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Texas A&M at Qatar meet focuses on local solutions to global problems

Published: 19 Feb 2018 - 08:16 am | Last Updated: 05 Nov 2021 - 11:49 pm
The keynote speakers during the conference included Mehran Kamrava (second left), who lectured on social science in a turbulent Middle East.

The keynote speakers during the conference included Mehran Kamrava (second left), who lectured on social science in a turbulent Middle East.

The Peninsula

Doha: Texas A&M University at Qatar hosted attendees from around the world for the sixth annual Liberal Arts International Conference, “Local Dreams, Global Visions: Multidisciplinary Perspectives.” 

The conference theme was inspired in part by Qatar’s recent experience on the world stage, said Dr Mark van de Logt, chair of the conference’s organising committee and an assistant professor of political science at Texas A&M at Qatar.

“We see the effects of globalisation or trans-nationalism all around us,” Van de Logt said. “The question is, in an age of globalisation, how do we maintain local identity and authenticity while engaging with the rest of the world? The world must reckon with the challenges of globalisation, while seizing all of the opportunities it presents. We hope that this conference will provide us with answers, show us where to look for solutions, and educate us on what local entities can do to improve our lives as members of the global community.” 

The conference featured keynote addresses and panel sessions, and a slate of more than 70 speakers, including eight Texas A&M at Qatar students and 24 presenters from Qatar. Other countries represented include the U S, U K, Canada, Brunei, Japan, Germany, Poland, India, Bangladesh, Oman, Cyprus and the Netherlands. Conference participants also came from France, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Pakistan, the Philippines, Singapore and Uruguay.

Panel sessions were sponsored by The Initiative in Professional Ethics at Texas A&M at Qatar and Qapco.

This year’s conference featured three renowned keynote speakers: Dr Kirk St Amant, professor and chair of the Technical Communication department at Louisiana Tech University (USA), who gave the talk, “Of Infrastructures and Friction Points: Examining the Dynamics of International Online Education in the Age of Globalization”; Dr Michael de Miranda, professor and head of the Department of Teaching, Learning and Culture at Texas A&M University (USA), who gave the talk, “Education for Sustainable Development: The Interdisciplinary Imperative for STEM Education”; and Dr. Mehran Kamrava, professor and director of the Center for International and Regional Studies at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service in Qatar, who gave the talk, “Social Science Scholarship in a Turbulent Middle East.”

The Liberal Arts Program at Texas A&M at Qatar hosts the conference each year to explore a wide variety of regional and global topics from a multidisciplinary perspective.