Impact
One measurable outcome which can show the impact of our programs is the increase of Middle East experts, either in language or other studies related to the area. MESC reduces shortages of experts by seeding courses and faculty positions, by directly funding and teaching three courses, and by supporting the Summer Institute in Persian, Turkish and Pashto. MESC supports research and training by supporting the foreign language training program with special strengths in the less commonly taught languages (LCTLs). Most recently the Center provided a large portion of funds, and the coordination of funds from other universities* and the College of the Humanities, to support the Summer Consortium in Persian, Turkish and Pashto, hosted here at the Ohio State University for the past three years. Through the Center’s FLAS Fellows, the majority of whom are reaching advanced levels and are using LCTLs in archival research for dissertations and theses, the Center helps to create the experts who will train the next generation of students, many of whom also go on to serve in government and the military. Financially supporting faculty travel to conferences and allocating funds for the development of new courses allows a great deal more collaborative research, as well as motivation for professors to conduct new research. Strong linkages with foreign institutions are another important way MESC supports study abroad, faculty, and student exchange. The Ataturk faculty exchange program has allowed over thirty Turkish professional school, humanities, and social science professors to stay on Ohio State campus and collaborate with Ohio State professors in their respective fields. In general, MESC helps to infuse a foreign language and area studies dimension across the disciplines by seeding positions, courses, and through the FLAS fellowships and other curriculum enhancing activities - please see the calendar for more information.
MESC-affiliated faculty and the Center administrators have created or contributed to the production of text books, lesson plans, videos, web sites, and online material. Most recently, the Pashto instructional materials were developed by Pashto instructor, and BBC Pashto program producer Dawood Azami, and thanks in part to the support of the Near Eastern Languages and Cultures Department, the College of the Humanities, the members of the Eastern Consortium in Persian and Turkish, and MESC. MESC and its affiliated faculty advance uses of technology through courses connected by video conferencing equipment to foreign universities, web based courses, courses with online components, and real-time transcription services of outreach lectures. MESC maintains a lending library which used utilized by K-12 teachers and professors at Ohio State, and an annotated bibliography of fundamental materials for research in various areas of Middle East Studies. An artifact box will be created as the result of a year-long teacher training program on the visual traditions and material culture of Turkey, to be lent out to teachers though the Office of International Affairs Engagement and Outreach Office. In another aspect of outreach, MESC has been very active in going to elementary, middle, and high schools for outreach lectures, seminars and workshops for both students and teachers. As regards the whole outreach program, the Center director alone gives 50 to 60 outreach lectures per year, in addition to scholarly panels, university visits and lectures, and numerous radio, television and newspaper interviews. The major constituencies, as designated by Title VI, all receive a great deal of time, effort and collaborative support through MESC activities. All of MESC’s activities are open to the public, announcements are sent to members of the business community, and there are several lectures per year for business audiences. Business audiences range from accountants groups to business clubs, such as Rotary, the Columbus Metropolitan Club, and the Columbus Club, to actual business venues, such as petroleum, insurance, and other types of companies. In addition, MESC has always been active in recruitment of members of less-represented groups in international service, through mentorship, responsiveness to requests, and promotional activities which target them.
*University of Chicago, University of Michigan, University of Minnesota, Indiana University, Columbia University, New York University, Harvard University, Princeton University, Yale University, Georgetown University, and The Ohio State University.
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