IYLEP: An Impressive, Fantastic, and Unforgettable Experience!

By Salman Ahmed Rasul 

Nine AUIS students participated in Iraqi Yong Leaders Exchange Program (IYLEP) this June for six weeks. Before I start talking about our time in the program, let me give you the basics. IYLEP is a leadership, educational, and cultural program funded by the US Embassy in Baghdad. There are two IYLEP institutes administrated by FHI 360: Social Media and Public Policy. There are two others implemented by World Learning: Environment and Social Awareness and Public Health and Community Development.There is also IYLEP for high school students, which is also administrated by World Learning. 

Now let’s get a little deeper. Randi Barznji and I participated in IYLEP Social Media Institute at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in Richmond, four AUIS students participated in IYLEP Public Policy Institute at University of Massachusetts – Amherst, and three others participated in IYLEP World Learning. During that time, we had an impressive, fantastic, and unforgettable experience. 

This program basically consists of two parts: academic and cultural, which we called “the fun part.” As the only AUIS students in Social Media Institute, Randi and I each got three certificates: one from the Embassy of the United States in Baghdad & FHI 360, the another from the School of Mass Communications and the Global Education Office at VCU, and the third for first and second place award by Social Media Institute at VCU.

We spent 5 days in Washington, D.C. for the opening conference. We participated in various activities, visited popular tourist attractions, and attended lectures. For example, we went to a lecture about American Government and the Presidential Election of 2012 by Philip Patlan, who worked for the White House during Obama’s and Bush’s administrations. He talked about life in the U.S briefly, and then discussed public life as well. In the very beginning of his speech, he said that individuality is very important in the U.S. After his lecture, I had a chance to talk to him. 

I told him that on the one hand, individuality is not something unique about the U.S. It is important almost everywhere in the world, including Iraq, because everyone is motivated by self-interest. This is the nature of human beings, as Machiavelli discusses in The Prince. But that does not mean that family or other things such as power, money, and religion, are not important. They also play a very important role, especially in Iraqi society. On the other hand, yes, Patlan was right because individuality is more important in the U.S than in Iraq, where family is usually more in charge of society than individuals. Then, he talked about public life which is very different from public life in Iraq, because we do not have a strong government, a lot of associations, nonprofit organizations and NGOs, as they do in the U.S.   

Another interesting thing that I happened in D.C was seeing AUIS President Dr. Athanasios Moulakis on the street. One day, in the evening, we went to see the White House and the Capitol Hill and some other popular places in D.C. After that, we took a taxi to go back to our hotel. On the way, we stopped at a red traffic light, and suddenly I saw Dr. Moulakis. He was walking on the street. I called him and he turned around to me, and he said Hello, but unfortunately, I did not have a chance to talk to him because the cab driver pulled away. I told him to stop for a few minutes, but he could not because it was too crowded. 

After the opening conference in D.C., IYLEP participants from Public Policy headed to Amherst in Massachusetts, while the Social Media participants headed to Virginia Beach on the Atlantic Ocean. We spent the weekend swimming during daytime and attending concerts at night. After that, we went to Richmond, VA. Richmond, which is the capital city of Virginia, is only 2 hours away from Washington D.C., but it is totally different. When we first arrived in Richmond, I felt like I was visiting another country! 

We had Social Media class for one month with VCU students in Richmond. During every class, experts on social media lectured us. We had midterm and final exams, assignments on Twitter and Delicious.com, and presentations on social media tools and Iraq. After the class, we also did some other activities. For example, we visited CBS6, a local TV station, and Randi and I were selected by our professor and IYLEP staff for an interview about social media, Virginia, and Iraq. The anchor of CBS6 asked me a question about one thing that I would like to tell the Americans, and my response was that I hope that more Americans will take interest in what is currently happening in Iraq. Iraq has been developed since the liberation of Iraq in 2003. There has been a lot of construction and investment. Our education is getting better. Our economy is growing every day. I would like to tell the Americans that what you see in the news about Iraq is not always correct. If Americans want to get a better understating about Iraq, they should visit Iraq to see the progress. 

We also wrote blog posts for Richmond.com. My article was about politics and equality in my hometown, Rania, and Sulaimani in particular. The most important part of the academic side of this program was our projects for nonprofit organizations. We worked for non-profit organizations with VCU students in Richmond. Our class was divided into 10 teams. There were IYLEP students and VCU students in every team. Our client was Fan Free Clinic, which was the first free clinic in the Commonwealth of Virginia. We created YouTube video, Tumblr, social media strategy and manual, and other social media platforms for our client. By the end of the course, each team presented their projects, which were judged by 3 experts on social media. Randi’s team won first place in the final project by voting from the audience and the judges, and my team placed second. 

In short, the most important part of working for nonprofit organizations was the combination of VCU and IYLEP students in each team. We learned a lot from each other. They learned a lot about Iraq and our culture, and we learned many things from VCU students about American culture, American history, American Government, even American music and food. This experience proved to me that it is absolutely correct when they say students can learn not only from their professors, but also from other students as well, especially if the students have different backgrounds. I think this is why or it may be one of the reasons that the universities in the U.S attempt to diversify their student body populations by accepting international students.  

Finally, we returned to Iraq on August 6. Since I returned, I have been asked by a number of people about the main purpose of the program. I am sure some of you who read this blog post have the same question. The main purpose of this program is not to get a certificate. It is not only about social media or public policy. It is about life in general. We experienced many different things. We compared life and culture in the U.S and life in Iraq. There are a lot of similarities and differences. For example, one of the differences that I observed was that dreams and goals differ between Iraqis and Americans. In the US, everyone can have a long term goal and achieve that goal if they want, and they make a lot of effort to pursue that goal. However, in Iraq, people have a lot of short term goals, but it is not easy to accomplish short term goals because of the political instability and some other problems that we have faced.  One of the similarities is diversity. The U.S is also very diverse like Iraq.

This blog post first appeared on www.auis.edu.iq 

Window into Iraq: Warm-hearted People of Kurdistan Region

POLITICS AND EQUALITY

Salman Ahmed Rasul 

I am from Rania, which is a small town in Sulaymaniyah Governorate in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. It is a very different place from other regions in Iraq. We speak Kurdish and have Kurdish culture, traditions, food, music and clothes.

Rania is known as the gate of the Kurdish Uprising of 1991, when people protested against Saddam Hussein. Despite having some minorities like Christians and Turkmens, the Kurds make up the majority of the population in Kurdistan.

The citizens of Sulaymaniyah enjoy the right to freedom of speech and political stability. It is known as one of the cities of sacrifice. People go out on the streets and protest.

Many memorable protests have taken place at Bardasky Sara square, very similar to that took place in Cairo’s Tahrir Square in Egypt as part of the Arab Spring in 2011. I was a fellow protester in February 2011, along with thousands of people who also gathered to voice opposition against corrupt government. These protests lasted for 62 days.

Sulaymaniyah is one of the most liberal cities in Iraq and in the Middle East as pointed out by our American professors at the American University of Iraq, Sulaymaniyah (AUIS). In our schools, there are more girls who make up the student population all the way from elementary school to the university level.

While there is more representation of women in governmental and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), the number of positions held by women is still very low. Women deserve full equality and there should be more female representation in government and in the political sphere.

Women have the same intellect and competency, but their abilities are not equally represented. They should always demand for more rights in order to get what they deserve. Nobody ever gets what they deserve if they settle for less.

This blog post first appeared on richmond.com  

Higher Education in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Part I

By Salman Ahmed Rasul 

                                 AUIS Campus 

This article is the first of a two part special report on higher education in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.

The system of higher education in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq faces a lot of challenges and problems. The quality of the system in general, in terms of conducting scientific and high quality research has been criticized by the local media, public opinion, and many international media platforms. Even some high governmental officials of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) have admitted to the existence of the low quality system, including Dlawer Abdul-Aziz Ala'Aldeen himself, the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research.

The local media, both independent and Kurdish political media have revealed that academic qualifications and the role of the universities are under question in the region. Major problems are the absence of complete academic freedom, suppression of freedom of speech, and political charges and interference of politicians over the public and private universities.

However, there has been plenty of excellent progress in improving higher education quality since Barham Salih, Prime Minister of KRG, appointed Ala'Aldeen as the Minister. Despite insurmountable political barriers and struggles, they both are truly continuing to make a lot of efforts to reform extensively. Having said that, from the quality standpoint, the KRG’s Human Capacity Development Program (HCDP) which awards scholarships to graduate students to study abroad, and the opening of new universities in Raparin, Halabja, Zakho, and Garmyan are two immensely popular achievements of his cabinet.

Ala'Aldeen does not conceal encountering difficulties and radical changes. "Reform of Higher Education and Scientific Research in Kurdistan is a big challenge that requires a clear vision and a well thought out road map. Here, the top level strategies mentioned are to provide a frame work for the Ministry’s future activities,www.ekurd.net and to generate lively debates in the academic community. The issues are complex and the challenge is enormous, however, these are not overwhelmingly so. We shall brain-storm every milestone, and with the determination and hard work of the academic leaders, we shall move from one milestone to another.” Ala'Aldeen wrote a vision and strategy titled "A Vision to the Future of Higher Education in Kurdistan” which was published on the official website of the ministry www.mhe-krg.org on November 8, 2009.

Besides the lack of practical sessions, logical arguments, discussions and training, lecturing is the main priority and common technique of teaching in the majority of the professors.

Thomas Hill, clinical assistant professor at New York University's Center for Global Affairs, who has been working, conducting research, monitoring and leading discussions and workshops with professors and students at the universities throughout the Kurdistan Region for 11 years, exposed the biggest obstacles of the universities. He criticized the way that professors teach and lecture.

"I know that all of the public universities struggle with issues related to financial resources and developing modern facilities,” he said. "To me, however, the biggest issue facing the universities in the Kurdistan Region is finding ways to encourage new and more effective methods of learning, teaching and research. Lecturing is still the primary method used by most professors, even though it has been demonstrated that adults, even young adults learn most effectively when more interactive approaches to education are used.”

Hill also encouraged students alongside the professors to be more responsible and active. "Students in the Kurdistan Region also have to take greater responsibility for being active learners. One way they can do this is by undertaking more rigorous research.”

Furthermore, Hill admitted that it is not an easy process to work on large collections of books and research for the universities here, but there are still other ways to achieve increasing knowledge. "I understand that it is still very difficult for the universities to develop large collections of books in their libraries, but there are other forms of research that can be utilized, such as exploring reputable scholarly materials available on the internet and conducting field research in their communities that can help develop knowledge for the communities as well as for the student researchers.”

Hill was generally speaking about public universities. To know about major problems of private universities, Athanasios Moulakis, President and Provost of the American University of Iraq Sulaimani (AUIS), indicated the difficulties that they face. While MoHESR ranked AUIS as the top university among the private universities in the Kurdistan Region, it is still not far from several problems, even so distinct problems. At least, it cannot prevent difficulties that come up from improving things at the margin.

Moulakis said they have to keep all the balls in the air at the same time which is inevitable. "Most of the difficulties we face are connected to our being a very young institution. In well established institutions you can content yourself with improving things at the margin. In a "start-up” you have to keep all the balls in the air at the same time, obviously you will drop some. AUIS has, however, been making very rapid progress and we look forward to the future with confidence and high hopes.”

Unlike the public universities, AUIS attempts to eliminate the financial crisis by raising funds from different sources such as donations from local and international companies, businessmen, and student tuition fees. Moulakis clearly stated that "As a private non-profit institution AUIS must raise the funds needed for its operation.”

"Charging fees is, of course, something of a challenge in a country accustomed to state institutions that provide higher education for free – or, more exactly at public expense,” Moulakis added, "The enormous support we have received from individuals, businesses and civil society in the region and beyond is an excellent sign that we can look forward to continued material and moral support as we grow stronger in the service of the people of this region.” 




This article first appeared on Xendan.org

Higher Education in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Part II

By Salman Ahmed Rasul

                               New Campus of Sulaimani University Photo by www.xendan.org

This article is the second of a two part special report on higher education in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. 


In addition to illustrating the difficulties of the higher educational system in the Kurdistan region in the first part of this article, Thomas Hill also discussed awhat needs to be changed, and what is required to be done.
From Hill’s point of view, what needs to be changed is the students and professors minds against old hierarchies. The process of learning is not only from the professors to the students, but also the exchange of knowledge that can be transferred from the students to the professors and as well as among the students themselves.

"I think the main change that needs to happen is a shift in thinking by students and professors to break down old hierarchies so that they can learn from each other,” said Hill. "Professors can learn as much from their students as students learn from their professors and other students. Professors who employ new, interactive student-centered teaching techniques and students who undertake new forms of critical research can lead this transition.”

Hill’s response about the requirements of this change is encouraging the students and professors by leaders who make policies of higher education. "Of course, they also need to be encouraged to take these steps by the political and university leaders who make higher education policies for the Kurdistan Region.”

Athanasios Moulakis spoke about AUIS in more detail by stating that it is the only educational institution in Iraq that provides American-style liberal arts education. He said AUIS has met resistance by those people who are not familiar with its style. "The innovations that AUIS introduces to Iraqi and Kurdish education, for example the pattern of student-centered learning and the single core in arts and sciences taken by all students,www.ekurd.net regardless of what their major will be, rather than immediate specialization into "faculties” according to the antiquated ways of the traditional national universities, meets with resistance by the public, students and their parents, who are unfamiliar with these approaches.”

Moreover, Hill’s comprehension about the current role of universities in the current and future developments of the Kurdistan Region in terms of improving high standards of education, economic and political developments was having lots of young, bright, inquisitive college students in Kurdistan who need to be taught critical thinking and effective planning of research, and then need to be employed.

"Every bit of public and private practice in the region needs to be exposed to critical, scholarly inquiry through a reflective research process,” said Hill, "The leaders of the region need to welcome this scholarly criticism and commit to turning the best ideas that emerge from this process into new policies that will benefit all the people in the region. There are plenty of young, bright, curious university students throughout the Kurdistan Region, and, indeed, throughout Iraq. They need to be encouraged to learn new research methods, to employ them, to share their research outcomes widely, and then to see that the region's leaders value their critical thinking by developing innovative new policies that take advantage of what the region's best and brightest minds can produce.”

Moulakis also said that they have met resistance to their innovations. "Yet our task is precisely to innovate, to introduce a fresh and better way for students to realize their full potential for themselves, their families, their employers and their country. One can say, therefore, that we need to overcome resistance to our innovative ways to do our work. Overcoming such resistance, opening new horizons is, however, not only a means but also an end: Change for the better is our work, and it will be borne out by the recognized excellence of our graduates.”

One of Ala'Aldeen’s main reform dimensions is a vision not only to the current, but also to the future of educational systems by prioritizing quality assurance. "The role of higher education institutions (HEI) in the process of nation-building is indispensible. Raising standards in these institutions has long been a top priority for the people and Government of Kurdistan Region,” Ala'Aldeen added: "(MoHESR) will embark on reviewing the entire system of higher education, in a way that no legal or administrative barrier would be considered too sacred to change. On the contrary, they will all have to be removed to accommodate reform and serve the ultimate purpose, namely, improving quality and raising standards. Even the role of the Ministry and the Government in HE would have to be re-defined.”

Finally, the biggest concern of a lot of people is the continuation and protection of the reform process after Ala'Aldeen. What will happen after changing the current cabinet of KRG for the next two years? It seems that by changing the current Prime Minister, the minister of HESR will be replaced by another person. The question is will his vision and the process of reform continue after he leaves his office? 


This article first appeared on Xendan.org

Political charges

AUIS disputes board interference

By Salman Ahmed Rasul

                   U.S. Ambassador Christopher R. Hill, and Prime Minister of KRG, Barham Salih, First AUIS MBA Graduation Ceremony 

The members of the AUIS Board of Regents and Board of Trustee do not try to use their political relationships to influence the University in spite of what some people, including an American journalist, have suggested, AUIS officials told the Voice.

These critics of AUIS are not familiar with the University and do not know what is going on at the school, the officials said. Some of them do not want the AUIS to be victorious.

Michael Rubin, an American journalist, has criticized AUIS several times. He most recently wrote an article titled “Trouble Brewing for the American University of Iraq?” that was published by the National Review On-line on April 21.

“Let’s hope that the American University of Iraq [sic] will remain more American than Iraqi. Perhaps soon the American University of Iraq [sic] will take steps to reduce its own political vulnerability by limiting the potential for political influence and abuse on its governing board of regents,” Rubin wrote for the NRO.

Barham Salih, the chairman of the AUIS Board of Trustees and the prime minister of the KRG, said he will not respond to every journalist and politician who criticizes AUIS. But, in an interview at a picnic for AUIS on April 30, Salih said there is no “political influence” over the University. He said the University does have politicians on its Board of Regents.

But there is “complete academic freedom,” he said of the Board of Regents, an honorary body that does not govern, make rules or policies.

In a written response to the NRO, John Agresto, the AUIS Provost, said he was confused by Rubin’s attacks.

“I am not sure I fully know why my one-time friend, Michael Rubin, has it in so badly for the American University of Iraq [sic]. Maybe he loves us and wants us to succeed. Maybe, in which case, he should get his facts straight,” Agresto wrote.

Agresto also acknowledged that there are prominent political and business figures on the honorary Board of Regents, including a former U.S. ambassador to Iraq. But they do not govern or make policy, he said.

The six members of the Board of Regents are Jalal Talabani (Chairman), Adil Abdul-Mahdi, Hacem Al- Hassani, Ayad Allawi, Nechirvan Barzani and Zalmay Khalizad.

“I am not only a founding Board member and NRO contributor, but I am also provost and dean of the faculty at AUIS.” he said, “Never, in our two and a half year history, have I ever been asked to hire or fire someone, add a course or subtract one, raise or lower an instructor’s salary- or do anything that would compromise the academic integrity of AUI,S in any way,” Agresto wrote.

Joshua Mitchell, acting chancellor of AUIS, also said Rubin’s claims are not founded.

“It is unfortunate that Mr. Rubin uses every opportunity he can to assault AUIS,” Mitchell said in a written response to the Voice. “His central claim, of course, is that AUIS is ‘political,’ the proof of which, he claims, is that there are political figures on the Board of Regents. Provost Agresto’s recent posting in the NRO puts to rest any doubt about the political influence of the Board here at AUIS.”

Azzam Alwash, one of Board of Trustees, said is perturbed by such accusation. It is not the first time for him to hear such accusations, he wrote in a reply to the Voice.

“I suspect that these kinds of accusations are based on a misunderstanding of the governing structure of the University which is comprised of a Board of Trustees and a Board of Regents,” he said.

Alwash said the regents have a role to open doors to donor counties and organizations, which helps the University.

“The regents’ role is rather limited to opening doors to the donor countries and organizations that encourage the independence of educational institutes from the government,” he said. “The Board of Regents does not control nor influence the academic policies or the running of the University affairs. The Board of Trustees is tasked with giving guidelines to the administration of the University and the trustees have no right to affect the daily affairs of the University.”

Alwash agreed that the regents are political figures but pointed out that the trustees are not.

Kanan Makiya, a member Board of Trustees, he has been involving from the very beginning. AUIS opened in 2007.

“I think this accusation is totally misguided and betrays ignorance of the University,” Makiya said. “There has never been a single instance of ‘political interference’ or of politicization of the University’s decisions that I know of, and I have been involved from the very beginning.”

There are 11 members of the Board of Trustees of AUIS. They are Barham Salih (President), John Agresto, Fu’ad Ajami, Alwash, Rajaa KHuzai, Makiya, Jamil Mroue, Herish Muharam, Basil Al-Rahim, Abdul Rahman Al- Rashid and Faruk Rasoul.

This article first appeared on auisvoice.org 

The American University of Iraq, Sulaimani Hosted Its First International Conference 


By Salman Ahmed Rasul 

 Dlawer Abdul-Aziz Ala'Aldeen, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research of the Kurdistan Regional Government discusses with AUIS students in the library after the first session of the conference on November 25, 2011. Photo: Salman Ahmed/ekurd.net

Since, the American University of Iraq, Sulaimani (AUIS) was opened in 2007; there have been a lot of seminars, workshops, debates, panel discussions, and conferences that were taking place at the university.

The most recent one was the first AUIS’ International Conference on November 24-25, 2011 on "Democracy, Liberty, and the New Realities of the Middle East and North Africa.” Some American experts participated to discuss this topic, including former U.S. Ambassador to Iraq, the      


Republic of Korea, Poland, and the Republic of Macedonia Christopher R. Hill, from the University of Denver, Josef Korbel School of International Studies. He discussed on “Iraq’s democratic struggle and what it means for the Middle East and North Africa.”

Athanasios Moulakis, President and Provost of AUIS said that the main purpose of the conference is “Promoting responsible democratic citizenship is an essential part of the University’s mission. It is furthermore important to advance the understanding of current affairs in the context of rigorous, well informed scholarly analysis.”

Dlawer Abdul-Aziz Ala'Aldeen, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) attended in the second day of the conference. He asked some questions and gave some comments. After the conference, he stated that the scholars have a lot of experience and knowledge that they shared during the conference for the attendees. “They are international experts who have experience as well as knowledge. Many of them have lived in Iraq. From point of authority,www.ekurd.net they have contributed to shaping the current and the future of Iraq; therefore, listening to their take home message, listening to their advice, and listening to the long stories that they carry with them through their experience in Iraq was fascinating,” Ala’Aldeen said, “I found that what they were presenting was a global view of events that may apply to many countries which go through transition from autocratic governments to democracies. So, there was plenty of interesting debates and stimulating discussions.”

Larry Diamond from the Stanford University was another speaker of the conference. He is currently a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution and at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, where he leads the Center for Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law. The title of his discussion was “The Flow and Ebb of Democracy’s Third Wave in the Middle East and North Africa.”

Diamond believes that democracy is still under an uncertain journey in the Arab World, but he is optimistic only about Tunisia to be a democratic country in the future after Zein El Abidine Ben Ali because of three reasons: no oil, a moderate Islamic Party, and a significant and educated middle class. “Tunisia does not have oil--that is a huge plus, ironically. Oil is a curse. There is no oil-dependent developing country that is a democracy. Second, Tunisia is relatively developed and well educated compared to the other non-oil-rich Arab countries, and it has a significant middle class. Third, its Islamist party, Ennahda, is relatively moderate, and is sending encouraging signals of tolerance and compromise. It is acting much more like the Justice and Development Party (AKP) in Turkey than hard-core fundamentalist Islamists,” Diamond said.

Moreover, Diamond is pessimistic about other countries in the Arab World, especially Egypt because of two obstacles;the Muslim Brotherhood and the military. “I am worried that the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt is much less tolerant and has a more militant and hegemonic agenda for Egypt. Libya has to rebuild its entire state; Yemen has been on the brink of civil war with incredibly deep divisions. Also, in Egypt the military remains dominant and hostile to democracy, while in Tunisia the military is standing back and letting a democratic transition unfold,” he added. 


This article first appeared on ekurd.net

‘WHAT IS THE BEST LIFE? WHAT IS THE BEST LIFE FOR ME?’ SMITH

By Salman Ahmed Rasul
AUI-S Voice Staff Reporter (FULL VERSION)

Bryan H. Smith is an assistant professor and Convener of International Studies at AUI-S. He teaches philosophy, and a few weeks ago he started a philosophical club with Athanasios Moulakis, the Provost of AUI-S, James Harrigan, the Dean of Students, and Louis Petrich to provide more philosophical material for the students, and to make the students to be more familiar with philosophy texts. This time AUI-S Voice chose Bryan to respond our questions about several different issues here at AUI-S.

Would you tell us about your academic background? And if you want to tell us a little bit about your personal life, it will be gratifying.
The most important part of my academic background is that I studied as an undergraduate at the University of Alberta (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada). That this is important—in fact the most important fact of my academic background—may be surprising. It may be surprising for a couple of reasons.

First, as an undergraduate, I was directionless and not particularly interested in school. If I had a reason for going to the University of Alberta it was to play sports, indulge in other entertainment, and because this is what I was supposed to do in order to eventually find a career.

Second, the University of Alberta was not particularly good either. No serious attempt was made to educate students. “Liberal” education was often a dirty word. Professors were more interested in publishing than teaching. And the education that was administered was often hyper-specialized, democratized, and politicized. In short, it was a typical over-sized under achieving North American university. Quite the opposite of what we have here at AUI-S.

Given, then, my disposition as an undergraduate and that of the U. of A., it might seem a little surprising that this is the place I would specify as the most important part of my academic background. My youthful disposition aside, the U. of A. seemed an improbable place to discover anything, let alone anything great. As chance would have it,however, I did.

I came across two teachers who were great: Professor Leon H. Craig and Professor Heidi D. Studer. They were the single greatest influence on my academic career. More importantly, they changed my life. Because of these teachers, I started to study. Because of these teachers, I wanted to study. Because of these teachers I eventually decided to go to graduate school and try to become a teacher myself. For me, they are living the standard to which I aim and measure my success.

These teachers showed me the nobility of philosophy. That studying political philosophy could “be a students’ most sobering, enlivening, refining, and liberating experience” and that the questions of political philosophy not only address the perennial questions facing mankind(What is justice? and What is the best regime?) but that it also addresses questions of the great personal importance, questions of immediate concern to us all: “What is the best life? What is the best life for me?”I still remember these words from my Introduction to Political Philosophy Syllabus.

This changed everything for me. This unlikely place in the middle of nowhere became the best place on earth. These two teachers made school and learning important. School became something great, real, and personal.School became the place where I was encouraged to learn from the great books in order to learn how to live my life, in order to maximize the best things in life. Before studying under these teachers,I was not a good student (and probably the less said about that the better). After,I wanted to do nothing but study great books and consider the great questions of political philosophy. I was bitten by the Gadfly and couldn’t think, dream,or want much of anything else.

From there, in order to pursue graduate studies, I moved to New York. I received a Masters of Arts and Ph.D. from Fordham University.Graduate School was good for me for many reasons. Besides living in New York on my own, I was able to teach throughout my graduate school education. For those years, then, I taught and learned about the great books and when I wasn’t studying or in the classroom, I could go out and play in a city filled with some of the greatest art currently collected by man.

What is your responsibility and task here at AUI-S as an assistant professor and Convener of International Studies (your role)?
My highest responsibility here at AUI-S is as a teacher:to educate the students;to not make students worse—but hopefully and perhaps better—in respect to human excellence; and to help elevate, free, and refine students’ souls. In short, my most important task—my best task here at AUI-S—is to provide students with a liberal arts education.

As the Convener of International Studies, I facilitate and coordinate the administration of this Major by managing the curriculum, by helping in the University’s hiring process, by supporting the Provost, and by promoting, reviewing, and evaluating the International Studies Major.

You have said before that philosophy has something in common with the liberal arts and that AUI-S is a “university offering a comprehensive American-style liberal arts education”.But International Studies students only take “Political Philosophy” and “Philosophy and Ethics”.Still less, the other students from other Majors take only one course in philosophy. Don’t you think that AUI-S should offer a new field in philosophy, or at least gives the students more opportunity to study philosophy by offering more courses for the university requirements?
Starting with the first part of your question, yes, philosophy and the liberal arts do have much in common. I have heard one teacher here describe philosophy as the core of the Core. Philosophy, in part, aims to go beyond one’s time and place to find something true, not something true here and now but something true simply, always and everywhere. Plato’s Socrates wonderfully illustrates this in his Allegory of the Cave (Plato, Republic, at the start of Book VII). Likewise, the literal meaning of a liberal arts education points to the same end. The literal meaning of a “liberal” arts education is to free you. Hence, the aims of a liberal arts education and philosophy in this sense are the same.

Philosophy, however, is not simply the pursuit of truth, or at least should not be. If it were, Socrates would have legally deserved the hemlock and should not deserve our admiration.

Philosophy at its height, then, seems both noble and good. Our liberal arts education attempts a similar high and difficult aim. At AUI-S we attempt to not just make you smart about this or that but we aim to make you good as well. The introduction to philosophy at AUI-S takes place alongside an introduction to ethics or as its titled, “Philosophy and Ethics” (PHI 202). The aim of “Political Philosophy” (POL 401) takes a similar consideration and aim.

Hence, philosophy and the liberal arts education here at AUI-S doesn’t attempt to free students from all restraints. Our aim is not to make students wild. Our aim is to open students to the best parts of themselves,to unbindyou from the shackles of mediocrity, to open your world to the highest possibilities and to the biggest questions, to cultivate a taste in you for the very best things a human being can expect or want from this world.

This is also why philosophy and the liberal arts are also the best way to prepare students for the everyday realities of post-graduate life: employment, family, politics ...etc. Our recent victories in Computer Science demonstrate our students are not hurt but helped by studying Plato. Why? Because both philosophy and a liberal arts education aim at a comprehensive understanding of our world.By seeing the big picture, you see all the possibilities. By training yourself to look for all the implications, all the scenarios, all the parts and how they fit together to form a whole you prepare yourself to be able to think through any difficulty and to tackle any and all problems. The comprehensive education of both philosophy and the liberal arts, then, makes students good in the sense that it makes you competent to understand and deal with this world.

By aiming to educate the whole soul, the entire human being, and not merely one part, we at AUI-S attempt to prepare students to see the entire world in all its beauty and glory, to help you make sense and be able to read the wonders of nature and convention.Liberal arts education, then,aims to educate the entire human being by exposing students to the most important questions a human being can ask as well as how they can be met here and now. Living as well as living well, combining the real with the ideal, the noble with the good, this is what we aim for here at AUI-S.

This accords with the understanding of philosophy at its foundation. It was only later, that philosophy or the sciences (knowledge) became separated into distinct sub-disciplines. It is in modernity that philosophy abandons the attempt at a comprehensive understanding or wisdom. The education here at AUI-S isn’t partisan or restricted to the weaknesses of modern education. We do not aim low to only give you a partial understanding of yourselves and your world.We aim high for the best reasons as well as the most practical.

Perhaps to best see how philosophy and liberal arts education are similar, consider Aristotle. This philosopher’s written works touch every part of life, not just metaphysics and epistemology. His works, like the works of all great philosophers, show a considered study of our entire world. Hence, to directly address the second part of your question, we needn’t necessarily give more philosophy courses here at AUI-S. All the courses here at AUI-S already help students to explore the world in all its wonder. In this sense, Ms. Lora’s “Macro Molecule Lab” is as philosophically important as your introduction to Aristophanes’ Clouds and Plato’s Apology of Socrates.

The practical virtues of studying Aristotle are exemplified in his best student, Alexander the Great. The American tradition inherited this liberal arts tradition and, hence, is why we, in part, have the word in the name of our school.

Having said that, philosophy does have a beauty all its own and as the university grows, it is quite reasonable that more courses devoted to philosophy could become available to students.

For the first time, you offer a Philosophy Reading Group or Philosophy Club. Can you tell us what this club is about and what the purpose of the club is? Who can attend? Who is in the panel to lead the discussion? What is the material that you cover during the sessions? And how is the contribution of the students?
This is an after school reading group. It was initiated by former students, particularly Bahman Abdulrahman Hassan and Krekar Muhammad Mustafa. The purpose of the club is simply to allow interested students, staff, and faculty the opportunity to gather to read, to discuss, and to study philosophy.

Anyone at AUI-S can attend. Regardless of your experience, all are welcome. You need only to be willing to cultivate an open mind and a desire to learn.

Dean James Harrigan and Mr. Louis Petrich lead discussion on Mondays (4-5pm). Dr. Moulakis and I lead discussion on Wednesdays (3:45-4:45pm).

We are reading Plato’s Republic. (We are going at a pace comfortable to the students, given students are already studying a minimum of 12 hours a week per class.) We usually try to cover one argument a week. The amount, then, ranges from 2-10 pages of reading.

Student participation has been good. Some are carefully listening, while others are asking very good questions that range from important practical questions of interpretation (How can you read a book this way, asking questions of every word and line?) to difficult questions about human sexuality and the proof of the soul.

What do you think about philosophy in general? Is it “destructive”? Is it constructive? Or both?Why?And why not?
Philosophy can be very destructive and harmful. It doesn’t have to be, however. Philosophy, or political philosophy, philosophy that is both noble and good, was born in the death of a man some 2,0000 years ago. Socrates showed that philosophy can be noble and good. In fact, Socrates showed that, arguably, it is the best life for a human being. This is, arguably, how our tradition of philosophy was founded and how it has perpetuated itself throughout the vicissitudes of time.

Who is your favorite philosopher?And, why?
I’m a bit of a glutton and have many favorites throughout the tradition. My teachers cultivated in me a taste for the great books: philosophic poets like Homer, Aristophanes, and Shakespeare as well as poetic philosophers like Plato, Aristotle, Machiavelli, Hobbes, Bacon, Locke, Rousseau, and Nietzsche. If, however, I had to pick one, I would have to say my hero was Socrates.

Why Socrates? ... Come to the Philosophy Reading Group and find out for yourself.

This interview first appeared on auisvoice.org