This course examines the history and culture of Lebanon, a tiny country on the shores of the Eastern Mediterranean featuring a heterogeneous mix of religious and sectarian groups, including ancient Christian communities. It also explores where matters stand today following the latest downfall of the country that began in the fall of 2019 and reflects on paths that might lead to a positive future for Lebanon. The course is seasoned with relevant observations from the late Charles Malik, a prominent philosopher, and diplomat in Lebanon and on the world stage.

This course explores Syria’s internal dynamic from faith and ethnic relations, the evolution of its political system, and its relations within the region since 1946. Syria sits at the heart of the Near East, where generations of Muslim, Christian and Jewish families thrived, and at many times, survived turbulent and oppressive circumstances.  This course will touch on that history, as well as causes and consequences of Syria’s civil war and the political and socio-economic challenges that lie ahead.

To be guided by Scripture, we must know what it teaches and how it teaches through its story, poetry, law, and more. This course shows how we can explore the deep structures of biblical thinking from the Hebrew Bible into the New Testament. From policing and incarceration to body modification and modern science, the biblical authors have sophisticated thoughts worth tracing in order to guide our thinking and practice as Christian communities today.

This course examines the history of various Christian communities in the East while exploring many of the key differences between Eastern and Western Christianity. It also provides guidance on how to foster improved relations between denominations, and sheds light on the role that Christians play in the Near East today.  

This course provides a brief history of the role that U.S. foreign policy has played in the modern Near East (special emphasis on the State of Israel). It also examines what constructive Christian engagement with foreign policy looks like and debunks common misconceptions about the U.S.-Israel relationship. 

This course provides a brief history of Islam while touching on the historical, cultural, and theological interplay between the three Abrahamic faiths: Islam, Judaism, and Christianity. It also sheds light on the basic teachings and tenets of Islam, and provides guidance on how Christians, Jews, and Western powers should engage with Muslims and the Muslim world today.

This course explores the historical and contemporary drivers of Near Eastern conflict and examines why the Near East, perhaps more than any other global region in the last century, has seen more and longer violent conflicts. It also touches on arms development and technological warfare and looks at the trajectory and ongoing security challenges of this conflict-ridden region.