Middle East Program
Introduction to Islam and Muslims: This course introduces Islam and Muslim societies from the following approaches: (1) Islamic cultural environment, its structures, values, basic language elements and social practices; (2) the socially accepted norms and values in the Islamic world, the subtleties of this culture and how to work within Islamic environments; and (3) the challenges that Islamic culture presents to foreigners and how to overcome them.
Introduction to Culture and Society in the Arab World: This course provides an introduction to a select number of themes in Arab culture by exploring the following themes: (1) The varieties of subcultures distinguished by particular sets of language, religious sectarianism and ethnic groups in the Arab world; (2) the socially accepted norms in the Arab world, structure of Arab society, tradition, systems of codes and prominent values (honor, power, hierarchy, tribe, clan, gender, family, morality, social relationship); and (3) the socio-political transformations of Arab societies and their impact on the ways of life of rural as well as urban settlers at the dawn of the twenty-first century.
Understanding Iraq: This course maps out: (1) an historical overview; (2) a country profile; (3) a review of political institutions and economy (oil industry...); (4) the major ethnic groups, such as the Kurds, Turkmen and Assyrians, Islam and Muslim sectarian groups, Christianity and Christian sectarian groups; (5) the main political, religious and ideological parties and groups, emphasizing historical personalities and cultural elements; and (6) finally the course concludes with some considerations on Iraq's future.
Islamist Movements in the Arab World: This course focus on (1) the conditions that led to the emergence of the Islamist movements; (2) the relationship between their thinking and praxis in particular political and social contexts; and (3) the radical and moderate orientations of these movements, highlighting the reasons behind such approaches and their impact on the current situation in the Arab world.
North Africa and the Limits of Changes: The main purpose of this course is to present a thorough overview of present-day North Africa and its component societies, with an emphasis on: (1) geographic, historical, demographic, economic and socio-cultural elements; (2) issues of internal social and political equilibrium which touch on matters such as cultural expression, family values, the role of Islam, the role of the media, the situation of women and minorities; and (3) finally, factors determining geo-political stability will be examined, including the following : internal, bilateral and regional conflicts ; unregulated migrations, the socio-economic consequences of an expanded European Union, external power-plays by both Europe and the United States, and the exasperated political violence.
An Introduction to the Cultures of Afghanistan. This course examines Afghanistan's disparate cultures through the lenses of (1) Islam; (2) ethnicity; (3) tribe; (4) Islamist ideology; (5) Afghan history; and (6) gender. The course also explores the evolution of Afghanistan's distinct military culture.
Afghanistan Regional Overviews. These courses focus on the geography, society, culture, demography, history, politics, and insurgencies in northern, eastern, southern, western and central Afghanistan.
Iranian Culture and Society. This course examines Iranian culture and society from the following perspectives: (1) Iran's 2,500 year history; (2) the essential elements of Persian culture; (3) Iran's different ethnic and religious groups; (4) the role of culture in creating and unifying a nation; (5) the role of Shiism in forging an Iranian identity; (6) the impact of the Iranian revolution on society; (7) women in Iran; (8) the impact of information technology on Iranian society; (9) society's views of the West and the United States; and (10) the future course of Iranian society.
Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). Many experts now feel that the next global flashpoint will be in northwestern Pakistan. In order to give our students a better understanding of the situation, this course examines the crisis in Pakistan's FATA from the perspectives of (1) geopolitics; (2) tribal society and culture; (3) tribal leadership structures; (4) history; (5) economic and political development challenges; (6) the evolving insurgency; and (7) the domestic and regional implications of that insurgency.
“Survival” instruction in Arabic: These intensive courses, typically ranging from two to six weeks in length, provide trainees with the basics of language (appropriate greetings, numbers, directions, common exchanges) necessary to survive and avoid cultural conflict or impropriety in-country. In an effort to ease the challenge of adjustment, we supplement language instruction with information on the specific area in which units will be stationed, including relevant political and social conditions, cultural and social norms, and information on residents’ attitudes toward the U.S. and our military.
Intensive refresher courses in Modern Standard Arabic: These courses are tailored for military personnel who have attained “2” or “2+” proficiency but whose language skills have weakened as they have pursued other duty assignments. Typically six weeks in length, these sessions are taught by instructors with experience in intensive instruction (including several hired from DLI), and employ the same technology, format, and small-class approach used at DLI. Typical focus is on refreshing spoken and listening skills, with some reading content.
Year-long intensive language instruction designed to produce proficiency at the 2/2+ level is also available for Arabic.