[MES Forum] What to look forward to this semester!

[McClimans, Melinda]

Welcome back! We hope your time reconnecting with friends and family over the holidays was special. For many Christian communities of the Middle East, Christmas is not over! Best wishes to those of you observing holidays today and tomorrow. Happy New Year to everyone!

This semester will offer numerous of opportunities to connect with people in our community, learn from literature and the arts about diverse cultures and communities of the Middle East, and delve into our fields of research. Our screening of Artifact War<https://mesc.osu.edu/events/artifact-war> on April 3rd will be a special opportunity to learn about artifact trafficking in Syria and the surrounding area, and will be followed by an in-person Q&A with the main star of the documentary, archeologist, Amr Alazm<https://www.shawnee.edu/areas-study/college-arts-and-sciences/department-social-sciences/faculty-department/amr-al-azm>.

We’ve organized a list of what’s coming up so you can mark your calendars for things you want to be sure you do not miss. Please stay connected with the MESC Team and all the forum members by putting at least one of our forum meetings in your calendar. We look forward to seeing you! Thank you so much for your support of our programs.


Upcoming events and holidays:

  *   Tuesday, January 7, 2025 - Christmas for Christian communities on the Julian calendar (January 6 , Epiphany, is celebrated by Armenian Christians)
  *   Thurs, January 16th 10:00am - MES Forum, Hot Chocolate and Networking, Crane Cafe Fireside space, Hagerty Hall. Let’s reconnect and welcome new members!
  *   Monday, January 20, 2025 - MLK Day
  *   Saturday, January 25 at 7pm screening of LYD<https://wexarts.org/film-video/lyd> at the Wexner Center
  *   Tuesday, February 11th 9:00am MES Forum, Hybrid, Enarson 160, RSVP, light breakfast. We will “red team” the Middle East Studies Center’s Title VI Proposal.
  *   Sunday, February 23rd at 4pm - Sealed Soil<https://www.farhang.org/the-sealed-soil-restoration-world-premiere> will be screened at the Wexner Center for the Arts
  *   Friday, February 28th or Saturday, March 1, 2025 - First day of Ramadan
  *   Tuesday, March 4, 2025, 4:00pm-5:30pm Nouri Gana will discuss his recently published book, "Melancholy Acts<https://www.semcoop.com/ingram-0?isbn=9781531503505>." Location: TBA
  *   March 10 - 14th - Spring Break
  *   Wednesday, March 19 4pm MES Forum Alumni Career Spotlight (Zoom). Find out what some of our amazing alumni are doing!
  *   Friday, March 28, 2025 - Calligraphy Workshop with Dr. Muhammad Habib, from 3:00 to 5:00pm. Location: TBA This is an amazing opportunity to learn about calligraphy from a master, and it will be a hands-on experience.
  *   March 30th or 31st 2025 - 'Eid al-Fitr
  *   Wednesday, April 2, 2025 - Calligraphy Gallery Opening – Following on the workshop, we will celebrate the art of calligraphy and the new display in Hagerty Hall.
  *   Friday, March 21, 2025 - Nowruz – We will be celebrating Persian culture on this day! Please stay tuned for details!
  *   Thursday, April 3 – Screening of Artifact War https://mesc.osu.edu/events/artifact-war  Watch the trailer here<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7NIOMvV_xc>.
  *   Sunday, April 13, 2025 - Passover
  *   Sunday, April 20, 2025 - Easter for Orthodox and Western Christians
  *   Tuesday, April 22, 2025 - Reading Day and the MESC “Read and Feed”
  *   Monday, May 26th - Memorial Day
There will be more event details coming here, on our website and on our social media pages. Some very exciting things are developing. You get to hear about them here first as members of our forum. 😊

Best wishes,

Melinda



Melinda McClimans, PhD
Assistant Director

The Ohio State University
Office of International Affairs
Middle East Studies Center
145D Enarson Classroom Building
2009 Millikin Rd, Columbus, OH 43210
614-292-6506 Office / 614-974-4331 Mobile
mcclimans.2 at osu.edu<mailto:mcclimans.2 at osu.edu> / mesc.osu.edu

Pronouns: she/her

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