A little over a decade ago, nine faculty members from Ball State University entered into a three-year partnership with the Center for African, North and South American Area Studies at Quaid Azam University (QAU) in Islamabad, Pakistan. At the time, the emphasis was on rebuilding and strengthening relations between the United States and countries in the Middle East.
Doctor David Roof,Associate Professor pedagogyhas been involved in this effort since its inception, recognizing a bipartisan bill with former Indiana Senator Richard Lueger and former Massachusetts Senator John Kerry, who provided legislation to fund diplomatic efforts.
“A lot of our relationship with Pakistan after 9-11 was defined either militarily or through this international security framework, and I understand that, but what was lost was the personal relationship, the connection. , and academic exchanges,” Dr. Roof said. . “Thus, this [project] It was a turnaround to rebuild some of our relations with Pakistan. ”
This cooperation focused on strengthening American studies programs through faculty-student exchanges, curriculum and faculty development, collaborative research, and research training. The two-way relationship has allowed Pakistani staff and students to travel to the United States and Ball State University faculty to Pakistan for training and field needs assessment and research. The program also fostered people-to-people connections, enabling American and Pakistani faculty to connect, exchange knowledge, and build long-term connections.
With the help of a $1 million grant from University Partnership Grant Program (UPGP), educators sought to offer graduate programs in American studies in the areas of government and politics, international relations, art, history, literature, research methodology, and US religious studies. UPGP is funded by and administered by the United States Government. United States Educational Foundation of Pakistan.
“This generous grant from the U.S. Department of State had a lot to do with people-to-people connections. Elizabeth Agnew,Professor Philosophy and Religious Studies and the director women and gender studies“And, as you know, cultural knowledge deficiencies and misunderstandings can actually change depending on the personal or interpersonal relationships between graduate students and scholars.
“I thought it would be fascinating to go there,” she continued. “When you’re in a country that has constitutional provisions that deal with the freedoms of different peoples to speak, act and educate, and Islam is considered the state religion, it’s really eye-opening.”
The team was led by principal investigator and former director of Ball State University, Kenneth Holland. University International Development Center And co-researcher Dr. Lawrence Gerstein Distinguished Professor George & Francis Ball psychology and the director Center for Peace and Conflict Studies. A group of educators from Ball State visited Pakistan twice in 2012 and once in 2015. They looked at educational institutions, libraries, and other resources to figure out what support and training they needed.
On their first visit in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, Dr. Gerstein and team were sitting in a restaurant and were taken aback by the concern expressed by the waiter when he learned they were from the United States when he asked about their families. They were constantly amazed by the hospitality they were shown during their travels.
After that, each summer, for the next three years, about 16 Pakistani graduate students and faculty mentors came to the United States for six weeks to stay on the Ball State University campus. As American studies majors, it was beneficial to experience culture, access libraries and resources that are hard to find at home, and experience American life for yourself. Students also had the opportunity to visit New York City during their stay.
Pakistan program participants
“We thought they would be overwhelmed with all the opportunities and cool things they could see in New York,” recalled Dr. Roof. “But they went back to Muncie and said, ‘New York is on vacation, but Indiana feels like home.’ was there.”
The partnership has been so successful and mutually beneficial that new grants have been awarded in 2021 and 2022, and this time to expand the research, albeit on a smaller scale, to almost all faculty members involved. jumped at the opportunity to continue. Two additional of his $50,000 grants enabled them to work with Quaid-i-Azam, his six other Pakistani public universities, and his four women’s colleges to continue intercultural exchange. Excited to reopen.
The goals of this second partnership include extending the knowledge gained from previous collaborations to several other universities, enhancing undergraduate and postgraduate programs, encouraging collaborative research, and providing grants. Publishing the study after completion was included.
“When the opportunity arose again, I jumped at it,” he said. Christine Satry Associate Professor art“I feel very blessed in many ways, because not only do we see the world differently through art, but we tend to express and teach differently.
“Islamic countries don’t use images in their work. Usually it’s calligraphy or patterns,” she continued. The whole concept of teaching about how to intentionally script things always comes from one person’s interpretation. I couldn’t wait. It was amazing.”
Due to COVID-19, the continuation of this project was reduced to a smaller scale and provisions were made so that the universities involved had to meet virtually with Ball State for this continued work. Given the number of participating universities, the ability to congregate, and the time difference, it took a lot of effort to make it a success.
“One of the challenges we faced was the time difference to accommodate scholars in Pakistan,” said Dr. Agnew. “However, it was even more rewarding when I was able to achieve it.
“Many faculty members were women who worked at women’s colleges and were unable to travel late at night due to family, safety and security issues,” she continued. “Our sessions had to happen in the morning for them. For us, that meant midnight or 1am.”
The project ended in December with over 238 hours of participant interaction in workshops, seminars, and mentoring sessions. An additional 247 hours were spent on the development of the program’s curriculum and syllabus. Over the past few months, the universities involved have stepped up their targeted degree programs and are considering the possibility of offering an American Studies major. Faculty are better prepared to teach in targeted programs.
“The collaboration between Ball State University and QAU, and the participation of other Pakistani universities in this latest project, has opened up many opportunities for faculty to conduct, publish and publish future research,” said Dr. Gerstein. said. “We established the Pakistan American Research Association, which includes all project participants from both the grant and his QAU and BSU teams. Organize a symposium and publish a special issue of the Pakistan Journal of American Studies.
“These meaningful exchanges have fostered mutual respect, understanding and cooperation between the people of the United States and Pakistan, and we hope to continue this partnership,” he added.
Dr. Gerstein also confirmed that the group has applied for Alumni Engagement and Innovation Fund grants to continue its research.
Current and former Ball State faculty involved in all three projects
- Dr. Lawrence H. GersteinGeorge & Francis Ball Distinguished Professors psychologyDirector of ; Center for Peace and Conflict Studies at Ball State University
- Dr. Stephen Holl,Associate Professor political science
- James Connolly, Distinguished Professor George & Francis Ball history director center middletown studies
- Dr. Elizabeth Agnew,Professor theology concurrent director women and gender studies
- Christine Satry, Associate Professor art
- Dr. David Roof, Associate Professor pedagogy
- Suzanne RiceFormer Associate Dean of Public Service (Warabi Library)
- Dr. Kenneth HollandDean Jindal Global Law School – Former Director of Center for International Development, Ball State University, India
- Dr. Maria StatonUniversity of Maryland – Global Campus, Lecturer in Japan, Former Assistant Professor, English Department, Ball State University
