New Palestinian and Arab studies program to explore a wide array of topics including poetry, legal studies, ecology, and much more.
In Fall 2024, the Division of Social Sciences announced that it was forming a new program in Palestinian and Arab Studies. The program, led by the holder of the new May Ziadeh Chair Ussama Makdisi, a professor of History, was created to deepen understanding of Palestinian and Arab history, politics, and culture. Makdisi says the program is one of the first of its kind in the United States.
“The program is a long overdue step in providing students and the community access to learn about the Palestinians and related Arab studies,” Makdisi says. “Palestinian experience is about more than just conflict. This is a history that, in the United States, is largely unknown, often misrepresented. In fact, Palestinian history is filled with many extraordinary stories and people.”
Makdisi says the program, which is in the early planning stages, is a response to the upsurge of interest among students to learn more about the Palestinian people. A wide range of students, not just those of Arab and Palestinian descent, sought more opportunities to engage in this history and culture, he says. The program welcomes everyone. The endowed program, supported by $3.25 million in philanthropic donations and other funding, will support research opportunities and cultural activities, including workshops, student prizes, writing prizes, fellowships for research, and eventually community facing events and resources. One day it hopes to offer an undergraduate minor.