Boston College’s Partnership with Saint Joseph University of Beirut, Lebanon

BC’s Office of Global Engagement is proud of a new partnership forged between BC and Saint Joseph University (USJ) in Beirut, Lebanon. The MOU signed between our two institutions has created a framework for collaboration that will be strongly pursued over the coming years. To highlight a few specific topics, BC hopes to foster collaboration between student organizations on campus, both universities’ schools of Social Work and schools of Nursing, online courses between History/Political Science/ICS departments, and lecture series. In addition, USJ has already become strongly involved with the International Studies’ Global Conversations Series focusing on topics of Environmental Justice and Global Experiences of Race and Discrimination. For more information regarding this collaboration please reach out to Bryan Fleming (bc.global@bc.edu) of the Office of Global Engagement!

Austin Bodetti ’18 speaks about his Fulbright experience in Morocco

Austin Bodetti a 2018 ICS alum speaks to Peter Pinto ’22 about his experience achieving a Fulbright and studying in Morocco. Austin received his grant from the Fulbright U.S. Student Program to conduct research in Morocco on the relationship between Islam, environmentalism, and the writings of the medieval philosopher Ibn Rushd. He titled his project "Ibn Rushd, Ecotheology, and the Future of Morocco's Environmental Policy. Check out Austin’s interview and his project!

McMullen Museum’s new exhibition on Abstraction from the Arab World

From February 1st to June 6th, the McMullen Museum of Art is welcoming a new exhibition called Taking Shape: Abstraction from the Arab World, 1950s-1980s. The exhibition explores mid-twentieth-century abstract art from North Africa, West Asia, and the Arab diaspora—a vast geographic expanse that encompasses diverse cultures, ethnicities, languages, and religions. Visit the Exhibition site or watch their trailer video!

International Studies Program Propagates Global Conversations

Global Conversations is a project that connects BC students with students at universities around the world for informal small-group conversations about issues that matter to them. Since November, conversations have taken place with students in Asia, Africa, Europe, and South America about student activism, university life amidst COIVD-19, environmental justice, race and racism, and much more. Launched by Prof. Owens, director of the International Studies Program, the project is led by an undergraduate student committee. They welcome new student leaders and participants! Visit the website or email global.conversations@bc.edu for more information.

Professor Morris awarded Farabi International Prize in Islamic Studies and the Islamic Humanities

Professor James Morris (Dept. of Theology and program on Islamic Civilization and Societies) was awarded the 11th annual Farabi International Prize in Islamic Studies and the Islamic Humanities, at a virtual award ceremony in Tehran on August 17, 2020. [Al-Farabi, 872- 950, was the founder and central figure in the millennial tradition of Islamic philosophy, particularly political philosophy.]

Professor DiPasquale’s New Publication

Professor David DiPasquale recently published a new book at the endof 2019: Alfarabi and the Starting Point of Islamic Philosophy: A Study of the Kitab al-Jadal (Cambridge University Press, 2019).