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Series of Events to Support Visiting Scholar 

During the Spring Semester of 2007 the College of Arts and Sciences at Dakota State University will be sponsoring a series of lectures, films and workshops on the history, politics and culture of the Muslim World. Students, faculty and the public are invited to take advantage of the many opportunities this initiative will provide to learn more about a subject that is unfamiliar to many Americans.

 This program was designed to support the visit of Scholar Smita Dalvi, an Assistant Professor of Islamic Art and Architecture from the University of Mumbai in India, who will be on the Madison campus during the month of April. Ms. Dalvi’s visit is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s “Direct Access to the Muslim World” program, which aims to promote greater coverage of the Middle East and Islam at American universities.

 At the core of this program is the course, “The U.S., Islam and the Modern World,” to be taught by Joseph Walwik, Associate Professor of History at Dakota State University. Dr. Walwik joined Dakota State University after three years teaching at the American University in Cairo, an experience which helped him gain a greater understanding of the Islamic religion and the culture of the Middle East.

 “I think it will be easier for students to understand the world in which we live if they have a greater understanding of the ways in which the West and the Muslim world have interacted over the years,” observed Walwik. “The fact that this program is sponsored by the State Department reflects the growing awareness that education on international subjects is important to America’s future.” 

 Walwik’s course is designed to provide an introduction to the history of Western/Islamic interaction, and also to explore contemporary controversies.  Walwik will be relying on the participation of other scholars from Dakota State University as well as films and outside speakers to bring in a variety of cross-disciplinary perspectives on such issues as the role of religious identities in regional conflicts, Islam in America and Western Europe, and Islam and global culture.  During April, when Fulbright Scholar Smita Dalvi is in residence, the course will focus on the art of the Islamic World, and Muslim life in South Asia.

 The course will meet Tuesday nights at 6:30 in the Science Center on the Dakota State University campus. While there will be number of students taking the course for credit, the meetings will be open to the campus community and the Madison community.  The first class meeting, on Tuesday, January 16 will focus on defining the concepts of “Western” and “Islamic” Civilizations.  The class meeting on January 23 will examine the geography of the Muslim World. For more information on the class, please contact Joseph Walwik at 256-7118; or joseph.walwik@dsu.edu.