Birzeit University Faculty Members Tour U.S for Study

Faculty members representing Birzeit University, Luna Shamieh and Lourd Habash, participated in a training course organized by the U.S. State Department to learn about the American political, socio-cultural and religious environment. The aim of the training is to promote joint work on research and academic studies for the university’s American Studies Program, as part of short exchange programs organized by the U.S. government.

The trip was held between Sept. 22 and Oct. 12, 2013, and included a set of field visits to educational institutions in four U.S. states, such as the University of New Mexico, Pittsford Mendon School in New York, Brookings Center for Research, as well as interviews with members of the U.S. government, interviews with a group of indigenous people and lectures on the economic, social, political and cultural conditions in America.

The travel opportunity allowed the Palestinian delegation to present the Palestinian issue in a clear and convincing manner to American individuals and institutions, and paved the way for open channels of communication between Palestinian and American research and academic institutions.