Speakers' Bureau

The Center for Middle Eastern Studies can provide speakers for K-12 classrooms, and to community organizations and other groups in the greater Austin area. The program is designed to meet increasing interest in teaching young people about the Middle East and also to share the wealth of resources available at the Center.

Since many of our undergraduate and graduate students have traveled to the Middle East, we offer them an opportunity to share their knowledge and experience with classrooms in the Austin area.

There is no charge for this service, although in the case of student speakers who will be present for multiple classes or all day, providing lunch is a nice gesture.

Examples of previous speaking engagements have included:

• Graduate students speaking to 6th grade world cultures classes on countries in the Middle East they've lived in or are from (which have included Egypt, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, and Turkey);
• Three graduate students, representing the Jewish, Christian, and Islamic communities, speaking to 6th grade world cultures classes on the similarities and differences between their faiths;
• Two graduate students, one from the Palestinian Students Association and one from Texas Hillel speaking about their perspectives on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict;
• A member of the staff speaking to an Austin-based architectural firm entering the competition to design the new Egyptian Museum in Cairo;
• A graduate student and a member of the faculty speaking to a local hospice on Islamic customs concerning death and dying.

Please bear in mind the following:

1) The sooner that you can contact us, the better.  We ask for a minumum of two weeks' lead time.

2) Due to teaching schedules and due dates for final papers, it is nearly impossible for us to find volunteer speakers during the last two weeks of the University's teaching semester, during final exams, or intersession.  In practical terms, this means that requests for speakers after Thanksgiving (winter semester) through Martin Luther King, Jr., Day, and again after the end of April (spring semester) will be very hard to fulfill. Please bear this in mind when making requests.

3) Please understand that students are donating their time to volunteer to speak, and that they are frequently able to only visit for a couple of hours.  While we have been able to cover multiple classes (i.e., all day), this may involve sending multiple speakers to your classroom over the course of the day.  This is especially true for schools that run on a block schedule.  While we will try our best to meet your time frame, please understand that it may not be possible to secure a speaker for each class period during a school day or over a two-day block schedule.

4) We generally do not send student speakers to participate in school "culture fairs."  Instead, we suggest contacting one or more of the following student organizations directly:

• Arab Students Association
• Armenian Cultural Organization
• Iranian Students Academic and Cultural Organization
• Lebanese Culture Club
• Texas Hillel
• Turkic Cultures Student Association
• Turkish University Students Association

To request a speaker in your classroom or meeting, please contact Christopher Rose, CMES Outreach Director, with the following information:

1. Your name, daytime phone number, and/or e-mail.
2. The name of the school or organization that you represent.
3. (for schools) The grade level and class that you want the speaker to visit (example: 6th grade world cultures).
4. Your preferred dates and times.
5. Most important: please specify the topics that you are hoping to have addressed--the more specific, the better! What are the objectives of having a speaker come to your classroom?  How will you determine whether the visit has been successful?