EGYPT: Summer Overseas Program Offered at UHCL By Yolanda Pineda-Gabehart

Cairo, Alexandria, the Great Pyramids, the Nile River and the U.S. Embassy are just some of the places UH-Clear Lake students visited this summer as part of the “Egypt in Transition: Ancient Civilization to Modern Society” cross-cultural study. The new graduate course from the School of Human Sciences and Humanities is cross-listed among degrees including anthropology and sociology. The five-week course, offered in Summer I session, was open to students seeking undergraduate, graduate or Ph.D. degrees.

The main goal of the overseas trip was to meet students from Cairo University, learn about their culture, exchange ideas, and break up existing stereotypes, explained Everette Penn, assistant professor of criminology and affiliate faculty of cross cultural studies.

“It was great to see students have some dialogue and erase stereotypes and unfounded thoughts they had about each other,” Penn said. “What the conversation did was so great. They [Cairo University students] had stereotypical beliefs about us. They believed that being from Texas we all had farms, ranches, cows, and all sorts of other agricultural trades that we were involved in.”

Penn’s special highlight of the trip, in addition to meeting Cairo students, was visiting the Egypt Consulate to meet with Sallama Shaker, Egypt’s deputy minister of foreign affairs for the Americas. “It was a great opportunity to visit with a person of such a high position and be treated like royalty,” Penn said.

Mike McMullen, associate professor of cross-cultural studies, also traveled with the students. He said exposing students to that part of the world [Egypt] gave them a better sense of Middle East politics, religion and culture.

McMullen, who teaches religion and is familiar with Islam, explained that the course was tailored to fit different degrees. Because students were interested in issues ranging from higher education in Egypt to the role of Islam in the world, they found contacts at Cairo University who helped students with their research.

“Many Egyptian folks we met want us to come back and educate our fellow Americans about what Egyptians are all about,” McMullen said. “They are very interested in making sure Americans know that not all Muslims are terrorists.”

Traveling overseas required extended examination from the people who operate the school, as well as approval at the state level, said Associate Dean Howard Eisner.

Eisner said part of UHCL’s mission is for students to be exposed to other cultures and he commended Penn and McMullen for their work overseas.

“I am really pleased that they did this and we were able to support it,” Eisner said.

Before embarking on their Egyptian journey, students were required to attend classroom lessons to learn about Egyptian culture. Upon returning they were required to write and then present a research paper based on their experiences. Presentations are scheduled for Sept. 13.

“The actual experience was phenomenal,” said Pam Kennard, a graduate student majoring in cross-cultural studies who participated in the program. “I had some sort of life-altering experience I really cannot describe. Yes, I recommend this trip to everyone. The coursework is demanding but the experience is forever.”

A total of 12 people, including seven students, two UHCL professors and one Prairie View A&M University professor, participated in the cross-cultural study.

Information for the next trip, scheduled for May 2007, will be available Sept. 15 at http://hsh.uhcl.edu/cc/egypt