Middle East Christianity: A Historic and Living Tradition, NEH Summer Institute for College and University Educators, Bradley University, June 5–25, 2022
The NEH Institute Middle East Christianity: A Historic and Living Tradition is an opportunity for 25 participants to integrate Middle Eastern Christianity into their undergraduate courses. It will explore how Middle Eastern Christians have lived as a part of-, and yet apart from-, the societies they inhabit. Participants will develop academic vocabulary for speaking about Middle Eastern Christians’ fascinating ways of belonging to their parent societies, while preserving their own distinctive subcultures. The Institute’s activities will be structured by historical and cultural approaches.
The Applicant Selection Committee is encouraging scholars from all humanities fields to consider joining this NEH Summer Institute for the purpose of developing curriculum in the study of Middle Eastern Christianity at their home institution. Priority will be given to applications that demonstrate clear relevance of the field of Middle Eastern Christianity to their current teaching portfolio. We envision participation from faculty who teach on the Middle East from any academic discipline, including religious studies, archaeology, anthropology, economics, history, political science, sociology, language studies, ethnic studies, gender studies, immigration studies, diaspora studies etc.
Scholars outside of traditional Middle Eastern studies should also consider applying to this Institute. Scholars of all historical periods that somehow intersect with the Middle Eastern Christian milieu will find opportunities in this Middle Eastern Christianity NEH Institute to augment their curricula on topics such as the Crusades, Mediterranean commerce, church history, Islamic history, and any other attendant, relevant areas of knowledge.
Humanities scholars of American culture will also be well served by this Institute’s attention to the immigrant Middle Eastern Christian communities. Those studying demographics, sociology of identity, and minority studies are strongly encouraged to apply to this Institute in order to shed light on Middle Eastern Christians as part of the American fabric.
The Middle Eastern Christianity NEH Institute also encourages applications from non-tenured and non-tenure track faculty members, as well as graduate students. The Applicant Selection Committee will reserve slots to include such participants.
Project Co-Directors
Dr. Jason Zaborowski, Bradley University
Dr. Nelly van Doorn-Harder, Wake Forest University
Depending on public health guidelines related to COVID-19, plans for a residential offering are subject to change.
NEH-funded institues are professional development programs that convene higher education faculty from across the nation in order to deepen and enrich their understanding of a variety of topics in the humanities and enrich their capacity for effective scholarship and teaching.