We finished teaching on Thanksgiving, but wrapping things up at ACOR, spending Friday at the Dead Sea, and traveling home, have kept me away from any keyboards.
The last class was lively and mutually informative. I discussed theories about leadership as well as how to teach leadership in LIS management courses. Harvey and I had the Iraqis work further on their curricula. We set up the groups so that each one had representatives from the LIS programs in Mosul, Basra, and Baghdad. The timing was appropriate: in Iraqi universities programs revise their curricula every four years. The LIS programs are half way through their cycles. We showed them curricula from various parts of the world. The two they found most useful were from Simmons–because we offer so many courses–and the University of Kuwait, which is a new program.
When the working groups reported their results, we could see how the workshops which we have organized over the past three years have influenced their thinking. Since 2004, when we had the initial planning meeting in Amman, we have been bringing them new textbooks. The textbooks, in combination with the workshops we have taught, have helped to bring them up to date. They are excited about continuing to be able to add new courses to what they already offer.
These workshops have also been an excellent forum in which the Iraqis can get together with each other. Colleagues at different universities in Baghdad don’t see one another because of the continuing violence there. And of course it is also nearly impossible for people to travel across Iraq to see one another.
As always, I said goodbye to the Iraqis with much trepidation. One of the participants has received death threats, others continue to worry about their day-to-day safety. In Baghdad, safety continues to be an issue, as well as electricity. It has been nearly four years since the Americans invaded Iraq and yet electricity is still only available a few hours a day. Text messaging has become a more effective way for Iraqis to communicate than e-mail.
Once again I wonder whether we will be able to fund any further workshops. I can only say, “enshallah.”