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Over the past several years, numerous universities, colleges, and community colleges across the state of Ohio have hired new faculty whose research focuses on the MENA region. Some have created minors, majors, and/or public events programs that center on the topic. Nevertheless, many scholars of the MENA region that are based in Ohio institutions of higher learning work in relative isolation. More so, there is no mechanism through which these Ohio-based scholars can network with one another and facilitate cooperation and solidarity across campuses.The time is ripe for these scholars to meet one another and introduce our research agendas. The symposium will serve as a forum for sharing research, strategizing on ways to draw on each other’s expertise in classroom education and campus programming, and for thinking through the challenges of teaching and researching the MENA region in Ohio.The SymposiumWe invite faculty based in Ohio institutions of higher education whose research and teaching focus on the MENA region to participate in a symposium scheduled to take place 8-9 April 2016 at the University of Dayton.The main aims of the symposium are:to introduce scholars to one another as well as our research areasto present and receive feedback on our current scholarshipto establish disciplinary and topical networks which we can mobilize on campusesto critically discuss questions of pedagogy and course development in OhioThe preliminary schedule for the symposium is as follows:Friday, 8 April 2016: Opening DinnerSaturday, 9 April 2016: Research Panels and Pedagogy RoundtableAll symposium presenters will be provided with complementary hotel accommodations for Friday night as well as meals throughout the duration of the symposium (including the Friday dinner).The symposium will be open to the public.Abstracts and Other Relevant DatesAbstract Deadline: 1 September 2015Scholars based in Ohio institutions of higher education interested in presenting at the symposium should send an abstract to abuz@ohio.edu containing the following information:Full NameInstitutional Affiliation and PositionContact InformationPresentation Title100-500 Word Paper/Presentation Description (Abstracts demonstrating an assertive and focused scholarly statement of thesis or significance, as well as clear goals, methodology, sources, and conclusions will be prioritized).Symposium organizers are open to a broad array of disciplinary and methodological approaches as well as topics and time periods. We are particularly interested in abstracts that highlight ongoing research agendas and/or pedagogical approaches, as the primary raison d’etre of the event is to introduce one another’s scholarship and teachingNotification of Decisions: 15 October 2015SponsorshipProfessors Ellen Fleischmann (University of Dayton) and Ziad Abu-Rish (Ohio University) are serving as co-conveners of the symposium, which is jointly sponsored by:Alumni Chair in Humanities and the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of DaytonDepartment of History and Center for International Studies at Ohio UniversityArab Studies InstituteContact InformationFor questions and concerns, please contact Ziad Abu-Rish at abuz@ohio.eduPlus d'infos