News

This summer, Intermediate Arabic students at UNC put their language learning to the true test of connection with a special visit from Saeed, a 34-year-old Syrian refugee and language partner from NaTakallam. NaTakallam hires displaced persons & their host community members as online tutors, teachers, translators & cultural exchange partners. [...]

Our annual newsletter highlights center activities from the 2021-2022 academic year. Read to learn more about programming, highlights from our affiliated faculty and students, and K-14 outreach events. Click on the image below to view the newsletter, or download a PDF copy. Thank you for your continued support of the [...]

Mosul, Iraq, 2018; Donation by Noor Ghazi, 2022 For more than 800 years, the Mosque of the Prophet Jonah defined a neighborhood in Mosul, the second-largest city in Iraq. It was a site of worship, a source of local pride, an important landmark – especially its tall minaret, [...]

  On Tuesday, February 15, the UNC Center for Middle East and Islamic Studies, the Carolina Center for Jewish Studies, and the North Carolina Consortium for Middle East Studies hosted NPR International Correspondent Daniel Estrin, who presented on “Reporting from Jerusalem: Behind the Headlines”. This virtual discussion with Estrin highlighted [...]

The Office of the Vice Provost for Global Affairs (OVPGA) has appointed Sharmila Udyavar as associate director of global education. Udyavar previously served as interim director for international programs at Fayetteville State University (FSU).    As associate director, Udyavar will expand global learning opportunities for UNC-Chapel Hill students through on-campus curriculum. Partnering with and supporting UNC-Chapel Hill faculty, Udyavar will be [...]

  The Learning Through Languages High School Research Symposium is coordinated by the UNC Area Studies Centers. (Graphic by Rawan Abbasi) The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill hosted a virtual awards ceremony to celebrate teams from the seventh annual Learning Through Languages High School Research Symposium on Dec. 8. This year, world language students from 12 [...]

Food, water, and sustainability are crucial issues around the world—and right here in North Carolina. This fall, the UNC-Duke Area Studies Centers and the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) provided teacher education on these vital and interconnected issues in celebration of International Education Week (IEW). Held annually in [...]

Attendees received a conference program, NCATC sticker, and tote bag from the UNC Center for Middle East and Islamic Studies. Arabic greetings of marhaba (hello), sabah al kheir (good morning), and ahlan wa sahlan (welcome) were shared as attendees gathered for the inaugural conference of the emerging North Carolina Arabic Teacher Council (NCATC), November 13-14, 2021. “Come Together: The Future of Arabic Language in North Carolina” was [...]

Recently I interviewed our wonderful professor, Dr. Claudia Yaghoobi, about her appointment as the new inaugural Director of Persian Studies here at UNC. This was the multilayered question I asked her: In your appointment letter, which I was given to read by Lori prior to this interview, [our dean] stated [...]

  The FedEx Global Education Center on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Photo by Dan Sears/UNC-Chapel Hill   The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill was named the Platinum winner of the 2021 Institutional Award for Global Learning, Research & Engagement from the [...]

A special issue of the journal, Iran Namag, where some of the series' papers are being published. The cover features an original painting by Dr. Claudia Yaghoobi titled, "non-borders." During academic year 2021-2022, the Persian Studies program at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is hosting [...]

Professor Sarah Shields Dr. Sarah Shields, Professor of History at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, is the 2021 winner of the Middle East Studies Association (MESA) Undergraduate Education Award. Established in 2012, the MESA Undergraduate Education Award recognizes outstanding scholarship on teaching or other material [...]