Languages & Global Studies

Man sits on donkey at Petra

Environments and Geography

Of the Middle East and North Africa

This page provides resources for career development related to International Studies.

Quicklinks

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Lecture and Class Activities

Sample Lesson Plans:

On Day 4 of the 2018 Bimson Seminar, Dr. Andrea Duffy provided a detailed overview of Middle East and North African environments and geography.

View Lecture
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Resources

This list provides resources for U.S. educators and students seeking to better understand the geography and environments of the Middle East and North Africa. It is far from exhaustive and is intended as a starting point only. These resources should be viewed and used critically.

  1. Council on Foreign Relations – Middle East and North Africa
  2. Aramco World Classroom Guides
  3. Teach Mideast Website
  4. The United Nations Arab Human Development Report
  5. “Dead Donkeys Fear No Hyenas” (film on foreign investments in land in Ethiopia)
  6. Rick Steeves’ Iran Travel Journal
  7. Mapping the Middle East over Time
  8. Map of the Contemporary MENA
  9. Map of Middle East Geography
A group of students with lanyards gather around a guide in a lime green shirt. They are in a forest setting and the trees are full of green leaves

Further Reading

This list provides a sampling of literature on MENA environments that may help to explore and elucidate this subject in the classroom. Resources are linked to online documents as available.

  1. Schwartzstein, P. (February 22, 2014). “Biblical Waters: Can the Jordan River Be Saved?” National Geographic.
  2. Sawyer, S. and A. Agrawal (2000). “Environmental Orientalisms” Cultural Critique.
  3. Mikhail, A., ed. (2012). Water on Sand: Environmental Histories of the Middle East and North Africa. Oxford.
  4. Soffer, A. (1999). Rivers of Fire: The Conflict over Water in the Middle East. Rowman and Littlefield.
  5. Kaniewski, D. et al. (2012). “Drought is a Recurring Challenge in the Middle East,” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.