Teaching Today's Egypt

Fri, October 9, 2026
10:00 am - 11:00 am
Enarson Classroom Building, Room 160

2009 Millikin Rd, Columbus, OH 43210

Teaching Today’s Egypt: Youth Learning, Public Scholarship, and Faculty Collaboration

Ottoman Historian and experienced Middle East Studies Educator, Barb Petzen, will highlight tangible ways to engage students with today's Egypt and create memorable learning experiences. Join us in-person or the live stream online through our Youtube, Facebook or LinkedIn. You will:

Discover experiential approaches to teaching about contemporary Egypt
Gain insights for collaborating across fields and translating them into engaging, academically grounded learning about Egypt and the Middle East
Walk away with concrete teaching ideas connected to learning outcomes, classroom resources, and assessment strategies.

Together we will consider how our unique backgrounds and expertise might support future curriculum development, site visits, classroom resources, and public programming as part of our Seeds of Middle Eastern Culture program in partnership with All THAT after school program.

“Teaching Today’s Egypt” will focus on Egypt as a dynamic contemporary society as well as a historically rich and globally connected place. The session will open conversation about how university faculty can help create meaningful learning opportunities for younger students, educators, and public audiences.

Bring your expertise into the conversation. Join Barb Petzen to explore how your research and teaching can contribute to public scholarship and interdisciplinary dialogue. Together, we’ll consider how to connect insights across fields and translate them into engaging, academically grounded learning about Egypt and the Middle East for undergraduates, school-aged youth and community audiences.

Continue the conversation: Join us for the next Soil to Souq session in early 2027 to exchange ideas across disciplines and explore how your expertise can contribute to public scholarship and community-engaged learning through Seeds of Middle Eastern Culture.

Barb is an educator who has been teaching about the Middle East in the region and the US for thirty years. She served as the Director of Outreach for Harvard's Middle East Studies Center during the tumultuous era just after September 11th 2001, and served as the president of the Middle East Outreach Council. A key consultant for our Seeds of Middle Eastern Culture project she will share her knowledge in events targeting faculty, professionals working in our local food system, and youth during her visit. Barb regularly presents at academic conferences and does educational workshops, such as this intensive for teachers she led at UCLA.