabic Muhammad an Arab Prayer facing Ka aba (Arabia) minaret Call to prayer Adhan (Arabic) eh-than Holy Sites Mecca & Medina (Arabia) Jerusalem
The Arab World
**Pew Research Center s Forum on Religion & Public Life Global Religious Landscape, December 2012 Ask students to color in religious demographics on a blank map of the Middle East, or the globe. The Muslim World 10 Countries with the Largest Populations of Muslims Estimated 2010 Muslim Population Indonesia 209,120,200 India 176,190,000 Pakistan 167,410,000 Bangladesh 133,540,000 Nigeria 77,300,000 Egypt 76,990,000 Iran 73,570,000 Turkey 71,330,000 Algeria 34,730,000 Morocco 31,940,000
Have students research different prominent places of worship for different religions, i.e. St. Thaddeus Monastery in Iran, Maronite Church of Saidet et Tallé in Lebanon, Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, Sardis Synagogue in Turkey, Hagia Sophia, Umayyad Mosque in Syria
GEOGRAPHIC Diversity: Morocco Teaching about weather? Track temperatures in another region of the world.
GEOGRAPHIC Diversity Rafting down the Jordan River The Cedar Forests of Lebanon Post card project: each student researches a different geographic area of the Middle East and creates a post card, display for a classroom gallery walk. Taurus mountains in Antalya, Turkey
LINGUISTIC/ETHNO-LINGUISTIC Diversity The multiplicity of languages spoken in the Middle East reflects its ethnic diversity. Most of these languages come from three major language "families": Semitic (including Arabic, Hebrew, and Aramaic) Indo-European (Kurdish, Persian, Armenian) Turkic (Turkish, Azeri) Arabic is divided in many different dialects ( ) Invite students to investigate: find all of the languages spoken in the Middle East
Diversity in alphabets! Hebrew: Shalom: Hello/Peace Persian: Salaam: Hello/Peace Arabic Turkish
Have students listen to pop music in these different languages so that they can hear the differences and similarities in the way they sound
Linguistic Statistics! Bar Graphs Pie Charts Line Graphs Scatter (x,y) Plots Histograms Cumulative Tables and Graphs Use global stats when teaching about using/handling data
Diversity in EDUCATION Women make up 60% of university students in Iran Conflict as a problem: Syrian refugees in Turkish schools Literacy rates varied, Pakistan 58.7%, Jordan 96.7%
Diversity in Global STEM Global warming particularly a challenge in the Middle East Water shortages Water deficit countries using more water than they receive in rain or snowfall Turn to renewable energy sources and innovative solutions Have students read about STEM innovations from the Middle East:
Diversity in Global STEM: Renewable Energy In small groups, read your assigned article Summarize main points together Create a poster advertising the product in your article Be creative! Use images or symbols Add relevant cultural or regional information found in your article Explain how your product works
CULTURAL Diversity Iranian wedding traditions reflect ancient Zoroastrian traditions. Traditional folk dances of Israel are choreographed for recreational purposes and festivals. They include the Hora and dances incorporating the Yemenite step. Turkish coffee houses continue their role in society as a meeting place. This tradition stems from the Ottoman Empire. Learn a traditional Middle Eastern dance as a class (Israeli hora, Arab dabke dance) Have students research different holidays or festivals in the Middle East such as Eid ul-fitr, Nowruz, Hala Festival, Purim, etc.
GENDER Diversity Muslim women play an important role in family life. Women s rights and equality continues to be a global issue, not just in the Middle East. Homosexuality in the Middle East traced back to Mesopotamia Check out our Veiling Culture Kit, shipped free of charge to NC educators! Discuss how clothing relates to gender identity and gender norms.
Many women in the Middle East are valued and respected. Many are well-educated, participating in important roles in society, and voting in elections. Women in Turkey got the right to vote in 1934, ten years before women in France. Women make up 60% of university students in Iran.
Women s rights and equality continues to be a global issue, not just in the Middle East. Nobel Peace Prize goes to women s rights activists in 2011
I want to show with this picture that Muslim women are not held back. My sister studied abroad for 6 years to earn her medical degree. My family trusted her to live on her own in a foreign country. I am a photographer and feel free to address issues like the empowerment of women. Do not let our vails misguide you, we are modest AND modern.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_syvybxt_dg Majede Najar: Why I wear a hijab
A way of seeing that imagines, emphasizes, exaggerates and distorts differences of Arab peoples and cultures as compared to that of Europe and the U.S. It often involves seeing Arab culture as exotic, backward, uncivilized, and at times dangerous. Orientalism
Common Misconceptions about the United States
The Adventures of Ibn Battuta Abu Abdullah Muhammad Ibn Battuta Moroccan Muslim scholar and traveler Trained judge, qadi 14 th century, born 1304 1368/1369 His journeys lasted for a period of almost thirty years Premodern example of globalization Wanderlust: he traveled 75,000+ miles throughout the Islamic World. In today's world he would have visited 44 countries.
The Adventures of Ibn Battuta Narratives of his journey were commissioned by the ruler of Morocco Ibn Battuta dictated his story to a scribe, who wrote the account in a classical narrative style Rihla, or journey
Goals and themes of his travels Pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina Academic agenda to seek legal scholars Seek patrons in Asia and Africa Visit sites important in Sufism (shrines, lodges, masters) Urban vs nomadic life Notices difference in customs, religions Have students compare Ibn Battuta s travels with other explorers such as Marco Polo, Lewis and Clark, etc.
Google Doodle Ibn Battuta s 708 th birthday
Recreated by modern writers Tim Macintosh-Smith: BBC documentary series Travels with a Tangerine (2007) recounting his experiences tracing Ibn Battuta s journey Carolyn McIntyre: Travel blog, independent female traveler: http://girlsoloinarabia.typepad.com/girl_solo_in_arabia/carolyn_mcin tyre/ Good photos on her blog under ALBUMS!
Technology in STEM: Recreate parts of Ibn Battuta s adventure using Google maps Sign in to Google and open Google Maps In the top left, click the Menu icon (part of the Search bar) Click Maps Click Create Map
Countries/Regions Cities Morocco Egypt Iraq & Persia Arabian Peninsula Somalia Anatolia Central Asia & Southern Asia Southeast Asia China Cairo, Egypt Mecca, Saudi Arabia Shiraz, Iran Baghdad, Iraq Mogadishu, Somalia Constantinople/Istanbul, Turkey Astrakhan, Russia Konya, Turkey Sumatra, Indonesia Guangzhou, China Timbuktu, Mali
How to stay in touch with us: Check us out online http://ncmideast.org/ Like us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/dukeuncconsortiummideaststudies https://www.facebook.com/mideastunc Twitter, @CCSMEMC Join our listserv: NCTeachMidEast Emma Harver Program/Outreach Coordinator harver@email.unc.edu 919-962-6732