American Studies Center
at the University of Bahrain
Activities of the American Studies Center
Upcoming Programs:
October 8, 2008: Fall 2008 General Meeting of ASC students to be held in the ASC (S17-229) from 11:00 to 13:00. All ASC students are invited. Dr. Hillis will go over the many activities scheduled for the fall semester, including plans regarding the ASC's 10th Anniversary Celebration.
October 15, 2008: ASC student Hamad Mohamed Haneef Hayat Balucci will speak of his experience as a participant at the 2008 Euromediterranean Student Meeting of Peyresq (‘Les Rencontres Etudiantes Euro-Méditerranéennes’), which took place from August 16th-24th in the French Alpine village of Peyresq, in the ASC (S17-229) from 11:00-13:00. All are invited.
October 22, 2008: A digital video conference will be held between ASC students and Dr. Noam Chomsky, professor of linguistics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and an outspoken critic of US foreign and domestic policies. The topic of the DVC will be "The Global Impact of American Economic and Foreign Policy," and will be held at the UOB Zain eLearning Center from 19:00 to 20:30 (i.e. 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.).
October 29, 2008: The ASC will celebrate its 10th Anniversary at the UOB. Click here for details.
November 17, 2008: Asst. Special Agent in Charge of the Criminal Investigative Division of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) Middle East Field Office in Bahrain Glenn W. Roessler and NCIS Agent Andrew Brown will speak on "The Mission of the United States Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) in Bahrain & Throughout the GCC Region" in the ASC from 11:00-13:00 in the ASC (S17-229).
November 26, 2008: ASC students Marwa Haji Yaqoob Badow and Aysha Mohamed Abdulla Hamad will talk about their experiences in the USA during the summer of 2008 while on MEPI scholarship trips. The talk will be from 11:00-13:00 in the ASC (S17-229).
Past Programs: The American Studies Center sponsors numerous activities throughout the academic year. Below are some of the highlights:
June 26, 2008 [Thursday]: ASC held an end-of-the-year/graduation PARTY at Rayes restaurant at the Coral Beach Club [Click here for pics].
May 28, 2008: The ASC Delegation to the University of Jordan talked about their trip and experiences to Amman from April 19-23, 2008 [See the many photos from Jordan here]
May 27, 2008: Ms. Rima Nashashibi, President of the National Women's Political Caucus, Orange County, California gave a talk in the ASC on "Promoting Civic Awareness and Increased Involvement of Women in the Political Process." [See photos here]
May 27, 2008: ASC Director Dr. John Hillis and DELL Chair Dr. Abdulaziz Bulaila present plaque of appreciation to honor US Embassy Public Affairs Officer Helen LaFave [Click here for pics]
May 21, 2008: The documentary movie "A Crude Awakening" which was not shown the week before, due to the official day of mourning over the death of Sheikh Saad in Kuwait, was shown in the ASC Theater at 11:00 a.m. A discussion about "peak oil" led by Mahmood Najeeb followed the screening.
May 5, 2008: [TEMPORARILY POSTPONED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE] The ASC will celebrate its tenth anniversary (1998-2008) at the University of Bahrain.
May 4, 2008: Liz Witham, the director of "A Certain Kind of Beauty," one of the films entered into the Bahrain Human Rights International Film Festival, and her film partner and co-producer Ken Wentworth, met and spoke with ASC students and talked about film, film-making, and related topics. [Click here for photos]
April 19-23, 2008: Five UOB ASC students toured the University of Jordan and met with students from their American Studies Program and toured Petra and the Dead Sea.
April 16, 2008: UOB ASC students held a digital video conference with students from Yale University in the USA. [See photos here]
March 31, 2008: Mahmood Najeeb Mohamed Al-Mahmood gave a talk about his experiences traveling and studying in the US at Jackson State University in Jackson, Mississippi during the fall of 2007. [See photos here]
March 26-27, 2008: The American Studies Center hosted a booth at the University of Bahrain International Student Days.
March 26 or 27 (TBA), 2008: The UOB ASC digital video conference (DVC) with students from Yale University in the USA. had to be postponed until a later date.
March 26, 2008: A delegation of ten American students from the US-Bahrain Youth Citizenship for Disabilities Inclusion visited the ASC and participated in a discussion on how the ASC reflects American culture, values, etc. [See pics here]
March 21, 2008: ASC students, alumni, and friends participate in Walkathon on Amwaj Islands to benefit the Bahrain Down Syndrome Centre [Click here for photos]
March 17, 2008: Dr. Martin Scott Catino spoke on "The Cultural and Social History of the 1950s in the US" in the ASC [See photos here]
March 12, 2008: US Ambassador to Bahrain, J. Adam Ereli, participated in a roundtable discussion with ASC students in the ASC [See photos here]
March 3, 2008: Spring General Meeting of all ASC students & staff @ 11:00 in the ASC (i.e. S17-229). (click here for pics)
January 7, 2008: Dr. Niren M. Vyas spoke on "Teaching & Learning Beyond Textbooks" [Click here for photos]
December 12, 2007: Eman Al Dosary, from the UOB ELC, presented a talk entitled "In Pursuit of Beauty: James McNeill Whistler an American Artist in Europe" [See pictures here]
December 9, 2007: Thomas Friedman, the top foreign affairs columnist for The New York Times participated in a roundtable discussion with students at the University of Bahrain’s American Studies Center. [See Press Release here] [Click here for photos]
December 5, 2007: ASC student Ali Hasan Fardan spoke about his experiences in the US during the summer of 2007 as a recipient of the Middle East Partnership Initiative Youth Summer Leadership Institute [See photos here]
November 28, 2007: ASC Alumnae Samar Jaberi and Shaima Abdul-Wahed presented a talk entitled “Our Year of Study & Teaching in the USA” [Click here for pictures]
November 21, 2007: Thanksgiving celebration dinner in the ASC [See photos here].
November 19, 2007: Fulbright Scholar Dr. Scott Catino spoke on "Italian Americans, Americanization, and the Fascist Challenge: 1922-1941" in the ASC [click here for pictures].
October 31, 2007: Shaima Al Arayedh, UOB graduate and a former Bahraini Fulbright scholar and architecture graduate of Mississippi State University, spoke on "Form Follows Technology" at the ASC (see photos here)
October 24, 2007: Fatema Hashem from the US Embassy spoke to ASC students about the Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant Program (FLTA) for 2008 [Click here for pics]
October 10, 2007: Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, Chairman of the Cordoba Initiative, spoke on "The Role of Muslim Youth in Building Bridges with the West" at the ASC [See pictures here]
October 1, 2007: General Meeting of all ASC students to welcome new and returning students. Dr. Hillis presented an overview of relevant information about the ASC and sketched out activities for the year. [Click here for pics.]
June 27, 2007: Representatives from American University’s Center for Democracy and Election Management Visit the UOB American Studies Center [See photos here]
June 24, 2007: ASC students spend a day on Hawar Island [Click here for photos]
[Cancelled by US Navy] June 8, 2007: ASC students will tour a US ship. At 9:15 a.m., students should meet at the U.S. Embassy. Students interested in going should sign up on the list in the ASC. Eighteen students will be chosen. Priority will be given to a) those students who have not been on a previous tour and, b) those students who are closer to graduating. For students chosen for the tour, remember: a) no sandals, slippers, or high heels (tennis shoes preferred*) and, b) no full-length abayas or thobes. (NOTE: These are safety precautions as you will be going up and down ladders.)
June 6, 2007: Japanese Ambassador to Bahrain, His Excellency Mr. Takeshi Kondo, Visits the ASC [Click here for photos]
May 14, 2007: ASC students who took part in the field trip to the American University in Cairo spoke about their experiences in Egypt at the American University in Cairo and elsewhere. [See photos here]
May 9, 2007: Fulbright scholar David M. Mednicoff will spoke on "International Human Rights Law in Middle Eastern Politics" at the American Studies Center. [Click here for photos of the talk]
May 7, 2007: US Ambassador to Bahrain, William Monroe, held an informal chat with American Studies students in the American Studies Center. [See photos from the chat here]
April 30, 2007: UOB ASC & Georgetown University Video Conference was held from 16:00-17:30 in the UOB Vodafone E-Learning Center, S45-101. American and Bahraini students debated: “American and Arab Media Coverage of the War in Iraq” [Click here for background on the discussion] [Click here for photos]
April 23-27, 2007: A select group of American Studies students along with Dr. John Hillis visited the American University in Cairo to observe their American Studies Center and exchange experiences. [Click here for details] [Click here for report]
March 26, 2007: Michael E. Mussi, Political Affairs Officer at the US Embassy in Manama, spoke on "The Trafficking in Persons Report." [Click here for photos].
March 12, 2007: ASC Alumna, Amal Al-Soorani, spoke on how her studies in the ASC prepared her for her current job as Marketing and Communications Officer for the Bahrain Economic Development Board. [See photos here]
December 27, 2006: Fatema Hashem from the US Embassy came to the ASC to talk about the Fulbright Teaching Assistant Program (FLTA) Program.
December 13, 2006: The UOB initiated its first video conference in the UOB E-Learning Center, with Dr. Nadine Naber, Assistant Professor of American Culture and Women's Studies at the University of Michigan.
December 11, 2006: Dr. Gregory Gause, Director of Middle East Program, University of Vermont, spoke on American policy in the Gulf and Middle East [Click here for photos]
November 29, 2006: Three ASC alumni and recent Bahraini graduates of American universities--Dalal Denley, Kamel Hubail, and Haya Al-Rowaei--talked about their experiences while studying and pursuing undergraduate degrees in the United States [Click here for photos of the event]
October 4, 2006: American Studies Center Welcome Meeting. All current and prospective American Studies students heard of exciting new plans for the 2006/2007 academic year. Plus Maryam Al-Khawaja gave an illustrated account of her summer at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. & across the USA. [See photos]
June 21, 2006: ASC End of the Semester Party was held at La Mosaique Restaurant at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Manama [17531122 or 17535535, Ext. 406] [Click here for photos]
May 30, 2006: Haleema Al A'ali & Fatima Al Halwachi spoke on "A Journey to the South (A bi-directional perspective of Bahraini students' experience in the US)" in the American Studies Center [See photos here]
May 28, 2006: Michael E. Mussi, Political Affairs Officer at the US Embassy in Manama, spoke on "The Human Rights Report and the Kingdom of Bahrain" in the American Studies Center [Click here for photos]
May 23, 2006: The ASC hosted a booth for the College of Arts Festival exhibition in the Administrative Building at the University of Bahrain
May 24, 2006: Mario N. Crifo, Deputy Press and Cultural Affairs Attaché at the US Embassy, gave a lecture in AMST 212 on May 24 on "Media and Foreign Policy," and Press and Cultural Affairs Attaché at the US Embassy, Patrick Wyn Hornbuckle, made a presentation on "Political, Economic, and Social Reform in the Middle East" in the AMST 224 class
May 7, 2006: Dr.Yaser Najjar, an American Arab Muslim, and a full professor of Planning and Geography at Framingham State College in Massachusetts spoke on "American Muslim Community: Case Study Of Greater Worcester, Massachusetts" in the American Studies Center [Click here for pictures]
April 23, 2006: Mario N. Crifo, Asst. Charge d'Affaires at the US Embassy, gave a lecture in AMST 420 on "America and the Middle East and Africa"
March 27-29, 2006: ASC Symposium "Diverse Voices in American Literature"
March 21, 2006: "Dustbowl Refugees" 'The Words of John Steinbeck' read by Dr. Philip Tabakow and 'The Songs of Woody Guthrie' performed by Dr. Martin Parker and John Jaworski with an Introduction by Dr. Colin S. Cavell [See photos from the event]
March 7, 2006: [Rescheduled Video Conference] ASC students participated in rescheduled video conference with Sarah Gordon, Vice Consul at the US Embassy in Paris, France who spoke on “The Changing Nature of the Role of Women in Afghan Society Through Education and Awareness.” Event was held at the US Embassy in Manama.
March 7, 2006: "Dustbowl Refugees" The Words of John Steinbeck read by Dr. Philip Tabakow and The Songs of Woody Guthrie performed by Dr. Martin Parker and John Jaworski with an Introduction by Dr. Colin S. Cavell [cancelled due to a visit by Muslim scholars from London]
January 18, 2006: ASC students participate in video conference with Sarah Gordon, Vice Consul at the US Embassy in Paris, France who was to speak on “The Changing Nature of the Role of Women in Afghan Society Through Education and Awareness.” The video conference was cancelled due to Ms. Gordon's health. Discussion was provided by US Embassy personnel.
December 4, 2005: Fatema Hashem from the US Embassy talked about the "Foreign Language Teaching Assistant Program" which provides scholarships to teach Arabic in the United States [Click here for photos from the talk]
November 28, 2005: Mario N. Crifo, Asst. Charge d'Affaires at the US Embassy, spoke in Dr. Colin Cavell's class on "U.S. Election Campaigns: One Person's Practical Experience Working in Several Electoral Campaigns in the United States" [Click for pictures of the talk here]
November 27, 2005: Staci Strobl, Ph.D. Candidate at John Jay College of Criminal Justice at The City University of New York spoke on Crime in America [See pictures from the talk]
November 20, 2005: Cmdr. Jeffrey Breslau spoke to the ASC about "Surfing" in Dr. John Hillis's class [See pictures from the talk here]
November 15: Shaima Abdul Wahed and Samar Jaberi, UOB ASC students, gave a talk about their travels in the United States as participants in the mini-MEPI program in September and October of 2005 at the ASC. [Click here for pictures]
November 5, 2005: ASC Students & Staff Dinner Party at Novotel Hotel. [Click here for pictures]
October 25, 2005: Asst. Charge d'Affairs Mario Crifo & Samar Hasan Speak About the 2006 PLUS Scholarship [See pictures from presentation]
September 27, 2005: US Embassy presents Grant Check to ASC for Spring Conference on "Diverse Voices in American Literature" [See pictures from the event]
September 25, 2005: American Women's Association (AWA) presents checks to ASC student scholars [See picture from the award ceremony]
June 21, 2005: The ASC celebrated the end of the spring 2005 semester with a party at Spice Restaurant [See pictures from the party]
May 29, 2005: Dr. Hameed Mattar, Director of the University of Bahrain English Language Center, presented a talk "On the International TESOL Conference in the US & Other Educational Visits" [See pictures from the talk]
May 24, 2005: Lecture by Lt. Leslie Hull-Ryde on "The Changing Roles of American Women" [See pictures from the talk]
May 22, 2005: Visiting Fulbright Fellow Anne Kalvestrand, currently working with the Ministry of Education in Bahrain, talked about "How to Interview for a Job" [See pictures from the talk]
May 15, 2005: Farewell Thank You Award Celebration for Aleta Wenger, George Farag, and Mary McGinnis [See pictures from the Award Celebration]
May 3, 2005: ASC participated in International Student Day at University of Bahrain with a booth in the Administration Building
April 14, 2005: ASC students tour the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) [See tour pictures]
April 12, 2005: American Studies Center Theater commenced with a film showing of Michael Moore's masterpiece "Fahrenheit 911" at 11:00 in S17-229
April 10, 2005: American Women's Association officers visited the ASC (the AWA is currently underwriting a tuition scholarship to an American Studies student) at 11:00 a.m. in S17-229 [See pictures from the visit]
April 5, 2005: Dr. Paul Armerding, American Mission Hospital spoke on the history and succeeding contributions of AMH to medical services in Bahrain at 11:00 a.m. in S17-229 [See pictures from the talk]
March 29, 2005: U.S. Ambassador William Monroe visits the UOB American Studies Center [See pictures from the visit]
March 29, 2005: Lt. Bill Speaks presented a talk on "Military/US Government Relations in the US" from 9:30-10:45 in S17-229. [See pictures from the talk]
March 20, 2005: General meeting of American Studies Center students was held in S17-229 at 11:00 a.m.
March 16, 2005: LCDR Russell P. Graef, CHC, USNR, Deputy Force & Fleet Chaplain, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, spoke on "American Religious Traditions" from 9:00-9:50 a.m. in S17-229. [See pictures from the talk]
December 31, 2004: ASC students and staff brought in the New Year at Rendevouz Restaurant in Seef Mall from 9:00 p.m. until Midnight. [See pictures from the party]
December 26, 2004: Representatives from the US Naval Support Activity base in Juffair will visit the American Studies Center [POSTPONED UNTIL SPRING 2005]
December 7, 2004: Fulbright Scholar Dr. Scott Waalkes spoke on "The Forward March of Freedom? A Critical Analysis of Bush's Grand Strategy of Economic Liberalization and Democracy Promotion" at the UOB American Studies Center, S17-229, from 11:00 a.m. till 1:00 p.m. [See pictures from Scott Waalkes's talk]
November 23, 2004: ASC receives $10,000 check from US Embassy for teaching tools and materials for the Center [See pictures from event]
November 2, 2004: US Elections Night, hosted by the new US Ambassador to Bahrain William T. Monroe and his wife, with ASC students and staff invited [See pictures from US Election Night at the US Ambassador's house]
October 10, 2004: Presentation by MEPI students who participated in Summer 2004 study and travel program in the US; US Embassy personnel answered questions about upcoming scholarship programs and presented grant offer of $10,000 to the ASC [See pictures of MEPI students talk]
June 22, 2004: ASC students and staff toured the US Naval Support Activity base in Juffair, Bahrain (home of the US Fifth Fleet and US Central Command) and the USS Dallas submarine in the Mina Salman port [See pictures from tour]
Summer 2004: Noor Bader Al Hayki, Fatema Hasan Isa, and Suhaib Mohamed Hasan Abdullah from the American Studies Center will travel to the US having received scholarships from the Middle East Partnership Initiative Study of the United States Program for Undergraduate Student Leaders
2004-2006: Partnerships for Learning Undergraduate Studies Program (PLUS Program)--Two-Year Scholarship recipients including Haya Al Rowaiei, Dalal Danal Denley, and Kamel Ali Hubail Ali from the American Studies Center will be pursuing their undergraduate degrees at various US universities
June 1, 2004: Khadija Al-Refeea, a University of Bahrain English major who is graduating this semester, has been awarded a Fulbright FLTA scholarship to teach Arabic for a year at the University of Oregon
June 1, 2004: Sara Belanger, AMIDEAST Program Officer of the Fulbright Scholarship Program, visited the American Studies Center (S17-229) at 11:00 a.m. to answer students' questions about undergraduate and graduate scholarships to study in the US. Ms. Belanger is responsible for placing students at the various universities in the US and answered questions about application procedures, university programs, campus life, etc.
May 18, 2004: Sandra Lauffer and Sandra MacDonald from the Academy for Educational Development talked with students at the American Studies Center about the two-year PLUS scholarships being offered by the US State Department. [picture from the PLUS scholarship talk]
May 11, 2004: Roundtable discussion of students and staff with Dr. James Zogby in the Arts Building, Room 1-117, from 2:30-3:30 p.m. (14:30-15:30)
May 11, 2004: Dr. James J. Zogby spoke on "The Arab-American Experience" and urged Bahrainis to "Spread the Word" in Room 47 in the Administration Building at the University of Bahrain at 11:00 a.m. [pictures from Dr. Zogby's talk]
April 25, 2004: Mr. Scott Woodard, Consular Officer at the US Embassy in Bahrain, spoke on "The Influence of Small States" at the University of Bahrain American Studies Center
April 13, 2004: Dr. Kristen Urban, Fulbright Scholar at the University of Bahrain American Studies Center, spoke on "Teaching Values in an American College" at the University of Bahrain American Studies Center [pictures of Dr. Kristen Urban's talk]
March 24, 2004: Dr. Imran Aman spoke on "Physician-Assisted Suicide as a Morality Issue in the US" at the University of Bahrain American Studies Center [pictures of Dr. Imran Aman's talk]
March 14, 2004: Mr. George Farag, Assistant Director of Cultural Affairs of the US Embassy in Bahrain, spoke on "Life in the US as an Arab-American" at the University of Bahrain American Studies Center [pictures of Mr. George Farag's talk]
January 8-12, 2004: Dalal Denley attends Young Ambassadors Study of the United States Institute Alumni Conference in Cairo, Egypt [Some of Dalal's conference pictures]
November 30, 2003: American Women's Association of Bahrain hold Thanksgiving dinner and festivities at the ASC
October 21, 2003: GDN Jazz columnist Malcolm Talbot lecture
September 15-October 6, 2003: Haya Al Rowaiei participates in three-week international exchange program entitled "Young Political Leadership" in the US
July 21-August 21, 2003: Dalal Denley participates in Young Ambassadors Study of the United States Institute program in the United States [Some of Dalal's trip pictures]
June 25, 2003: American Studies Center students visit the USS Nimitz [See trip pictures]
May 25, 2003: Gregory Hicks presentation on "The Civil War: America's Defining Moment"
May 2003: Masooma Juma Ali receives AWA Nancy Abernathy Scholarship
December 16, 2002: ASC booth and BBQ at Bahrain National Day Celebration at UOB Isa Town campus
November 3, 2002: Lecture on "Inspiring Children to Teach Themselves" by Master Teacher Sophia Shehadeh, UC Santa Barbara
Contact the American Studies Center
(973) 17438746
