Centre for the Advanced Study of the Arab World
Encyclopedia
The Centre for the Advanced Study of the Arab World (CASAW) (Arabic: مركز الدراسات المتقدمة للعالم العربي) is a government funded, research based initiative which is at the forefront of UK expertise in the Arab World.
based on a knowledge of the Arabic language coupled with advanced research methods skills in the social
and political sciences, arts
and humanities
.
The Centre is a collaborative initiative between the Universities of Edinburgh, Durham, and Manchester, and is funded by the joint government research councils, with an initial grant of £5 million.
CASAW is one of the five inter-instituitional Centres of Excellence set up as part of the ESRC, AHRC
, SFC
and HEFCE's Language Based Area Studies Initiative.http://www.www.esrcsocietytoday.ac.uk/ESRCInfoCentre/opportunities/postgraduate/fundingopportunities/LanguageBasedAreaStudies.aspx?data=%2fFrXHTl993p9fjzYhY4Jyp6N9GDM4%2bsGMr4zAN9MeBebJCRMWx8UGeClgbbCt%2fMSBavp67PHdNm6zU6FRILDnl%2bL9ICVFyjiYSj4pawDdWnsg%2b6TIye5vnzc5NxsJ2AeZQ%2fAdZLGgRTGh6q3pd5U6%2bai5B7i5PHjhj5bvqwN%2b9V0TJn7smWQPQ%3d%3d&xu=0&isAwardHolder=&isProfiled=&AwardHolderID=&Sector CASAW brings together some 50 full-time members of staff and postdoctoral fellows drawn from a variety of departments in the arts, humanities and social and political sciences, all working on areas directly related to the Arabic speaking world.
Additionally, the creation of the UK's leading resource for Arab World expertise, the creation of opportunities for academic cooperation and collaboration, as well as the creation of a world class cadre of researchers are key aims.
and 4 year PhD
awards. Regardless of the end qualification, all students who do not yet have Arabic expertise undertake a specially designed, intensive, one year course in Arabic language ab initio at the University of Edinburgh. This consists of a full academic year at the University of Edinburgh, followed by four months of language training in an Arab World university in order to develop Arabic language ability. During this time, students undertake qualitative, quantitative, and area-specific advanced research methods at the University of Edinburgh.
Masters students continue intensive Arabic tuition in their second year, and undertake additional modules at their host institution, as well as beginning dissertations.
PhD students are placed in the institution most appropriate for the supervision of their specific project, yet also benefit from some cross-institutional supervision. During the remaining 3 years of their course, PhD candidates continue to receive language tuition and are expected to conduct 12 months of fieldwork in the Arab World.
to present the lecture series entitled "Perspectives on the Arab World", a Careers Workshop for students of Arabic throughout the UK,, an Islamic finance summer school, as well as numerous one day symposia, film showings, discussion groups and addresses from eminent politicians and public figures, as well as conferences, such as the international conference on “Re-Thinking Jihad
” held 7–9 September 2009.
Foundation
CASAW is the result of a UK government initiative to build crucial expertise on the Arab WorldArab world
The Arab world refers to Arabic-speaking states, territories and populations in North Africa, Western Asia and elsewhere.The standard definition of the Arab world comprises the 22 states and territories of the Arab League stretching from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Arabian Sea in the...
based on a knowledge of the Arabic language coupled with advanced research methods skills in the social
Social
The term social refers to a characteristic of living organisms...
and political sciences, arts
ARts
aRts, which stands for analog Real time synthesizer, is an audio framework that is no longer under development. It is best known for previously being used in KDE to simulate an analog synthesizer....
and humanities
Humanities
The humanities are academic disciplines that study the human condition, using methods that are primarily analytical, critical, or speculative, as distinguished from the mainly empirical approaches of the natural sciences....
.
The Centre is a collaborative initiative between the Universities of Edinburgh, Durham, and Manchester, and is funded by the joint government research councils, with an initial grant of £5 million.
CASAW is one of the five inter-instituitional Centres of Excellence set up as part of the ESRC, AHRC
AHRC
AHRC can refer to:* Asian Human Rights Commission* Arts and Humanities Research Council* Association for the Help of Retarded Children* American Homeowners Resource Center* Australian Human Rights Commission...
, SFC
SFC
-Science and engineering:* Brake specific fuel consumption an engineering term that is used to describe the fuel consumption of a shaft engine it terms of its output power...
and HEFCE's Language Based Area Studies Initiative.http://www.www.esrcsocietytoday.ac.uk/ESRCInfoCentre/opportunities/postgraduate/fundingopportunities/LanguageBasedAreaStudies.aspx?data=%2fFrXHTl993p9fjzYhY4Jyp6N9GDM4%2bsGMr4zAN9MeBebJCRMWx8UGeClgbbCt%2fMSBavp67PHdNm6zU6FRILDnl%2bL9ICVFyjiYSj4pawDdWnsg%2b6TIye5vnzc5NxsJ2AeZQ%2fAdZLGgRTGh6q3pd5U6%2bai5B7i5PHjhj5bvqwN%2b9V0TJn7smWQPQ%3d%3d&xu=0&isAwardHolder=&isProfiled=&AwardHolderID=&Sector CASAW brings together some 50 full-time members of staff and postdoctoral fellows drawn from a variety of departments in the arts, humanities and social and political sciences, all working on areas directly related to the Arabic speaking world.
Objectives
CASAW's aim is to "serve national strategic interests by safeguarding the future health of Arab World expertise in the UK, training the next generation of academics and providing a vital flow of expertise to sustain the needs of the public and private sectors"Additionally, the creation of the UK's leading resource for Arab World expertise, the creation of opportunities for academic cooperation and collaboration, as well as the creation of a world class cadre of researchers are key aims.
Masters and Doctoral Programmes
CASAW offers a number of 2 year MastersMaster's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
and 4 year PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
awards. Regardless of the end qualification, all students who do not yet have Arabic expertise undertake a specially designed, intensive, one year course in Arabic language ab initio at the University of Edinburgh. This consists of a full academic year at the University of Edinburgh, followed by four months of language training in an Arab World university in order to develop Arabic language ability. During this time, students undertake qualitative, quantitative, and area-specific advanced research methods at the University of Edinburgh.
Masters students continue intensive Arabic tuition in their second year, and undertake additional modules at their host institution, as well as beginning dissertations.
PhD students are placed in the institution most appropriate for the supervision of their specific project, yet also benefit from some cross-institutional supervision. During the remaining 3 years of their course, PhD candidates continue to receive language tuition and are expected to conduct 12 months of fieldwork in the Arab World.
Other activities
In addition to its academic obligations, CASAW undertakes a number other activities, including consultancy to government, media, and business, tailor made language programmes for public and private sector users, and flagship events. These events have included a partnership with the Royal Society of EdinburghRoyal Society of Edinburgh
The Royal Society of Edinburgh is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity, operating on a wholly independent and non-party-political basis and providing public benefit throughout Scotland...
to present the lecture series entitled "Perspectives on the Arab World", a Careers Workshop for students of Arabic throughout the UK,, an Islamic finance summer school, as well as numerous one day symposia, film showings, discussion groups and addresses from eminent politicians and public figures, as well as conferences, such as the international conference on “Re-Thinking Jihad
Jihad
Jihad , an Islamic term, is a religious duty of Muslims. In Arabic, the word jihād translates as a noun meaning "struggle". Jihad appears 41 times in the Quran and frequently in the idiomatic expression "striving in the way of God ". A person engaged in jihad is called a mujahid; the plural is...
” held 7–9 September 2009.