Cross-Cultural Perspectives:
Religions of the Region from Antiquity to Present
Summer 2007: June 11 to July 22 (tentative dates)
Welcome!
Welcome to the web site for JMU's Cross-Cultural Perspectives Program in Egypt. Here, you will find the most up-to-date information about the program, covering coursework, living arrangements, program-related trips, and much more. Just use the light blue navigation bar on the upper left-hand side of the screen to navigate your way through the program's information pages.
Overview
Students will have opportunity to learn Arabic in one of the oldest, richest, most culturally diverse cities in the world, the Jewel of the Orient. Students will visit sacred sites and experience the living cross-cultural religious exchange between the modern and the ancient-- in the land of Moses and the Pharos, the land of origin for many modern Islamic-political movements. Students will explore global political issues in context. Program includes travel to Bibliotheca Alexandria and time on the Mediterranean.
Participants will have opportunities to meet esteemed religious, social and government leaders; opportunities to serve as ambassadors from the West; and opportunities to create meaningful relationships, visiting people in their homes and places of worship. Students will also have opportunity to experience modern “culture”, gaining credit for attending the theater, going to movies and dining out with conversation partners.
Scholarships are available: click here for information.
Academic Program
This is a 6 week study in Cairo, Egypt with extended excursions to Mount Sinai and Alexandria on the Mediterranean.
There are three 3-credit courses:
HIST 391 History of the Middle East in Egypt, a lecture series course
GHUM 252 Cross Cultural Perspectives Religions of the Region from Antiquity to Present, an interactive course
Arabic 300, offered through Al-Diwan Language School
Click here for a tentative course schedule and itinerary.
Get a head start on the reading.
We suggest you begin to prepare yourself for a rich and meaningful experience in Egypt. At your leisure, begin reading for the study abroad. Why not start your trip notebook now, too? As you read, take notes: what interests you? What questions arise? What do you look forward to most? Following are suggested texts which will offer a basic background. (Not all books will be required course reading).
History, religion and politics
- Karen Armstrong. A History of God. The 4,000-Year Quest of Judaism, Christianity & Islam. © 1993 Ballentine Books. New York. ISBN 0-345-38456-3
- Edward Said. Orientalism. New York. Pantheon. 1978
- Human Rights in Cross-Cultural Perspective. Abdullahi Ahmed An-Nai’im. Pennsylvania Studies in Human Rights.
- Islam without Fear. Egypt and the New Islamists. Raymond William Baker. ISBN: 0-674-01979-2
- Colonizing Egypt. Timothy Mitchel. University of California Press. © 1988
- Afaf Lutfi al-Sayyid Marsot, A Short History of Modern Egypt, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1986
- Gelvin, James L. The Modern Middle East: A History. New York: Oxford University Press, 2005.
- Tarek Sakr, Early Twentieth-Century Islamic Architecture in Cairo, Cairo: American University in Cairo Press, 1992. ISBN 9774243005 $48.75 (UA1364CP)
Cultural reference & practical guides
- Go to your chain bookstores: Barnes & Noble or Borders. You should be able to find an array of picture books on the art, history & architecture of Egypt. Any of the travel guides (Lonely Planet, etc..) might serve as a good reference or to whet your appetite.
- Art and History of Egypt. 5000 years of Civilization. English Edition. ISBN 88-8029-086-X
- Cairo, The Practical Guide. American University in Cairo Press. Claire E. Francy. New York.
Modern authors, novels, essays & travel journals
- Mezzaterra, Fragments from the Common Ground. Ahdaf Soueif. © 2004 Anchor Books. New York.
- Naguib Mahfouz. Egypt’s most famous novelist. Nobel Prize winner.
- Modern Arabic Poetry. An Anthology. Ed. Salma Khadra Jayyusi. Columbia University. New York. © 1987
- The Poetry of Arab Women. Contemporary Anthology. Ed. Nathalie Handal. © 2001
Room & Board
Students will stay in housing arranged by the University which will be included in the program fees.
While in Cairo, students will stay at the beautiful Cosmopolitan Hotel. Breakfasts and laundry services are provided by the hotel. All rooms have A/C, telephones, bathroom with bathtub, mini bar, TV and Balcony.
In the heart of downtown Cairo, minutes walking distance from museums and the Nile River. The Cosmopolitan is a hotel often chosen by universities visiting Cairo.
Travel & Excursions
Program includes travel to Bibliotheca Alexandria and time on the Mediterranean.
Cruise the Nile. 
Climb Mt. Sinai.
Explore the beautiful beaches of Alexandria, on the Mediterranean and the 2000 year old library, Biblioteca Alexandrina.
Enjoy markets, museums, theater, nightlife, restaurants and cafes, amazing architecture and sacred sites in Cairo.
Program Costs
For the current projected costs for this program, please click on the following link to the Fees for JMU Study Abroad Programs page.
Scholarships are available: click here for information.
Application
For more detailed instructions and to download the application, please click on the following link to the Applications and Forms section for JMU Short-Term Programs.
Faculty
 Kakahama Askary, Program Director
Assistant Professor
Department of Philosophy and Religion
James Madison University
Other Useful Links
Egyptian Embassy
U.S. Embassy in Cairo
Scholarships are available: click here for information.
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