Pakistan and the Region Course Inaugurated at American University
By Tyler Brazitis
This Spring semester at American University in Washington, DC, a class of highly intellectual students have taken it upon themselves to embark on a knowledge-seeking journey through the inaugural course titled Pakistan and the Region: Transcending the Legacy of Colonial Rule.
For the first time, Ambassador Akbar Ahmed, former Pakistani High Commissioner and Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies at American University in Washington, DC, has given his students the opportunity to become knowledge-seekers to critically assess global challenges through the lens of Pakistan’s role in the world. I am fortunate enough to collaborate with Ambassador Ahmed in the creation and delivery of the Pakistan course as his graduate student assistant.
Our world increasingly faces challenges regarding interconnectivity, global partnerships and lack thereof, as well as international catastrophes including climate change, global refugee crisis, and ongoing conflict that has spanned generations in some regions of the world. Amidst this global culture of uncertainty, future policy makers and activists in universities around the world must seek courses which challenge their paradigms of political and cultural understanding.
I discussed the monumental significance of this inaugural course on Pakistan with the esteemed Dr AminehHoti, Director of the Higher Education Commission in Pakistan, who framed the course in this global context. She said, “Considering this is one of the most important geopolitical regions of the world it is surprising there are not more such courses; important topics are Pakistan’s relations with China, India and Afghanistan. I congratulate the university for starting this course and having it taught by Professor Akbar Ahmed who is a seasoned teacher and a man of action with in-depth fieldwork experience.”
One of the young intellectuals who chose to take this course is Will Shriver. When I asked him why he thought this course was essential to students studying international relations, he replied, “Pakistan, and, more broadly, South Asia are often under-taught in the United States, they are a misunderstood region of the world which tends to go missing from geopolitical conversations in Washington DC. This region must be better represented in international relations circles as it signifies two of the fastest growing economies in the world and a major flashpoint for a nuclear war. It is a pleasure to have a specialized course like this at SIS, and we need many more on South Asia to make up for lost time.”
The Pakistan and the Region course is set up to give students at American University a broad overview of the historical context for modern Pakistani politics, cultural values, and overall the Pakistani global lens. Ambassador Ahmed has no reservations discussing both Pakistan’s greatest challenges throughout its history as well as its momentous achievements on the world stage. Through the gate our students are challenged to think critically, synthesize diverse perspectives on Pakistani international relations into cohesive narratives, and connect with speakers of the highest caliber.
The course begins with an introduction into Pakistan’s history, culture, religion, and politics. Ambassador Ahmed leads students through the creation of Pakistan by showing his students the film: Mr. Jinnah, The Making of Pakistan. Many American students are not afforded the great opportunity of learning about Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, but our course comprehensively details his life, ideology, and the challenges he faced in the creation of a Muslim state. I believe one of the greatest opportunities this class affords students is to expand their worldview by practicing historical empathy in learning the debates, perspectives, and events which led to the creation of a new nation - all guided by the brilliant mind of Quaid-i-Azam.
After framing Mr Jinnah’s vision for Pakistan, Ambassador Ahmed weaves the narrative of conflict and coexistence between India and Pakistan through a conglomeration of diverse speakers that each represent gems of knowledge and strands of fabric in the tapestry of Pakistani politics and history. We scrupulously balanced our sources of information to allow students to obtain well-rounded evidence from a variety of perspectives.
Our highly qualified presenters include Policy Analyst Mr Mowahid Shah, Chief of Staff of the Foreign Secretary Mr Salman Sharif, esteemed Journalist Mr Ali Imran, distinguished civil servant, author, and diplomat Dr Harrison Akins and Head of the Women’s Party in Pakistan MrsFauziaKasuri. Additionally, to provide the Indian perspective for my students we included Indian scholar Pawan Bali; for the American perspective, Lieutenant Colonel Joe Evans will present; and MrShuja Nawaz, Founding Director of the South Asia Center at the Atlantic Council in Washington, will round our course. All of them offer professional insight into topics including women and minorities across Pakistan, foreign policy and initiatives of Pakistan today, and the challenges Pakistan faced in the process of state formation.
Lauren Monahan says of her decision to take the course, “Pakistan and the Region has quickly become one of my favorite classes. I will use the knowledge I’m gaining in this course to expand my career options in development and policy analysis post-graduation.” Having heard from our students why they took the class, I asked Ambassador Ahmed why he wanted to develop this monumental course and he replied, “I’ve been teaching for decades in Western universities, and while there are many courses on South Asia, there are never any that focus on Pakistan’s role in the world. I’m absolutely delighted to have the opportunity to lead such bright young professionals in my inaugural course this semester at American University.”
The opportunity to work with such highly esteemed and passionate speakers, students who seamlessly integrate critical thinking into every class discussion, and of course the lived experience as both an academic and former Pakistani High Commissioner that Ambassador Ahmed contributes to the course all blend seamlessly into one of the highest quality courses that I’ve been privileged enough to take part in.
The greatest value of Ambassador Ahmed’s course on Pakistan is captured perfectly by DrHoti’s summary of what students will take away from the course: “Pakistan’s image is locked into stereotypical ideas of it being a monolith but in reality this nation of over two hundred million array of people from different faiths such as Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Kalasha, Parsis, and Ba’hais, and so forth forms a beautiful mosaic, a complex picture, of world civilizations which we will be enriched if we open the doors of our minds and adopt the humility to learn about.” - tb9222a@student.american.edu
( Tyler Brazitis is a graduate student at American University’s School of International Service studying International Peace and Conflict Resolution. His professional interests include applying conflict analysis frameworks to peace processes, embedding enhanced monitoring, evaluation, and learning mechanisms into program development.)
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