2008 Woodie Awards
SJSU program tackles Middle East, American relations
Sarah Kyo
Issue date: 9/6/07 Section: News
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Jesse Polk Jr., a junior majoring in communication studies, asked Dr. Abdul Mawgoud Dardery about American and Egyptian students' perceptions of each other.
Dardery, a professor at South Nile Valley University in Egypt, said he "always" shares his experiences in the United States with his students. However, Dardery said, "When I share this beauty with students, they say, 'No, no, no, that's not the America we know."
Dardery said some of his Egyptian students have a negative perception of the United States. In fact, Dardery said some of his Egyptian students have gone so far as to call him "an American agent."
On the other hand, Dardery, who has taught at Seton Hill University in Greensburg, Pa., said some American students have had similar reactions when he talks about Islam, saying that he is "beautifying Islam."
Dardery spoke about the importance of communication between Americans and Muslims on Tuesday in a lecture called "The Clash Between America and Islam: Time for a New Ethical Paradigm" at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library. Dardery is one of the instructors participating in a program called Soylia Connect, which facilitates Internet conversations between American and Middle Eastern universities. In Spring 2008, SJSU will be the first West Coast university to participate in this program.
According to Soylia's Web site, groups of eight university students, four from the United States and four from the Middle East, converse in weekly two-hour conferences. Each of the students sit in front of a computer and a Web cam.
Emerita Jacqueline Thurston said she will be teaching a global studies class at SJSU associated with Soylia. Thurston, a retired professor from the school of art and design, said she met Dardery in an airport in Cairo, Egypt when she was a Fulbright Scholar in Egypt. Thurston said Dardery then invited her to talk to his students at his Egyptian university.
Dardery said each country in the world has its positive and negative points.
Dardery, a professor at South Nile Valley University in Egypt, said he "always" shares his experiences in the United States with his students. However, Dardery said, "When I share this beauty with students, they say, 'No, no, no, that's not the America we know."
Dardery said some of his Egyptian students have a negative perception of the United States. In fact, Dardery said some of his Egyptian students have gone so far as to call him "an American agent."
On the other hand, Dardery, who has taught at Seton Hill University in Greensburg, Pa., said some American students have had similar reactions when he talks about Islam, saying that he is "beautifying Islam."
Dardery spoke about the importance of communication between Americans and Muslims on Tuesday in a lecture called "The Clash Between America and Islam: Time for a New Ethical Paradigm" at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library. Dardery is one of the instructors participating in a program called Soylia Connect, which facilitates Internet conversations between American and Middle Eastern universities. In Spring 2008, SJSU will be the first West Coast university to participate in this program.
According to Soylia's Web site, groups of eight university students, four from the United States and four from the Middle East, converse in weekly two-hour conferences. Each of the students sit in front of a computer and a Web cam.
Emerita Jacqueline Thurston said she will be teaching a global studies class at SJSU associated with Soylia. Thurston, a retired professor from the school of art and design, said she met Dardery in an airport in Cairo, Egypt when she was a Fulbright Scholar in Egypt. Thurston said Dardery then invited her to talk to his students at his Egyptian university.
Dardery said each country in the world has its positive and negative points.
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