Scholar-in-Residence Provides “Eye-Opening Experience” at Lehigh University

A Scholar-in-Residence from Cairo University is providing an “eye-opening experience” on the campus of Lehigh University. She is Dr. Amal Hamada, an associate professor of economics and political science at Cairo. “Dr. Hamada … is a perfect fit for us,” says Professor Marie-Hélène Chabut of Lehigh’s Department of Modern Languages and Literature.” We were “looking for someone who would bring a non-western perspective to our students, and challenge them to look beyond familiar U.S.-focused concerns and media reports [and] learn to see the complexities of social and political issues of modernity and change in countries and cultures in the Arabic-speaking world.”

During a recent public lecture, “Women in the Middle East: a look from the inside,” Dr. Amal described women’s contributions to development and democracy in the Middle East. Through its Scholar-in-Residence Program, Egyptian scholars teach and consult in area studies programs, in interdisciplinary programs that focus on global issues, and in courses where they can provide cross-cultural and international perspective. The Commission thanks Dr. Amal for her service to Lehigh University.