The Centre for the Advanced Study of the Arab World (CASAW) (Arabic: مركز الدراسات المتقدمة للعالم العربي) is a government funded, research based initiative which claims to be at the forefront of UK expertise in the Arab World.

Foundation

CASAW is the result of a

UK government ga, Rialtas a Shoilse gd, Riaghaltas a Mhòrachd , image = HM Government logo.svg , image_size = 220px , image2 = Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (HM Government).svg , image_size2 = 180px , caption = Royal Arms , date_est ...

initiative to build crucial expertise on the

Arab World The Arab world ( ar, اَلْعَالَمُ الْعَرَبِيُّ '), formally the Arab homeland ( '), also known as the Arab nation ( '), the Arabsphere, or the Arab states, refers to a vast group of countries, mainly located in Western A ...

based on a knowledge of the Arabic language coupled with advanced research methods skills in the

social Social organisms, including human(s), live collectively in interacting populations. This interaction is considered social whether they are aware of it or not, and whether the exchange is voluntary or not. Etymology The word "social" derives from ...

and political sciences,

arts The arts are a very wide range of human practices of creative expression, storytelling and cultural participation. They encompass multiple diverse and plural modes of thinking, doing and being, in an extremely broad range of media. Both ...

and

humanities Humanities are academic disciplines that study aspects of human society and culture. In the Renaissance, the term contrasted with divinity and referred to what is now called classics, the main area of secular study in universities at the t ...

. The Centre is a collaborative initiative between the Universities of Edinburgh, Durham, and Manchester, and is funded by the joint government research councils, with an initial grant of £5 million.CASAW :: About Us :: The Centre for the Advanced Study of the Arab World
/ref> CASAW is one of the five inter-institutional Centres of Excellence set up as part of the

ESRC The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), formerly the Social Science Research Council (SSRC), is part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). UKRI is a non-departmental public body (NDPB) funded by the UK government. ESRC provides fundi ...

, AHRC, SFC and HEFCE's Language Based Area Studies Initiativ

CASAW brings together some 50 full-time members of staff and

postdoctoral fellows A postdoctoral fellow, postdoctoral researcher, or simply postdoc, is a person professionally conducting research after the completion of their doctoral studies (typically a PhD). The ultimate goal of a postdoctoral research position is to p ...

drawn from a variety of departments in the arts, humanities and social and political sciences, all working on areas directly related to the Arabic speaking world.

Objectives

CASAW's aim is to ''"serve national strategic interests by safeguarding the future health of Arab World expertise in the UK, training the next generation of academics and providing a vital flow of expertise to sustain the needs of the public and private sectors"'' Additionally, the creation of what it describes as the UK's leading resource for Arab World expertise, the creation of opportunities for academic cooperation and collaboration, as well as the creation of a world class cadre of researchers are key aims.

Masters and Doctoral Programmes

CASAW offers a number of 2 year Masters and 4 year PhD awards. Regardless of the end qualification, all students who do not yet have Arabic expertise undertake a specially designed, intensive, one-year course in Arabic language ''ab initio'' at the University of Edinburgh. This consists of a full academic year at the University of Edinburgh, followed by four months of language training in an Arab World university in order to develop Arabic language ability. During this time, students undertake qualitative, quantitative, and area-specific advanced research methods at the University of Edinburgh. Masters students continue intensive Arabic tuition in their second year, and undertake additional modules at their host institution, as well as beginning dissertations. PhD students are placed in the institution most appropriate for the supervision of their specific project, yet also benefit from some cross-institutional supervision. During the remaining 3 years of their course, PhD candidates continue to receive language tuition and are expected to conduct 12 months of fieldwork in the Arab World.

Other activities

In addition to its academic obligations, CASAW undertakes a number other activities, including consultancy to government, media, and business, tailor made language programmes for public and private sector users, and flagship events. These events have included a partnership with the Royal Society of Edinburgh to present the lecture series entitled ''"Perspectives on the Arab World"'', a Careers Workshop for students of Arabic throughout the UK, an

Islamic finance Islamic banking, Islamic finance ( ar, مصرفية إسلامية), or Sharia-compliant finance is banking or financing activity that complies with Sharia (Islamic law) and its practical application through the development of Islamic economic ...

summer school, as well as numerous one day

symposia ''Symposia'' is a genus of South American araneomorph spiders in the family Cybaeidae, and was first described by Eugène Simon in 1898. Species it contains six species in Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic o ...

, film showings, discussion groups and addresses from eminent politicians and public figures,CASAW :: CASAW Events
/ref> as well as conferences, such as the international conference on "Re-Thinking Jihad" held 7–9 September 2009.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Centre For The Advanced Study Of The Arab World Arab organizations Arab studies Durham University University of Edinburgh Departments of the University of Manchester Research institutes in the United Kingdom