Annual Report 2019-2020 IN REVIEW
Annual Report 2019-2020 Š Georgetown University in Qatar All rights reserved. Activities during the period of: July 1, 2019 – June 30, 2020
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Contents A Message from the Dean.................................................................................... 2 Joint Advisory Board............................................................................................ 5 Continuity of Experience....................................................................................... 6
Academics & Student Life.................................................................................. 8 Admissions........................................................................................................ 11 BSFS Degree..................................................................................................... 13 Curricular Growth.............................................................................................. 15 Experiential Learning......................................................................................... 17 Multiversity Teaching & Learning........................................................................ 18 Comprehensive Support for Education................................................................ 21 Holistic Student Environment ............................................................................. 23 Student Achievements........................................................................................ 29 Graduating Class of 2020................................................................................... 30 Alumni & Career Development............................................................................ 34
Research.......................................................................................................... 36 Undergraduate Research Development................................................................ 39 Faculty Research............................................................................................... 45 Publications ..................................................................................................... 46 Collaborative Research Events ........................................................................... 50 The COVID Project.............................................................................................. 52 Academic Initiatives........................................................................................... 55
Engagement & Outreach.................................................................................. 58 A Platform for Dialogue & Debate....................................................................... 61 Lifelong Learning............................................................................................... 66 Experts in the Media.......................................................................................... 69
A Message from the Dean Georgetown University in Qatar (GU-Q) was founded as the School of Foreign Service in Qatar in 2005. This academic year began with the centennial celebration of the establishment of Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service (SFS) in Washington, DC, in 1919. When the world was recovering from WWI and battling the pandemic of 1918, SFS was founded to prepare leaders to respond to emerging global challenges in a world essentially changed and increasingly complex. Today, the mission of GU-Q—to foster the next generation of leaders in international affairs— has been reaffirmed by shifts in fundamental assumptions in world affairs over the past decade, and by the multifaceted and interrelated crises resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. More than ever, skilled interlocutors between nations and cultures are critical to the cooperation required to address issues of global concern. Our response to the pandemic has been to protect the safety of our community while sustaining academic and research excellence, creating at the same time meaningful connections that contribute to our core service and justice missions. Close coordination with our Washington campus, Qatar Foundation, and with Education City partners facilitated a seamless transition to online instruction and remote work in March of 2020. Plans were informed by a reflective exercise, conducted early in the academic year in partnership with leadership from both the Washington campus and QF, to assess impact and outline priority initiatives. This exchange identified areas of strategic importance—academic and research excellence, and applying knowledge to contribute to solutions to
local and global challenges. The session highlighted our leadership in crucial areas such as experiential learning, Arabic language curriculum and education, and institutional integrity. Extensive work related generally to emergency preparedness and more specifically to instructional continuity enabled us to immediately and effectively transition to an online environment. An emergency preparedness exercise completed just months before the pandemic provided valuable tools for responding to the crisis. Continuity of academic excellence continues to be a primary focus of our collective efforts. Technical and other administrative offices provided immediate and seamless support for the transition to online instruction and work. GU-Q’s Office of Academic Services in collaboration with Georgetown’s Center for New Designs in Learning and Scholarship (CNDLS) offered extensive pedagogical and practical resources to support the delivery and enhancement of online courses. Comprehensive support services for students were successfully transitioned to online, with most activities sustained online including experiential learning opportunities such as professional internships, and extracurricular clubs and social events. Critical to sustaining academic excellence are our robust recruitment efforts. The enrolled class for Fall 2020 is the largest and most diverse class to date. As part of our deliberate effort to expand access for qualified yet underserved students, we partnered with Education Above All and the African Leadership Academy to bolster recruitment of African students. Twenty-eight new courses were introduced including innovative courses on small state security, African American history and culture, and physics for world leaders. Students also now benefit from the expansion of minor options to include, in addition to Arabic, economics, government, history, philosophy, or theology.
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Students are demonstrating youth leadership on multiple fronts—publishing book chapters, attending world conferences, engaging in youth advocacy, developing significant service projects, and participating in international research projects with top institutions. Our alumni have been listed in Forbes 30 under 30 in Asia, are publishing books, having their work used in national curriculums, and are representing Qatar in international diplomatic circles. Research of relevance to the region has been sustained and, in some instances, reimagined. Recent faculty research related to national or regional priorities includes separate initiatives on energy security, cyber security for small states, Islamic bioethics, gender in Islam, and Indian politics. Faculty publications reflect a diversity of expertise with topics including climate change, migrant worker health in Qatar, Persian Gulf politics, diplomacy Arabic, and sports in the Middle East. The three-day faculty conference, held before the pandemic, “Oceanic Circularities: The Indian Ocean and the Modern World,” brought together international scholars from 33 institutions. The appointment of our first post-doctoral fellow, a scholar in international law and gender studies, signals our commitment to continued development of the research environment in Qatar. A series of “pandemic panels” convened GU-Q faculty to address the pandemic through the lens of governance, regional recovery, and historical and cultural perspectives. The COVID Project launched in 2020 by GU-Q’s Center for International and Regional Studies (CIRS), leverages a network of leading scholars and experts to provide a comparative view of the crisis in a subset of regional countries, including the six GCC countries. In order to support faculty whose research addresses knowledge gaps in other fields
and geographies, emerging research in CIRS is organized around three areas of overarching thematic focus—regional studies (Gulf and Middle East), environmental studies, and race and society. Engagement at the national and international levels is deliberately organized to provide a platform to bridge knowledge with practice and policy. Efforts this year focused on fostering local and international dialogue around key issues of the day, including an event featuring Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defense Affairs His Excellency Dr. Khalid Al-Attiyah reflecting on the 1,000th day of the blockade. U.N. undersecretaries convened at GU-Q to debate the future of the U.N. And during the pandemic, virtual events offered perspectives on historical, global, and local responses to pandemics, as well as insights into the Black Lives Matter movement. Our research and activities are advancing knowledge and contributing to solutions of issues of regional and global concern, in alignment with Georgetown’s core mission and values. Each new year brings its own challenges, and this one, our 15th since GU-Q opened its doors in 2005, was particularly challenging with still more to overcome on the journey back to normalcy. Drawing on our values and our institutional resources, our dedicated students, faculty, and staff ensured the successful completion of this academic year. And I am confident that with the same commitment to our core academic and service missions, the Georgetown community will be able to tackle the challenges ahead and emerge as resilient and steadfast as ever.
Ahmad Dallal Dean, Georgetown University in Qatar
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Joint Advisory Board The Joint Advisory Board, composed of members appointed by Qatar Foundation and Georgetown University, meets biannually for high-level strategic discussions. Spring 2020 members: Qatar Foundation Appointed
Georgetown University Appointed
H.E. Sheikha Al-Mayassa Al-Thani (Co-chair) Chairperson, Qatar Museums Board of Trustees; Chairperson, Reach Out to Asia
Dr. Robert Groves (Co-chair) Provost, Georgetown University
H.E. Lolwah Rashid Al Khater Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs; Official Spokesperson, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, State of Qatar
Dr. Joel Hellman Dean, Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University
Dr. Emad El-Din Shahin Interim Provost and Dean, College of Islamic Studies, Hamad Bin Khalifa University
Dr. Carol Benedict Faculty Chair, Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University
Jointly Appointed
Ex-Officio Members
Sir Tim Lankester, K.C.B. Former Chairman, Council of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Sarah Barclay Management Expert, Office of the CEO, Qatar Foundation
Dr. Adnan A. Shihab-Eldin Director General, Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences
Dr. Ahmad S. Dallal Dean, Georgetown University in Qatar
Board Secretary Dr. Ebrahim Moosa Professor of Islamic Studies, University of Notre Dame
Rita Roche Executive Assistant to the Dean, Georgetown University in Qatar
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Continuity of Experience GU-Q faculty members ensured educational continuity in the transition to virtual learning in March 2020, with critical support provided by the Office of Academic Services (OAS) in coordination with Georgetown’s Center for New Designs in Learning and Scholarship (CNDLS) in DC. A comprehensive suite of student support services and activities were successfully and seamlessly offered online. GU-Q works closely with QF, public agencies, and with other branch campuses in Education City to adopt best practices related to health and safety. Frequent communication with students, faculty, and staff, and a dedicated COVID-19 website have facilitated a community-centered approach to the pandemic.
Virtual Teaching & Learning Faculty members, with the support of academic and technical units across GU-Q, adapted to the virtual environment and identified best practices including: • Increasing one-on-one interactions and individualized learning through extended office hours and tutoring • Using both synchronous and asynchronous interactions and small group work • Modifying assignments to include presenting information in multiple formats • Drawing on the expertise of librarians to curate content, connect students with resources, and provide relevant tutorials • Implementing and integrating digital tools such as ebooks, Zoom, and Canvas
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New and current students participated in “Hoyas 101,” a virtual course offered among other new student onboarding initatives.
Wellness Activities
Outreach & Collaboration
Keeping the GU-Q community engaged—through group exercise, social gatherings, and mental wellness activities—quickly became important in maintaining instructional and business continuity.
Throughout the transition to a virtual environment GU-Q engaged with and supported its partners through:
Focused on building community and creating opportunities to connect on a more personal level, live virtual activities offered during the pandemic included fitness classes, mindful conversations, and webinars on mental and emotional wellbeing. Specific initiatives included Yappy Hour, Mindful Coloring, and the Hoyas for Each Other program.
New Student Convocation Helping incoming students adjust to university life, GU-Q also developed a 6-week program, Hoyas 101, that culminated with a virtual convocation ceremony in the Georgetown tradition.
• Leveraging a partnership with the World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) to support the Education City learning ecosystem and engage with K-12 schools in Qatar • Helping Teach for Qatar design and deliver online teaching for their K-12 fellows • Developing a summer short course on teaching the Arabic language for a cohort of Arabic Teaching Fellows • Working with the Education Above All (EAA) Protect Education in Insecurity and Conflict division to develop the online course Education and Conflict • Providing expertise to the UNESCO Doha Office for the GCC States and Yemen to analyze the pandemic’s impact on education
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Academics & Student Life
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Life doesn’t get easier or more forgiving, we get stronger and more resilient. We need to recognize that life is a spontaneous series of changes, so don’t resist them—welcome them with open arms, grow from them, and nurture them (except corona, don’t nurture that, just wash your hands).” —Sarah Al-Mutoteh (SFS’20), Senior Class Speaker
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Students mingle at the annual Admissions event, A Day in the Life of a Georgetown Student.
Admissions Academic excellence at GU-Q starts with recruiting and admitting a pool of well-rounded students who demonstrate success across academics, extracurricular activities, and other areas of their lives. Recruitment 2020
Key Admissions Programs
Recruitment efforts across Qatar, the Gulf region, and beyond resulted in a robust, diverse, and competitive applicant pool with 607 applications— up 28% over last year—from 72 countries.
GU-Q’s signature on-campus admissions programs include the Admissions Open House, and A Day in the Life of a Georgetown Student. This year these events drew record numbers of attendees, featured enhanced interactivity and engagement of multiple interest areas, and prepared students to successfully complete the application process.
Our focus on maintaining genuine diversity led to a partnership through Education Above All with the African Leadership Academy in South Africa. Our recruitment efforts were expanded to Kenya and Nigeria, resulting in a talented incoming class which includes more students from African nations than ever before.
Response to COVID-19 Due to COVID-19, engagement with prospective students went entirely online during the admissions interview and selection phase, which doubled the amount of online interviews given. For admitted students, the annual Georgetown Ambassadors Admission Program (GAAP) day was redesigned as a series of five online events called Hoya Dialogues. Faculty, staff, and current students engaged with admitted students throughout the events. Overall, there was a 40% increase in attendance at events for admitted students compared to the previous year.
These major events were supplemented by more personalized drop-in admissions counseling hours and workshops, including monthly sessions designed to increase prospective students’ essay writing and interviewing techniques. Skills workshops were expanded for local schools in response to a significant increase in demand from prospective students.
Education City Regional Counselors Program GU-Q also worked with partner institutions in Qatar Foundation’s Education City to help deliver the annual Education City Regional Counselors Program. This program invites counselors from abroad to learn about the opportunities available in Education City. Georgetown hosted several counselors from India, one of GU-Q’s primary recruitment markets, to join this year’s program.
For incoming students, as part of their orientation, GU-Q developed a six-week online program called Hoyas 101. Students met their classmates and mentors, gained access to resources, and participated in social events on the virtual campus.
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Upper-class students serve as orientation advisors to assist new students during the onboarding process each year.
The Class of 2024 GU-Q’s Class of 2024—with an enrollment of 131—is the largest and most diverse to date with students reflecting an array of academic, cultural, and socio-economic backgrounds. Overall, 42 nations are represented, with six for the first time: Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Mozambique, Rwanda, Uganda, and Zimbabwe. Enrolled students demonstrate academic promise, leadership experience, and commitment to service.
Two-thirds were involved in community service projects, and over half participated in Model United Nations. A number of new students distinguished themselves through advocacy and recognition at large scale youth conferences such as the United Nations Youth Assembly, World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE), and Yale Young Global Scholars.
My vision for the next four years is to build a very flexible discipline, because I am trying to think of the future. The more flexible my discipline, the broader my skill set, and the more I can do with my degree. That means I can help more people.” —Mohammed Zeyara (SFS’24)
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BSFS Degree GU-Q offers a four-year liberal arts education focused on the interdisciplinary study of international affairs leading to a Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service (BSFS).
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BSFS Curriculum Students at GU-Q earn the same four-year BSFS degree as their peers at Georgetown University’s campus in Washington, DC. Students complete the rigorous core curriculum in the first two years of study preparing them for one of four (4) majors: culture and politics (CULP), international economics (IECO), international history (IHST), or international politics (IPOL). Students can pursue a minor in Arabic, economics, government, history, philosophy, or theology. By completing specific coursework and complementary research, students can earn a Certificate in American studies, Arab and regional studies, or media and politics. The BSFS includes a second-language proficiency requirement, a strong emphasis on experiential learning, and multiple opportunities for research.
Growing up, I heard so many stories from the hospital where my mom worked as a nurse— stories based on poor healthcare infrastructure or lack of leadership. I want to take a Georgetown education back to Zimbabwe, and to help find solutions to some of these problems.” —Renée Mutare (SFS’24)
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Assistant Foreign Minister H.E. Lolwah Al Khater gives a guest lecture to students as part of a Spring 2020 course.
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Curricular Growth Maintaining a rigorous curriculum tailored to individual student success requires ongoing curricular assessment and innovation in light of changes within the field or in response to topical issues. New Courses
African American History Courses
GU-Q faculty introduced 28 innovative courses including the following:
Associate Professor Maurice Jackson—who teaches in the history department, as well as the music and African American studies programs at Georgetown University in DC—offered courses including:
Small State Security in the International System Professor Rory Miller and Dr. Fahad Al Marri launched a Small State Security Dialogue as part of their innovative course on Small States that combined traditional classroom learning with special participatory lectures from senior officials and practicioners with extensive policy making experience inside the Qatari government. Guest lecturers welcomed to the classroom included: • H.E. Dr. Khalid Al-Attiyah, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defense Affairs • H.E. Lolwah Al Khater, Assistant Foreign Minister, Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and GU-Q Joint Advisory Board Member • H.E. Dr. Ibrahim Ibrahim, Former Economic Advisor to the Amiri Diwan • Brigadier General Sheikh Nawaf bin Mubarak Al-Thani, Senior Defense Official and Defense Attaché to the U.S.
COVID-19 Summer Courses Students from GU-Q and other EC branch campuses had the opportunity to study the impact of COVID-19 through four virtual courses that addressed the crisis from various political, social, cultural, economic, or historical perspectives.
• Lives of W.E.B. DuBois • Black Culture and Black History • Freedom Struggles
Science Courses Several natural science courses were offered to fulfill the new core requirements, including: • Nuclear Know-How for Presidents, taught by Kai-Henrik Barth, Senior Assistant Dean for Research • Physics for World Leaders, taught by Stylianos Tzortzakis, Professor at Texas A&M at Qatar
Additional Minors In addition to a minor in Arabic, GU-Q students now have the option of completing a minor in economics, government, history, philosophy, or theology. A student-driven initiative approved by Georgetown College and the School of Foreign Service, the expansion of minor options in the BSFS program encourages students to diversify intellectually and to position themselves for specific career domains.
Centennial Celebration: The World in 1919 As part of the Walsh School of Foreign Service (SFS) centennial celebration, this course was co-taught by a number of GU-Q professors, each of whom offered their own discipline-specific analysis of global events during 1919, the founding year of SFS.
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Students at the 2019 annual MUN conference, which brought together 330 students from 32 schools in Qatar and 10 schools from 8 other countries.
Experiential Learning GU-Q students are taught to apply ideas and theories learned in the classroom to real-world situations and encouraged to actively reflect on the experience by participating in co-curricular opportunities. Programs or activities taking place after March 2020 were offered online. Study Abroad
Internships and Employment
Study Abroad is a long-established and important opportunity that enables students who maintain a good academic record to spend up to two semesters earning credits at a university abroad. This year, 16 students took part in the program, traveling to:
Annually, more than half of eligible students participate in internships, and over a quarter participate in student employment programs, benefiting from practical skill-building and real life experiences. This year, through GU-Q’s internship program, 23 students earned for-credit internships and 42 students participated in non-academic internships at organizations, including:
• United Kingdom • United States of America
Student Travel Grants GU-Q students also have the opportunity to apply for sponsorship for short term learning experiences such as international conferences and summits. This year, students applied for and received travel funding for the European Innovation Academy in Portugal, the World Bank Group Youth Summit in the U.S., and the World University Debate Championships in Thailand.
Model United Nations (MUN) GU-Q’s 15th annual MUN conference “NorthSouth Divide: Authority, Inequality, and Interventionism” was organized by 46 GU-Q students and featured keynote speaker Stavros Yiannouka, CEO of the World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE). Prior to the conference, students organized a three-day MUN training program, providing students in Qatar with the opportunity to better prepare for the international conference. The training program featured keynote speaker Haajerah Khan (SFS’11), Head of Partnerships and Sponsorships at QF.
• Boston Consulting Group • Brookings Doha Center* • Education Above All* • Journal of Middle Eastern Politics and Policy • Ministry of Foreign Affairs* • Ministry of Transport and Communications • Qatar Development Bank • Qatar Financial Centre Regulatory Authority* • Qatar Foundation: Headquarters Policy Hub* • Qatar Green Building Council* • Qatar International Court and Dispute Resolution Center • Qatar Stock Exchange • Teach for Qatar • U.S. Embassy in Qatar* • U.S. Environmental Protection Agency • World Innovation Summit for Education
Career Preparation A variety of opportunities to engage with employers, explore career paths, and network at employer engagement sessions are available to GU-Q students each year. This year, 23 employers from across the business, cultural, education, government, and nonprofit sectors in Qatar met with students.
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* For-credit internship partner.
• Hungary • Jordan • South Korea
Multiversity Teaching & Learning Building on the dynamic environment of Education City, GU-Q actively creates and participates in teaching and learning exchanges with other Education City universities. Media and Politics Program The Certificate in Media and Politics (CMAP)— jointly chaired by GU-Q’s professor Rory Miller and Northwestern University in Qatar (NU-Q)’s professors Scott Curtis and Jocelyn Sage Mitchell—introduced an ePortfolio capstone project. The project emphasizes teamwork, innovative approaches to learning, and synergy through collaboration. The coursework and assessed presentations of students from both institutions are graded by a joint GU-Q and NU-Q committee.
Doha Seminar Course Sohaira Siddiqui, Associate Professor at GU-Q, jointly co-taught a Doha Seminar course titled Behind the Headlines: Context and Meaning of Qatar on the World Stage and Qatar in the Contemporary Muslim World with NU-Q Associate Professor Zachary Wright. The course also featured guest lectures by faculty and deans from across Education City, including Dean Ahmad Dallal.
Cross-Registration This year, the system of offering open registration across all of the universities within Education City resulted in 56 students from partner universities enrolling in courses at GU-Q, and 69 GU-Q students taking courses at other universities.
Innovation for Wellbeing Course VCUarts Qatar coordinated a course titled Innovation for Wellbeing, which featured guest lectures by Associate Professor Jeremy Koons and Director of the Student Wellness and Counseling Center Mahnaz Mousavi.
Student Learning Support Symposium GU-Q and Qatar University (QU) collaboratively organized a symposium focused on supporting student learning, which brought together Qatar’s academic support community for a day of constructive discussion about academic success at the college level. English and Arabic panel discussions featured education specialists from GU-Q, Qatar University, Texas A&M at Qatar, and Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar..
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Laura Hiatt, Associate Director of Academic Services, speaks at the Student Learning Support Symposium.
Education City Teaching and Learning Steering Committee Organized by Qatar Foundation, the Education City Teaching and Learning Steering Committee draws together specialists from across Education City through interactive workshops and discussions. Among others, this year the committee hosted: • Panel discussion on encouraging authenticity in student writing • Interactive workshop on disrupting teaching • Lunchtime social for new faculty
Qatar Teaching and Learning Forum The committee also established the Qatar Teaching and Learning Forum, which hosted a webinar on “Maintaining Engagement in an Online Environment” in response to the pandemic. Representatives from GU-Q co-organized and joined 85 Education City faculty and staff members who shared best practices for online instruction.
Additional Multiversity Activities Synergies across Qatar Foundation’s multiversity have resulted in shared activities that enrich the campus, such as the virtual Post COVID-19 Career Panel, which was co-hosted by GU-Q and featured career and market experts who discussed the current job market with students across Education City. GU-Q also collaboratively organized the 2019 Education City Regional Counselors Program, led the design of the joint Education City university booth at the Qatar Admissions Expo, and joined Education City student affairs departments to organize a virtual iftar and snack bar to support students in the dorms in the wake of COVID-19.
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Comprehensive Support for Education GU-Q students are supported through academic and social support mechanisms that start from their first year and continue through their entire student journey. The Office of Academic Services (OAS) supports rigorous teaching and learning practices for faculty and students to ensure continuous access to up-to-date teaching resources and research, including high-quality instructional technology and innovative assessment instruments. OAS provides subject tutoring, operates a full-time Writing Center, and manages academic accommodations designed to ensure that students with disabilities have equal access to student programs and resources. This year, more than 200 GU-Q students worked with an OAS tutor.
Academic Support Classroom learning is supplemented by skill-building structures and activities that encourage critical thinking. These include: • Creative Writing Picnics • Conversation hours and cultural events in Arabic & French • A tutorial on academic integrity • Assistance in research- and writing-intensive first-year courses, provided by Undergraduate Teaching Assistants (UTAs) • Faculty “How I Write” talks • Stata Bootcamps for statistical coursework
First Year Experience (FYE) Program The First Year Experience Program, launched this year to extend the benefits of New Student Orientation, includes year-round activities that support students’ transition to university. A majority (66%) of first-year students participated in the program. New students joined a team captained by an upper class mentor and participated in weekly workshops, covering topics relevant to first-year success. Workshops included: Time Management, Self-Care, and Stress Management; Growth Mindset; Syncing Georgetown Values and Personal Values; Mini Economics Midterm; and Study Strategies and Active Learning.
Peer Tutors and Teaching Assistants Students who excel in French, Arabic, Writing, or Economics have the opportunity to become Peer Tutors or Undergraduate Teaching Assistants (UTAs). After being carefully trained in the fundamentals of tutoring, as well as teaching and learning theory and pedagogy, Peer Tutors help their classmates through holding weekly office hours, hosting review sessions and foreign language conversation hours, developing study guides and other academic resources, and working with faculty to organize academic events. Peer Tutors who have demonstrated strong leadership skills and an advanced understanding of economics concepts are eligible to become UTAs. Working closely with faculty and OAS staff, UTAs hold office hours, attend lectures, conduct weekly recitations, and grade problem sets. Peer Tutors and UTAs come away from the experience with significant work experience and an enhanced understanding of the learning process. They also learn effective communication skills, intercultural awareness strategies, and are given the opportunity for self-reflection through service to others.
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The GU-Q Men’s Football team competes in a match against VCUArts Qatar.
Holistic Student Environment The GU-Q experience includes a range of wellness activities and services, including education around creating a safe learning environment, support for student-initiated interest groups, and community-building social events.
Campus Life Activities Students are encouraged to make the most of their university experience through pursuing their interests. Whether that means founding a new club, such as this year’s Black Student Association, or joining a sports team or student club, organizations and activities offer students the opportunity to develop their leadership skills, engage in public service, and otherwise prepare for academic, personal, and professional success.
Athletics Organized sports support student physical and mental wellness, allowing students to work as a team to represent their university at local and international competitions. Prior to the transition to virtual learning, the Women’s Basketball team came second in the Fall 2019 tournament, and the Men’s Cricket team placed third. Ten GU-Q players were selected to represent QF on the AllStar team.
Featured Clubs GU-Q’s 31 student clubs and organizations, seven of which are new this year, are provided guidance by faculty and staff mentors and represent a diversity of cultural, service, and academic interests that complement the classroom experience, promote Georgetown values, and build community.
Black Student Association Founded in Fall 2019 by Tsedenya Girmay (SFS’21) and Lina Hajo (SFS’21), the Black
Student Association aims to encourage Black student unity, support, and cultural exchange in Doha, and to create awareness on issues faced by communities worldwide. With more than 60
members in its first year, the club hosted several online panel discussions. As a result of their active engagement over the year, the group was asked to consult on developing a grade 12 course curriculum with a teacher at Sidra Academy.
Debate Club GU-Q’s debate team has consistently done well in the Qatar Universities Debate League, winning this year with two teams going on to compete in the World Universities Debating Championships, which took place prior to the transition to online learning, in Bangkok, Thailand: • Mudassar Shakir (SFS’21) and Khansa Maria (SFS’21), representing Qatar Foundation • Taha Kaleem (SFS’22), Khushboo Shah (SFS’22), and Abijeet Pant (SFS’22), representing GU-Q
Hoya Empowerment Learning Program The Hoya Empowerment Learning Program (HELP) student club is committed to giving GU-Q service providers access to educational resources and tutoring in key subject areas such as English and computer skills. It organizes and trains student, faculty, and staff volunteers, and organizes community events for service workers.
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“Black Lives Matter: Police Brutality and Racial Injustice in America,” with African American Studies expert, Maurice Jackson, and American and Comparative Politics specialist, Clyde Wilcox.
Student Dialogue and Debate Student clubs organized a roster of in-person and virtual discussions on important issues. A selection of topics and their panelists included:
South Asian Society
Black Student Association
“Is Charity a Replacement for Social Justice?” • Jeremy Koons, GU-Q • Sohaira Siddiqui, GU-Q • Abeedah Diab (SFS’21) • Khansa Maria (SFS‘21)
“Black Lives Matter: Police Brutality and Racial Injustice in America” • Maurice Jackson, GU-Q • Clyde Wilcox, GU-Q
Muslim Student Association and the Sustainability Club “Islamic Environmentalism: Conservation” • Sulaiman Bah • Sh. Dr. Redhwan Mohammed Saleh Hasmatollah Moslih • Mohamed El Haj Mahmoud Taleb
Peace and Conflict Club “Women’s Agency in Indian Occupied Kashmir” • Sohaira Siddiqui, GU-Q • Inshah Malik, Kardan University • Hasim Nissa, Ashoka University • Rutbah Alee, Jamia Milla University
“Postcolonial Citizenship and Its Discontents”
Social Justice and Development Club
Students for Justice in Palestine “The Deal of the Century: Silenced Voices” • Mohammed Shehada, GU-Q Career Services • Omar Bishara, CMU-Q student • Mahmoud Mousa, Texas A&M at Qatar student
Beyond the Headlines This faculty-led program engages students in informed discussion and debate, and encourages critical thinking on current issues, including “Kashmir: What is Going On?”, “Does Internationalism Have a Future?”, “Is This Africa’s Democratic Moment?”, and “A Global History of Revolutions: The Arab Spring 2.0.”
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Members of SWCC talk to students about GU-Q wellness activities.
Health and Wellness Events and Activites Across Education City, GU-Q’s health and wellness professionals contribute their time and expertise to support students, faculty, and staff at events, such as: • Education City Health and Wellness Fair • Stand Up, Speak Out, Be Informed breast cancer and domestic violence awareness walk • Know Your Numbers collaborative campaign with the Qatar Diabetes Association and the QF Nutrition Clinic, among others • Meditation Mondays (in-person and virtual) • Yoga classes (in-person and virtual)
Student Wellness and Counseling Center (SWCC) Student wellness is a priority at GU-Q, and encouraging proactive wellness behavior is the primary aim of the Student Wellness and Counseling Center. The center organizes wellness activities for the entire GU-Q community, including fitness classes, counseling sessions, and workshops on mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, self management, establishing healthy relationships, and emotional intelligence. Additionally, SWCC teaches faculty, staff, and students in leadership roles ways to recognize and intervene with struggling students, access wellness resources, and be sensitive to intercultural communication issues. It also administers Georgetown University’s Engelhard Project for Connecting Life and Learning at GU-Q, and discusses with faculty issues surrounding student mental health.
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Students and Jack the Bulldog enjoying the annual Georgetown Day celebrations in 2019.
Promoting Diversity and Inclusion Community in Diversity GU-Q fosters diversity on campus through resource sharing, events, support for student clubs, and courses about the history and current state of systemic oppression and economic disenfranchisement of communities of color including African Americans. To help its community understand the historical background and urgency of the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020, GU-Q developed a curated list of resources available in the GU-Q library, and offered several new courses on African American history taught by Associate Professor in the History Department and the African American Studies Program at Georgetown, Maurice Jackson. In addition to teaching new African American history courses at GU-Q, Professor Jackson spoke to Al Jazeera’s Inside Story on the question: “How Divisive is American Politics?”
GU-Q financially supports and encourages raising awareness through student club events and lectures on diversity including the Black Student Association, South Asian Society, and Al Liwan Qatari Student Association. With this support, the Black Student Association hosted several panel discussions this year, including one on “Black Lives Matter: Police Brutality and Racial Injustice in America.” Panelists for the discussion included professors Maurice Jackson and Clyde Wilcox. Details about this event and the Black Student Association can be found on page 28 of this report or on the GU-Q website.
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Students gather at a photobooth during New Student Orientation 2019’s Cultural Night.
Equity and Title IX
The GU-Q Women’s Center
GU-Q has taken a proactive and educational approach in maintaining a safe and nondiscriminatory environment for the entire community. Georgetown policy offers robust protection against discrimination and harassment, with gender-based discrimination and violence (also addressed under U.S. legislation including Title IX), a key focal area for prevention and awareness activities.
The GU-Q Women’s Center supports efforts around issues affecting women, diversity, and inclusion. This year’s programming included discussions on diversity, masculinity and diversity, microaggression awareness, and implicit bias.
Based on student feedback, GU-Q formed the Title IX Working Group—composed of students, faculty, and staff—in June 2019 to ensure activites are responsive to student concerns. Recent activities include advising on the modification of a major cultural climate survey for the Qatar campus to be conducted in 2021, deveopment of a best practices document for faculty and student interactions, and promotion of a recommended syllabus statement that outlines supportive resources and discloses reporting responsibilities.
The center frequently collaborates with the Qatar chapter of the Georgetown Women’s Alliance to host and organize related events. This year’s collaborative events included:
• Mentor Tea series featuring H.E. Stephanie
McCollum, as well as GU-Q’s Zahra Babar, and Sonia Alonso • Book Club discussing titles like Becoming by Michelle Obama and The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
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Khalid Abdulhamed Marafi (SFS’19) shown with His Highness, the Amir of Qatar.
Student Achievements Comprehensive academic, experiential learning, and wellness support ensures that students can pursue their interests and meet their goals. Educational Excellence Award
Clinton Global Initiative (CGI)
Khalid Abdulhamed Marafi (SFS’19) received the Platinum Educational Excellence Award from His Highness, the Amir of Qatar, for his work during his undergraduate years at GU-Q.
Kartikeya Uniyal (SFS’23) participated in the 2020 CGI University. Through the program, Kartikeya developed a “Commitment to Action” plan project that seeks to improve local governance in an Indian village by connecting local efforts to available resources, in order to improve health and economic outcomes at the local level in response to the pandemic.
Education Above All Youth Advocates Six students took part in a Youth Talk ED 2.0 under the edvOcate campaign as Education Above All Youth Advocates. The discussion was moderated by Hana Elshehaby (SFS’22), emceed by Al Anoud Al Kuwari (SFS’20), and featured panelist Hamideh Dorzadeh (SFS’18). Ousman Camara (SFS’20) provided social media coverage, Ngoc Nguyen (SFS’21) moderated the art exhibition where Asna Siddiqui (SFS’22) had her art on display, and Noof Al Jefairi (SFS’20) served as host for VIP guests.
European Innovation Academy Entrepreneurship Program Abdulqudus Sanni (SFS’20) received funding through Qatar Science and Technology Park and GU-Q to travel to Portugal and participate in the two-week European Innovation Academy entrepreneurship program.
Qatar Debates Championship Mudassar Shakir (SFS’21) and Khansa Maria (SFS’21) won the 2019 Qatar Debates championship and funding to attend the tournament in Thailand. Their teammates Taha Kaleem (SFS’22), Khushboo Shah (SFS’22), and Abijeet Pant (SFS’22) also attended through a GU-Q student travel grant.
World Bank Group Youth Summit Ousman Camara (SFS’20) received GU-Q travel funding to attend the World Bank Group (WBG) Youth Summit at their headquarters in Washington, DC, and received support from Qatar Foundation to package and send donated books, that he collected through his own initiative, to a school in The Gambia.
Community Service Award Khansa Maria (SFS’21) was recognized internationally through the Georgetown University Lena Landegger Community Service Award and was also selected to join the Alpha Sigma Nu honor society in her third year.
Davis Projects for Peace Award Mustafe Axmed (SFS’21) was the 2019 recipient of the Davis Projects for Peace Award, a $10,000 USD prize from the Georgetown Center for Social Justice and Peace. Mustafe’s project “Think and Share” combined digital storytelling and inperson dialogues to provide young people with opportunities to discuss and confront tribalism and division in Somaliland.
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Sarah Al-Mutoteh (SFS’20), Senior Class Speaker
Honor Societies Omicron Delta Epsilon Noor Rajab Al-Esmail Maryam Misfer Al-Hababi Mohammed Al-Khulaifi Dana Ali Al-Rumaihi Sharifa Hamad Jassim Al Thani Ghanim Mohamed Alyafei Saba Bikashvili Nadine El-Dehaibi Salma Khaled Hassan Ibtihal Mohamed Manahil Ali Nadeem Hamza Parvez Pi Sigma Alpha Reem Al-Khouri Ameena Almeer Sarah Muteb Al-Mutoteh Wesley Chen
Graduating Class of 2020 The Graduating Class of 2020 added an additional 57 students to the GU-Q alumni family, bringing the total number of alumni to 559. The majority of graduates were female (74%), and the prevalent nationality was Qatari (47%). Graduating seniors participated in a virtual Senior Class Celebration and Tropaia Awards Ceremony. The virtual event allowed faculty members to recognize outstanding students within each major and certificate program, and announce inductees to various honor societies.
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Phi Alpha Theta Sara Abdelghany Sara Mohammed Al-Attiyah Noor Rajab Al-Esmail Maryam Misfer Al-Hababi Sara Al Haj Abed Reem Al-Khouri Sarah Muteb Al-Mutoteh Alghalya Khalid Al-Qubaisi Lolwa Abduljabar Al-Saigh Wesley Chen Murchhana Dash Suleikha Hashi Aiza Khan Alpha Sigma Nu Noor Rajab Al-Esmail Wesley Chen Phi Beta Kappa Noor Rajab Al-Esmail Dana Ali Al-Rumaihi Ghanim Mohamed Alyafei Wesley Chen Nadine El-Dehaibi
Academic Honors
Faculty Awards
Certificates
Cum Laude Murchhana Dash Salma Khaled Hassan Sarah Muteb Al-Mutoteh
Katrina Quirolgico Award for Excellence in Culture and Politics Sara Abdelghany
Arab and Regional Studies Maryam Misfer Al-Hababi Amna Falah Salma Khaled Hassan
Magna Cum Laude Dana Ali Al-Rumaihi Ghanim Mohamed Alyafei Wesley Chen Summa Cum Laude Noor Rajab Al-Esmail Nadine El-Dehaibi
Student Development Senior Awards Ambassador Award Al Anoud Al Kuwari
International Economics Outstanding Student Award Nadine El-Dehaibi International History Outstanding Student Award Murchhana Dash International Politics Outstanding Student Award Reem Al-Khouri Certificate in American Studies Award Sara Abdulrahman Ali Al-Mulla
Georgetown Leadership Award Aiza Khan
Certificate in Media and Politics Award Lolwa Abduljabbar Al-Saigh
Georgetown Engagement Award Ameena Almeer
Abu Hamid Al-Ghazali Award Noor Rajab Al-Esmail
Community in Diversity Award Salma Khaled Hassan Blue and Grey Award Lina Noureldin Georgetown Leadership Track Recipients • Sarah Muteb Al-Mutoteh, Gold • Aiza Khan, Silver • Noor Rajab Al-Esmail, Bronze • Ibtihal Mohammed, Copper • Sara Al Attiyah, Copper
Dean’s Medal Noor Rajab Al-Esmail
American Studies Sara Abdulrahman Ali Al-Mulla Media and Politics Lolwa Abduljabbar Al-Saigh Yasmine Aziz Fade Lina Azhari Noureldin Danielle Louise Seraphina Wait
Honors in the Major Culture and Politics Sara Abdelghany Aiza Khan International Economics Noor Rajab Al-Esmail Nadine El-Dehaib Salma Khaled Hassan International History Sara Mohammed Al-Attiyah Murchhana Dash International Politics Al Anoud Al Kuwari Ameena Almeer Wesley Chen
Honored By Seniors Faculty of the Year Award Rory Miller, Professor of Government
Staff Appreciation Award Rana Saad, Academic Affairs Specialist
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Academics & Student Life  |  33 25 of the 57 graduates in the Class of 2020 are not pictured
Alumni & Career Development GU-Q graduates join a growing network of Georgetown alumni. For the Qatar campus, a community of 559 alumni as of May 2020 has meant higher visibility and impact. GU-Q alumni are strongly positioned for advanced studies or professional careers across multiple domains. Recent data suggests that approximately one-third of graduates have received or are pursuing an advanced degree either in Qatar or abroad. Key employment sectors for graduates include foundations, the public sector, consulting, and education.
Ed Futures: A Collection of Short Stories on the Future of Education GU-Q alumna Deena Newaz (SFS’16) co-authored “Ed Futures: A Collection of Short Stories on the Future of Education” with Stavros Yiannouka, the CEO of WISE, and Vesta Gheibi, Digital and Communications Specialist at WISE. The book explores the role of emerging educational technologies in an imagined future, bringing to life the possibilities and potential pitfalls of EdTech through science fiction.
Antipodes + Co Entrepreneur Natalie Diong (SFS’15), founder of Antipodes + Co, was featured in an Al Jazeera Arabic documentary on the innovation of Education City and Qatar Foundation. The firm’s locally designed and produced gift items are available in the Qatar Museums gift shops, among other outlets.
Art in Education Alumnus Mubarak Al-Thani (SFS’10) held a solo art exhibition and public lecture at GU-Q. Head of Advocacy at Education Above All, Al-Thani spoke on how he uses artwork to communicate the importance of promoting the right to education for marginalized communities in conflict zones.
Umoumah Exhibition Alumni Aleesha Suleman (SFS’16), Walli Ullah (SFS’18), Ameni Abida (SFS’19), Layal Mashhadi (SFS’19), and Nabilah Asarow (SFS’19)—master’s candidates at UCL Qatar—collaborated with Sidra Medicine and Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar to create the online exhibition “Umoumah.”
“i-Fuel” Business Concept Nasser Al Kaabi (SFS’20) and alumnus Jamal Khatib (SFS’19) won the 2019-2020 Al-Fikra Challenges Award competition organized by Qatar Development Bank for their business concept for a petrol home delivery app called “i-Fuel”.
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Alumni Careers & Continuing Education
559
GRADUATES (2005-2020)
155 * ADVANCED DEGREE HOLDERS
H.E. Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani hosts a GU-Q alumni reception at the Qatar National Museum.
National Education Project in Pakistan
Youth Assembly Training Session Dana Al Anzy (SFS’17), Qatar’s first Youth Assembly Ambassador, organized a training session with Dean Ahmad Dallal for delegates to the 2019 Youth Assembly Conference in Washington, DC.
Ministries, State of Qatar......27 Qatar Foundation.................25 GU-Q...................................12 PricewaterhouseCoopers......12 Teach for Qatar....................12 Qatar Airways......................11 Shell Qatar............................8 Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy...............7 Qatar Investment Authority.....6 Sheikh Faisal Holding.............5
Academics & Student Life | 35
** Top graduate employers as of 2019.
Top Employers by Number of Graduates**
//
Implemented as part of a national strategy to support students impacted by school closures as a result of the pandemic, Orenda provides educational programming for Teleschool—a nationally broadcast TV channel launched by Prime Minister Imran Khan in April 2020 to offer online education for primary and secondary students. The original concept for the company was developed while Haroon was in his final year at GU-Q, with the goal of improving educational opportunities for children in underserved communities. He was recognized for his work by being listed in Forbes Asia 30 under 30 in 2020.
11% Qatar Government Employees
*Based on alumni survey participation.
Orenda—the digital education platform and programming firm founded by alumnus Haroon Yasin’s (SFS’15)—was selected to provide the national curriculum for grades 1–12 for virtual education in Pakistan.
Research
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As we work with new archives, field sites, and scholarly interlocutors, we endeavor to consolidate existing knowledge as well as to create new knowledge on the circularities that define the past and present of Indian Ocean worlds.” —Uday Chandra, Annual Faculty Conference Committee Chair, 2019-2020
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Maria Nicolae Severin (SFS’23), asks a question at the 2020 CURA seminar on the Political Economy of the Contemporary Middle East.
Undergraduate Research Development Research opportunities are an integral component of the BSFS degree. Student research is supported by faculty mentorship, scholarly events, library workshops and tutorials, and funding for research-related travel. Research Highlights
CURA Program
Routledge Book Chapter
The Center for International and Regional Studies (CIRS) provides research support for students through the CIRS Undergraduate Research Advancement (CURA) program. The program offers hands-on research experience and involvement in faculty and visiting scholar activities and events.
“The Ottomans in the Arabian Peninsula” by Aiza Khan (SFS’20) was published as a chapter in the Routledge Handbook of Persian Gulf Politics.
Stanford University Research Grant Kartikeya Uniyal (SFS’23) was awarded an undergraduate student grant to serve in the Stanford University PeaceX, a Global Response Research Team for COVID-19.
Bioethics Research Showcase An analysis of the Muslim perspective on the controversial use of stem cell research won Amna Al-Essa (SFS’21) second place in the Bioethics Research Showcase sponsored by the Kennedy Institute of Ethics in Washington, DC.
Student-Faculty Co-Authored Papers This year, Irene Promodh (SFS’21) presented her research “Sonic Connections and Diasporic Belonging: Malayalam Radio in Qatar” at a public CURA webinar and co-authored two papers: • “A Divided City in a Time of Pandemic: Dispatches from Doha,” published in City and Society and co-authored with Uday Chandra. • “Overcoming Isolation: Migrants, Connectivity, and COVID-19 in Qatar,” an online brief published by CIRS and co-authored with Zahra Babar, CIRS Associate Director for Research.
CURA Paper Series Adithi Sanjay’s (SFS’21) research on “The Creation and Mobilization of Anti-China Sentiment by Interest Groups in Indian Society” was published as CURA’s first paper in its new series which workshops and prepares student research for online publication.
CURA Activities This year, CURA employed 12 fellows and provided training and practice sessions for more than 40 students at the following events: • “Political Economy of the Contemporary Middle East.” CIRS CURA Seminar. • “The Art of Hearing and Seeing Data.” CIRS CURA Workshop with Uday Chandra. • “Evaluating Credibility: Sources for Academic Research.” CURA Workshop with James Reardon-Anderson and Paschalia Terzi, a librarian at GU-Q.
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Certificate in Media and Politics portfolio project by Lolwa Abduljabbar Al-Saigh (SFS’20).
Student Research GU-Q students secured Undergraduate Research Experience Program (UREP) grants for three faculty-mentored research projects funded by the Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF). Students also completed ten Honors in the Major theses and eight certificate projects focused on a diversity of issues.
UREP 2019-2020 UREP Project 24-159-5-028 “Baladna: Qatari Articulations of Sovereignty and Self-Sufficiency in the Wake of the Siege.” Abdulqudus Sanni, Khalid Marafi, Muhammad Ibrahim Tariq, Ali Al Sheebani, and Nasser Al Kaabi, mentored by Rogaia Abusharaf, Uday Chandra, and Tahra El Obeid (Qatar University).
UREP Project 24-210-5-039 “Understanding Royalist, Nationalist, and Tribal Affiliations in the Post Blockade States of the Gulf.” Ameena Almeer, mentored by Amira Sonbol.
Honors in the Major 2020 Culture and Politics (CULP) “Beyond Activity and Passivity: The Oral Life History of an Afghan Female Refugee.” Aiza Khan, mentored by M. Reza Pirbhai. “Making Space: Muslim-Americans and ‘Progressive’ Gender Activism in Mosques after 9/11.” Sara Abdelghany, mentored by Karine Walther.
International Economics (IECO) “Export Growth and Educational Attainment in Vietnam.” Noor Rajab Al-Esmail, mentored by Alexis Antoniades. “Gender and Competitive Attitudes: A CrossCultural Approach.” Nadine El-Dehaibi, mentored by Mongoljin Batsaikhan. “Migration and Wage Determination: Wage Seeking Attitudes of Migrants in Egypt.” Salma Khaled Hassan, mentored by Jose Asturias.
UREP Project 24-215-5-041
International History (IHIS)
“Humanizing Resources: Analyzing Employment Opportunities for the Disabled in Qatar.” Khansa Maria and Abdul Rehmaan Qayyum, mentored by Sonia Alonso.
“Dorothy Thompson’s Second Awakening: Activism on Behalf of Palestine (1939-1961).” Sara Al-Attiyah, mentored by Karine Walther.
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Certificate in Media and Politics portfolio project by Lina Azhari Noureldin (SFS’20).
“Navigating Ethnic Minority Literature in the Modern Chinese State, 1978-Present.” Murchhana Dash, mentored by Max Oidtmann.
International Politics (IPOL) “Loyal to the Royals: Nationalism in the Collective Imaginary of Post-‘Blockade’ Qatar.” Ameena Almeer, mentored by Gerd Nonneman. “Human Rights and International Relations in Post-2017 Qatar.” Al Anoud Al Kuwari, mentored by Uday Chandra. “The U.S., China, and the New Rules of World Trade.” Wesley Chen, mentored by Uday Chandra.
Certificate Projects 2020 Certificate in American Studies (CAST) “A Most Nefarious Business: The Origins of Georgetown University’s 1838 Slave Sale.” Sara Abdulrahman Ali Al-Mulla, mentored by Karine Walther, 2019.
Certificate in Arab and Regional Studies (CARS) “Between State Creation and State Consolidation: External Intervention in the Syrian State.” Salma Khaled Hassan, mentored by Rory Miller, 2019.
“The Islamization of the Qatar Central Bank.” Amna Falah, mentored by Jack Rossbach, 2020. “The Saudization of Mecca: Mecca’s Entanglement in Saudi Arabia’s Domestic Dynamics.” Maryam Misfer Al-Hababi, mentored by Mehran Kamrava, 2019.
Certificate in Media and Politics (CMAP) “Beauty and the Bleach: Examining the Skin Bleach Phenomenon through Global Media Contexts.” Danielle Louise Seraphina Wait, mentored by Firat Oruc, 2020. “Cash Cropping Culture: Interrogating Negrophilia in American Popular Culture.” Yasmine Aziz Fade, mentored by Rory Miller, 2020. “Media and the Sudanese Revolution.” Lina Azhari Noureldin, mentored by Rogaia Abusharaf, 2020. “The Online Activism of Qatari Women.” Lolwa Abduljabbar Al-Saigh, mentored by Rory Miller, 2020.
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Expanded Library Resources The Library’s range of resources continues to increase, providing access to digitized archival and primary source document collections that support the GU-Q curriculum. This year’s new database titles include: • African American Communities • America in World War II: Oral Histories and Personal Accounts • EBSCO Learning Express Library • Environmental Issues Online • Foreign Office Files for Japan, 1919-1952 • Making of the Modern World • Revolution and Protest • Security Issues Online • Socialism on Film: The Cold War and International Propaganda • Times of India Historical
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Phoebe Musandu speaks about her book, Pressing Interests in 2019.
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Faculty Research GU-Q’s research output has an impact on the production of regionally relevant research that drives policy, informs strategy, promotes understanding, and contributes to the development of Qatar as a knowledge hub for the region and the world. GU-Q faculty received several research grants and were recognized this year by three prestigious international associations.
Faculty Research Awards 2020 E. Gene Smith Prize Max Oidtmann won the E. Gene Smith Inner Asia Book Prize from the Association for Asian Studies for his book Forging the Golden Urn: The Qing Empire and the Politics of Reincarnation in Tibet.
2020 Hicks-Tinbergen Medal Jose Asturias and co-authors Manuel García-Santana and Roberto Ramos won the biennial Hicks-Tinbergen Medal for their article published in the Journal of the European Economic Association, “Competition and the Welfare Gains from Transportation Infrastructure.”
2020 Eugina M. Palmegiano Prize Phoebe Musandu won the Palmegiano Prize in the History of Journalism for her book, Pressing Interests: The Agenda and Influence of a Colonial East African Newspaper Sector. The prize is awarded annually by the American Historical Association to the author of the most outstanding book published in English on the history of journalism.
Select Research Projects
of contemporary Islamic legal and theological significance as it relates to gender. Siddiqui and six students and alumni conducted research with their University of Tübingen counterparts in Germany this year.
“Managing National Security Risk during and after the Blockade: Strategic Challenges and Opportunities for Qatar’s Energy Sector.” Rory Miller’s research proposal won a three-year $524,516 USD grant from the Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF). The project started in January 2020 and is a collaboration between GUQ, HBKU, and three other institutions in Qatar, Turkey, and the United Kingdom.
“India’s Politics in Its Vernaculars.” Uday Chandra is one of three co-investigators awarded a $1.67 million USD European Research Council grant over five years to investigate the terminology used by India’s politicians. The project started in February 2020 and involves 20 scholars across four continents.
“Informal Security Alliances in the Arab and Muslim World.” Rory Miller’s $37,910 USD Gerda Henkel Foundation project on alliances in the Arab and Muslim World concluded in August 2019.
“Exploring the Feminine in Islam.”
“The Structure of the Nuclear Family in the Wake of Genetic and Reproductive Technologies.”
Sohaira Siddiqui received a German Academic Exchange Service grant, which concluded in January 2020.
Ayman Shabana’s QNRF $786,897 USD project on genetic technologies as they relate to the family concluded in March 2020.
The project created a network of female scholars, theologians, and practitioners to discuss issues
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Publications In 2019-2020, faculty authored and edited ten books and produced one translation. Four previously published books were translated into other languages. Faculty also published 21 journal articles, edited three special journal issues, authored ten book chapters, and produced a number of other research outcomes. Additionally, CIRS published a number of online and policy briefs, summary reports, and other research papers.
Faculty Publications Authored Books
Translations
Akhtar, Rajnaara, and Conrad Nyamutata. 2020. International Child Law. New York: Routledge.
Darwish, Mahmoud. 2019. Palestine as Metaphor. Translated by Amira El-Zein and Carolyn Forché. Northampton, MA: Interlink Publishing Group.
Kamrava, Mehran. 2019. A Concise History of Revolution. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Kendall, Elisabeth, and Yehia A. Mohamed. 2020. Diplomacy Arabic: An Essential Vocabulary. Georgetown: Georgetown University Press. Lieven, Anatol. 2020. Climate Change and the Nation State: The Realist Case. U.K.: Penguin Books, Ltd, and USA: Oxford University Press. Rozell, Mark J. and Clyde Wilcox. 2019. Federalism: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Edited Books Jonkers, Peter and Patrick Laude, eds. 2019. Philosophy as Love of Wisdom: Its Relevance to the Contemporary Crisis of Meaning. Washington, DC: The Council for Research in Values and Philosophy. Kamrava, Mehran, ed. 2019. The “Resource Curse” in the Persian Gulf. London: Routledge. Kamrava, Mehran, ed. 2020. Routledge Handbook of Persian Gulf Politics. U.K.: Routledge. Reiche, Danyel and Tamir Sorek, eds. 2019. Sports, Politics and Society in the Middle East. Oxford: Oxford University Press/Hurst.
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Book Chapters Akinade, Akintunde. 2019. “Indigenization, Translation, and Transformation.” In Oxford History of Protestant Dissenting Traditions, Vol. 4, edited by Jehu Hanciles, 73-85. New York: Oxford University Press. Babar, Zahra. 2020. “Labor Migration in the Persian Gulf.” In Routledge Handbook of Persian Gulf Politics, edited by Mehran Kamrava, 216-231. U.K.: Routledge. Babar, Zahra. 2020. “Understanding Labour Migration Policies in the Gulf Cooperation Council Countries.” In Asianization of Migrant Workers in the Gulf Countries, edited by S. Irudaya Rajan and Ginu Zachariah Oommen, 37-53. Singapore: Springer Nature. Kamrava, Mehran. 2020. “Politics in the Persian Gulf: An Overview.” In Routledge Handbook of Persian Gulf Politics, edited by Mehran Kamrava, 1-4. U.K.: Routledge. Kamrava, Mehran. 2019. “Chronic Insecurity in the Middle East: Causes and Consequences.” In The Arab World Beyond Conflict, edited by Zeina Azzam and Imad K. Harb, 53–61. Washington, DC: The Arab Center Washington. Laude, Patrick. 2019. “The Silence of Sound: Crystallizing Non-Dual Metaphysics through the Invocation of a Divine Name or Mantra.” In The Problem of Religious Experience – Case Studies in Phenomenology, with Reflections and Commentaries, edited by Olga Louchakova-Schwartz, 52-65. Cham, Switzerland: Springer Nature. Mirgani, Suzi. 2020. “Making the Final Cut: Filmmaking and Complicating National Identity in Qatar and the GCC States.” In Cinema of the Arab World: Contemporary Directions in Theory and Practice, edited by Terri Ginsberg and Chris Lippard, 45–70. Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan. Mirgani, Suzi. 2020. “Oil for Art’s Sake: Art and Culture in the GCC.” In Routledge Handbook of Persian Gulf Politics, edited by Mehran Kamrava, 151-160. U.K.: Routledge.
Oruc, Firat. 2019. “The Book of Dede Korkut and the Nomadology World Literature.” In A Companion to World Literature, Vol. 2, edited by Ken Seignurie. London: Wiley. Sonbol, Amira. 2020. “Evolving Family Patterns in the Arabian Peninsula.” In Routledge Handbook of Persian Gulf Politics, edited by Mehran Kamrava, 83-98. U.K.: Routledge.
Edited Journals Babar, Zahra, guest ed. 2019. “Citizenship.” CIRS Special Issue of Middle East Journal 73, no. 4. Kamrava, Mehran, ed. 2019. “Nation-Building in Central Asia.” The Muslim World 110, no.1. Shabana, Ayman, guest ed. 2020. “Science and Scientific Production in the Middle East.” CIRS Special Issue of Sociology of Islam 8, no. 2.
Journal Articles Almond, Ian. 2020. “Representing the Representers: Non-Western Depictions of Orientalists and Orientalism in Turkish, Mexican, and Bengali Writing.” Journal of Commonwealth Literature 3: 1-18. Arndt, Georg, and Karl Widerquist, et al. 2019. “Universal Basic Income Roundtable: Deceptively Simple: The Uselessness of Gross Cost in the Cost-Benefit Analysis of Universal Basic Income.” Maine Policy Perspectives 1: 17-20. Asturias, Jose, Manuel García-Santana, and Roberto Ramos. 2019. “Competition and the Welfare Gains from Transportation Infrastructure: Evidence from the Golden Quadrilateral of India.” Journal of the European Economic Association 17, no. 6: 1881–1940. Asturias, Jose. 2020. “Endogenous Transportation Costs.” European Economic Review 123, no. C: 1-33.
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Babar, Zahra, Michael Ewers, and Nabil Khattab. 2019. “IM/mobile Highly Skilled Migrants in Qatar.” Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies 45, no. 9: 1553-1570.
Shabana, Ayman. 2020. “Genetic Counseling and Reproductive Technologies in Contemporary Jurisprudence.” Journal of Sharia and Islamic Studies (March): 137-170.
Chandra, Uday, and Irene Promodh. 2020. “A Divided City in a Time of Pandemic: Dispatches from Doha.” City and Society 32, no. 1: 1-17.
Shabana, Ayman. 2020. “Islamic Ethics and the Legitimacy of Scientific Innovation.” Sociology of Islam 8, no. 2: 265-289.
Googasian, Victoria. 2019. “Bothering to Believe: Acts of Faith in J.M. Coetzee’s Late Novels.” NOVEL: A Forum on Fiction 52, no. 2: 284-303.
Shabana, Ayman. 2020. “Science and Scientific Production in the Middle East.” Sociology of Islam 8, no. 2: 151-158.
Kamrava, Mehran. 2019. “Anoushiravan Ehteshami. Iran: Stuck in Transition.” Iranian Studies 52, no. 1: 89–90.
Siddiqui, Sohaira. 2019. “Jadal and Qiyās in the 5th/11th Century: Two Debates between alJuwaynī and al-Shīrāzī.” Journal of the American Oriental Society 139, no. 4: 923-944.
Kamrava, Mehran. 2020. “Nation Building in Central Asia: Institutions, Politics, and Culture.” CIRS Special Issue of The Muslim World 110, no. 1: 6-23. Khattab, Nabil, Zahra Babar, Michael Ewers, and Miriam Shaath. 2020. “Gender and Mobility: Qatar’s Highly Skilled Female Migrants in Context.” Migration and Development 9: 1-21. Laude, Patrick. 2019. “Postmodernism and the Signs of Time.” Aditi 2: 47-58.
Siddiqui, Sohaira. 2020. “Good Scholarship/ Bad Scholarship: Problematics of the Heuristic in Islamic Studies.” Journal of the American Academy of Religion 88, no. 1: 142-174. Zayani, Mohamed and Joe F. Khalil. 2020. “De-territorialized Digital Capitalism and the Predicament of the Nation-State: Netflix in Arabia.” Media, Culture & Society: 1-18.
Mirgani, Suzi. 2019. “Consumer Citizenship: National Identity and Museum Merchandise in Qatar.” CIRS Special Issue of Middle East Journal 73, no. 4: 555–572.
Books Published in Other Languages
Mohamed, Yehia, and Muntasir Al-Hamad. 2020. “An Orthographic Phonological-Based Error Analysis of the Arabic of English-speaking Learners.” The Language Scholar 6: 8-25.
Almond, Ian. 2019. Suf izmi Dhe Dekonstruksioni [Suf ism and Deconstruction]. Translated by Edin Q. Lohja. Tirana, Albania: Logos Publications.
Shabana, Ayman. 2019. “Custom and Modern Constructions of Sharīa: Transnational Juristic Discussions on the Status of ‘Urf ’.” Journal of Islamic Ethics 3, nos. 1-2: 30-63. Shabana, Ayman. 2019. “In Pursuit of Consonance: Science and Religion in Modern Works of Tafsīr.” Journal of Qur’anic Studies 21, no. 3: 7-31.
Almond, Ian. 2019. Historia Islama u Njemackoj Misli [The History of Islam in German Thought]. Translated by El Kalem. Sarajevo: El Kalem.
Almond, Ian. 2020. Nirod C. Chaudhuri Mone [The Thought of Nirad C. Chaudhuri]. Translated by Sarker Hasan Al Zayed and Raihan Rahman. Dhaka, Bangladesh: University Press Limited. Miller, Rory, ed. 2019. رؤية من قطر:[ األزمة الخليجيةThe Gulf Crisis: The View from Qatar]. Translated by HBKU Press. Doha: HBKU Press.
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CIRS Publications Arabic Summary Reports
Occasional Papers
CIRS. 2019. “Environmental Politics in the Middle East.” Hurst/Oxford University Press (2018). Arabic Summary Report, no. 24. Doha: CIRS.
Muhanna-Matar, Aitemad. 2020. “Beyond the Binary Understanding of Masculinities: Displaced Syrian Refugee Men Living with Disability and Chronic Illness in Jordan.” Occasional Paper Series, no. 24. Doha: CIRS.
“”السياسات البيئية يف الرشق األوسط تقرير موجز ملجموعة العمل ،٢٤ تقرير مركـز الدراسـات الدوليـة واإلقليميـة العريب املوجز رقم ٢٠٢٠ ، مركـز الدراسـات الدوليـة واإلقليميـة: قطر،الدوحة
CIRS. 2019. “Leading the Faithful: Religious Authorities in the Contemporary Middle East,” published as a special issue of Sociology of Islam (2018). Arabic Summary Report, no. 25. Doha: CIRS.
“ السلطات الدينية يف الرشق األوسط املعار:”زعامة املؤمنني ،٢٥ تقرير مركـز الدراسـات الدوليـة واإلقليميـة العريب املوجز رقم ٢٠٢٠ ، مركـز الدراسـات الدوليـة واإلقليميـة: قطر،الدوحة
CIRS. 2020. “Family in the Arabian Peninsula.” Arabic Summary Report, no. 26. Doha: CIRS.
“”األرسة يف شبه الجزيرة العربية ٢٦ تقرير مركـز الدراسـات الدوليـة واإلقليميـة العريب املوجز رقم ٢٠٢٠ ، مركـز الدراسـات الدوليـة واإلقليميـة: قطر،الدوحة
CIRS. 2020. “Sites of Pluralism: Community Politics in the Middle East.” Arabic Summary Report, no. 27. Doha: CIRS.
“ سياسة املجتمع يف الرشق األوسط:”مواقع التعددية ،٢٧ تقرير مركـز الدراسـات الدوليـة واإلقليميـة العريب املوجز رقم ٢٠٢٠ ، مركـز الدراسـات الدوليـة واإلقليميـة: قطر،الدوحة
CURA Paper
Shama, Nael, 2019. “To Shoot or to Defect? Military Responses to the Arab Uprisings.” Occasional Paper. Doha: CIRS. Valter, Stéphane, 2019. “Norm and Dissidence: Egyptian Shiīa between Security Approaches and Geopolitical Stakes.” Occasional Paper. Doha: CIRS.
Proceedings Mirgani, Suzi. 2020. “Souvenir Sovereignty in Qatar.” In Heritage and National Identity Construction in the Gulf: Between State-Building and Grassroots Initiatives. Workshop Proceedings, London School of Economics, December 5-6, 2019. U.K.: LSE Middle East Centre.
World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH) Policy Brief CIRS and WISH, 2019. “Improving Single Male Laborers’ Health in Qatar.” Policy Brief. Doha: CIRS and WISH.
Sanjay, Adithi. 2020. “The Creation and Mobilization of Anti-China Sentiment by Interest Groups in Indian Society (2012–2018).” CURA Paper Series, No. 1. Doha: CIRS.
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GU-Q Professor Mahmoud Al-Ashiri speaks at a symposium on translation.
Collaborative Research Events As a hub for knowledge production and exchange, GU-Q regularly partners with other academic and research institutions to host events. Translation and the Transfer of Knowledge Symposium In cooperation with the Sheikh Hamad International Award for Translation and International Understanding, GU-Q hosted a symposium on “Translation and the Transfer of Knowledge, Reality of the Arabic Language.”
Cyber Security Research Group Under the co-convenorship of Dr. Rory Miller and Dr. Mohammed Al-Dorani of the Community College of Qatar (CCQ), the Cyber Security Research Group brings together the technical expertise of CCQ with the policy expertise of GU-Q to address current and future cyber security concerns.
The group provides a forum for experts to discuss security policies that can tackle emerging cyber security threats, and initiates cutting-edge projects in the cyber realm that are of relevance to local stakeholders and Qatar. The group was launched at a public lecture featuring a panel of experts discussing “Cyber Security in a Small State: Protecting the Homeland.” The launch event was sponsored by Commercial Bank of Qatar and featured keynote speaker Andrew Wilson, a cyber-security industry expert based in Edinburgh, U.K.
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2.
David Singh Grewal and GU-Q Associate Professor Edward Kolla discuss law and the political economy at GU-Q.
Law and the Political Economy
CIRS Research Working Groups
GU-Q and the HBKU College of Law hosted a collaborative event on “Law and Political Economy.” The talk featured insights from Associate Professor Edward Kolla and David Singh Grewal, a professor at the University of California’s Berkeley Law School.
CIRS working groups and roundtables draw together a number of scholars and engender collaborative multiversity research and outcomes. There were five working group sessions and a roundtable covering these research topics:
The Impact of Movement and Displacement on Education This year we partnered with Education Above All to host an event on “The Impact of Movement and Displacement on Education,” leading up to the official launch of UNESCO’s regional report on education. Panelists included: Ahmad Dallal, Dean at GU-Q, Susan L. Karamanian, Dean at Hamad Bin Khalifa University College of Law, Noha Aboueldahab, foreign policy fellow at Brookings Doha Center, and Mustafe Axmed (SFS’21).
• “Big Data in the Middle East” • “The GCC Crisis: Qatar and Its Neighbors” • “Tunisia in the Aftermath of the Arab Uprisings” • “Football in the Middle East” • “Political Economy of the Contemporary Middle East” • “Russia and the Middle East” These sessions included researchers from 48 different institutions including 13 Qatar-based universities, research centers, and government entities. More details are included in the CIRS annual report, available on the CIRS website.
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The COVID Project This Center for International and Regional Studies (CIRS) project provides a focused understanding of how a subset of Middle Eastern countries, Iraq, and the six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) monarchies are being affected by and responding to the ongoing global pandemic.
“Media Consumption and the Pandemic”
The COVID Project collects aggregate data on health systems and policies, presents them in a comparative view, and provides a series of short analytical articles, panel discussions, and podcasts to provide insight into broader social, cultural, and economic dimensions of the region’s COVID-19 response. Contributors to the project include individuals from a number of international academic institutions, GU-Q faculty, as well as the following CIRS staff who served as discussion moderators and brief authors:
“Impact of COVID-19 on Sports in the GCC”
• Suzi Mirgani, Assistant Director for Publications • Elizabeth Wanucha, Operations Manager • Mehran Kamrava, Director at CIRS • Zahra Babar, Associate Director at CIRS
Expert Insights Videos “Science, Bioethics, and the Pandemic” Experts in bioethics and infectious diseases discussed the foreseeable future of the pandemic in this panel moderated by Mehran Kamrava, featuring: • Daniel R. Lucey, Senior Scholar with the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law and Adjunct Professor of Medicine and Infectious Diseases at Georgetown University Medical Center • Ayman Shabana, Associate Professor at GU-Q
Experts in journalism discussed “mask diplomacy” and the challenges the pandemic has brought upon global media and content production in this panel moderated by Suzi Mirgani, featuring: • Banu Akdenizli, Associate Professor at Northwestern University in Qatar • Joe F. Khalil, Associate Professor in Residence at Northwestern University in Qatar
Suzi Mirgani dicsussed the effect of COVID-19 on sporting events worldwide and in the GCC in this webcast featuring Simon Chadwick, Professor of the Eurasian Sport Industry and Director of the Centre for the Eurasian Sport Industry at Emlyon Business School.
“Current Healthcare Systems and Vulnerable Populations in the Gulf” Elizabeth Wanucha discussed the impact on healthcare as the national health system reorients to focus almost entirely on COVID-19 in this webcast featuring Dr. Sohaila Cheema, Director of the Institute for Population Health and Assistant Professor of Healthcare Policy and Research at Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar (WCM-Q).
“Preventive Medicine and Lifestyle Health in the Context of COVID-19” Mehran Kamrava discussed the pandemic’s impact on lifestyle and health in this webcast featuring Dr. Ravinder Mamtani, Professor and Senior Associate Dean for Population Health, Capacity Building and Student Affairs at WCM-Q.
“COVID-19 and Its Impact on Mental Health in Gulf Societies” Elizabeth Wanucha addressed key issues and effects of COVID-19 on mental health and how societies in the Gulf are dealing with them in this webcast featuring Dr. Suhaila Ghuloum, Senior Consultant Psychiatrist and Associate Professor at WCM-Q.
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The COVID-19 Pandemic in the GCC: Underlying Vulnerabilities for Migrant Workers. Image Credit: istock-1216276871.jpg
1.
CIRS Online Briefs Akinade, Akintunde E. 2020. “Things Fall Apart: COVID-19 and Religious Assemblies in Qatar.” Babar, Zahra. 2020. “The COVID-19 Pandemic in the GCC: Underlying Vulnerabilities for Migrant Workers.” Bhatti, Misba. 2020. “COVID Restrictions and Sectarian Tensions in the Middle East.” Duderstadt, Katharine, and Jeannie Sowers. 2020. “Air Pollution and COVID-19 in the GCC and the Middle East.” Himpel, Frank. 2020. “Logistics and Supply Chain Management amid COVID-19: Qatar as a Strategic Hub.”
Mirgani, Suzi. 2020. “GCC Museums Display Their Digital Selves during the Coronavirus Pandemic.” Oidtmann, Max. 2020. “What the United States Must Learn from Taiwan.” Promodh, Irene and Zahra Babar. “Overcoming Isolation: Migrants, Connectivity, and COVID-19 in Qatar.” Sparks, Caitlin. 2020. “COVID-19 in the Gulf and the Education 2030 Agenda: Learning from Crisis.” Wanucha, Elizabeth. 2020. “Impact of COVID on Family Matters in the Gulf.”
Kabbani, Nader. 2020. “How GCC Countries Can Address Looming Fiscal Challenges.”
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Faculty members discuss the COVID-19 crisis through the GU-Q Pandemic Panels moderated by Dean Dallal.
Academic Initiatives Faculty research and expertise is disseminated through participation in conferences, symposia, workshops, study groups, and other activities in Doha, around the world, and online. GU-Q annually hosts a variety of academic events for its faculty, staff, and students, as well as for the broader community in Qatar. In 2019-2020, GU-Q hosted a major research conference, three virtual pandemic panels, nine faculty seminars, and six CIRS dialogues.
Oceanic Circularities: The Indian Ocean and the Modern World This year’s three day Annual Faculty Conference theme was “Oceanic Circularities: The Indian Ocean and the Modern World.” The flagship faculty event brought together new and established scholars from 33 institutions producing cutting-edge research on topics ranging from the political economy of trade to the sociocultural dynamics of interlocking littoral societies across oceanic space. The conference was organized by Conference Chair Uday Chandra and a faculty committee.
The Pandemic Panels GU-Q scholars in the fields of history, political science, ethics, Gulf studies, and theology came together to examine the most pressing issues of the COVID-19 crisis through a series of virtual panel discussions hosted by Dean Ahmad Dallal.
“The COVID-19 Pandemic: Historical and Cultural Perspectives” The first panel in the series explores historical examples of events, rulings, and laws that have bearing on today’s pandemic, drawing from the Islamic legal tradition, political and legal history,
and perennial ethical issues that the pandemic invokes. Panelists included: • Reza Pirbhai, Associate Professor of History • Amira Sonbol, Professor of History • Edward Kolla, Associate Professor of History • Ayman Shabana, Associate Research Professor of Theology
“Governance In A Time Of Pandemic: A Global View” The second panel investigates the way global pressures and national policies influence and are influenced by each other, as well as the governance of policy at the national and local levels. Panelists included: • Amanda Garrett, Assistant Professor of Political Science • Maurice Jackson, Associate Professor in the History Department and the African American Studies Program at Georgetown University • Anatol Lieven, Professor of Government • Clyde Wilcox, Professor of Government
“Regional Concerns In Pandemic Recovery” The third panel investigates the types of global pressures that influence regional responses and how these set the nations of the Gulf, Middle East, and North Africa on a path to pandemic recovery. Panelists included: • Rogaia Abusharaf, Professor of Anthropology • Alexis Antoniades, Associate Professor and Director of International Economics • Rory Miller, Professor of Government • Gerd Nonneman, Professor of International Relations and Gulf Studies
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H.E. Hamad Bin Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari, Minister of State speaks at GU-Q.
Academic Event Highlights Faculty Seminars As part of a regular series in which faculty and guests present and receive feedback on research, the following are a few highlights from the list of scholars who spoke at GU-Q this year: Eleanore Hargreaves, Reader at University College of London, on “Employers’ Perceptions of the Arabic Language Competencies and Skills of GU-Q Graduates.” Angie Heo, Assistant Professor at the University of Chicago, on “Anticommunist Supplements: Christianity and Politics in South Korea.” Mario Kozah, Director of Islamic Studies at the American University of Beirut, on “Qaţrāyīth: A Gulf Colloquial in Early Islamic Eastern Arabia.” Peter Neary, Professor of Economics at the University of Oxford and a Professorial Fellow of Merton College Oxford, on “Sales and Markup Dispersion: Quantifying Misallocation.”
Tarik Sabry, Associate Professor at the University of Westminster, on “Cultural Time and Everyday Life in a Small Moroccan Village.” Dimitrios Xefteris, Assistant Professor, University of Cyprus, on “Electoral Institutions and Intraparty Cohesion.”
CIRS Dialogues H.E. Dr. Hamad Bin Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari, Minister of State, President of Qatar National Library, and 2019-2020 GU-Q Ambassador in Residence, gave a talk on “The Global Majlis: My Experience with International Organizations.” Mohammed Abdulaziz Al-Khulaifi, Dean of the College of Law at Qatar University, gave a talk on “Qatari Cases before International Dispute Settlement Fora.” Dana El Kurd, Assistant Professor at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, spoke on “Polarized and Demobilized: Legacies of Authoritarianism in Palestine.”
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Mohammed Abdulaziz Al-Khulaifi, Dean of the College of Law at Qatar University speaks at GU-Q.
CIRS Book Launch
Postdoctoral Fellow
CIRS hosted a book launch for Sport, Politics, and Society in the Middle East (Hurst 2019) featuring co-editor Danyel Reiche, Associate Professor for Comparative Politics at the American University of Beirut. Research for the book was sponsored by the center.
Dr. Haya Al-Noaimi (SFS’09) was appointed GU-Q’s first Postdoctoral Fellow. This new program supports advanced research by Qatari nationals, giving fellows the opportunity to integrate into the teaching and research environment at GU-Q while building an academic and professional network in Qatar and beyond. Fellows also have the opportunity to produce academic publications and gain valuable experience working with students.
CIRS Faculty Fellow Talks CIRS annually awards two GU-Q Faculty Fellowships, which this year were given to Karine Walther, Associate Professor of History, and Uday Chandra, Assistant Professor of Government. As a result of this sponsored research, they gave the following presentations at a CIRS Dialogue: • Karine Walter: “American Missionaries, ARAMCO, and the Birth of the U.S.-Saudi Special Relationship, 1889-1955.” • Uday Chandra: “Fascism 2.0: Lessons from Democracy in India.”
A member of GU-Q’s first graduating class, Dr. Al-Noaimi holds a Ph.D. in Gender Studies from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London. Her dissertation in Gender Studies falls at the intersection of politics, gender, and security. Dr. Al-Noaimi also holds a Master’s in International Law and Legal Studies from Sorbonne University (Paris).
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Engagement & Outreach
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At Georgetown, we strive to connect our campus community to seasoned diplomats in order to develop networks between the university and public sectors, and create valuable opportunities to learn how real-world diplomacy works.” —Dean Ahmad Dallal
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Top: H.E. Dr. Khalid bin Mohamed Al Attiyah, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defense Affairs speaks to a public audience at GU-Q about the blockade.
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Bottom: U.N. representatives speak to a public audience on a panel moderated by Dean Ahmad Dallal.
A Platform for Dialogue & Debate GU-Q is a recognized destination for public dialogue and debate in Doha, convening, supporting, and providing a platform for the scholarly community to engage on key topics affecting the world today.
A public event on “United Nations at a Crossroad: Issues, Challenges, and Opportunities” was moderated by Dean Ahmad Dallal. Panelists: • Achim Steiner, UNDP Administrator and Vice-Chair of the U.N. Sustainable Development Group • Vladimir Voronkov, UnderSecretary-General of the U.N. Office of Counter-Terrorism • Fabrizio Hochschild Drummond, Special Adviser of the U.N. Secretary-General on the Preparations for the Commemoration of the U.N.’s 75th Anniversary • Mark Lowcock, U.N. UnderSecretary-General and Emergency Relief Coordinator
H.E. Dr. Khalid bin Mohamed Al Attiyah, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defense Affairs, marked the 1,000th day of the blockade by speaking at GU-Q to a packed
Since the crisis began, we have demonstrated a consistent willingness to negotiate a solution to resolve the situation with no preconditions. At the same time we have strengthened our security defenses and pursued a strategy of international diplomacy, with the firm belief that peaceful negotiation is the only path to a resolution that benefits the entire region.” — H.E. Dr. Khalid bin Mohamed Al Attiyah audience of students, faculty, staff, and special guests from the government and diplomatic sectors, as well as representatives from across QF about “Qatar and the Lessons from a 1,000 Day Blockade.” The event built on the Small State security course taught by Rory Miller and Fahad Al-Marri.
Dr. Fahad Al Marri, GU-Q
U.N. at a Crossroad
Qatar and the Lessons from a 1,000 Day Blockade
Dr. Rory Miller, GU-Q
As a leading university in international affairs education and research, GU-Q’s engagement is responsive to national priorities, and an organic extension of the research and policy expertise of faculty. Highlights of the university’s local and international engagement were:
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Protecting Education in Times of Conflict GU-Q supported a joint Georgetown University and Education Above All (EAA) Foundation conference on “Protecting Education in Times of Conflict” that took place on Georgetown’s campus in Washington, DC. The thought leadership seminar was moderated by Georgetown University President John J. DeGioia and featured: • H.H. Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson of Qatar Foundation and the Education Above All Foundation (EAA), and U.N. Sustainability Development Advocate • Dr. Alaa Murabit, U.N. Sustainability Development Advocate • Melanne Verveer, Executive Director of the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace, and Security
The Right to Education Above All Publication GU-Q also worked closely with EAA to produce an outcomes paper from the conference which was then published and disseminated in Geneva on the occasion of Her Highness giving the keynote address at the Social Forum of the U.N. Human Rights Council. The paper, “The Right to Education Above All: A perspective on protecting the future of education at times of disruption, conf lict, and insecurity,” was published by Georgetown University in Qatar and Education Above All, in 2019.
H.H. Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson of Qatar Foundation and Education Above All Foundation, and U.N. Sustainability Development Advocate, speaks at Georgetown University in Washington, DC.
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Associate Professor of Arabic Yehia Mohamed at an Arabic Book Club meeting, held in partnership with the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies and Qatar National Library.
The Blockade Against Qatar: A Blessing in Disguise Associate Professor and Director of International Economics Alexis Antoniades spoke about the ways the blockade has helped Qatar become more self-sufficient at a public talk titled, “The Blockade Against Qatar: A Blessing in Disguise?” at the Qatar National Library. In his lecture, Antoniades layed out the conclusions of his recent study on the impact the blockade had on Qatar’s strategic policy formation. The study builds on an Undergraduate Research Experience Program (UREP) project done in collaboration with Rafia Al Jassim (SFS’20) and Khalique Gharatkar, Associate Director of Strategy at the Qatar Financial Center.
Fighting Infectious Diseases This public panel on “Fighting Infectious Diseases: Biosecurity in the National and Global Arena” was co-organized by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, and was moderated by National Academies Senior Program Officer Dr. Rita Guenter. Panelists included: • Dr. Aamer Ikram, President of the Pakistan Biological Safety Association and Executive Director of the National Institute of Health in Pakistan • Dr. Ali Khan, Dean of the College of Public Health at the University of Nebraska Medical Center • Dr. Zabta Khan Shinwari, Vice-Chairman of the UNESCO-World Commission for Ethics of Scientific Knowledge and Technology
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Members of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine talk about infectious diseases.
CIRS Qatar University Faculty Fellow
Dealing with COVID-19 in Qatar
GU-Q supports local scholarship exchange through its Faculty Fellowship program for Qatar University professors.
Experts from the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic in Qatar were featured panelists for a Georgetown Women’s Alliance Qatar (GWA-Q) event attended by a public audience. Panelists included:
The 2019-2020 fellowship was awarded to Huda Al-Kubaisi, Assistant Professor of Education Finance at Qatar University. Al-Kubaisi’s doctorate degree is from University College London (UCL) where she investigated the decentralization policy implementation, practices, and challenges in Qatar’s Education for a New Era reform initiative.
• Abdulaziz Murad, Head of Emergency Planning in the Health, Safety, Security, and Environment Department Directorate at QF • Faruk Mohammad Azad, Assistant Executive Director for Business Development at Hamad Medical Corporation • Dr. Lamyaa Bani-Murad, Director of the QF Primary Health Care Center Both Murad and Azad are graduates of Georgetown’s Executive Master’s in International Emergency and Disaster Management program.
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Lifelong Learning Leveraging Georgetown’s worldclass expertise and international reach, GU-Q provides diverse program offerings for government bodies, private sector companies, and other members of the community in Qatar. Executive Master’s Programs International Executive Master’s in Emergency and Disaster Management Offered through GU’s School of Continuing Studies, the International Executive Master’s in Emergency and Disaster Management (IEDM) program prepares emergency management professionals to effectively apply preparedness principles, mitigate potential threats, and manage response and recovery efforts internationally. IEDM is offered through a blend of online learning and on-site residencies in cities around the world such as Paris, Amman, Doha, Muscat, and Washington, DC. This year 20 students enrolled in the IEDM program.
Executive Master’s in Leadership The Qatar Leadership Center partners with Georgetown’s McDonough School of Business to offer an Executive Master’s in Leadership. This year 26 students enrolled in the second cohort.
Custom Courses Custom courses are carefully designed to meet the needs of public and private sector entities, and draw on expertise from both the GU-Q and Washington, DC, campuses. Custom course partnerships included: • Ashghal: Advanced Public-Private Partnerships for 25 participants. • Ministry of Foreign Affairs Diplomatic Institute’s Takween program: Advanced Skills and Rules of Political Analysis, and Strategic Thinking, Planning and Management, for 31 participants.
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Graduates of this year’s Modern Protocol and Business Etiquette certificate course.
Certificate Skills Courses
Community Classes
These open enrollment courses are available to the public and offer interested professionals certificates in popular fields and skills areas. During the year, 44 total participants enrolled in GU-Q’s Executive Education Certificate Courses that included:
GU-Q’s Community Classes are open to the public and require no prerequisite knowledge. This year GU-Q offered four courses for 85 participants.
• Modern Protocol and Business Etiquette • Advanced Certificate in Public-Private Partnership • Global Digital Marketing
Courses offered in Arabic: • Introduction to Emergency and Disaster Management • Co-active Coaching Principles of Excellence.
Courses offered in English: • Negotiation and Conflict Resolution • Strategic Communications and Public Relations.
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Experts in the Media GU-Q faculty provided expertise on a range of issues in interviews appearing in global media outlets. Black Lives Matter
Environment
Regional Security
Maurice Jackson
Anatol Lieven
Rory Miller
“A Just Response to the DC Protests,” Washington Post
“Nature’s Fury,” The National Interest
“How Divisive is Politics in the United States?” Al Jazeera
“Patriotism Could Be the Unlikely Answer to Solving the Climate Crisis,” The Guardian
“Negotiating Insecurity—Small States and Multinational Security Coalitions in the Middle East,” Middle East Insights
Coronavirus
“How to Heal the Planet,” Financial Times
Mehran Kamrava “Coronavirus Outbreak Casts Doubt on Trump’s Victory,” Mehr News Agency
Anatol Lieven “The Pandemic and International Competition: How the U.S. Can Save Itself with a ‘Green New Deal’,” Responsible Statecraft
Karl Widerquist “America is in Crisis. We Need Universal Basic Income Now,” The Guardian
Education Ian Almond “On the Quiet Capture of the History of the West–by the Islamophobic Right,” Islamic Human Rights Commission
“How Climate Change Will Transform the Global Balance of Power,” Financial Times
Iran Mehran Kamrava “No U.N. Breakthrough as Iran Snubs Talks until U.S. Lifts Sanctions,” Al Jazeera “Do Sanctions against Iran Work?” Al Jazeera
Regional Governance Mehran Kamrava
Sports and Culture Reza Pirbhai “Why Art Is Indispensable to Progress,” Qatar Foundation Stories
Danyel Reiche
ملاذا عاد الدوري األملاين دون سواه؟
“Why did the German Soccer League Return Alone?” Al Mayadeen News
U.S. Government Joshua Mitchell “Citizens Adrift: Globalization Dissolves Local Cultures, Even as Technology Turns Us Inward,” City Journal
“Oman’s Sultan Haitham and the Strategic Musandam Peninsula,” Al Jazeera
“Why Conservatives Struggle with Identity Politics,” National Affairs
“The Gulf After Oil,” Monocle
“Embarrassed by Our Nations,” First Things
“The Ongoing GCC Crisis,” ARD German Public Radio
“Is Christian Realism Enough?” Providence Magazine
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