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Mission Statement

The North Carolina Consortium for Middle East Studies seeks to encourage and facilitate collaboration and cooperation in all aspects of Middle Eastern studies across Duke University, UNC-Chapel Hill, throughout the state of North Carolina, and across disciplines.  A focus on interdisciplinary work is one of the Consortium’s hallmarks.

Specifically, the Consortium’s goals are:

  • To enhance the Middle Eastern curriculum on the two campuses and in institutions across North Carolina.
  • To provide opportunities for research and training for students and faculty from all disciplines and professional schools.
  • To stimulate institutional and public awareness of the importance and richness of Middle Eastern peoples and cultures.

We work to fulfill this mission and to meet our goals through:

Educational activities including new courses on the Middle East; our outstanding language programs; a Language Across the Curriculum initiative; Middle Eastern films and guest speakers; outreach across the state to local schools, businesses, media, policy makers, and the general public.

Research and training support including interdisciplinary working groups; annual conferences; research and conference travel grants; a model cooperative library collection development agreement; academic linkages with institutions and scholars throughout the Middle East and related regions; and a publication series on Islamic civilization and Muslim networks.

Collaborative outreach activities with local, regional and national scope.  We offer training programs and curriculum development projects with local public school teachers and faculty from other colleges in the Southeast and Middle Atlantic regions of the US; the Middle Eastern Film Collection; art exhibits; and speakers.  We aim to reach geographically and economically diverse audiences that include under-served communities throughout the state.

Communication about Consortium events, competitions, and resources, as well as news of interest to the Middle Eastern community, via the Consortium’s e-mail listserv and web site.