IIIT Summer Student Program 2015

The International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT) is pleased to announce its 2015 Summer Student Program, which will run for four weeks between Monday, May 18, and Tuesday, June 16, 2015. This residential program is designed for graduate students and exceptional senior undergraduates – majoring in the humanities or social science disciplines – who have a particular interest in developing their knowledge and research skills in the core areas of Islamic studies such as methods in the study of Islam, the Qur’an, the Sunnah, Fiqh (Islamic Jurisprudence), Muslim History and Civilization, and Contemporary Islamic Thought. 

The program also provides analysis and discussions – in seminar format – on subjects related to contemporary Islamic reform movements, Islamic finance, faith-based entrepreneurship, and Islam in America. IIIT Summer Student Program is a residential program, taught by world-class faculty, drawn from top institutions in the US and around the world.

Our faculty include:

Prof. Abdulaziz Sachedina (George Mason University)
Prof. John Voll (Georgetown University)
Prof. Feryal Salem (Hartford Seminary)
Prof. Jonathan Brown (Georgetown University)
Prof. Jasser Auda (Qatar Faculty of Islamic Studies)

Accommodation for out-of-area students will be provided by the IIIT at a local hotel on a shared basis. In addition, IIIT will pay each student a scholarship of $1,000 to cover their living and other expenses, which will be paid in two installments. Students must have their own health insurance coverage. IIIT does not provide health – or any other form – of insurance to students. The program will be held at IIIT office in Herndon, VA. Transportation to and from Herndon is each student’s responsibility. The Institute will not cover transportation costs.

The applicants should fill out the online application form and submit it with their updated resume/C.V., a recent transcript, and a 250-words statement no later than March 1, 2015. Official transcripts should be sent to the following address: Director of Research and Academic Programs, International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT), 500 Grove St., Suite 200, Herndon, VA 20170.

For full information and online application please see: http://www.iiit.org/Education/SummerStudentsProgram/tabid/98/Default.aspx

Call for Papers

“CONSTRUCTING AND CONTESTING ISLAM IN CONTEMPORARY CONTEXTS”

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SANTA BARBARA

We are pleased to announce the call for papers for the Fifth Annual Islamic Studies Conference at UC Santa Barbara. This year’s conference will be held May 8th-10th, 2015 at the Mosher Alumni House. The keynote address will be delivered by Charles Hirschkind, professor of Anthropology at the University of California, Berkeley.

We welcome contributions that consider this theme from a variety of disciplinary perspectives, with a focus on the ways in which contestations of practice, authority, and interpretation function in the constitution of competing visions of normative Islam. In examining the ways in which Islam and Muslim identities are constructed and contested in contemporary discourses, this conference seeks to explore questions such as: How is language employed, by Muslims and/or non-Muslims, to define and delimit the boundaries of Islamic identity? In what ways do these discursive practices inform and interact with practices of identification by Muslims and non-Muslims? What are the politics and economics that condition representations and perceptions of Islam and Muslims in the ‘public’ sphere?

To submit a proposal, please send an abstract (300-500 words) along with a two-page CV by December 15, 2014 to: 

isgsc@cmes.ucsb.edu

We especially encourage papers which take up these issues in relation to the following themes:

Disciplining and Teaching Islam
- The roles of Muslim and non-Muslim organizations (advocacy groups, think tanks, pedagogical institutions) in shaping public perceptions of normative Islam.

- The (mis)use of Islamic terminology in media, political, and popular discourse.

- The development of Islamic Studies as field and its role in shaping and problematizing understandings of Islam.


- Genealogies and changing normativities of Islamic terms and concepts (taqlīd, ijtihād, sharī‘a, khilāfa, etc.)

Islam and the Arts
- Visual arts, music, poetry, literature, architecture, dance, and film.

- The contested place of the Islamic fashion industry in Muslim communities.

- The construction of sensory landscapes and sacred spaces.

Minorities and Marginalization
- Individuals, practices, traditions, movements, and communities that are usually viewed as peripheral (or even “un-Islamic”).

- How traditions, practices, and individuals become marginalized in relation to particular structures of power.

- Islamic counterpublics and the construction of subjectivities.

- Methods and discourses for mobilizing Muslims for protest, activism, or militancy.

- Changing practices and possibilities of identification across generational, spatial, and social contexts, including the politics of hyphenated or qualified identities (American-Muslim, Arab-Muslim, secular Muslim, modern Muslim, etc.).

Travel assistance may be available for conference presenters on a limited basis.

Smith College Job Opening

Jane Wright Ketcham 1953 Professorship in Middle East Studies

The Program in Middle East Studies at Smith College invites applications from senior scholars to serve as the inaugural occupant of the Jane Wright Ketcham '53 Chair in Middle East Studies, beginning July 2015. This appointment will be at the associate or full professor level with tenure.

We seek a distinguished scholar of the Middle East with a focus on issues in the contemporary Arab world. Scholarly proficiency in Arabic is required; knowledge of other regional languages is desirable. Candidates for this appointment must have a track record of intellectual leadership in the field and a passion for undergraduate training.  Applications are encouraged from broadly trained scholars of the region, as well as those with comparative training in Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, Palestine, and/or Turkey.

The successful candidate will be a scholar-teacher trained in the history, economics, politics, societies, and/or cultures of the region, and will be able to teach across disciplines. We are especially interested in applicants whose specializations enhance the existing strengths of our Program in Middle East Studies (www.smith.edu/mes).

Submit applications online: http://apply.interfolio.com/26948 with a letter of application, a C.V., a statement of teaching and research, and three confidential letters of recommendation from fellow scholars of Middle Eastern Studies.

Review of applications begins December 1, 2014.

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE WRITING WORKSHOP

Wednesday, October 29
10:00 am-11:00 am
1636 International Institute
School of Social Work Building

Tips for writing your statement of purpose for international fellowship funding applications.

Expert advice from a Sweetland writing professional:

• Formulating your research question
• Appealing to the selection committee
• Explaining why you need foreign language training
• Defining goals for overseas travel

Funding Opportunities Include:

• Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowships
• International Institute Individual Fellowships
• Rackham International Research Award (RIRA)
• Grants from Area Studies Centers (please check individual Centers for opportunities)

University of Maryland Summer Language Institute

Arabic, Chinese, Persian

June 1 - August 5, 2015

Our program is open to all talented students of Arabic, Persian and Chinese (Incoming Freshmen, Undergraduate Students, Graduate Students, Military, Working Professionals, etc). The average student attending will have made a serious, long term commitment to learning their target language, be prepared to study intensively for nine weeks, and be performing well academically at their home institution. Due to the intensive nature of the program, it will not be possible to take other courses or work during the program.

Program Highlights:

· One full academic year (12 credits) of language learning in one intensive summer;

· Elementary, Intermediate, and Advanced instruction (and 4th year, content level in Persian);

· Language partners for additional support, one-on-one speaking practice, and tutoring;

· Varied and interesting hands-on cultural events and field trips and networking opportunities, making the most of our proximity to Washington, DC;

· More than 35 hours of in-language coursework, language partners, and cultural activities per week;

· Competitive scholarships available to help offset the cost of attendance.

Early Bird Application Deadline: March 2, 2015

Priority Application Deadline: March 20, 2015

**You must apply by the Priority Deadline to be considered for scholarships.

Additional information about our Summer Institutes can be found at our website: http://sllc.umd.edu/special-programs/summerinstitute.

Call for Papers: SYMPOSIA IRANICA

SECOND BIENNIAL IRANIAN STUDIES CONFERENCE

Hosted by the University of Cambridge, 8-9 April 2015

***Deadline: 15 November 2014***

Applications are warmly invited for papers that relate to any aspect of Iranian studies in any discipline within the humanities and social sciences. This includes but is by no means limited to: ancient through to contemporary history and historiography; anthropology; archaeology; cultural heritage and conservation; social and political theory; Diaspora studies; ecology and the environment; economics; historical geography; history of medicine; art and architecture history; education; international relations and political science; epigraphy, languages, literature, linguistics and philology; new media and communication studies; philosophy; religions and theology; classical studies; sociology; film studies and the performing arts.

Comparative themes and interdisciplinary approaches are also very welcome.

All proposals are subject to double blind peer review.

SUBMISSIONS

We welcome proposals from the following:

1. Postgraduate students (currently enrolled or graduating in 2014);

2. PhD students at any stage of their degree; and

3. Post-docs (subject to graduation within the last three years).

MORE INFORMATION

Established in 2012, Symposia Iranica inaugurated at the University of St Andrews with 99 speakers in 2013 as the first early career scholar-focused forum in the field. Our objectives are both to bring together students and early career scholars to celebrate, encourage and stimulate their interest and engagement with Iranian studies, and to deliver a rounded, academically and professionally enriching experience that will have a real impact on the thinking, output and career progression of our participants.

For details on the conference, see our website: symposia-iranica.com

To get updates directly to your newsfeed, follow us on: facebook.com/SymposiaIranica

For a virtual tour of Downing College, see: symposia-iranica.com/cambridge/

Last year’s brochure can be found here: symposia-iranica.com/first-biennial/

SPONSORS

We gratefully acknowledge the support of the British Institute of Persian Studies, the Soudavar Memorial Foundation, the Barakat Trust, Iran Heritage Foundation, the Shahnama Centre for Persian Studies, the Global Heritage Fund, the Magic of Persia Foundation, I.B.Tauris Publishers, Brill Publishers, and the University of Cambridge.

Job Opportunity: Assistant Professor, Pitzer College

Assistant Professor in Arabic Language and Culture 

(with a secondary specialization in French or another language preferred)

Pitzer College, a member of the Claremont Colleges, invites applications for a full-time, tenure-track Assistant Professor in Arabic language and culture, with a secondary specialization in French or another language preferred, starting in Fall 2015. The successful candidate will teach a total of five courses per year, with an emphasis on colloquial Arabic. The position will be housed in Pitzer’s existing Modern Languages, Literatures, and Cultures field group. We seek candidates with a strong commitment to undergraduate education, experience teaching Arabic at all levels to undergraduates in North American universities. Evidence of an active scholarly agenda is essential. A Ph.D. by the time of appointment is expected.

Expertise desired in areas of contemporary relevance that could include, but are not limited to, Cinema and Media Studies, Language Pedagogy, Literature, Popular Culture, Second Language Acquisition, and Sociolinguistics. The position will be housed in Pitzer’s existing Modern Languages, Literatures, and Cultures field group.

The successful candidate‘s responsibilities in teaching and program development will include:

·         developing a standards-based communicative approach;

·         participating in curriculum design, materials development, and assessment of language proficiency;

·         designing and implementing an integrated community-based curricular component for Arabic language students;

·         student advising and service in college governance;`

·         developing upper-level courses in Arabic in the candidate’s area(s) of specialization.

Pitzer College has developed a regionally and nationally recognized community-based language learning approach that strengthens ties with neighboring communities and Study Abroad sites. Candidates whose interest and research connects to ethnographic methods, interdisciplinary work and the intersection of global/local issues and language might find the Los Angeles area and the connection with study abroad sites an attractive opportunity for their scholarship.

Pitzer College has a strong institutional commitment to diversity in all areas and strongly encourages candidates from underrepresented groups. We favor candidates who can contribute to the College’s distinctive educational objectives, which promote interdisciplinary perspectives, intercultural understanding, and concern with social responsibility and the ethical implications of knowledge and action. Pitzer College is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer. For the successful applicant with the relevant interests, affiliations are possible with the intercollegiate departments of Africana Studies, Asian American Studies, Chican@/Latin@ Studies, and/or the Intercollegiate Feminist Center for Teaching, Research, and Engagement.

To apply, please visit FacultyJobs@Pitzer to submit a letter of application, curriculum vitae, selected evidence of excellence in teaching and research, statement of teaching philosophy, description of research, and a list of three persons who will provide letters of recommendation to Pitzer by the deadline. Additionally, candidates should include a separate statement that addresses how their cultural, experiential, and/or academic background contributes to the understanding of diversity at the College. The deadline for applying is October 31, 2014, or until the position is filled. Applications received before the deadline will be given preference. Candidates should indicate if they plan to attend the Modern Language Association conference in January, 2015, where preliminary interviews will be held.  Campus interviews will follow in mid to late February, 2015. Due to the high number of applications we receive, we ask that you please e-mail your questions to: ALC_Search@Pitzer.edu .

Pitzer College — a private, undergraduate, coeducational college of the liberal arts and sciences — is consistently ranked among the best such colleges in the country. Located in Claremont, California, a city about 35 miles east of Los Angeles, Pitzer is a member of The Claremont Colleges consortium and benefits from the shared resources of seven institutions.