UAE & Oman
Contemporary History and Society in the UAE and Oman
June 4-12, 2009
Itinerary
This 9-day seminar begins in Dubai, ends in Muscat, Oman, and includes the cities of Al Ain and Abu Dhabi in the UAE. Click here to see the Summer 2009 Seminar itinerary.
Seminar Fee
CIEE Member: $3,700 Non-Member: $3,900
Academic Content (please note this is tentative and subject to change)
Lectures
- History of Islamic Thought and Values
- History of the UAE and the Role of the Family in Emirati Culture
- Traditional Societies of the Persian Gulf
- Principles of Sharia and the Developing Role of Islamic Finance
- Women and Culture
- History of Educational and Educational Reform in the UAE
- Islamic History and Civilization: Focus on Oman
- Omani Culture and Society
Co-curricular Site Visits & Field Trips
- City tour of Dubai
- Jumeirah Mosque
- Al Ain Museum, Fort, Al Ain Oasis
- Jebel Hafeet
- Department of Islamic Affairs, Al Ain
- Abu Dhabi Cultural Foundation and UAE National Library
- Tour of Corniche and visit to Central Souq in Oman
- Historical Coastal Tour of Muscat
Rationale
Forty years ago, there were few paved roads and even fewer multiple storied Buildings in much of the Arabian Peninsula. Centuries of rich nomadic Traditions predominated, and a complex tapestry of culturally diverse tribes inhabited the region. Today, skyscrapers and 7-star hotels dot the horizon and new national identities are emerging. This seminar will explore how ancient societies, historically adapted to scarcity, develop with access to unimaginable wealth and how these new societies are positioning themselves in the global marketplace. It will also examine the differences, not only from one emirate to another, but from one country in the region to another.
Participants will spend time in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, the elegant Portuguese colonial city of Muscat, and the Buraimi Oasis, which extends on both sides of the UAE-Oman border and is home to Al Ain, location of the University of the United Arab Emirates and birthplace of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who is still revered as father of the UAE nation and founder of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
Host Institutions
Founded in 1977, the United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) is the oldest and largest degree-granting public university in the United Arab Emirates, with its campuses in Al- Ain, an oasis city located to the east of Dubai and Abu Dhabi on the border between the UAE and Oman. The University offers a broad array of undergraduate degree programs and a selected number of Master's programs. The UAEU has over 3,300 faculty and staff serving approximately 14,000 students.
Sultan Qaboos University was created in 1986 and is the premier national university of the Sultanate of Oman. Located in Muscat, it is comprised of eight colleges: Agriculture and Marine Sciences, Art and Social Sciences, Commerce and Economics, Education, Engineering, Medicine and Science. Sultan Qaboos offers a broad array of undergraduate programs serving approximately 10,000 students, about half of which are female.
Seminar Leadership
Dr. Mohamed Belkhir is an Assistant Professor at the United Arab Emirates University in the College of Business and Economics. He was also an Assistant Professor at the University of Tunis and University of Jendouba in Tunis, and a lecturer at the IESEG Business School in Lille, France and the University of Orleans, France where he earned his Ph.D in Finance. Dr. Belkhir was a Fulbright Visiting Research Scholar at the University of North Texas and spent a term at the International Monetary Fund in Washington, DC. Most recently he was instrumental in planning a seminar the UAEU sponsored on Islamic Finance.
This seminar was organized with the assistance of Tariq Tahan, and Dr. Mona Fahad Al-Said, Advisor to the Vice Chancellor for International Relations at Sultan Qaboos University.
Click on the links below to learn more about participating on an IFDS.