Toward a better understanding: Middle Eastern enlightenment from the source.Ask the typical man on the street to relate what he knows about the Middle East and you're likely to hear only references to holy wars and terrorism. It's small wonder that such one-sided views of an ancient land prevail when the U.S. media is forced to reduce the intricate history of the Middle East This article is a general overview of the history of the Middle East. For more detailed information, see articles on the histories of individual countries and regions. For discussion of the issues surrounding the definition of the area see the article on Middle East. into little more than sound bites on the evening news. Correcting these misperceptions is the goal of a group of American educators who went straight to the source to team more about the Middle East and find ways to incorporate this information into their teaching. The educators participated in a three-week seminar in January called, "Teaching about Islam and Middle Eastern Culture" at the American Center The American Center is a high-rise tower in Southfield, Michigan. It was built in 1975 and stands at 26 floors, with one basement floor, for a total of 27. The building's main use is that of a typical office tower. It also includes a parking garage and retail spaces. of Oriental Research in Amman, Jordan. Sponsored by the Council of Independent Colleges (www.cic.org) and the Council of Overseas Research Centers (www.caorc.org), the seminar gave faculty members across myriad disciplines an opportunity to interact with the local populations and visit archaeological sites such as Petra and Jerash. "There is an urgent need for citizens of the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. to obtain more information about the Middle East and Islam than is portrayed in the mass media," says Mary Hendrickson of Wilson College Wilson College can refer to:
Hendrickson and teachers from Mount Vernon Nazarene University Coordinates: History Until the founding of Mount Vernon Nazarene College in 1968, Ohio was included as part of the Eastern Region and therefore associated with ENC. (OH), Medaille College (NY), Susquehanna University (PA), University of Sioux Fails (SD), Rhodes College (TN) Ursinis College (PA), Tougaloo College (MS), Benedictine College (KS), Saint Anselm College The Princeton Review has described Saint Anselm College as one of the top "Colleges with a Conscience", as well as one of the 224 Best Northeastern Colleges. History The first bishop of Manchester, Bishop Denis M. Bradley, invited the Benedictine monks of St. (NH), and Catawba College (NC), were able to study a culture and history in a way they would otherwise never have been able to manage on their own. Craig Wansink of Virginia Wesleyan College Distinctions The college made the 2004 US News and World Report List of Best Colleges and it earned distinction for ten major programs in the 20th edition of Rugg's Recommendations on Colleges. was so moved by the experience that he has revised his own teaching to reflect his newfound knowledge of the region. "When ordinary Jordanians on the street clearly have the ability to differentiate between American policy on the one hand, and American citizens and ideals on the other," he says, "you then do took at life differently and you can't help but be impressed." |
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