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Dr. Juliana G-Mrabet has a PhD in Comparative and International Education with a concentration on Middle East Studies from the University of Virginia. She has over 25 years of teaching and administrative experience and has spent the bulk of her career helping with the start up and development of educational programs at universities throughout the Middle East. She is the Director of General Education at Dar Al Hekma University, a private women’s university in Jidda, Saudi Arabia. Her interest and research over the years has probed the nature and impact of the stereotyping of Arabs in western society as well as educational change in the Middle East. Her latest research explores the perceptions of the effects of change or adoption of educational innovations on society and culture in the Arabian Gulf.
Western Education in the Gulf: The Costs and Benefits of Reform
Originally posted July 2010
Educational reform from the West has arrived on a grand scale in the Gulf, particularly in higher education. American, Canadian, Australian, and British universities are being established throughout the region. In addition, Western-style methodologies and best-practices are being employed. Although there are considerable benefits to adopting Western models of education, such reform does not come without a price.
Higher Education and the Middle East: Serving the Knowledge-based Economy
This is the first of three volumes examining the internationalization of higher education and the Middle East. The 12 essays included in this volume explore some of the changes that are taking place and the challenges that lie ahead as Middle Eastern countries seek to build sustainable higher education systems and strengthen their economies. Within the dynamic global higher education landscape, is the Middle East a stagnant backwater or a center of creative initiative? What are, and should be the roles of foreign partners and providers?
