BSC-Jordan education bridge
Ian Abreu
Issue date: 2/1/07 Section: Campus News
Communications Chair Dr. Jabbar Al-Obaidi recently visited Jordan in an attempt to bridge the educational and cultural gap between Middle Easterners and Americans.
''My main objective in visiting Jordan was to help shine academic light from us to them,'' said Al-Obaidi. ''The entire Jordan region has great institutions and I'd like to increase the BSC involvement somehow with these schools.''
Dr. Al-Obaidi's eight-day trip to Jordan (Nov 3-11) involved meeting with the heads of various universities throughout the greater Jordan region.
Al-Hussein Bin Talal University, Yarmouk University, Tefila Technical University and the Amman Private University were visited order to inquire about foreign exchange programs for both BSC students and students from these Middle Eastern schools as well.
Al-Obaidi feels that any BSC student, no matter what he or she is studying, would benefit greatly from a semester at one of these Middle Eastern schools. Stating that the perception of most Americans will change once they visit Jordan.
''The perception of most Americans about the Middle East is that they're all so conservative,'' said Al-Obaidi. ''When I was out there, I saw both female and male students studying together. Both male and females go hand-in-hand with each other out there. Females wear clothing you see out here; I don't think we realize how Western European they are.''
Safety for BSC students in Jordan is no concern for Al-Obaidi. ''Jordan is very well developed and safe,'' said Al-Obaidi. ''Believe it or not, most of the professors who teach here were educated in either the UK or the US, so they speak English very well and would be able to communicate with any of our students very easily. If a student wants, he or she could even stay with a host family if extra security is an issue; but it shouldn't be.''
The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor graduate believes that bridging the gap between the US and Middle East is important for Jordan. ''Culturally, if we both can accept each other, that would be so valuable for the Jordanian,'' he said. ''To be honest, I feel as though they are more open than us in many respects,'' said Al-Obaidi. ''If we start to begin to accept them and their culture, perceptions and ideals on both sides will start to change. Students in Jordan study American customs and history. They know about us, perhaps we can start to know a little more about them. This is why we're trying to create this foreign exchange program with these universities.''
''My main objective in visiting Jordan was to help shine academic light from us to them,'' said Al-Obaidi. ''The entire Jordan region has great institutions and I'd like to increase the BSC involvement somehow with these schools.''
Dr. Al-Obaidi's eight-day trip to Jordan (Nov 3-11) involved meeting with the heads of various universities throughout the greater Jordan region.
Al-Hussein Bin Talal University, Yarmouk University, Tefila Technical University and the Amman Private University were visited order to inquire about foreign exchange programs for both BSC students and students from these Middle Eastern schools as well.
Al-Obaidi feels that any BSC student, no matter what he or she is studying, would benefit greatly from a semester at one of these Middle Eastern schools. Stating that the perception of most Americans will change once they visit Jordan.
''The perception of most Americans about the Middle East is that they're all so conservative,'' said Al-Obaidi. ''When I was out there, I saw both female and male students studying together. Both male and females go hand-in-hand with each other out there. Females wear clothing you see out here; I don't think we realize how Western European they are.''
Safety for BSC students in Jordan is no concern for Al-Obaidi. ''Jordan is very well developed and safe,'' said Al-Obaidi. ''Believe it or not, most of the professors who teach here were educated in either the UK or the US, so they speak English very well and would be able to communicate with any of our students very easily. If a student wants, he or she could even stay with a host family if extra security is an issue; but it shouldn't be.''
The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor graduate believes that bridging the gap between the US and Middle East is important for Jordan. ''Culturally, if we both can accept each other, that would be so valuable for the Jordanian,'' he said. ''To be honest, I feel as though they are more open than us in many respects,'' said Al-Obaidi. ''If we start to begin to accept them and their culture, perceptions and ideals on both sides will start to change. Students in Jordan study American customs and history. They know about us, perhaps we can start to know a little more about them. This is why we're trying to create this foreign exchange program with these universities.''
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