A List
9/4/06

SLU SELECTED TO HOST FULBRIGHT SCHOLAR-IN-RESIDENCE

CANTON - St. Lawrence University has been selected to host Saiyed N. Hasnain, a Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence from India, for the 2006-2007 academic year. The Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence Program, which brings visiting scholars from abroad to lecture at U.S. colleges and universities for one semester or one academic year, is sponsored by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the United States Department of State.

Hasnain's residency officially began with the start of classes August 31. In addition to teaching undergraduate courses, Scholars-in-Residence give campus-wide and community lectures, help initiate international programs and contribute to curriculum development. At St. Lawrence, Hasnain will teach two courses, one in religious studies in the fall and one in global studies in the spring. He will also be available as a guest lecturer and will work throughout the academic year with individual faculty members who wish to add or strengthen an Islamic component in one or more of their courses.

A key element of Hasnain's residency at the University is a year-long faculty reading seminar, titled "Teaching About Islam," that he will co-lead with St. Lawrence Associate Professor of Government Karl Schonberg. The seminar is open to faculty from each of the four Associated Colleges of the St. Lawrence Valley.

Assis Malaquias, associate dean of international and intercultural studies and associate professor of government, is the coordinator for Hasnain's residency. "We are hoping that Dr. Hasnain's short stay with us will leave a long legacy," commented Malaquias. "Faculty participants in the seminar will gain knowledge and perspectives that will be reflected in their own teaching for years to come. In addition, through Dr. Hasnain's teaching, guest lectures and in-depth work with faculty and students, he will play a critical role in raising awareness on our campus about issues pertaining to the Islamic faith and culture - topics of critical importance for all of us in today's global political climate."

Hasnain is an anthropology professor at the University of Lucknow, in Lucknow, India, where he earned bachelor's and master's degrees, as well as the Ph.D. His areas of interest and specialization include religion and society; Islam as a religious and cultural system; lived Islam; Islam in the contemporary world; Jihad; fundamentalism; and the liberal face of Islam.

Fulbright Scholars-in-Residence can have a significant impact on U.S. colleges and universities, including their students, faculty, staff and communities. As a rich resource for campus and communities large and small, the program is especially appropriate for small liberal arts colleges, minority-serving institutions, and community colleges, many of which do not often have the opportunity to host visiting scholars.

Established in 1946 under legislation introduced by former Senator J. William Fulbright of Arkansas, the Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the United States Department of State. The Fulbright Scholar Program is administered by the Council for International Exchange of Scholars in Washington, D.C. Since the establishment of the Program, approximately 45,400 Fulbright Visiting Scholars have conducted research or taught in U.S. universities and approximately 43,600 Fulbright U.S. Scholars have engaged in similar activities abroad. Currently, the Program operates in 140 countries worldwide in order to promote "mutual understanding between people of the United States and the people of other countries of the world."

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