Middle East Studies

News and Events

Spring 2021

Thursday February 11, 5:00pm (Virtual)

An Evening of Persian Literature (bring a favorite poem or story to share)

 

(Iran Heritage Foundation) Friday March 19, 17:30 London GMT (10:30am California time) Online Click Here for Details

IHF Norouz 1400

Vesta Sarkhosh Curtis will give a brief introduction to the history of Norouz, a festival celebrated not only by Iranians but by many communities around the world. There will be a musical interlude, with a recording of Adib and Mehdi Rostami in concert at King’s Place in 2019, showcasing their album Melodic Circles, which was voted as one top 10 albums of 2018 by Songlines Magazine. Finally, Norouz celebrations would not be complete without poetry, and there will be some readings chosen and recited live by Narguess Farzad.

 

(Department of Anthropology) Friday March 19, 12:00noon (Virtual)

How the Endless Wars Hurt Us All and How to Stop the Fighting

Speaker:  Dr. David Vine, American University

 

(College of Arts and Humanities Arts in Motion) April 7, 6:30-7:00pm (Virtual) Register Here by April 5, 2021

Celebration of the International Day of Nowruz

Organized by: Dr. Negin Tahvildary

 

(CineCulture) April 5-9

Coup 53

 

April 12 - April 28 Arab Music-Cultures Lecture Series (Recorded)

Three Lebanese Divas

Speakers:  Mr. Johnny Farraj and Mr. Sami Abu Shumays New York based Musician-Scholars of Arab Music

 

April 12 - April 28 Arab Music-Cultures Lecture Series (Recorded)

Iqaa in Mowashahat

Speakers:  Mr. Johnny Farraj and Mr. Sami Abu Shumays New York based Musician-Scholars of Arab Music

 

April 12 - April 28 Arab Music-Cultures Lecture Series (Recorded)

The Wasla

Speaker:  Mr. Johnny Farraj and Mr. Sami Abu Shumays New York based Musician-Scholars of Arab Music

 

April 12 - April 28 Arab Music-Cultures Lecture Series (Recorded)

Maqam Theory Part 1: Melodic Vocabulary

Speaker:  Mr. Johnny Farraj and Mr. Sami Abu Shumays New York based Musician-Scholars of Arab Music

 

April 12 - April 28 Arab Music-Cultures Lecture Series (Recorded)

Maqam Theory Part 2: Shape of Maqam

Speaker:  Mr. Johnny Farraj and Mr. Sami Abu Shumays New York based Musician-Scholars of Arab Music

 

April 12 - April 28 Arab Music-Cultures Lecture Series (Recorded)

Maqam Theory Part 3: Arbitrary Intonation

Speaker:  Mr. Johnny Farraj and Mr. Sami Abu Shumays New York based Musician-Scholars of Arab Music

 

Friday April 28, 6:00pm Arab Music-Cultures Lecture Series (Virtual-Live Question and Answer)

Recorded Lectures provided prior to the Live Question & Answer Session on April 28, 6:00pm

Speakers:  Mr. Johnny Farraj and Mr. Sami Abu Shumays New York based Musician-Scholars of Arab Music

 

Friday April 30, 9:00am & 10:00am (Virtual)

Modes and Rhythms in the Musical Practice of the Ahl-e Haqq Community of Guran 

Speaker:  Dr. Partow Hooshmandrad  California State University, Fresno, Department of Music

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Fall 2020

Thursday October 8, 5:00pm (Virtual)

An Evening of Persian Literature (bring a favorite poem or story to share)

 

(Iran Heritage Foundation) Wednesday October 28, 17:30 London, GMT (10:30am California time), Online Click Here for Details

Indians in Safavid Iran: the pictorial evidence
Speaker: Dr. Sheila Canby --- "From 2009 to 2019, Dr Sheila Canby was Curator in Charge of Islamic Art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She was previously Curator of Islamic Art and Antiquities at the British Museum (1991-2009), before which she had curated Islamic collections in several museums in the US, including the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Brooklyn Museum. She has written numerous publications, including: Islamic Art: Close-Up (2015); Shah `Abbas and the Imperial Treasures of Iran (2009); Islamic Art in Detail (2005); and Hunt for Paradise: Court Arts of Safavid Iran, 1501-76 (2003)."

 

(Department of Philosophy) Wednesday October 28, 3:30pm, Online Click Here for Poster

Speaker:  Dr. Amine Tais  California State University, Fresno, Department of Philosophy

 

Friday November 6, 2:30pm (Virtual)

Representations of Reality in the Ahl-e Haqq Community of Guran

Speaker:  Dr. Partow Hooshmandrad  California State University, Fresno, Department of Music

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Spring 2020

Thursday January 30, 5:00pm, MB 206 

Iranian Music Cultures (Part II)
Speaker:  Dr. Partow Hooshmandrad,  California State University, Fresno, Department of Music

 

(Selections from ASA International Humanitarian Film Festival) Thursday February 27, 5:30pm, MB 206

Harbor, Mr. Indifferent,Chickpeas with sugar,The girls are not brides

 

Friday February 28, 4:00-6:00pm, PB 191 (Cosponsored byArmenian Studies Program)

Kurdish Culture and Society in Turkey (poster)
Presentation: Dr. Yektan Türkyilmaz, Friedrich-Meinecke-Institut of the Freie Universität Berlin

 

(CineCulture) Friday February 28, 5:30pm, Peters Education Center Auditorium

The Swallows of Kabul (2018)

Discussants:  Ms. Freshta & Mr. Farid Nasrudin and Dr. Rose Marie Kuhn

 

March 2-19, Ellipse Gallery, Library

Nowruz Exhibition
Curator: Dr. Negin Tahvildary (Middle East Studies Student Club)

 

(Mathematics Department) Friday March 6, 4:15-5:30pm, PB 011-012 (Cosponsored bySan Joaquin Valley Mathematics Project)

Secrets of the Surface:  The Mathematical Vision of Maryam Mirzakhani, Mathematician and Professor
Film screening and discussion

 

(*Virtual) Thursday April 2, 5:00pmLS#5 (*bring a favorite poem or story to share)

An Evening of Persian Literature

 

(Viewing Link) **Link is public and will remain active** Thursday April 30 (Cosponsored byArmenian Studies Program & Global Music Lecture Series)

Armenian Song Repertoire of the Middle East Part III:  A Performance From Home (link to performance)
Lecture and Performance: Richard Hagopian and Family

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Fall 2019

(CineCulture) Friday November 8, 5:30pm, Peters Education Center Auditorium

Jirga (2018)
Discussants:  Amir Shah Talash (Producer & Lead Actor) & Sam Smith (Lead Actor)

 

(Linguistics) Saturday November 16, 11:30-12 Peters Business Building 138

Persian: Quantity Sensitive and Iambic
Speaker:  Fatemeh Samavati, Western Conference on Linguistics (WECOL),California State University, Fresno

 

Friday December 27, LS#5 (*bring a favorite poem or story to share)

An Evening of Persian Literature

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Spring 2019

Wednesday February 6, 6:00pm, Music Building Building 167 

Contexts of Music Making in the Life of the Kurdish Ahl-e Haqq of Guran Region
Speaker:  Dr. Partow Hooshmandrad,  California State University, Fresno, Department of Music

 

Thursday February 21, 5:15pm, PB 191 (Middle East Studies Program Annual Peace Lecture)

Life in the Universe:  Origin, Evolution, Future
Speaker: Professor Wil van Breugel, Astronomer and Professor Emeritus, University of California, Merced

 

Friday March 1, 5:00pm, PB 191 (Cosponsored byArmenian Studies Program & Global Music Lecture Series)

Armenian Song Repertoire of the Middle East Part II
Lecture and Performance: Richard Hagopian and Family

 

Friday March 8, 5:30pm, PB 191 (Cosponsored by Global Music Lecture Series)

Iranian Classical Music Concert
Artists: Behrouz Sadeghian (Santur) & Faramarz Amiri-Ranjbar (Tonbak and Daf)

 

(Armenian Studies) Monday March 11, 7:30pm, PB 191

How We Live: The Houshamadyan Project 
Speaker: Dr. Vahe Tachjian (Director of the Berlin-based Houshamadyan Project)

 

March 18-April 24, Library

Nowruz Exhibition (Read)
Curator: Dr. Negin Tahvildary

 

Wednesday April 24, 6:00pm, MB 167 

Iranian Music Cultures (Part I)
Speaker:  Dr. Partow Hooshmandrad,  California State University, Fresno, Department of Music

 

(Linguistics Department) Thursday April 25, 12:30-1:45pm, PB 390  

Title to be announced
Speaker: Vahideh Rasekhi (Linguistics Department, UCLA)

Evidence of Morphological Passive in Gilaki
Speaker: Zia Khoshsirat (Anthropology Department, UCLA)

 

(40th Annual Central California Research Symposium-Session J) Wednesday, May 1, 2:00pm, Library, Room 2134

Foot Binarity in Persian Poetic Meters
Speaker: Fatemeh Samavati (Fresno State Linguistics Department)

 

TBA, LS#5 (*bring a favorite poem or story to share)

An Evening of Persian Literature

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Fall 2018

September 28-October 2, 2018, ASA International Humanitarian Film Festival, Weimar-Germany 

Newsbreak:  The Middle East Studies Program at California State University, Fresno, announces its sponsorship of the “ASA International Humanitarian Film Festival” in Weimar, Germany

To help with the propagation of profound humanitarian ideas and an academic understanding of the common goals with the “International Humanitarian Film Festival ASA” in Germany, the Middle East Studies Program at California State University, Fresno conveys its academic support for this festival.

Partners in this collaboration shall carry out screenings of pertinent films and topical workshops in order to generate scholarly discourse and engage the academia in humanitarian concerns.  This partnership will take place during and after the culmination of this festival

Fresno State University is located in California, the United States, and the “International Humanitarian Film Festival ASA” takes place in the city of Weimar, in the federal state of Thuringia, Germany.

The second round of this festival will take place from September 28 to October 2, 2018, through the generous support of the city of Weimar

Website for the “International Humanitarian Film Festival ASA”: http://www.asafest.com

(CineCulture) Friday September 21, 5:30pm, Peters Education Center Auditorium 

The Judge
Discussant:  Erika Cohn (Director)

 

(CineCulture) Friday September October 12, 5:30pm, Perters Education Center Auditorium 

The Homeland
Discussants:  Dr. Rose Marie Kuhn & Dr. Zoulikha Mouffak

 

Wednesday October 24, 2:00pm, Kremen Education Building 193 

Identity and Musical Performance Among the Kurdish Ahl-e Haqq of Guran
Speaker:  Dr. Partow Hooshmandrad,  California State University, Fresno, Department of Music 

 

(Cosponsored by Global Music Lecture Series ) Thursday November 8, 5:00pm, PB 191 (*additional interdisciplinary roundtable with Professor Bonnie Wade, Thursday November 8, 11:00am-12:30pm, PB 191)

Traces in Indian Miniature Paintings of Socio-Cultural Connections Between the Mughal Court and the Persianate World
Speaker:  Professor Bonnie C. Wade, University of California, Berkeley

 

(CineCulture) Friday November 12, 5:30pm, Perters Education Center Auditorium 

Roots
Discussant: Lilit Martirosyan (Producer)

(Western Conference on Linguistics 2018) November 30-December 2

Poetic Meter in the Persian Poem Tarji-band Sadii
(Sunday December 2, 10:30-11:00am, PB 136)
Speaker:  Fatemeh Samavati,  California State University, Fresno, Department of Linguistics

 

Friday December 7, 5:30-6:30, LS#5

An Evening of Persian Literature 

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Nowruz Pirooz! 

...read more about Nowruz (Spring Equinox)which is celebrated in many regions of the world including West Asia, Central Asia, the Caucasus,.....and diaspora communities around the world....NPR: "Nowruz: Persian New Year's Table Celebrates Spring Deliciously"

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Spring 2018

 

Friday March 2, 5:30pm, PB 191

(Cosponsored by Global Music Lecture Series ) Iranian Classical Music Concert

Performers: Behrouz Sadeghian (Santur) & Faramarz Amiri-Ranjbar (Tonbak and Daf)

 

(Armenian Studies Program) Wednesday March 7, 7:30pm, PB 191

Armenians on Records: Music Production from Homeland to Diasporas

Speaker: Dr. Yektan Türkyilmaz, Armenian Studies Program, Fourteenth Henry Khanzadian Kazan Visiting Professor

 

(MSA-Student Organization) Wednesday March 14, 6:00pm, Peters Education Center Auditorium

1948: Creation and Catastrophe

Followed by a discussion by one of the directors

 

Wednesday March 21, 11:00-1:00pm, Free Speech Area on Campus

Nowruz Celebrations Table

Organizer: Dr. Negin Tahvildary, Linguistics Department

 

(Philosophy) Tuesday April 10, 6:00pm, PB 191

Moral Dilemmas of a Development Worker

Speaker:Mohammad Pournik, United Nations Development Program

 

(MSA-Student Organization) Thursday April 19, 6:00pm, PB 191

Orientalism and Academic Freedom: Institutional Checkpoints on Arabs and Muslims in Academia

 

Thursday April 26, 5:00pm, PB 191

(Cosponsored by Global Music Lecture Series & Armenian Studies Program) Armenian Song Repertoire of the Middle East

Lecture and Performance: Richard Hagopian (Oud)

 

Friday April 27, 5:30pm, PB 191

The Shahnameh of Ferdowsi: An Eleventh Century Persian Literary Epic

Speaker : Fatemeh Samavati, Department of Linguistics, Fresno State

 

Wednesday May 2, 5:30pm, PB 191

Rai Music: From North African Origins to International Success
Speaker : Dr. Amine Tais, Department of Philosophy, Fresno State

 

(Philosophy) Thursday May 3, 7:00pm, PB 191

The Exclusion of Africa and Asia from the History of Philosophy
Speaker: Dr. Peter K.J. Park, University of Texas, Dallas

 

Friday May 4, 5:30-6:30, LS#5

An Evening of Persian Literature

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Fall 2017

(CineCulture) Friday October 20, 5:30pm

Frame By Frame

Discussant: Farzana Wahidy

 

(Art & Architecture) October 9-26, Reception: Thursday, October 12th, 5 p.m. to 8:00pm, Phebe Conley Gallery

The Other Eye On Afghanistan - An Exhibition of Photographs by Farzana Wahidy

Artist presentation: Thursday October 12th 3:30 to 5:00, PB 191

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Spring 2017

 

(History) Friday February 3, 9:30-11:45am, PB 390

Ethnic and Religious Minorities in the Ottoman Empire (Roundtable)
Speakers: Dr. Janet Klein, Dr. Devin Naar, Dr. Bedross Der Matossian, Dr. Stacy Fahrenthold Portland State University, University of Washington, University of Nebraska, California State University Fresno

 

(History) Friday February 3, 7:30-9:00pm, Smittcamp Alumni House

War, Peace, and the Making of Minorities in the Post-Ottoman Middle East, 1919-1923
Speaker: Dr. Laura Robson Portland State University

 

Saturday February 11, 7:00pm, Concert Hall

Global Music Lecture Series: Iranian Classical Music Concert
Performers: Behrouz Sadeghian (Santur) & Faramarz Amiri-Ranjbar (Tonbak and Daf)

 

(English) Friday March 17, 7:00-9:00pm, PB 191

Poetry Reading

Readings by: Somaz Sharif, Jones Lecturer, Stanford University

The Master of Fine Arts Program at Fresno State presents a reading with author Solmaz Sharif as part of the Fresno Poets’ Association reading series. A finalist for the 2016 National Book Award for Poetry and a recent National Endowment for the Arts fellow, Sharif’s debut poetry collection is “Look” from Graywolf Press.

 

(Filmworks, Fresno) Friday April 14, 5:30 & 8:30 pm, The Tower Theatre, 815 E Olive Ave. Fresno, CA 93728

Fresno Filmworks: The Salesman

 

Friday April 21, 11:00am, Food Sciences Room 213 

 Food, Power, and Meaning: The Ritual of Blessing of the Food for the Kurdish Ahl-e Haqq of Guran

Speaker: Dr. Partow Hooshmandrad, Fresno State

 

Thursday April 27, 4:00pm, PB 191

(Cosponsored by Global Music Lecture Series & Armenian Studies Program) Armenian Musical Tradition of the Middle East

Lecture and Performance: Richard Hagopian (Oud)

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Fall 2016

 

Friday November 4, 4:30-6, LS#5

An Evening of Persian Literature

 

(History) Monday November 7, 5-7, Smittcamp Alumni House

Ottoman History from the Margins: Reflections on Women and Dhimmis at Aleppo's Shari'a Court Guest Speaker: Dr. Elyse Semedjian, History and Islamic Studies, Whitman College
 

(Armenian Studies): Monday November 14, 7:30, PB 191

Armenian Educational Life in Lebanon
Guest Speaker: Dr. Paul Haidostian, President, Haigazian University

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Spring 2016

Friday January 29

CineCulture:  Dawn of the World (L’aube du monde, 2008)
Discussant: Dr. Rose Marie Kuhn                                         
Directed by Iraqi-born French film maker Abbas Fahdel, Dawn of the World is set in the Mesopotamian Marshes.  This complex of shallow freshwater lakes, swamps, marshes, and seasonally inundated plains between the Tigris and Euphrates makes up the largest river delta in the Middle East.  Located in southwestern Iraq on the border with Iran and Kuwait, the area is known as the land of the mythical Garden of Eden, explains the film director. This is where the Maadan tribes, also known as the Marsh Arabs, live, and where Mastur and Zahra grow up.
Shortly after their marriage, the first Gulf War breaks out and Mastur is sent to the front.  There he befriends Riad, a young Baghdadi soldier, and makes him promise to protect Zahra should something happen to him… Fahdel’s film is a visual poem taking place in a haunting and magical landscape.  The simplicity of his plot and the beauty of the images of the film almost make the story seem like a misty dream.  Starring in the film are two actresses whom some of the viewers might have seen in Radu Mihaileanu’s film La source des femmes (2011), Tunisian-FrenchHafsia Herzi as Zhara and Arab-Israeli Hiam Abbass as Mastur’s mother.  Additionally, Dawn of the World won the prestigious Grand Prix for the Best Screenwriter in France. In Arabic and French, with English subtitles.  96 minutes.  Trailer (in French): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8V9rZ11aIc. Co-Sponsors: Modern & Classical Languages & Literatures Department, the French and Middle East Studies Programs
 

Tuesday March 1, 2-3pm, Library 2206

International Coffee Hour:  Iranian Culture & Society
Guest Speaker:  Peyvand Hajian, Engineering Graduate Student, California State University, Fresno
 

Thursday March 3

Global Music Lecture Series:  Dr. Patricia Shehan Campbell
(University of Washington) Conducting two workshops on global music in the elementary classroom
 

Thursday March 16 & 30

Persian Calligraphy Workshops
Guest Speaker:  Dr. Fariborz Tehrani, Engineering, California State University, Fresno
 

Saturday April 16, 1pm, Kremen School of Education Bldg 172

War Stories: World War I in the Syrian Diaspora and the Challenge of Transnational Microhistory
Guest Speaker: Dr. Stacy Fahrenthold, History, Visiting Scholar, Center for Middle East Studies, UC Berkeley

 

Thursday April 28, 4-6, UBC 191

Melodic Modes and Rhythms of Arab Music: Theory vs. Practice
Guest Speaker: Dr. Scott Marcus, Ethnomusicology, UC Santa Barbara

 

Friday April 29, 11-12, UBC 191

CineCulture:  When Voices Meet; One United Choir; One Courageous Journey (2015)
Discussants: Marilyn Cohen (Music Therapist) & Sharon Katz (Director) & Band Members.  When Nelson Mandela was finally released from prison, courageous South African musicians broke through Apartheid’s barriers to form a 500-voice, multiracial children’s choir. Threatened with bombs and thwarted at every turn, they prevailed and railroaded across the country aboard The Peace Train.  Singing their way into the hearts, minds and soul of a divided nation amidst a civil war, they promoted a peaceful transition to democracy and went on to become Mandela’s face of the new rainbow nation.  When Voices Meet documents the trials, tribulations and triumphs of those musician activists and young choir members. They performed together for seven years; never lost touch with one another; and then reunited 20 years later. 86 minutes. http://whenvoicesmeet.com/  Band concert following film screening and Q&A! It was music that brought the disparate groups together, and the harmony of their voices became emblematic of the new South Africa. Original songs in the trailer’s award-winning soundtrack include We Are The Children of South Africa, The Time Is Right Today and Siyajabula.  Co-Sponsors: Cross Cultural and Gender Center, Jewish Studies Certificate Program & Jewish Studies Association, Africana Studies Program and Global Music Lecture Series
 
 

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Fall 2015

Monday, September 21, 5-7, Science 145

Religious Traditions: Islam
Guest Speaker: IRFAN ALI, Co-Chair, Interfaith Alliance of Fresno
What is Islam?
Guest Speaker: DR. NEGIN TAHVILDARY, Philosophy and Religious Studies, California State University, Fresno
Women’s Rights in Islam

Friday, September 25, 3-5, PB (UBC) 191

(Edward Said Lecture 1) The Responsibility of the Worldly Intellectuals
Guest Speaker: DR. DAVID LLOYD English, University of California, Riverside
 

Monday, September 28, 5-7, Science 145

A Historical Perspective: The Ancient Near East
Guest Speaker: DR. MARITERE LOPEZ, History, California State University, Fresno
 

Monday, October 5, 5:15-7, Science 145

A Historical Perspective: The Rise and Fall of the Islamic Empire
Guest Speaker: DR. FREDERIK VERMOTE, History, California State University, Fresno
 

Monday, October 12, 5-7, UBC 191

(Edward Said Lecture Series 2) Orientalism: Its Genealogies and its Legacies
Guest Speaker: DR. NADIA LATIF, Anthropology, Georgia State University
 

Monday, October 19, 5-7, Science 145

Imperialist Interests, The Postwar Era, Israel’s Birth and the Occupation of Palestine
Guest Speaker: DR. MANZAR FOROOHAR, History, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
 

Monday, November 2, 5-6:30, Science 145

(Edward Said Lecture Series 3) Edward Said: The Non-humanist Humanist
Guest Speaker: DR. R. RADHAKRISHNAN, UC Irvine
 

Wednesday, November 4, 5-6:30, Peters Education Auditorium (Student Rec Center)

Humanism Food Security and Climate Change
Guest Speaker: DR. HILAL ELVER, UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food and Research Professor at the Orfalea Center at UC-Santa Barbara
 

Friday, November 6, 10-12, UBC 191

(Edward Said Lecture Series 4: Mini Conference) Universities at the Crossroad: The Assault on Academic Freedom
Edward Said's Humanism and the Rejection of the State Department's Definition of Anti-Semitism
Guest Speaker: DR. RICHARD FALK, Princeton University/UCSB
Censoring Palestine at the University: Growing Threats to Academic Freedom
Guest Speaker: AZADEH SHAHSHAHANI, President, National Lawyers Guild
What Is to Be Done? An Activist Agenda
Guest Speaker: Dr. VIDA SAMIIAN California Scholars for Academic Freedom, Professor of Linguistics, Dean Emerita, College of Arts and Humanities, California State University, Fresno
 

Monday, November 9, 5-7, Science 145

Middle East Art and Cinema
Guest Speaker: DR. ADAN AVALOS, Professor of Cinematic Arts, University of New Mexico
 

Monday November 16, 5-7, Science 145

Music in the Middle East
Guest Speaker: DR. PARTOW HOOSHMANDRAD, Music, California State University, Fresno 

 

Monday, November 30, 5:30-7, Science 145

Contemporary Literature of the Middle East (Arabic, Azeri, Turkic, Persian)
Guest Speaker: DR. ALISON MANDAVILLE, English, California State University, Fresno

An Evening of Persian Literature Wednesday December 9, at 5pm, LS#5

News & Events 2014-2015

Middle East Studies Lecture, Performance & Film Series 2014-2015

*All events are held at 6:00pm at PB #101 unless otherwise noted

Monday Feb. 2

Historical Perspectives: The Ancient Near East (6PM, PB 101)
DR. MARITERE LOPEZ, History, Fresno State

 

Monday Feb. 9

Religious Traditions: Islam (6PM, PB 101)
DR. NEGIN TAHVILDARY, Philosophy, Fresno State

 

Monday Feb. 23

The Development of Islamic Civilization (6PM, PB 101)
“Cultural and Religious Diversity during the Islamic Civilization"
DR. SERGIO LA PORTA, Philosophy & Armenian Studies, Fresno State

 

Saturday, March 7

An Evening of Iranian Classical Music (*7PM, Concert Hall)
Behrouz Sadeghian & Faramarz Amiri

 

Monday March 9

Islamic Civilization:Edward Said’s Orientalism (*5 PM, PB 101)
DR. SAÚL JIMÉNEZ-SANDOVAL, MCLL, Fresno State

Cinema & Media:  Media Stereotypes of the Middle East (6 PM PB 101)
DR. MARY HUSAIN, MCJ, Fresno State

 

Monday March 16

The Rise and Fall of the Ottomans and Safavids (6PM, PB 101)
DR. FREDERIK VERMOTE, History, Fresno State

 

Monday March 23

European Imperialist Interests, the Rise of Nationalism, and the Postwar Era (*6PM, PB 191) DR. AFSHIN MATIN, History, California State University, Los Angeles

 

Monday April 6

The Iranian Revolution and the US Policy of Dual Containment (6PM, PB 101)
DR. SASAN FAYAZMANESH, Economics, Fresno State

 

Monday April 9

Who Speaks for Islam? (*5-7pm, McLane Hall 121)
DR. VINCENT BIONDO, IRFAN ALI, HAMID MAVANI, Philosophy (the Ethics Center), Fresno State

 

Monday April 13

The Contest for Palestine (*6 PM, PB 191)
DR. LAWRENCE DAVIDSON, History, West Chester University

 

Wednesday April 15

Feminist Street Art Since the Arab Spring (*2 PM, CA 101)
PAULA BIRNBAUM, SF State

 

Monday April 20

Iranian Classical Music (6PM, PB 101)
DR. PARTOW HOOSHMANDRAD, Music, Fresno State

 

Friday April 24

The Question of Apartheid and the Palestinian Struggle to End the Occupation (*3:30PM, PB 191)
DR. RICHARD FALK, Princeton University/UCSB

 

Free & Open to the Public!

Sponsors:  Roshan Cultural Heritage Institute; Parsa Foundation; Middle East Studies Program (Department of Philosophy);Persian Language and Culture Studies; The Ethics Center; California State University, Fresno

News & Events 2013-2014

Middle East Studies Lecture, Performance & Film Series 2013-2014

*All events are held at 6:00pm at MB #167 unless otherwise noted.

Thursday January 30

Religious Diversity in the Middle East

• Islam, Christianity, Judaism
  • Dr. Vincent Biondo, Professor of Philosophy

*Thursday January 30 (Armenian Studies Program)

Leon S. Peters Foundation Lecture, 7:30PM, UBC Peters Auditorium

• Art & Society: Armenian Constantinople
  • Dr. Don Marchese, University of Minnesota, Duluth

Thursday Feb 6

Ethnic Diversity in the Middle East

• The Armenians in the Middle East and Diaspora Communities
  • Dr. Barlow Der Mugrdechian, Professor of Armenian Studies, Coordinator of the Armenian Studies Program

Thursday Feb 13

Historical Perspectives: Mathematics and the Development of Capitalism

• Al-Khwarizmi’s Algebra and the Commercial Revolution
  • Dr. Sasan Fayazmanesh, Professor of Economics

*Saturday February 15

An Evening of Iranian Classical Music, 7:00pm, Concert Hall موسیقی کلاسیک ایران

• Santur & Zarb
  • Behrouz Sadeghian & Faramarz Amiri

*Thursday Feb 20

New Book Announcement, 2-3:30pm, PB 192

• Containing Iran: Obama’s Policy of “Tough Diplomacy”
  • Dr. Sasan Fayazmanesh, Professor of Economics

Thursday Feb 20

Linguistic Diversity in the Middle East

• Languages of the Middle East
  • Dr. Chris Golston, Professor of Linguistics

*Thursday Feb 20 (Armenian Studies Program)

Leon S. Peters Foundation Lecture, 7:30PM, UBC Peters Auditorium

• Armenians, Georgians, Azerbaijanis, Arabs, and Jews: The British Colonial Ethos after World War I
  • Dr. Artin Arslanian, Professor of History, Marist College

Thursday March 6

Creative Expressions: Cinema & Media

• Development of Cinema in the Middle East
  • Dr. Adan Avalos, Professor of Mass Communication & Journalism

Thursday March 13

Creative Expressions: Cinema & Media

• Media Stereotypical Views of the Middle East
  • Dr. Mary Husain, Professor of Mass Communication & Journalism

Thursday March 20

Creative Expressions: Feminist Literature

• A Map of Home: From America to the Middle East and Back Again
  • Dr. Randa Jarrar, Professor of Creative Writing

Thursday March 27

Social & Legal Perspectives

• Women’s Rights in the Middle East: Iran & Afghanistan
  • Dr. Negin Tahvildary, Professor of Philosophy and Persian Studies

Thursday April 3

Creative Expressions: Postcolonial Literature

• The Post-Colonial Literature & Culture of the Maghreb (the French-Speaking North-West Africa)
  • Dr. Rose Marie Kuhn, Professor of French, Coordinator of the French Program

Thursday April 10

Creative Expressions: Musical Cultures of the Middle East

• Iranian Classical Music: The Dastgah Modal System
  • Dr. Partow Hooshmandrad, Professor of Music & Iranian Studies, Coordinator of the Persian Language & Culture Studies

Free & Open to the Public!

Sponsors: Roshan Cultural Heritage Institute; Parsa Foundation; Middle East Studies Program (Department of Philosophy) & Persian Language and Culture Studies, California State University, Fresno (for more information please contact phooshmandrad@csufresno.edu)

 

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Now at Fresno State!

Introduction to the Middle East

MES 10 (#36254) Department of Philosophy Spring 2014

Th 6:00-8:50pm

 

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Middle East Studies Lecture, Performance & Film Series 2013-2014

Saturday February 15, 2014, 7:00pm

An Evening of Iranian Classical Music

Behrouz Sadeghian: Santur
Faramarz Amiri: Zarb & Daf

 

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...related news...

Armenian Studies Program

Thursday, January 30, 2014, 7:30pm UBC Peters Auditorium
Dr. Ron Marchese

"Art & Society in Armenian Constantinople."

Thursday, February 20, 2014, 7:30PM, UBC Peters Auditorium
Dr. Artin Arslanian

"Armenians, Georgians, Azerbaijanis, Arabs, and Jews: The British Colonial Ethos After World War I"

 

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...related news....

Travel with Rick Steves on NPR

• 11/23 Program 266a: Sojourning Further; Being Human; Turkish Nomads
• 11/30 Program 346: Walking Budapest; Open Phones: Iran & Palestine

Now at Fresno State!

Introduction to the Middle East

MES 10 (#36254) Department of Philosophy Spring 2014

Th 6:00-8:50pm

 

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Friday October 18, 2013, 5:30pm

CineCulture Presents:
(Cosponsored by the Middle East Studies Program)

Dirty Wars

Discussant:  Dr. Anthony Arnove (Producer)
Peters Education Center Auditorium
Free & open to the public

For further information contact: Dr. Mary Husain
mhusain@csufresno.edu

 

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International Coffee Hour

Fresno State, Library
Tuesday September 24, 2013, 2:00-3:00pm

Adel Hafezi Haqqani:  Presentation on Iran

The International Coffee Hour at Fresno State is a series of presentations on many countries. It takes place every Tuesday at 2:00 pm at the Library. A presentation about Iran was held by Mr. Adel Hafezi Haqqani on September 24th. He opened his conversation by giving out general information such as the population, the main cities, and ethnic and religious diversity. He then talked about Tehran as the present capital of Iran, and the city of Isfahan as the center for the arts, culture, and music. He continued his presentation by introducing the culture of the different ethnic groups in Iran such as the Kurds, Lurs, and Turkmens. He then presented a slide show featuring traditional Iranian food. Historical monuments and landscapes were also discussed. Selections included the Alisadr cave in Hamadan, the Cyrus palace in Fars, the Chogha Zanbil Ziggurat in Shush, and the Hercules statue in Kermanshah. Well-known Iranian athletes and Persian music were the last topics covered in this presentation. Mr. Hafezi concluded the presentation by playing the Ney, a wind instrument of Iranian art music. The audiences responded with enthusiasm to the presentation, and especially enjoyed the musical performance!

News & Events 2012-2013

Middle East Studies Lecture, Performance & Film Series 2012-2013

 

Friday April 5, 2013, 5:30pm

CineCulture Presents
(cosponsored by the Middle East Studies Program and Persian Language & Culture Studies)

A Separation

Discussant:  Dr. Partow Hooshmandrad
Peters Education Center Auditorium
Free & open to the public

For further information contact: Dr. Mary Husain
mhusain@csufresno.edu

 

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Saturday March 9, 2013, 7:00pm

An Evening of Iranian Classical Music

Behrouz Sadeghian: Santur
Faramarz Amiri: Zarb & Daf

Click here for details

 

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Thursday February 21, 2013, 6:00pm

Epic Implications:  Iran's National Poem and the West

A lecture by Dr. Mahmoud Omidsalar

Click here for details

 

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Persian Language & Culture Studies Student Presentations
Fall 2012

Persian 2A: Lab School Bldg #5, Dec. 4 & 6, 11:00am-12:15pm
Persian 1A: Kremen Education Bldg #195, Dec. 10 & 12, 12:35pm-1:50pm

Participating Faculty

Faculty Affiliates (in alphabetical order)

Ahmad Borazan (Economics) Dr.Ahmad Borazan received his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Economics from the University of Utah. His research interests are in Macroeconomics, Political Economy, and Economic History. He is currently conducting research on the role income distribution plays in fostering political and economic outcomes in the US history and present, and the political economy of rural Syria. He teaches classes on Macroeconomics and the Political Economy of the Middle East. Dr. Borazan joined the Department of Economics in the Fall of 2016.

Partow Hooshmandrad (Ethnomusicology, Persian Language & Culture Studies Coordinator) Partow Hooshmandrad holds a Ph.D. in ethnomusicology from the University of California, Berkeley. She has done extensive research on the cultural heritage of the Kurdish Ahl-i Haqq (Yarsan) of Guran since 2000.As a scholar and a musician she specializes in the devotional practices of the Ahl-i Haqq including the musical repertoire, the texts, and the rituals, as well as Iranian classical music. She has won several awards for her research endeavors including generous grants from the National Geographic Conservation Trust Fund, Alfred Hertz Memorial Scholarships, the Kurdish National Congress, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and the Al-Falah Program for Islamic Studies (Center for Middle Eastern Studies, UC Berkeley).She has written and presented papers on various aspects of Ahl-i Haqq life, Iranian classical music, and other musical practices of Iran. Hooshmandrad has also appeared on KPFA radio Berkeley and performed for the Marin League of the San Francisco Symphony.As the Roshan Cultural Heritage Institute Endowed Faculty in Persian Language & Culture, she currently teaches at California State University, Fresno, Department of Music, and is actively involved in the development of the Persian Language an Culture and Middle East Studies programs.  Prior to joining the academic community at California State University, Fresno, Partow taught at the University of Kurdistan, Hawler, in the Federal Region of Kurdistan, Iraq.

Mary Husain (Communication & Media, Communications and Journalism) The Islamic Cultural Center of Fresno selected CineCulture as a recipient for its 2018 Spirit of Abraham Award, “in large part due to the personal efforts of Dr. Mary Husain.” This award is given to groups and/or individuals who significantly contribute to enhancing the understanding of Islam and Muslims. She also received the “Way of Peace Award” in 2017 from Fresno Center for Nonviolence on behalf of CineCulture. Dr. Husain holds an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from CSU, Fresno/UC Davis, Joint Doctoral Program, and a M.A. in Communication from Fresno State. Her research focuses on the impacts of media representation of the Middle East and Islam. In 2018 she received the Provost’s Award for Outstanding Lecturer, and an article she co-authored, Securing Afghan Women: Neo-Colonialism, Epistemic Violence, and the Rhetoric of the Veil, is one of the most frequently cited articles in the academy. She serves on the Beth Harnish and Center for Creativity and the Arts Committees.

Rose Marie Kuhn (Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures, French Program Coordinator) Dr. Rose Marie Kuhn grew up in Belgium as a German-speaking Swiss in a French and Dutch speaking environment.  She holds a B.A., in German and Dutch, from the Université Saint-Louis Saint-Louis, in Brussels, Belgium, and an M.A. in German from the Université Catholique de Louvain, in Louvain, Belgium.  She received an M.A. in French and a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.  She regularly offers a GE-IC course, French 149, “Voices of Africa,” has taught several courses on the literatures and cultures of the French-speaking world and postcolonial Francophone literature, and often guest-lectures on the literatures and cultures of the French-speaking Maghreb and the Mediterranean Basin.  She was awarded several travel grants for her research in Francophone studies by the French Government, the Joint Berkeley-Stanford Center for African Studies, and the West African Research Association (WARA).  Her publications, papers, and workshops are in the fields of French and Francophone cultural studies, postcolonial literature in French, and the pedagogical application of technology. 

Alison Mandaville (English, English Education and Credentialing Coordinator) Alison Mandaville received her BA in Peace and Conflict Studies from the University of California Berkeley and her MFA in Creative Writing and PhD in Literature from the University of Washington. She was a Fulbright lecturer in Azerbaijan (2007-8) and has received a number of grants (UNESCO, Open Society Institute) for her work with colleagues there in support of the literary arts, particularly with women poets. Her interviews with writers and translations of poetry and short stories from the Azerbaijani have appeared in World Literature Today and Two Lines. Her articles on language and culture in Azerbaijan and the Caucasus region have appeared in ImageText, The International Journal of Comic Arts, Khazar UniversityJournal of the Humanities and in two book collections: Reflections on Knowledge and Language in Middle Eastern Societies  and Interrogating Illiberal Peace in Eurasia: Critical Perspectives on Peace andConflict. At Fresno State she coordinates the English Education and Teacher Credentialing programs, as well as the new BA Liberal Arts degree completion program. She teaches courses in literacy pedagogies, multi-ethnic literatures, and comics and graphic novels.

James Mullooly (Anthropology, Chair, Institute of Public Anthropology Director) James Mullooly is an Applied Cultural Anthropologist with a great deal of interest in improving the quality of life in Fresno by focusing on key issues such as education, commerce and industry. He is a professor of anthropology and the Chair of the Department of Anthropology in the College of Social Sciences. He has lived in Jamaica, Mali and Egypt and has conducted fieldwork in Egypt and the United States (in inner cities in New York and the Midwest). He works in the fields of Ethnography, Applied Anthropology and Ethnomethodology.James holds a BA in Anthropology and History from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, two Master's degrees, one in Teaching English as a Foreign Language (American University in Cairo) and another in Anthropology and Education (Columbia University) and a PhD in Anthropology and Education (Columbia University). His dissertation, "Work, play and consequences: What Counts in a Successful Middle School" (2003) is an ethnography of an alternative middle school for Hispanic immigrants of low socio-economic status that has fostered great academic success among its graduates.

Samina Najmi (Multi-Ethnic Literature) Dr. Samina Najmi has taught courses in multiethnic American literature, cultural studies, and gender studies at Babson College in Wellesley. She received her B.A. in English from the University of Karachi, Pakistan, and her graduate degrees from Tufts University.Aside from various essays, her publications include Form and Transformation in Asian American Literature (U of Washington P, 2005), coedited with Zhou Xiaojing; White Women in Racialized Spaces (SUNY 2002), coedited with Rajini Srikanth, and the reissue of Onoto Watanna's 1903 novel The Heart of Hyacinth (U of Washington P, 2000). Her teaching and research focus on both the disciplinary and the interdisciplinary, with special interest in the intersections of multiethnic American literature and postcolonial/world literature.

Manuchehr Shahrokhi (Craig School of Business) Manuchehr Shahrokhi is a Craig Fellow Professor of Global Business - Finance at Craig School of Business at California State University-Fresno since 1986. He has also served as Director of Graduate Business Programs 1989-1992. He has been a visiting professor at Harvard (1992-1999), Moscow MBA program offered by Cal State Hayward. He has also taught finance courses, as distinguished lecturer, for Austrian University of Technology and University for Business and Technology in Kosova.He is the founding editor of the Global Finance Journal, a refereed publication by Elsevier Publishing since 1989 with worldwide distribution. He has founded and serves as Executive Director of Global Finance Association - Conference, a network of over 600 scholars and practitioners worldwide. He has published over 75 articles in top journals and authored books in International Business and Finance.He has earned his BA from Tehran Business School, MBA from George Washington University and Ph.D. from the Ohio State University.

Julia Shatz (History) Dr. Julia Shatz specializes in the Modern Middle East, British Empire/history of colonialism, transnational history, history of childhood/child welfare, and global humanitarianism.  She teaches a wide range of topical courses on the Modern Middle East and Word History.  Dr. Shatz received her M.A. and Ph.D. at the University of California, Berkeley, and her B.A. at Vassar College.  Selected publications include “A Politics of Care: Local Nurses in Mandate Palestine,” International Journal of Middle East Studies, 50 (2018): 1-21 and “Governing Jerusalem’s Children, Revealing Invisible Inhabitants: The American Colony Aid Association, 1920s-1950s,” in Ordinary Jerusalem 1840-1940, ed. Angelos Dalachanis and Vincent Lemire, Leiden: Brill, 2018.  Her current research projects examine child welfare and humanitarian governance in interwar Palestine, and the role of American capital and corporate philanthropy in social welfare initiatives in Palestine and the Middle East in the 1920s-1940s.

Negin Tahvildary (Linguistics, Philosophy) Dr. Negin Tahvildary has taught courses in the Linguistics and Philosophy Departments at California State University, Fresno. Areas of instruction include Persian language and culture, peace and conflict studies, and ethics.  Tahvildary has a JD and a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from Iran, and speaks Farsi and French. Prior to her appointments with US campuses, she worked with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the United Nations Assistance Mission to Afghanistan.  The interdisciplinary nature of the field of Persian studies and Middle East studies demands familiarity with a vast range of disciplinary perspectives including sociology, critical theory, literature, religious studies, political science, history, and cultural studies.  Tahvildary’s previous work in comparative law and religion and her involvement with the United Nations, have enabled her to synthesize broad perspectives and interconnections in an educational setting.

Amine Tais (Philosophy) Amine Tais is an assistant professor at the Department of Philosophy. He holds a Ph.D. in Islamic studies from Georgetown University in Washington DC, a master's degree in comparative religion from the University of Washington in Seattle, and a bachelor’s degree in Near Eastern studies from the same institution. Dr. Tais’ primary teaching area is comparative religion (Western traditions) with a particular focus on Islam and his research interests include Islamic intellectual history, reform movements, secularism and religion, scripture and interpretation, as well as religious extremism and violence.

Persian Language and Culture and Modern Standard Arabic Language Studies

Language Programs in Persian and Modern Standard Arabic are housed in the Department of Linguistics. The Department of Linguistics is one of nine departments within the College of Arts and Humanities.

Persian was offered for the first time in Fall 2007 under the course title Linguistics 40T.  The first offering of Arabic was in Spring 2008.

Interdisciplinary Minor in Middle East Studies

The Interdisciplinary Minor in Middle East Studies is housed in the College of Arts and Humanities Department of Philosophy, in collaboration with the College of Social Sciences.  Faculty members with expertise in areas related to Middle East Studies are spread out among various departments in the Arts and Humanities and the Social Sciences and some in the Craig School of Business. 

 ***To replace an elective course with another MES-related course please fill out the necessary forms with the help of your department/college advisor and then request an approval from the chair of the Philosophy Department.***

The Minor in Middle East Studies is a broad, interdisciplinary program designed to provide students from all disciplines with an introductory foundation of knowledge about different subjects related to the Middle East. Students will select from a variety of courses offered throughout the university that study the linguistic, social, cultural, artistic, literary, historical, political and economic factors that define this region of the world. Upon completion of the minor, students will be able to communicate in one of the languages spoken in the region, have a broad contextual understanding of the region, and be afforded the opportunity to gain in-depth knowledge in one or more areas of study related to the region. The minor is composed of 21-23 units. These include 3 units of a required lower-division introductory course MES 10; 6-8 units of lower-division courses in Middle Eastern languages selected from Arabic, Armenian, Hebrew, and Persian; and 12 upper-division units selected from courses offered by the departments participating in this program. Courses taken for the minor may count toward fulfilling General Education requirements, but not toward fulfilling the student's major. Students in the minor must maintain a minimum GPA of 2.5.

Required Course (3 units)
MES 10 (fulfills G.E. Area D3)

Lower-division Language Requirement (6-8 units)
Select from: ARAB 1A-1B; ARM 1A-1B; HEBR 1A-1B; PERS 1A-1B (some courses fulfill GE Area C2)

Electives (select 4 courses) (12 units)
ANTH 135; ECON 183; ENGL 179, 193T; HIST 107, 109T, 110; MUSIC 171; PHIL 139, 158; PLSI 144T; SSCI 150T

Total (21-23 units)

*Other courses may be used to fulfill electives upon approval by minor advisor.  Some options include but are not limited to:

—French 149—Voices of Africa— Study of representative works by African writers which reveal the attitudes of modern Africans toward their land, their traditions, and their encounter with the 21th century world. Course taught in English. G.E. Integration IC.

—Economics183—Political Economy of the Middle East—

Course Description

Anthropology 135—Muslim Communities in the Middle East
Survey of both rural and urban Muslim cultures and societies in the Middle East with an emphasis on a variety of lived experiences of Islam, gender and ethnic relations and their impact on the West.

Economics 183—Political Economy of the Middle East
A survey of historical, social, cultural, political, and economic development in the Middle East.

English 250T—Asian Literature and Western Orientalism
Emphasizes reading, appreciation, examination and exploration of Eurocentric and American interpretations of some great works of Asian literature, while developing an understanding of their historical and cultural contexts. Asian literature includes Southwest Asian (Middle Eastern, Arabic & Persian), South Asian (Indian, Sanskrit & English), and East Asian (Chinese).

History 107—Modern Middle East
Analysis of Middle Eastern history with emphasis on the 19th and 20th centuries.

Music 171—Introduction to the World's Music
Exploration of selected musics of the world from the perspective of ethnomusicology or study of music as an aesthetic communication that possesses meaning only in relation to specific, situated socio-cultural contexts.  Study of selected musical forms and their relationship to social formations.  GE Integration IC.

Philosophy 165T—Islam
Multidisciplinary and comparative introduction to Islam. An examination of how four particular issues have been interpreted over time from anthropological, sociological, and comparative religious perspectives.

Social Sciences 150T—Islamic Civilization
An overview of history, politics, culture, and the arts relevant to Islamic heritage.

Social Sciences 159 T—Women in Islam
Explores the social and cultural roles of women and girls in Muslim cultural contexts, the sources of Islamic authority on gender issues, and contemporary cultural controversies concerning work, modesty practices, marriage and family life, social leadership, legal status, religious traditions, Muslim women’s rights movements and political activism.

Contact Information

For more information about the Middle East Studies Program please contact Ruth Aparicio, Department Administrative Assistant for the Department of Philosophy | email