Participation of Dr. Mai Albzour and Dr. Fardous Salameh in the Erasmus+ Academic Exchange Program with the University of Crete, Greece

Ms. Fardous Salameh, Head of the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, and Dr. Mai Albzour, Director of the Master's Program in Community Psychology at Birzeit University, participated in the Erasmus+ academic exchange program at the invitation of the Department of Sociology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Crete, Greece.

During the program, the two professors presented two lectures attended by more than 200 students and faculty members from various disciplines of the College of Social Sciences, including sociology, psychology, economics, political science, and gender studies. Dr. Fardous Salameh presented the preliminary results of her ongoing research supported by the Scientific Research Committee, which she is working on in partnership with psychology student Heba Qutayshat, titled: “The impact of social media bloody scenes and lived reality on the formation of secondary PTSD symptoms in adolescent children (10-13 years old) in the West Bank.” Dr. Mai Albzour presented a lecture that dealt with a presentation of the results of two researches. The first discusses the concept of normalization and its representations in the political discourse of Arab countries, and the second sheds light on Palestinian attitudes towards resistance and normalization.

During the visit, the two professors held a series of meetings with faculty members, students, and researchers in the laboratories of the School of Social Sciences. They discussed future avenues of cooperation, including enhancing student exchange programs between the two universities, developing joint research projects, and exploring opportunities to exchange knowledge and academic expertise.

This participation comes within the framework of strengthening international academic partnerships and developing scientific research at Birzeit University. The coming period is expected to witness the implementation of new cooperation initiatives between Birzeit University and Crete University in various academic and research fields.