UIS Speaker Series examines American understanding of the Middle East

WHAT: The University of Illinois Springfield’s Engaged Citizenship Common Experience (ECCE) Speaker Series and Brookens Library present “Challenges to Americans and American Journalists’ Understanding of the Middle East in the Age of Jihad and ISIS” with Newsweek political correspondent and UIS alumnae Nina Burleigh.

WHEN: Tuesday, June 23, 2015 at 7:00 p.m.

WHERE: Studio Theatre, located on the lower level of the UIS Public Affairs Center

DETAILS: Since 9/11, Americans have struggled to understand the Middle East and to agree on an appropriate role for the United States in that region. The lecture is designed to shed light on the region and the vexing issues of jihad and the rise of ISIS. It will help participants understand the culture and people of the Middle East as well as the economic, political, social and religious systems that contribute to the current situations “on the ground” in Middle Eastern countries.

Burleigh will speak about her experience as a journalist and researcher in the Middle East and will reflect upon her own cultural knowledge and experiences as the daughter of an Assyrian Christian Iraqi immigrant.

She will share her experiences during her research travel in Israel for her book Unholy Business, as well as in Egypt for her book Mirage. A book signing will follow her lecture.

For a list of other upcoming ECCE Speaker Series events and more information, visit www.uis.edu/speakerseries/. All events are free and open to the public.