PAS Students in the First Semester
nbsp;
PAS Students in the First Semester, 2012-13
nbsp;
Active Participation in Birzeit University and Palestinersquo;s
Cultural Life
nbsp;
Students of The Palestine and Arabic Studies (PAS) Program
at Birzeit University (BZU) actively participated in athletics, cultural
events, and community service of the first semester of the 2012-13 academic
year.
The womenrsquo;s football team of PAS won the cup of the open
day program in the university after competing in a match that was attended by
hundreds of enthusiastic students. (The menrsquo;s team didnrsquo;t secure first place
like the womenrsquo;s team, but they participated as well.)
nbsp;
PAS students represent twelve nationalities, bringing an
international flavor to campus. During the open day a Swedish student pleased
the audience when she sang a song in Arabic that made famous by the legendary
Arab singer Fairuz.nbsp; She chose the poem, A'atini al nay wa
ghani (ldquo;Give Me the Flute and Singrdquo;), written by Jubran Khalil
Jubran, the famous Lebanese-American poet and writer (1833-1931). At the same
event, a Norwegian student surprised the university community with poems he had
written in Arabic.
nbsp;
Poetry reading for Mahmmoud Darweish
nbsp;
PAS students went on three fieldtrips this semester. The
first was to the area of Hebron and Bethlehem. Students were introduced to
several ancient religious and historical sites. They also visited a traditional
glass factory, spoke to the people of Hebron, walked through the Old City of
Hebron, and listened to a talk about the restoration in the city presented by
the Hebron Rehabilitation Committee.
The second fieldtrip was to the north of the West Bank to
the city of Nablus. Students walked around the Old City, visited historical
houses and palaces, as well asnbsp; the Turkish Bath that is more than eight
centuries old.nbsp; The trip also took students on a visit to the Samaritan community
on Mount Gerizim.
nbsp;
The Salfit Governorate was the destination of the third
fieldtrip. They had a firsthand experience with the reality of Israeli
settlements and the Separation Wall. In addition, they visited the old village
of Deir Istiya, toured its old houses and tomb. Then they hiked to Deir Sam'an
to see the ruins of the ancient Roman site. The day was concluded by enjoying
the Palestinian national dish, maqlouba (literally meaning
ldquo;upside-downrdquo;) in the village of Deir Ballut.
nbsp;
October is the time of the annual olive harvest, so
students had the opportunity to see for themselves the deep meaning this season
holds for Palestinians. PAS students had the option to participate in
voluntary, community service work during the harvestmdash;an annual event which BZU
students and staff are known for. The president of BZU, Dr. Khalil Hindi
volunteered alongside the students picking olives.
The Community Service Program at BZU in which students
volunteer in various fields has been helpful for the PAS students, in
particular as a means for finding ldquo;conversation partnersrdquo; and getting to know
the country.
nbsp;
In addition to Arabic classes (fus-ha and
colloquial), students had the option to study two courses in English (Palestine
Question and Contemporary Arab Thought).nbsp; Students with an advanced level
of Arabic also had the option to enroll in the courses BZU offers in Arabic.
Moreover, while BZU is already an energetic campus with an outstanding amount
of activities, the PAS Program organized three special public lectures on the
topics of destroyed villages, the Separation Wall, and Islam.nbsp;
nbsp;
At the moment, PAS is finalizing its program for the second
semester (January ndash; April 2013) and planning its summer program as well.
Director of PAS, Dr. Ahmad Azem Hamad says, ldquo;We believe the post-Arab Spring
era needs special attention, especially how to study the Middle East at this
moment, and we are looking to develop our courses and programs to answer such
questions.rdquo;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;
nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;
The PAS Program office is situated in the Building of the
Kingdom of Bahrain near the Womenrsquo;s Studies Program and only steps away from
the Ibrahim Abu Lughd Institute for International Studies. This location gives
PAS students more opportunity to interact with the welcoming staff,
researchers, and students of the two programs.
nbsp;
Finally, a new restaurant was recently added to the campus
dining options that students enjoy. Health Corner Cafeteria is unique in two
aspects: the special supervision by the Faculty of Nursing and Allied Health
Professions to provide healthy food, and a beautiful terrace with a view of the
green hills that surround the university.nbsp;
