The Conflict Studies Research Center at the Arab American University completed its first session of the International Graduate Summer School program, in which a group of postgraduate students of different nationalities and specializations from The New School University of America participated.
The first session, which started in early July of this year, lasted for two months. The program provided the international students with an opportunity to study in Palestine and learn the Arabic language, in addition to enrolling in two courses in the Faculty of Graduate Studies and acquiring credit hours as part of their university studies. The two courses are: Palestinian identity and culture, and the structuralism and culture of the Settler Colonialism in Comparative Perspective.
In addition, the international students joined governmental, civil, and research institutions to volunteer and train as well as acquire new skills, develop personal and professional skills. The program also deepened international students’ understanding of Palestinian institutions and their work, including: the Development Work Center, Al-Haq Foundation, the Palestinian Museum, the Palestinian Radio and Television, and the Saqia Foundation .
The center organized educational and awareness tours for the students of the program, which gave them the opportunity to interact with the community, learn about culture, life, geopolitics, and understand the Palestinian cause in a deeper way. These tours included visiting religious, historical and heritage sites in different cities such as Jerusalem, Hebron, Bethlehem, Haifa, Nazareth, Ramallah and Silwad.
This program is the first of its kind in Palestine. It adopts an interdisciplinary approach to the legal, political, and cultural issues facing the contemporary world, and gives students the opportunity to engage with controversial issues in conflict, international relations, and peace studies. The program is projected to be held annually on the campus of the Arab American University in Ramallah.
