Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
03AMMAN6820
2003-10-26 12:10:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Amman
Cable title:  

American Corners In The Middle East

Tags:  KIRC KPAO OIIP 
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This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 006820 

SIPDIS

SECSTATE FOR IIP/G/IR-BCONATY, NEA/PPD-JDAVIES; ABU DHABI
FOR IRO-HMENDELSON; VIENNA FOR RPO

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KIRC KPAO OIIP
SUBJECT: American Corners In The Middle East

Ref: (A) State 198601 (B) State 224009 (C) State 273900

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 006820

SIPDIS

SECSTATE FOR IIP/G/IR-BCONATY, NEA/PPD-JDAVIES; ABU DHABI
FOR IRO-HMENDELSON; VIENNA FOR RPO

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KIRC KPAO OIIP
SUBJECT: American Corners In The Middle East

Ref: (A) State 198601 (B) State 224009 (C) State 273900


1. Post requests 4 (four) American Corners collections and
supporting equipment to be hosted at the institutions listed
individually below. Post estimates the cost of each Corner
at approximately USD 102,000 based on module costs provided
by IRO and current procurement costs of equipment and
supplies.


2. CAO Donna Winton will be post POC for this project.


3. Justification: Post has been and remains actively
involved in strengthening existing American Studies programs
in Jordan and providing support to universities wishing to
expand or begin programs in American Studies. We see these
programs as a logical nexus for programming about US
society, culture and policy to the larger student body and
to the public. The materials provided in American Corners
collections will enable direct engagement of professors and
students with American literature and culture; the
interactive capabilities of the Corners will solve a long-
standing problem: how to more proactively engage university
students and faculty in direct dialogue with American
students and professionals, when they have no on-campus
facilities to permit that. We also see the interactive
capability of American Corners as the potential node for
expansion of `distance learning' classes in American Studies
programs, such as the long distance courses taught by Prof.
Chris Wise for UJ grad students this past summer.


4. The four requested American Corners are for the
following institutions:

--University of Jordan - American Studies Program.
University President and Faculty Dean have agreed to host an
American Corner to be located next to the Faculty Library.
University of Jordan provides the first American Studies
graduate degree in the Middle East. The program is in its
fourth year and is strongly supported by post through
placement of Fulbright professors, visiting speakers, DVC
programs, and small grants. The American Corner will give
the graduate degree program a much-needed focal point and
will encourage investigation by new students who might be
considering the program. We also expect distance courses to
be taught by preference from the Corner.

-- Hashemite (or Hashemiyya) University - This public
university, located in Zarqa, a traditionally conservative

suburb neighboring Amman, has requested post's help in
starting an American Studies program and specifically
requested the kind of support provided in the American
Corner. The nascent program is under the direction of
recent Voluntary Visitor Dr. Marwan Obeidat, who has a US
degree in the field. Dr. Obeidat and Hashemiyya are very
eager to develop a viable and multi-dimensional American
Studies program and to encourage direct ties with US
counterparts they met during the VOLVIS program.

-- Philadelphia University - This private university,
located an hour north of Amman, is under the direction of
Dr. Adnan Badran, current chair of the Binational Fulbright
Board and a very active and receptive contact of the
embassy. Dr. Badran, in meetings with Embassy officers and
visiting officials such as ECA's Barry Ballow, has indicated
his intention of expanding the university's arts and
literature offerings to encompass more English language
teaching and more emphasis on American arts, literature and
society. The university has made space available in their
main campus library to house the American Corner. As
Philadelphia's IT department recently won the national prize
among Jordan's twenty universities, we have no doubt that
appropriate technical support for the interactive portion of
the Corner will be readily available.




-- American Language Center - With security issues making
on-premises outreach to the general population chronically
difficult, post is seeking to more actively involve students
at the ALC in more traditional public affairs programs. By
housing an American Corner at the ALC, we will be able to
more actively engage the language students, offer a new
dimension to ALC's English teaching, and make greater use of
ALC facilities as a venue for programs open to students and
to a greater audience.


5. Post will arrange for formal MOU's with each of the
partners above, once approval of the American Corners
request has been obtained. In conversations with the
responsible parties at each location, we have found great
enthusiasm and ready agreement on the salient points of
American Corners usage as outlined in reftels.


6. Post anticipates the following budget breakdown:

-- For ALC, one full set of all modules advertised on RPO
Vienna's American Corners catalog page, plus one full set of
items in IRO Stephen Mallinger's "Islam in America" list,
total for all of these currently USD 46,000.
-- For the universities, three full sets as above, minus the
Government Information module and the Young Adults module,
cost USD 44,000 each.

-- For all, additional print resources, VHS and CD/DVD and
reference resources - to be chosen by posts and recipients
jointly, cost approximately USD 12-15,000 each.

-- For all, electronic and interactive equipment (Polycom
DVC setup or equivalent, multi-system TVs, VCRs, CD and DVD
players, computers, printers and scanners, plus installation
of ISDN lines for DVC setup),costed out at post for
approximately USD 28,000 each.

-- For all, shipping based on 20 percent of value,
approximately USD 17,000.

Total for each Corner, approximately USD 102,000.

Total request for four Corners, approximately USD 408,000.


7. American Corners workshop. CAO Donna Winton requests
attendance at the Vienna RPO workshop to be held December 8-

10. Post understands that the NEA workshop is likely to be
held in Amman. Post hopes to have 2-4 local FSN staff in
attendance at the NEA regional workshop.


8. Looking forward to your reply.