U.S. Faculty Development Seminar Participants
2023 brought two groups of U.S. professors to Palestine who had reflected thoughtfully on how they might contribute to Palestine and thus were well prepared to engage with Palestinian colleagues at universities and civil society organizations. Many productive collaborations have already sprung from this year’s programs and more are in the works. As always, the groups experienced the warmth and generosity of Palestinian hospitality and a sincere eagerness to connect. Though both groups witnessed the ever-increasing settler violence and military presence in Jerusalem and the West Bank, in contrast, the second group had the delight of attending three evenings of the well-known Palestine Festival of Literature.
2023 Faculty Development Seminar Participants – April
| Nick Cuneo Assistant Professor of Pediatrics Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University | Lilly Padia Assistant Professor of Raciolinguistic Justice Erikson Institute |
| Brock Cutler Associate Professor of History Radford University | Lisa Rofel Professor Emeritus of Cultural Anthropology University of California, Santa Cruz |
| Donald L. Donham Professor Emeritus in Anthropology University of California, Davis | Danya Al-Saleh Assistant Professor of International Studies University of Washington |
| Christabel Devadoss Assistant Professor of Global Studies Tennessee State University | Ramya Vijaya Professor of Economics Stockton University |
| Lila Kazemian Professor in Sociology John Jay College of Criminal Justice, CUNY | Melinda Zependa Professor of English Northwest Vista College |
| Stacy Kowtko Professor of History Spokane Community College |
2023 Faculty Development Seminar Participants – May
| Karen Barton Professor of Geography, GIS, & Sustainability University of Northern Colorado | Ramah McKay Environmental and Ecological Economies University of Pennsylvania |
| Cinder Cooper-Barnes Professor of English & Global Humanities Montgomery College | Kimberly Monroe Associate Professor of Global Affairs Trinity Washington University |
| Benjamin Davis Post Doctoral Fellow in African American Studies Saint Louis University | Ken Saldanha Social Work Eastern Michigan University |
| Erik DeLuca Associate Professor of Art Education Massachusetts College of Art and Design | Benjamin Schreier Professor of English and Jewish Studies Pennsylvania State University |
| Damla Isik Professor of Anthropology Regis University | Joshua Schreier Professor of History Vassar College |
| Kafia Haile Assistant Professor of Film Production Clayton State University | Molly Slavin Assistant Professor of English Clark Atlanta University |
We were grateful to travel again after such a long pandemic hiatus. It was good to be back on the ground and bringing two groups of U.S. professors new to Palestine for our intensive, two-week program. We added one day to the program to explore more of Ramallah. Though our trips coincided with a good deal of upheaval, we were warmly welcomed by our Palestinian hosts at five universities and eight civil society organizations. Many of the professors on the program came well prepared to engage with their Palestinian colleagues to plan collaborative projects for the future. At the end of one of the trips, we asked the group how many of them thought they would return to Palestine. We were deeply gratified when every hand in the group went up!
2022 Faculty Development Seminar Participants – May
| Siraj Ahmed Professor of English Lehman College and Graduate Center, City University of New York | Michelle Pinto Assistant Professor in the Intellectual Heritage Program Temple University |
| Nouf Bazaz Clinical Assistant Professor in Counseling Loyola University Maryland | Martha Schoolman Associate Professor of English Florida International University |
| Michaelle Browers Professor and Chair of Politics and International Affairs Wake Forest University | Marika Snider Assistant Professor of Architecture University of Memphis |
| Hafsa Kanjwal Assistant Professor of History Lafayette College, PA | Patrick Stawski Human Rights Archivist Duke University |
| Robin Kirk Co-Chair of the Duke Human Rights Center Duke University | Marcela Vásquez-León Associate Professor of Anthropology University of Arizona |
| Jeffrey McCully Associate Professor of Sociology Moraine Valley Community College | Beverly Wagner BSW Program Director, Assistant Professor of Social Work University of Maine, Presque Isle |
| Ellen Olmstead Chair of English Department Montgomery College, MD |
2022 Faculty Development Seminar Participants – June
| Bidisha Biswas Professor of Political Science Western Washington University | Christine Farias Environmental and Ecological Economies Borough of Manhattan Community College, City University of New York |
| Brian J. Bowe Associate Professor of Journalism Western Washington University | Gerard Farias Associate Professor of Sustainability Farleigh Dickinson University |
| Jordan Brasher Assistant Professor of Geography Columbus State University | Mindi McMann English Literature The College of New Jersey |
| Iyko Day Professor of English Mount Holyoke College | Stuart Parker Assistant Professor of Sociology Kingsborough Community College, City University of New York |
| Sanket Desai Professor of History Montgomery County Community College, PA |
This year witnessed PARC’s new commitment to offer two Faculty Seminars every summer: in even years we will have an FDS and a Media Seminar, and in odd years we will offer two FDS programs. 2019 saw 23 U.S. professors come with PARC to Palestine, one group in April and one in June. The April group had quite a special program since our dates coincided with Easter! The group witnessed a variety of celebrations and festivities, including the Holy Fire Parade (Sabt al-Nour) in Ramallah, and visited the Church of the Holy Sepulcher with throngs of pilgrims from around the world. It was a very different experience from most of our FDS groups. The June group made special stops near the Dead Sea to a Bedouin village and a Palestinian salt factory, and took a bus tour around the close environs of Jerusalem, a new addition to our program.
2019 Faculty Development Seminar Participants – April
| Jenna Altomonte Assistant Professor of Art History Mississippi State University | Richard Stahler-Sholk Professor of Political Science Eastern Michigan University |
| David Embrick Associate Professor of Sociology and Africana Studies University of Connecticut | Bhoomi Thakore Assistant Professor of Sociology University of Central Florida |
| Brooke Lober Adjunct Professor of Women’s and Gender Studies Sonoma State University | Sandra Weissinger Associate Professor of Sociology Southern Illinois University |
| Mary Mullen Assistant Professor of English and Irish Studies Villanova University | Janet Winston Associate Professor of English Humboldt State University |
| Emily O’Dell Resident Fellow of Law and Islamic Law and Civilization Yale University | Stephen Wooten Director of Food Studies University of Oregon |
| Kent Schull Associate Professor of History Binghamton University, State University of New York | Nunotte Zama Associate Professor of Criminal Justice Roxbury Community College |
2019 Faculty Development Seminar Participants – June
| Shanya Cordis Assistant Professor of Sociology and Anthropology Columbia University | Mahruq Khan Associate Professor of Women, Gender, Sexuality Studies University of Wisconsin, La Crosse |
| Molly Doane Associate Professor of Anthropology University of Illinois at Chicago | Carina Ray Associate Professor of African and African-American Studies Brandeis University |
| Connie Etter Assistant Professor of Honors and Justice Studies Westminster College | Malini Schueller Professor of English University of Florida |
| Rodney Ferrao Assistant Professor of English & Asian and Pacific Islander American Studies College of William and Mary | Beverly Tsacoyianis Assistant Professor of History University of Memphis |
| Ellen Fitzpatrick Associate Professor of Economics, Interdisciplinary Institute Merrimack College | Christopher Wise Professor of English and Comparative Literature Western Washington University |
| Priya Kandaswamy Department Head of Race, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Mills College |
Our FDS group this year had 12 U.S. professors with strong representation from anthropology and English Literature. Fields of study also included sociology; political science; clinical psychology; and African American, Indigenous, Environmental, Asian, and Chicana/o Studies. These professors represented eight states and the District of Columbia. Our Palestinian colleagues especially appreciated the opportunity to interact with such a diverse group of U.S. scholars. In particular, U.S. and Palestinian scholars shared ideas on the themes of walls, prisons, and trauma, which spurred us all to think more deeply about how these topics intersect in the United States and Palestine.
2018 Faculty Development Seminar Participants
| Orisanmi Burton Assistant Professor of Social Anthropology, Prisons, Race, Social Movements American University | Mark Minch-de Leon Assistant Professor of English and Indigenous and Native American Studies University of California, Riverside |
| Maura Finkelstein Assistant Professor of Anthropology Muhlenberg College | Daniel Segal Professor of Anthropology and History Pitzer College |
| Melanie Hernandez Assistant Professor of English, Comparative Chicana/o and African American Studies California State University, Fresno | Robert Soza Faculty of English and Ethnic Studies Chandler-Gilbert Community College |
| Matt Hooley Assistant Professor in Native American and Indigenous Studies Department Dartmouth College | Karen Suyemoto Professor of Clinical Psychology, Ethnic Studies/Asian American Studies, Transnational Cultural and Community Studies University of Massachusetts, Boston |
| Patrisia Macias-Rojas Assistant Professor of Sociology, Latin American, and Latino Studies University of Illinois, Chicago | Johnny E. Williams Professor of Sociology Trinity College |
| Tinaz Pavri Division Chair for Social Sciences and Education, Chair of Asian Studies Program Spelman College | Cynthia A. Young Department Head of African American Studies Pennsylvania State University |
Eleven U.S. professors who represented a variety of disciplines including History; Geography; Anthropology; African American and African Diaspora Studies; Political Science; Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies; and Earth and the Environment joined PARC’s eighth annual Faculty Development Seminar (FDS). Our Palestinian colleagues were delighted to receive such a diverse group of U.S. scholars. This year we conducted our first outreach to U.S. community colleges, which we will be continuing for next year. Our FDS provides a unique opportunity to make connections with Palestine colleagues, an important feature of this program that we will continue to emphasize with future groups.
2017 Faculty Development Seminar Participants
| Charity Butcher Assistant Professor of Political Science and International Affairs Kennesaw State University | Dereka Rushbrook Associate Professor of Geography and Development University of Arizona |
| Anneeth Kaur Hundle Assistant Professor of Socio-cultural Anthropology, Humanities and World Cultures University of California, Merced | James Strick Chair of Science, Technology, and Society Program and Associate Professor of Earth and the Environment Franklin and Marshall College |
| Mary Jo Klinker Assistant Professor of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Winona State University | Melissa Weiner Associate Professor of Sociology and Anthropology College of the Holy Cross |
| Courtney Desiree Morris Assistant Professor of African American and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Pennsylvania State University | Aubrey Westfall Assistant Professor of Political Science Wheaton College |
| Jasbir Puar Associate Professor of Women’s and Gender Studies, American Studies, Disability Studies Rutgers University | Jakobi Williams Associate Professor of African American and African Diaspora Studies, History Indiana University, Bloomington |
| Gregory Rabb Professor of Political Science and Global Education Jamestown Community College |
Eleven U.S. professors who represented a variety of disciplines including Law, Religious Studies, Theatre, History, Sociology, Anthropology, Political Science, English and American Studies, joined PARC’s seventh annual Faculty Development Seminar (FDS). This year, we added to our established program in Jerusalem and the West Bank, an enriching trip to Haifa. Indeed, the day was so successful that going forward we plan to include Haifa as a regular part of our FDS program. With the many both varied and interesting outcomes from this program, enthusiasm remains strong for hosting a new group in 2017
2016 Faculty Development Seminar Participants
| Kevin Brown Richard S. Melvin Professor of Law Indiana University | Rachael Stryker Associate Professor of Human Development and Women’s Studies California State University, East Bay |
| Jennifer Carrera Assistant Professor of Sociology Michigan State University | Russell Vandenbroucke Professor of Theatre Arts and Peace, Conflict, and Social Justice Studies University of Louisville |
| King Downing Adjunct Professor of Business and Human Rights Attorney Essex Community College | Jennifer Veninga Assistant Professor of Religious and Theological Studies St. Edwards University |
| Stephen Hall Assistant Professor of History Alcorn State University | Beverly Voloshin Professor of English and American Literature San Francisco State University |
| Gina Hens-Piazza Professor of Religious Studies and Theology Jesuit School of Theology at Santa Clara University | Dorothy Wang Associate Professor of American Studies Williams College |
| Joshua Stacher Associate Professor of Political Science Kent State University |
PARC’s sixth annual Faculty Development Seminar was composed of eleven U.S. professors who represented a variety of disciplines with strong representation in American Studies, and our first group members in Economics, Law, Theatre and Religious Studies. Once again we had strong minority participation, as well as our first professor of Native American origins. Three minority serving institutions (MSIs) were also represented. With our sixth year of this program, our U.S. professors and their Palestinian colleagues were poised to forge strong connections in their work. Our program included meetings with faculty members and administrative personnel at five Palestinian university campuses, guided tours of four Old Cities in the West Bank, and visits to Palestinian research and cultural organizations. With enthusiasm strong for continuing this program, PARC looks forward to hosting a new group in 2016.
2015 Faculty Development Seminar Participants
| Radhika Balakrishnan Professor of Economics and Director of the Center for Women’s and Gender Studies Rutgers University | Doug Kiel Assistant Professor of History Northwestern University |
| Karma Chavez Associate Professor of Mexican American & Latina/o Studies University of Texas | Barbara Lewis Associate Professor of English and Director of William Monroe Trotter Institute for the Study of Black History and Culture University of Massachusetts, Boston |
| Ira Dworkin Associate Professor of English Texas A&M University | Karla McKanders Clinical Professor of Law Vanderbilt University |
| James Heintz Professor of Economics and Research Professor at the Political Economy Research Institute University of Massachusetts, Amherst | Soraya Mekerta Associate Professor of World Languages and Literature and Director of African Diaspora and the World Program Spelman College |
| Erica Caple James Associate Professor of Anthropology Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Elizabeth Ursic Professor of Religious Studies Mesa Community College |
| J. Kehaulani Kauanui Associate Professor of American Studies and Anthropology Wesleyan University |
PARC’s fifth annual Faculty Development Seminar was composed of ten U.S. professors who represented a variety of disciplines from Anthropology, Art History, and Literature to Geography and Cultural Studies. This year’s group witnessed strong minority participation, as well as the first professor from an Hispanic-serving institution, and our second professor from an Asian American/Native American/Pacific Islander-serving institution. We look forward to our Palestinian colleagues forging working relationships with a diverse array of U.S. colleges and universities. The U.S. professors attended meetings with faculty members and administrative personnel at five Palestinian university campuses and toured historic sites in four West Bank cities. This year’s activities embraced a wide range of topics from culture to education and included a round table discussion and visits to several Palestinian NGOs and research institutions. Recognizing the enthusiasm for this program among all past participants, PARC looks forward to continuing the program in 2015.
2014 Faculty Development Seminar Participants
| Kerry Chance Assistant Professor of Geography & Anthropology University of Bergan | Sarah Roberts Assistant Professor of Information & Media Studies Western University, Canada |
| Erika Derkas Associate Professor of Sociology & Women’s Studies New Mexico Highlands University | Amy Ross Associate Professor of Geography & Human Rights University of Georgia |
| Nilda Flores-Gonzales Associate Director and Professor of Sociology Arizona State University | Greg Thomas Associate Professor of English & African Studies Tufts University |
| Elisabeth Friedman Assistant Professor of Art History & Visual Culture Illinois State University | Neha Vora Assistant Professor of Anthropology Lafayette College |
| Maimuna Islam Associate Professor of English in World Literatures, Postcolonial & Contemporary Fiction The College of Idaho | Craig Willse Assistant Professor of Cultural/Urban Studies George Mason University |
PARC’s fourth annual Faculty Development Seminar was composed of ten US professors including a variety of disciplines from Anthropology to Public Health. This year’s program witnessed strong representation from Historically Black Colleges and Universities, something PARC is committed to continuing in the coming years. The group attended meetings with faculty members and administrative personnel at five university campuses and toured historic sites in a number of cities. This year’s activities embraced a wide range of topics from culture to economics and included round table discussions and attendance at musical performances and a book launch. Recognizing the enthusiasm for this program among all past participants, PARC hopes to expand the program in 2014.
2013 Faculty Development Seminar Participants
| Christopher Daniels Assistant Professor of Political Science Florida A&M University | Starr Sage Assistant Professor of Public Health University of Minnesota, Rochester |
| Tiffany Davis Assistant Professor of Sociology Chicago State University | Susan Shepler Assistant Professor of International Peace & Conflict Resolution American University |
| Cynthia Franklin Professor of English University of Hawai’i | Diana Stover Tillinghast Professor of Journalism & Mass Communications San Jose State University |
| Byron D’Andra Orey Department Chair and Professor of Political Science Jackson State University | Kamala Visweswaran Professor of Ethnic Studies University of California, San Diego |
| Robert Ross Assistant Professor of Global Cultural Studies Point Park University | Erica Lorraine Williams Assistant Professor of Sociology & Anthropology Spelman College |
For its third annual Faculty Development Seminar (FDS), PARC was delighted to bring to the West Bank nine U.S. faculty members, including, for the first time, three faculty members from Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Participants met with Palestinian colleagues at five academic institutions including Birzeit University, Bethlehem University, Hebron University, an-Najah University, and Al-Quds University. In addition the group visited several Palestinian NGOs, had an in depth tour of the Haram al-Sharif, and saw Palestine’s first Science Discovery Center at Al-Quds University. This faculty group looks particularly promising in terms of developing cooperative projects with Palestinian colleagues in various fields of study. As in previous years, these U.S. professors will bring their experiences back to their U.S. campuses, using what they have seen and learned to infuse existing courses with new material as well as develop new courses. Given the success of this and previous years, PARC looks forward to hosting another FDS program in 2013.
2012 Faculty Development Seminar Participants
| Lisa Adeli Outreach Coordinator for the Center for Middle Eastern Studies University of Arizona | Lanisa Kitchiner Program Manager in International Affairs Center Howard University |
| Nita Sue Currey Professor of Communications St. Edward’s University | Jack McTague Professor of History Saint Leo University |
| Adenike Davidson Department Chair and Professor of English Delaware State University | Kim Shively Professor of Anthropology & Sociology Kutztown University |
| Susan Hume Professor of Geography Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville | Pamela Waldron-Moore Professor of Political Science & International Relations Xavier University |
| Katie Kane Associate Professor of English University of Montana |
In May 2011, PARC had the privilege of leading 10 U.S. faculty members, representing diverse fields of academia and an interesting cross-section of U.S. colleges and universities, on our second Faculty Development Seminar (FDS). This academic exploration of Jerusalem and the West Bank included in-depth site visits to five Palestinian universities and guided tours of the historic old cities of Jerusalem, Nablus, and Hebron. The group also participated in a roundtable discussion with Palestinian scholars and visited several Palestinian NGOs, ranging from a research center to a music school. The participants sustained their enthusiasm and motivation throughout the Seminar and particularly benefited from individual meetings with Palestinian colleagues in their respective fields. Outgrowths of the FDS include: published articles and blog posts about the FDS experiences (see below), new courses developed integrating the lessons learned on the FDS, lectures and talks to local U.S. communities, joint research projects, and visits by Palestinian colleagues to U.S. campuses. With these indicators of success, PARC plans to continue hosting the FDS program annually.
2011 Faculty Development Seminar Participants
| Afshan Bokhari Assistant Professor of Art History Suffolk University | Persis Karim Associate Professor of English & Comparative Literature San Fransisco State University |
| Craig Campbell Associate Professor of Public Safety Management St. Edward’s University | Elizabeth Kolsky Associate Professor of History Villanova University |
| Chris Corley Honors Program Director and Associate Professor of History Minnesota State University, Mankato | Christopher Lee Associate Professor of History Lafayette College |
| Denise DeGarmo Department Chair and Associate Professor of Political Science Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville | Jess White Assistant Professor of Anthropology Western Illinois University |
| John Ferré Associate Dean of Arts & Sciences and Professor of Communication University of Louisville | Charles Zerner Professor of Environmental Studies Sarah Lawrence College |
PARC’s inaugural Faculty Development Seminar took place from May 22-May 31, 2010 in Jerusalem and the West Bank. This dynamic new program is designed to expose 10 U.S. professors from a variety of disciplines to Palestine and Palestinian studies. The group was composed of 10 U.S. scholars from a variety of disciplines, and was led by Executive Director Penelope Mitchell and PARC’s Palestine Director Hadeel Qazzaz. During the Seminar, the group toured and met with professors and administrators at five West Bank universities and had presentations and discussions at several Palestinian NGOs. They also visited some of the most significant points of interest in the area, thereby witnessing everyday life in Jerusalem and the West Bank. Through their experiences during the Seminar, these professors are excited about the possibility of working cooperatively with their Palestinian colleagues and incorporating lessons learned into their scholarship and teaching. Indeed, some of the professors plan to publish articles about their experiences, others plan to invite Palestinian colleagues to their campuses to speak, and significant joint research with Palestinian academics is already beginning. The reception to the Seminar was even better than we anticipated, and we are confident that we chose worthy scholars whose future teaching and scholarship will demonstrate the impact of this experience. In that vein, all of the participants highly encouraged PARC to repeat this project in coming years.
2010 Faculty Development Seminar Participants
| Michael Daher Director of Arab Cultural Studies Program and Professor of English Henry Ford Community College | Gail Sahar Associate Provost and Professor of Psychology Wheaton College (MA) |
| Allen Fromherz Assistant Professor of History Georgia State University | Yasmin Saikia Hardt-Nickachos Chair in Peace Studies at the Center for the Study of Religion & Conflict and Professor of History Arizona State University |
| Jacqueline Guzda Visiting Professor of Communication Western Connecticut State University | Mahasin Saleh Associate Professor of Social Work University of North Texas |
| Amy Kaplan Edward W. Kane Professor of English University of Pennsylvania | Christopher Stone Head of Arabic Program and Associate Professor of Classical & Oriental Studies Hunter College, City University of New York |
| Heidi Morrison Assistant Professor of History University of Wisconsin, La Crosse | Lucian Stone Assistant Professor of Philosophy & Religion University of North Dakota |