Al Maktoum Institute plans expansion of curriculum

The UAE-based institute for Arabic and Islamic studies is to expand its curriculum next year to better prepare its students for international careers.

The UAE-based Al Maktoum Institute for Arabic and Islamic Studies is to expand its curriculum next year to better prepare its students for international careers. The wider curriculum will improve students' knowledge of multiculturalism, the need for dialogue and give a clearer understanding of Islam in an age of globalisation. Established in 2000, the institute focuses on contemporary global issues, including multiculturalism, cultural engagement and problem-solving in the 21st century.
Operating at home and abroad, the institute originally consisted of a series of government-funded postgraduate scholarships in Islamic Jerusalem studies. Having expanded, the institute's programmes are now taught in Scotland, where they are accredited through the University of Aberdeen. Students from five UAE universities have enrolled for the next series of courses in Scotland, the sixth year Emiratis have been given the chance to participate in the programme. Two new courses - multiculturalism and leadership - will be offered this winter, as well as the Scotland Summer School programme, in which history, culture and traditions of Scotland are covered. The courses involve lectures, discussion, debates and seminars, all designed specifically, organisers say, to improve students' understanding of Islam and the challenges of global dialogue.
Dr Sulaiman al Jassim, vice president of Zayed University in Abu Dhabi, said Al Maktoum Institute programmes were important in advancing co-operation between cultures and educating coming generations to face the global challenges of the future. The institute has had 64 graduates from more than 20 countries in the six years it has been operating. More than 200 women students have participated in institute programmes, organisers said.
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