Muslim Studies Program February 2017 News and Events Please share with other faculty, students, and community. All events are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted.
Upcoming Muslim Studies Program Events
Teach-in on "Religious Freedom in the Age of Trump" This is a follow-up panel to the panel on race, religion, and immigration that we co-sponsored last week. The Department of Religious Studies,the Muslim Studies Program and the College of Arts and Letters are sponsoring this event. The panel will be on Friday, February 10th, from noon to 1:30 pm in room 115 of the International Center. We will have five presenters who will briefly discuss a range of pressing topics including Indigenous law and religious freedom, religion and state in US law, religious persecution in US history, Islamophobia, religious freedom and state repression, and the physical and mental health of people who experience religious persecution.
A Multilingual Nation
Rita Kothari
February 28, 2017 @ 3 pm
Room 303 International Center
Given the hectic nature of multiple languages in India, how does a nation sustain itself without a consensus upon a ‘national’ language? The talk will begin with the disputes regarding Hindi and English as two possible choices for the newly formed nation-state in 1947, and take the reader through the discourse on India’s recognized and unrecognized languages/dialects to give a bird’s eye-view on its everyday forms of multilingualism. It will also interweave into the narrative the production and reception of literature produced in Indian languages and the challenges to imagining an “Indian” literature.
Rita Kothari is a professor in the Humanities and Social Sciences Department at the Indian Institute of Technology, Gandhinagar, India. She is the author of Translating India: The Cultural Politics of English and The Burden of Refuge.
This is the second of a 3-part series centered around Rita Kothari's visit to MSU, coordinated with the Asian Studies Center and James Madison College, which includes: History of India through Bollywood on February 27 and Scarred Nations : Partition in the India Subcontinent on March 1. More information on these programs can be found here.
The Politics of Arabic in Israel:
A Sociolinguistic Analysis
Camelia Suleiman
Assistant Professor of Arabic
Date & Time: Friday, March 24, 3:30 pm
Room 201 International Center
Camelia Suleiman has a Ph.D. in Linguistics from Georgetown University, with a specialization in Sociolinguistics and Discourse Analysis. Her research interest is in the area of language and identity in relation to gender, politicians' use of language in the media, and national identity, in both the American and the Arab countries’ contexts. She has also received a number of awards and recognition including an award for ‘distinguished women in academia’ from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. At MSU she serves as the Arabic language coordinator, as well as she has been directing the Arabic Flagship Program.
I am Rohingya
Film showing and discussion with director, Yusuf Zine on Monday, March 27, 6:30 pm in Wells Hall B-117. The play chronicles the harrowing Rohingya refugee experiences told from the perspective of the Rohingya Canadian youth community. This is a powerful and emotional drama about life, loss, violence, and hope that chronicles the lives of 'the most oppressed people on Earth.' Explore the process behind the making of I Am Rohingya here.
Amir Sulaiman poet, recording artist,
Harvard Fellow, actor,
screen writer and producer
MSU Main Library Green Room, 4th Floor
Wednesday, April 12 at 7 pm
Other on-campus events
(not organized by the Muslim Studies Program)
that might be of interest
Weekly Event Diwan Arabic Tea and Conversation Hour
Wednesdays at 4:00 - 5:00 pm January 18 - April 19 305 International Center
Arabic Diwan is a gathering of Arabic students who are in the Arabic program, where they speak the language and learn about the culture in a relaxed environment with our Fulbright teaching assistant. Students from all Arabic language levels are encouraged to attend. We extend the invitation to Arabic-speaking students from the English Center as well.
2017 Muslim Studies Program Graduate Student Essay Award
The Muslim Studies Program (MSP) announces the 2017 MSP Graduate Student Essay Award ($500). This award recognizes an outstanding research paper by a current MSU graduate student whose studies focus on Muslims in any contexts and/or Muslim-majority communities/societies. Published or unpublished papers must have been written between March 2016 and the deadline, 31 March 2017.
Please submit papers by email attachment (15-25 pages with complete works cited) to Mohammad Khalil (khalilmo@msu.edu) and Mary Firdawsi (firdaws2@msu.edu).
Submission Deadline: March 31, 2016.
2017 Jack G. Shaheen Mass Communications Scholarships
20th Anniversary!
Join the 67 previous recipients!
Award Amount: $2,500.00
Purpose: To honor Arab-American students who excel in Media Studies.
Eligibility: College students enrolled in the 2017-2018 academic year; Juniors, Seniors and Graduate School students who are majoring in Journalism, Radio, Television, and/or Film.
Applicants: Hard copy applications only. Send the following items to ADC's Research Institute:
*A one-page statement explaining why you merit the scholarship, your goals, and a declaration that you are a U.S. citizen of Arab heritage.
*Two original signed letters of recommendation from professors of Mass Communications.
* Copies of your articles, DVD's, films, and so forth (Items will not be returned to you).
*Official academic transcripts (minimum 3.0 GPA).
* Your permanent home address and phone number, e-mail address, and your phone number during the school year, if different. Deadline: Wednesday, June 1, 2017
Incomplete or late applications will not be accepted; only hard copy applications are accepted.
Submit all materials to the ADC Research Institute:
Attention: Mr. Nabil Mohamad
ADC Vice President
1990 M Street, NW
Suite 610
Washington, D.C. 20006
If you have any questions, call 202 244 2990, or e-mail: organizing@ADC.org
Awards will be presented at the 2017 ADC's National Convention in Washington, D.C. Award winners are encouraged to attend.
Other Items of Interest
One of our Muslim Studies Program Core Faculty members Dr. Farha Abbasi spoke on the Lansing Capitol steps to over 10,000 people gathered for the Women's March on Lansing.
Journal of Muslim Mental Health Volume 10 > Issue 2 (Winter 2016)
