Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, 2016, American Culture Studies

This research analyzes youth political involvement and civic engagement in the Middle East and North African (MENA) regions and the impact of the U.S. -Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) cultural exchange programs on MENA-U.S. relations after September 11, 2001. Specifically, this study will examine how such programs shape mutual understanding between the U.S. and the countries of the MENA region. The study is informed by the researcher's direct experience through the MEPI program in Leadership, Civic Activism and Citizenship at Georgetown University in 2007. This study also analyzes the impact of leadership styles, conflict resolution and group dynamics, political and social change initiatives, and the role of civil society in democratic processes in the MENA region. This thesis also surveys the cultural exchange experiences of several young people from the MENA region through demonstrating the MEPI program's development, and analyzing the planning and design of different activities included in the program since its inception in 2002. Participants from five MENA countries (Tunisia, Egypt, Algeria, Morocco, and Lebanon) responded to a targeted online survey regarding the relationship between interest in political and civic engagement and the citizen uprisings in any of the five target countries before and after their participation in the program. One of the key findings of this study clearly correlates with Edward Said's theory of Orientalism; studying the MEPI program, using textual analysis, highlights clear implications of superiority and dominance from the host culture, in this case the United States.In addition to the theoretical outcomes of this research, the results also demonstrate that participation in the MEPI program is likely to increase interest in political issues among participants after they return to their home countries, particularly with younger participants. Gender, on the other hand, does not seem to affect the rate of politi (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Arts (MA), Wright State University, 2012, International and Comparative Politics

The literature on anti-Americanism in the Middle East suggests that there is a strong relationship between US foreign policy and public attitudes of the United States in the region. This study analyzes Middle Eastern public opinion of the United States from 2002 until 2011, while using quantitative and qualitative analysis to determine whether US foreign policy in the Middle East correlates with approval levels of the United States. The purpose of this study was to determine if US foreign policy measures such as US support for oppressive regimes, US support for Israel, and US intervention in domestic affairs affects the way in which the average Middle Eastern publics view the United States. This study finds that there were quantitative and qualitative correlations between the three independent variables and anti-Americanism levels in the Middle East with the largest drop in approval of the US coming in 2003 after the US invasion of Iraq. The case of Lebanon's Cedar Revolution also shows an effective policy that can be applied to the regime changes caused by the “Arab Spring”.

Artium Baccalaureus (AB), Ohio University, 2016, Political Science

This thesis attempts to investigate and advance understanding of polarizing leadership through a case study of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The study utilizes operational code analysis as the basis of investigation, examining Netanyahu through his speeches, interviews, and social media. Qualitative and quantitative methods are utilized, including applying George's operational code questions and running a sample of texts through VICS coding. Facial recognition technology is also used to demonstrate new methods of collecting data for the purpose of leadership studies. Though VICS coding results in fairly neutral results for most measures, both facial recognition software and qualitative analysis suggest that Netanyahu may harbor a more negative, conflictual operational code. Qualitative analysis also provides a much greater wealth of nuanced information that helps to understand Netanyahu's belief system and likely actions. In the process, this study provides evidence of information overlooked in VICS coding that should be better addressed moving forward. It also suggests that Netanyahu is best understood as a realist or pragmatic realist who is most concerned with maintaining security through a power imbalance. Conclusions drawn suggest that there is little chance for Israel to obtain peace with its neighboring countries under Netanyahu's leadership and may also provide broader implications and research directions regarding polarizing leadership as a whole.

Bachelor of Arts (BA), Ohio University, 2015, English

This paper examines the use of young adult literature of and about the Middle East in the secondary English Language Arts classroom as a means to dispel stereotypes about the region and welcome multicultural themes and topics into literary discussion. The work is made up of five chapters, each of which address a different piece of literature of five sub-genres: fiction, memoir, poetry, short story, and graphic novel. The books of study are broken down and analyzed in each chapter, exploring potential strategies for studying the books, such as symbol analysis, Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS), and psychoanalytical theory, as well as offering potential teaching strategies for educators to use in the 7-12 classroom. The work is rounded out with 6 appendices made up of ready-to-use lesson plans, project ideas, and models paired with each of the five novels, provided for language arts teachers to utilize in their own classrooms when teaching about the Middle East and its literature.

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 1923, Graduate School

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 1964, Graduate School

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2024, Media and Communication

This study utilizes an experimental design to explore how different frames impact individuals' perceptions of Muslim women when portrayed in news coverage of protests from the Middle East and North Africa region. Specifically, this research investigates the influence of news media frames on U.S. public perceptions of Muslim women activists, focusing on the impact of the hijab to test various perspectives related to minorities, gender, and stereotypical representations. In addition to examining the effect of text (positive and negative frames) and visuals (no visuals, visuals featuring veiled Muslim women, and visuals of unveiled Muslim women) on perceptions, this study also analyzes the influence of the interaction effect of the text and visual frames. This dissertation employed a factorial design, utilizing Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) to conduct an online experiment. Participants were exposed to different news frames describing protests to assess their perceptions of Muslim women activists. One of the key findings of this study highlights the influence of Western-centric notions on perceptions of Muslims. Results demonstrated that positive text frames accompanied by visuals featuring unveiled women facilitated more positive implicit perceptions compared to negative frames. However, exposure to visuals featuring veiled women fostered more support toward Muslim women's protests compared to those exposed to unveiled visuals, regardless of whether the text frame is positive or negative. Additionally, results exhibited that preexisting stereotypes of oppression and victimization, along with interactions with Muslims, emerged as the most influential predictors in shaping perceptions. iv Based on the results, the author urges editors and journalists to carefully consider the goal of their coverage of protest news from the Middle East to ensure accurate and balanced portrayals that contribute to greater social inclusion, diversity, and equity in media discourse. The (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2024, Higher Education (Education)

Sex education describes an amalgamation of learning experiences that promote voluntary behavior conducive to related health. Hence, a multidimensional implementation approach that integrates several stakeholders and methods can increase the effectiveness in achieving desirable behavioral and health outcomes. The schools primarily comprise young adults whose age increases their tendency to engage in risky behaviors, predisposing them to a high likelihood of becoming victims and perpetrators. Middle East nations have been slow in adopting sex education curricula in schools due to cultural and religious barriers. Hence, they negatively view the topic since it contradicts their cultural and religious values. Cultural and religious norms are the primary factors limiting effective sexual education adoption in Saudi Arabia. Nevertheless, increasing exposure has increased the learners' curiosity to learn about the topic, which predisposes them to unreliable sources of information. Therefore, this investigation seeks to determine the impact of integrating sex education curriculum among the Kingdom's universities and the issues to consider achieving the desired outcomes. The primary objectives include determining importance of the sex education curriculum, identify the approaches the institutions can utilize to implement the program, determine the issues that hamper its implementation, and list the appropriate instructional units. The study employed a cross sectional design to guide subsequent research processes and address the knowledge gap. It utilized survey questions and interviews, adopting a multimethod research approach. Hence, the study's target population comprised higher education instructors, administrators, and graduate students. The primary research instruments utilized were interview schedules and questionnaires. Data collection incorporated both quantitative and qualitative approaches. Qualtrics was used for surveys, w (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2023, Agricultural Communication, Education and Leadership

Youth in Palestine are experiencing a lack of leadership engagement due to inconsistent youth programs, an unsupportive and non-stable government, and an overall disconnect of what leadership means, in the Palestinian context. These factors have left youth uncertain about their futures with a mindset of survival only. During this very critical stage of human development, youth are forming ego identities (biological, cognitive, and social) and are in need of a variety of activities to help them form their own personal identities. Without these, they are unable to understand how they may best impact their communities as an engaged citizen; therefore, it is these youth who represent an opportunity for research and improved practice. To study this population, this transcendental phenomenology explored Palestinian youth ages 15-17 who reside in a small village, in the Ramallah District of the West Bank, in Occupied Palestine. In-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with six participants (three females and three males). While individual experiences varied slightly, five themes emerged which merit the consideration of: the Palestinian government, Ministry of Education, teachers, parents, community business owners, religious leaders, human rights groups, and governments. This relatively nuanced area of research has the potential to transform the lives of Palestinian youth who experience the harsh realities of occupation daily. Although most Palestinians have access to education in school, it's often what's not taught in the classroom that develops them to reach their highest potential.

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2022, Near Eastern Languages and Cultures

The purpose of this study is to develop a better understanding of the Mediterranean ambiance and climate in Columbus, Ohio and in some sense the United States at large, through the ways Arab Americans market their cuisines and present themselves to the community. Little scholarship is available on Arab American cuisine in the States. The aim is to find out if Arab American owned restaurants and grocery stores are selling an experience for their clientele, if the Mediterranean label has become a reinvention of their homeland and/or a reconstructed experience of the Arab American, and if their various ways of self-portrayal has undergone a transformation within the larger context of Arab American identity. I use an ethnographic approach to interview Arab American food franchise owners to learn more about concepts such as identity, agency, homebuilding, and orientalism. Arab Americans are reframing the meaning of the Mediterranean through their franchise spaces in the context of their identity and agency as they engage their clientele.

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2022, Near Eastern Languages and Cultures

The purpose of this thesis is to investigate the process by which the American Yazidi ethno-religious community of Lincoln, Nebraska preserves and transmits its culture and identity in a diasporic setting. This research seeks to contribute to new knowledge on how ethnic and religious immigrant communities negotiate questions of identity and cultural preservation, particularly in the context of historical or ongoing persecution in their native homelands. Utilizing ethnography, participant observation, and unstructured interviews, this research examines the mutually supporting individual and collective efforts to preserve Yazidi identity and cultural attributes, including heritage language instruction, civil society participation, artistic expression, trauma processing, and both local and transnational social relations. The research also canvasses the attitudes of Yazidis to better understand the centrality of inter-generational cultural transmission and the challenges of maintaining a distinct ethno-religious identity while integrating into a new society.

Master of Arts in History, Youngstown State University, 2022, Department of Humanities

The Middle East has historically been a region of the world where peace has been hard to achieve. Nations and populations, such as Israel, Syria, and Palestinians, have been at odds since the end of the Second World War. The United States showed great interest in the Middle East following the Second World War, making them an important part of the historical narrative there as well. This thesis looks primarily at the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, specifically through the career of Arlen Specter, a former United States Senator from Pennsylvania who served from 1981 to 2011. Facilitated mainly by primary source material from Senator Specter's career, this thesis illuminates the work of an often-forgotten politician who was very active in Middle Eastern politics. Specter saw Syria as an integral part of any prospect of peace between Israel and Palestine, and this thesis analyzes his personal efforts to develop relations with Syrian and Palestinian leaders in the hopes of achieving peace between Israel and Palestine, as well as between Israel and Syria. Overall, Specter's perspectives and actions work together to reveal a unique and nuanced approach to the Middle East that saw the importance of Syria, a nation that has been ostracized from the United States since 1979, in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. The project begins with a historical narrative of Israel, Palestine, and Syria. Specter then becomes the focus, and his actions and work in and pertaining to the Middle East are examined, revealing Specter's uniqueness.

PHD, Kent State University, 2021, College of Education, Health and Human Services / School of Health Sciences

The purpose of this study was to develop four equivalent forms of a standardized Arabic word recognition test that can be used for hearing assessment for adults. The initial pool of words was selected from Modern Standard Arabic words that were judged to be commonly used and similarly pronounced across the four main Arabic dialects of the Middle East (i.e., Gulf, Iraqi, Levantine, and Egyptian dialects). Interlist equivalency was maximized primarily based on word difficulty as defined by the recognition error rate of 15 participants with a hearing loss simulation (HLS) effect and secondarily based on phonemic balance. The psychometric performance-intensity functions and the variability of the recognition scores for the full and the abbreviated lists were evaluated by analyzing the responses from 15 adults with normal hearing tested with HLS effect, from 26 adults with normal hearing tested without HLS effect, and from 12 returning participants from the reference group after 2-4 weeks from the initial session. The results showed that the four full 50-word lists were clinically valid, equivalent, and reliable forms of hearing assessment with either word or phoneme scoring but not with a mixture of scoring methods. The four abbreviated 25-word lists were also equivalent, reliable, and correlate well with the respective full lists when using the same scoring method for each list, and therefore deemed appropriate for diagnostic purposes. This study provides a valuable clinical tool that could be used to diagnose and manage hearing loss in Arabic-speaking adults from various parts of the Middle East. Having such a test that is not dialect-specific is much needed to address the growing diversity within Arabic communities around the globe.

Master of Arts (MA), Wright State University, 2021, International and Comparative Politics

This study examined the catalysts for social movements around the globe; specifically, why and how the Arab Spring uprisings led to regime change in Tunisia, why they transformed into civil war in some countries of the Middle East and North Africa (Syria), and why they did not lead to significant change at all in other places (Bahrain). The overall results of the study confirmed that political and socio-economic grievances caused the Arab uprisings in Tunisia, Bahrain, and Syria. Tunisian protesters succeeded in regime change because of a united and structured social movement leading to an effective transitional democracy in the country, whereas Syria and Bahrain used their coercive apparatus, with the help of foreign intervention, to suppress demonstrators. Thus, on the Syrian side, protests transformed into civil war. Keywords: Arab Spring; Bahrain; Middle East and North Africa; Protests; Regime change; Social Movements; Syria; Transitional Democracy; and Tunisia.

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2021, History

This study examines the concepts of childhood, youth, and aging in the early modern Ottoman Empire from 1500-1730. It demonstrates that the early modern Ottoman intelligentsia had multiple conceptions of the period of childhood and youth that shaped their understanding of the self and their larger intellectual world. These findings help to disprove the erroneous belief that the Ottomans had no concept of childhood before the “modern” moment of the 19th century. Across texts, regardless of genre and purpose, and across time there is a firm, logical conception of childhood and youth that shapes the arguments made by Ottoman authors. These ideas on aging and childhood had their roots in classical antiquity and earlier Islamic thought; Ottoman intellectuals, however, transformed these ideas and developed them over the centuries. The Ottomans saw childhood and youth as some of the most significant periods of their lives, and both periods were seen as having a substantial impact upon the adult self. The Ottomans believed in an extended period of development lasting until the age of thirty. As a person matured, he or she proceeded through set developmental stages, with set signs and expectations; failure to reach expectations or certain milestones was seen as disastrous. The Ottomans devoted a great deal of effort to controlling, educating, and guiding children and youths towards the idealized adult self, and cautioning them about the various pitfalls that beset their young lives

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2021, Sociology

This dissertation consists of three distinct analytic papers that are designed to be published as separate articles but are also unified around the theme of contentious politics in the contemporary Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The first two papers focus on Iran as a case study, while the last one includes seventeen countries from the MENA region. The first paper (chapter two) examines the relationship between elections and political repression in electoral authoritarian regimes. Results show that voter turnout in the previous presidential election is positively associated with chances of political repression occurring in the next four years. The second paper (chapter three) assesses the relationship between diaspora protest and protest activity inside the home country. This study concludes that protest among the diaspora has a cumulative, positive impact on protest inside the home country. The third paper (chapter four) analyzes the relationship between climate change and civil conflict in seventeen countries in the MENA region. This chapter includes analyses on national as well as subnational levels. Results reveal that on the national level, there is no substantive evidence of a link between climate change and civil conflict. On this level, socioeconomic variables and history of past conflict are the most important predictors of conflict. On the subnational level, however, areas with increasing temperatures and precipitation are less likely to witness civil conflict. Taken together, this dissertation sheds light on the relationships between political participation and political repression, diaspora protests and protest emergence under authoritarian rule, and climate change and conflict. Results of these analyses can be of use to scholars of contentious politics in the MENA region and those studying social movements in other societies, especially those ruled by undemocratic regimes.

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2020, Arts and Sciences: Sociology

In this project I investigate the spatial assimilation of Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) immigrants in the United States. I examine whether the residential incorporation of MENA immigrants has decreased over time due to a changing social and political context following the 9/11 terrorist attacks. I analyze data from the 2000 U.S. decennial census and 2012-2016 American Community Survey, to which I append data from the Integrated Public Use Microdata Series, to test the effects of group-level characteristics and metropolitan area-level factors on spatial assimilation. I compare the experiences of the MENA population with those of South Asian and East Asian immigrants, who on average are both phenotypically different from non-Hispanic whites and score high on measures of socioeconomic status (SES), but may not have suffered the same degree of stigma and discrimination in the post-9/11 period. Thus, I provide an indirect test of the “context of reception” explanation for spatial assimilation in the United States by comparing the segregation and suburbanization patterns of the three groups. My findings suggest that the MENA population's residential segregation increased over time more than did the equivalent measures for South and East Asians, providing some support for the context of reception framework. The MENA population had the highest spatial concentration of the three groups, but the lowest level and lowest increase in their clustering patterns. Finally, on average the MENA group had the highest level of suburban residence in 2016, but the smallest increase in their suburbanization rate from 2000 to 2016, compared to South and East Asians. Multivariate analyses reveal that the relationships between segregation, acculturation, and SES characteristics vary by immigrant group and across measures, both aligning with and contradicting the predictions of spatial assimilation theory. These findings suggest that multiple frameworks should be used to account for (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, 2020, College Student Personnel

This phenomenological study examined the spiritual experiences of Christian students who completed a semester abroad through the Middle East Studies Program (MESP) while it was based in Cairo, Egypt. The theoretical frameworks that shaped my research and guided my analysis were Milton Bennett's (1993) theory of intercultural development and James Fowler's (1981) model of faith development. I approached this study as a social constructionist and an interpretivist, and conducted two-stage semi-structured interviews with three MESP alumni. Two key themes emerged from my work. First, interactions with the host community through peer dialogues, homestays, service-learning, and regional travel led my participants to place an increased emphasis on the overarching similarities present in the human experience, a movement towards ethnorelativism in keeping with Bennett's (1993) Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity. Additionally, all of my participants identified spiritual struggles that took place during their semester on MESP, and described using spiritual coping mechanisms to support difficult interactions with cultural difference. However, although my participants experienced a movement towards ecumenism and interfaith inclusivism as the result of their study abroad experience, the use of faith-based meaning making strategies did not always result in faith development according to Fowler's (1981) theory of faith development. The findings of this thesis will benefit in-country faculty and staff members as well as campus-based study abroad practitioners and student affairs professionals, who will be better equipped to promote intercultural and spiritual development during a study abroad program and to support the continued developmental needs of study abroad alumni.

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2020, Near Eastern Languages and Cultures

My thesis explores how modern Jordan came to be defined by a tribal heritage common to several states in the region, owing to the unique political exigencies faced by the country's leaders during both the British Mandate (1921-1946) and the post-independence era (1946-present). I argue that regional political objectives of colonial authorities and key leadership personalities were major driving forces of the progressive decision to preserve tribal elements in Jordanian society during the British Mandate. In the post-independence era, I maintain that Jordan resorted to its tribal heritage that continued to retain a privileged place in society in crafting a nationalism that centered on the original inhabitants of Transjordan

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2020, History

Scholarship on modern Egyptian history supports a narrative that depicts Egypt emerging as an independent political entity in the mid-19th century and steadily marching towards becoming a sovereign nation-state in the first decades of the 20th century. The Ottoman cultural context, within which Egypt operated at this time, is usually nowhere to be found in this story. This dissertation remedies this gap in the literature and “remembers” Egypt's Ottoman past between 1841, when Mehmed Ali Pasha was granted the hereditary governorship of Egypt, and 1914, when Egypt's remaining political ties to the Ottoman Empire were severed by the British Empire. Primarily based on a variety of sources produced in Arabic and Ottoman Turkish, it argues that even though the political ties between Istanbul and Cairo were weakening and a more distinct Egyptian identity was on the rise at this time, the Ottoman cultural consciousness continued to provide an important framework for the ruling and intellectual elite of Egypt, as well as the wider segments of the Egyptian public, until World War I. Taking a thematic approach to the subject, the dissertation demonstrates how the Ottoman imperial court culture provided a blueprint for the ruling elite in Egypt. Moreover, it asserts that Arabic-speaking intellectuals of Egypt, both male and female, continued to self-identify as “Ottomans” in their reactions to some of the momentous events that the Ottoman Empire was facing at the end of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Additionally, it demonstrates how these Arabic-speaking intellectuals utilized the idea of Ottoman consciousness in their efforts to resist European imperialism, which became particularly urgent after Britain occupied Egypt in 1882. Finally, my dissertation asserts that wider segments of the public in Egypt continued to demonstrate a sense of Ottoman consciousness in their reactions to the aforementioned events that the Ottoman Empire was going through at the time.