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Last Issue:
Tuesday,
December
18
2007
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Faculty Work Chosen as First Year Book
By Monette Bailey
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An image of the poster representing this year's book selection.
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Although America's relationship with the Middle East is a sensitive topic, what is important to members of the First Year Book committee is that U.S. foreign policy is a rich subject for intellectual exploration.
The Stakes: America and the Middle East, by Shibley Telhami, the university's Anwar Sadat Chair for Peace and Development and a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, was chosen as this year's selection for the First Year Book program. It explains Arab-Muslim attitudes toward the United States, some perspectives on Israeli-Palestinian violence and offers proposals for change. Telhami hopes that those reading the book, students, faculty or staff, will come away with a greater understanding of each side.
"It is covering issues that are at the core of our foreign policy," says Telhami. "Issues of pain, issues of hope, issues of tragedy. I hope to convey the complexit... so it will result in [people] thinking more and debating more.
"The purpose of the academy is not to tell people what to think, but to enrich them" so that they can discuss the issues in a more fruitful way, he says.
Since 1994, the Office of Undergraduate Studies has assembled a cross-campus committee of people to choose a book that can create a shared intellectual experience. The group reads several texts, nominated by members of the campus community. Once a book is selected, every new student receives a copy. This is the first time a book written by a faculty member has been chosen.
As with the courses he teaches, Telhami does not expect everyone to agree with each other, or him. "I just want to put forth ideas and information. I hope to provoke intellectual curiosity."
Lisa Kiely, assistant dean of undergraduate studies and coordinator of the program, says a yearlong calendar of activities is planned to complement the book. One of the highlights is an address by Telhami in October. Faculty members are encouraged to incorporate the text and activities into their curricula. Kiely says since First Year books are also selected on their ability to stimulate discussion across disciplines, a Web site will offer several resources and suggestions for doing so. The site will features essays from people of Middle Eastern descent and a multidimensional timeline of the 20th century as it relates to the Middle East.
"And there will be a link to a discussion area in WebCT," says Kiely. She joins Telhami in hoping students come away from the book with an increased awareness of the country's impact on other nations.
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