Arab Spring finds way into Autumn term classroom discussions
With the beginning of the first full academic year at local
universities and schools since the eruption of the “Arab
Spring,” the phenomenon is finding its way into classroom
discussions and coursework. While some professors believe that
it is too early to generate any rigorous academic conclusions,
others are assigning their students research projects on the
developments or using the topic to teach political or
philosophical concepts. At the American University of Beirut,
political science professor Hilal Khashan says the Arab
uprisings are “the hot topic of the year.” As such, he uses them
in lectures but doesn’t have a specific portion of his
curriculum devoted to them. “It’s too early to talk about it as
a separate subject,” he argues. “In two or three years we’ll be
able to assess it.” Khashan says students’ reactions usually
vary according to the country, explaining that his students
nearly unanimously support Egypt’s toppling of Hosni Mubarak