"There? Maybe. This certainly was the case in the UAE. As a foreign student in the US, however, I certainly don't feel like an outsider by virtue of my nationality; Americans are as happy to mix with me as with anyone else."
Yeah. But I shouldn't have expected this to occur seamlessly here.
"Visiting speakers who stimulate discussion, debates held on campus, people getting together for pizza every week while talking about the state of the world, anything, really."
We try to bring in visiting speakers; we haven't had many, so far, but our students can take advantage of the other universities'. And that includes people like Madeleine Albright and Bill Clinton, so no complaints there. I'm not sure the students are as equipped to handle controversy as I'd hope, but the speakers are there.
Same thing with debates -- the Doha Debates go on here, and our students get to participate. Tomorrow I'm going to one on whether veiling is an obstacle to integration.
Talking about the state of the world -- I haven't seen a great deal of that. But it would happen in Arabic, so who knows.
"I also forgot to ask you about the consequences for students of being in a newly established institution, one which would presumably have teething troubles, and be bereft of traditions."
It means they get to create the traditions; they like that part. :-)
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2007-02-18 11:55 am (UTC)Yeah. But I shouldn't have expected this to occur seamlessly here.
"Visiting speakers who stimulate discussion, debates held on campus, people getting together for pizza every week while talking about the state of the world, anything, really."
We try to bring in visiting speakers; we haven't had many, so far, but our students can take advantage of the other universities'. And that includes people like Madeleine Albright and Bill Clinton, so no complaints there. I'm not sure the students are as equipped to handle controversy as I'd hope, but the speakers are there.
Same thing with debates -- the Doha Debates go on here, and our students get to participate. Tomorrow I'm going to one on whether veiling is an obstacle to integration.
Talking about the state of the world -- I haven't seen a great deal of that. But it would happen in Arabic, so who knows.
"I also forgot to ask you about the consequences for students of being in a newly established institution, one which would presumably have teething troubles, and be bereft of traditions."
It means they get to create the traditions; they like that part. :-)