Assistant Professor of Professional Practice; Program Head, Arabic Language Studies
Rana Issa teaches Arabic language and culture, including courses such as Arabic, Arabic Speaking Countries, and Media in the Arabic World. She has extensive experience coordinating language programs, translating documents, and working in a professional Arabic-speaking environment.
Rana has received the Commandant Coin of Excellence for superior dedication to teaching and curriculum development in the Defense Language Institute.
ARLA 8215
Introduction to IslamCourse Description
Terms Taught
ARLA 8382
Islam&Politics in Arab WorldCourse Description
Islam and Politics in the Arab World
One of the most important developments of the twentieth century is Islamic revival. This course examines the ideologies and political strategies of the 20th and 21st century Islamist movements, as well as their origins and evolution. The course is motivated by a set of interlocking questions designed to understand the politics of modern Islamic political movements in the Middle East. What are the intellectual origins of these movements? What is their relationship to colonialism, theology, nationalism, democracy, liberalism, development, and women and gender? How have Islamic political movements evolved over time? What are the reasons behind and the consequences of some of these movements? electoral successes, after the Arab Spring in particular? These questions will be explored historically and in comparative perspective by drawing on scholarship from political science, Islamic studies, sociology, anthropology, and history.
Terms Taught
DPPG 8616
Independent PracticumCourse Description
Students will choose a focal topic or challenge that is relevant to their degree. Under faculty member’s guidance, students will then implement a suitable plan of activities to shed significant light on this topic. Final products may take many forms including a traditional research paper, a guide or manual for practitioners, a video product, or alternative deliverable that would be of value to a well-defined audience of practitioners. Students must identify a faculty sponsor who has consented to supervise the project in order to enroll in this class. Work can be taken on-campus or in field settings. Credit is variable (4 or 6 units) and depends upon the scope, complexity and rigor of the project.
The B section is 3 credits and is only open to joint IEM/MPA students.
Terms Taught
Arabic language, Arabic culture.
| by Jessie Raymond
At the Human Rights Forum held at the Institute in October, language studies students, speaking in their nonnative languages, presented their research on current human rights issues, while teams of student interpreters relayed the presentations into multiple languages.
| by Eva Gudbergsdottir
Middlebury Institute Professor Rana Issa recently hosted an improvised cooking lesson in Arabic, celebrating Lebanese culture and cuisine with students and their families, utilizing WhatsApp, colored pens, and pantry staples.
