Graduate School
JONATHAN PHILLIPS
Royal Holloway, University of London
On April 5, Zahra Institute was delighted to welcome Jonathan Phillips of Royal Holloway, University of London, for its Fifth Annual Lecture on “The Life and Legend of the Sultan Saladin.” Phillips is the author of several award-winning histories and general editor of the forthcoming Cambridge History of the Crusades. His research focuses on the history of the Third Crusade and the memory of the crusades in Western Europe and the Near East since the eighteenth century.
Phillips’ engaging presentation shed new light on the medieval ruler’s character and milieu and was illustrated with images from both twelfth-century manuscripts and modern depictions of Salahaddin. A lively discussion followed.
The event, held at the Crown Center on the campus of Loyola University Chicago, drew a robust audience of academics and community members, including Chicago-area supporters of ZI and guests from as far away as Washington, DC, and Atlanta. We were especially pleased to see many new faces this year.
A core course for the Kurdish Studies MA, this class provides an introduction to Kurdish society through thematic discussion of Kurdish culture and covers major disciplinary approaches to key topics in Kurdish Studies.
This course seeks to develop a critical understanding of Kurdish media through a focus on news, television, film and social media. Combining discussion informed by post-colonial and critical media theory and engagement with Kurdish media archives and professionals, the class investigates the relationship between power and media in the making of images and information on Kurdishness.
Explores the nature of the research process, data collection, and the main tools of quantitative and qualitative research. The course offers an overview of the research process tailored to Kurdish Studies and related interdisciplinary areas, focusing on interviews, ethnography, and archival research.
Critical Muslim Studies is an interdisciplinary field that focuses on Muslim experience in a global context. Unlike more textually based Islamic Studies, Critical Muslim Studies approaches Islam and Muslims in the context of lived experience and history. It takes Muslim life as its primary object of study and thus underlines the relevance of the humanities and social sciences. It also sees critique not as a luxury, but rather as a necessity for both Muslim life and the understanding of it. Critical Muslim Studies places the study of Islam and Muslims in conversation with various philosophical and intellectual traditions, understanding Muslim experience in truly global terms.
The Master of Arts in Kurdish Studies at Zahra Institute is the first of its kind in the United States. It examines the lives and culture of the Kurds, a Middle Eastern people living in Kurdistan and beyond, spread across the borders of several modern states and linguistic and cultural zones.
The MA Program provides excellent background preparation for a doctoral degree in any field related to the Middle East and for those interested in pursuing careers in media, government, and international organizations. Our liberal arts approach to Kurdish Studies is based on rigorous academic standards and a strong commitment to scholarly freedom.
QWX Blog is a platform for researchers to share with a wider audience brief reports, timely observations, and commentary in their areas of expertise.
Zahra Institute Certificate Program 2021 alumnus and graduate student at Florida International University
Our Kurdish Studies Certificate Program connects students with highly-trained, responsive faculty in a small-class setting that enables them to expand on their existing knowledge while exploring Kurdish language, culture, and civilization. For application information visit our Certificate Program page.
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