Under the shade of the AUC Tahrir Square gardens, students from Sudan, Egypt, the United Kingdom and beyond shared proverbs in their native languages. The exercise brought together undergraduates from the Core Curriculum Global Studies course — Digital Literacies, AI Literacy and Intercultural Learning — and CASA@AUC fellows studying Translation in the Age of AI to explore sociolinguistics, translation and cross-cultural meaning in Arabic.

Niobe Tsoutsouris studies Arabic in the CASA@program, a rigorous, yearlong Arabic-language program designed for advanced Arabic learners; she called the chance to speak with peers her age incredible. “There’s no other way to learn the Arabic I should be speaking as a 22 year old,” Tsoutsouris said. 

The collaboration is part of the Tuesdays in Tahrir initiative, which supports leveraging the historic AUC Tahrir Square campus for hands-on learning experiences.

“During this intercultural encounter, students met for cross-cultural insight building around language and translation,” said Maha Bali ’01, professor of practice at the Center for Learning and Teaching and the Core Curriculum course instructor. Shereen El Ezabi is a senior instructor II in the Department of Arabic Language Instruction and teaches the CASA@AUC course. El Ezabi said the collaboration helped her students "come away with new, nuanced Arabic words and idioms to experiment with, over and above the intercultural understanding they gained and the social interaction they enjoyed."

Undergraduate students who hailed from across the Arabic-speaking world were eager to speak with CASA@AUC international fellows, whose advanced Arabic skills enriched the exchange. “I enjoyed just the very different experience of talking to someone from a whole other country and background, yet talking my native language. It was such an unfamiliar experience but in a good way,” said Global Studies student Zeina Mostafa.

Bali has taught the Digital Literacies, AI Literacy and Intercultural Learning course since 2017. Her students typically spend part of the semester interacting in English with peers from international universities. Last year, her class connected with an American university in English, “but in this case, it's reversed, since the interaction is with students who are fluent Arabic speakers,” Bali said.

In several activities, undergraduate students and CASA@AUC fellows discussed sociolinguistics, sharing cultural expressions difficult to translate into Arabic and explaining how each represents different aspects of their cultures. The activity revealed phrases that AUC student Omar Ibrahim didn’t expect to have in common with foreigners. “We found that there are proverbs in Poland and the U.S. similar to the ones we grew up hearing in Egypt. I could feel the hybridity because we were all speaking the same language even though we all came from different places,” Ibrahim said.

For student Ismail Tolba, the experience broke down his preconceived notions of Arabic. “I went in assuming a kind of natural ownership over my own language, and I left humbled. Hearing foreigners speak Arabic at a level that surpassed my own familiarity with the classical roots of the language forced me to question an assumption I hadn’t realized I was carrying — that native speakers are automatically the most competent custodians of their tongue,” Tolba said.

Yet even for advanced learners, adapting to the accents of native Arabic speakers was a new challenge. Tsoutsouris remembers adjusting to the accent of a Sudanese student. “It was cool listening to her,” she said. “I could understand her just fine, but I had to shift my brain a little bit to stay attuned to what she was saying.” 

CASA@AUC fellow Eli Siegel-Bernstein spoke with AUC students about how they approach pursuing a liberal arts education in Egypt. “This characterized my own educational experience at Wesleyan University, which is a classic American liberal arts school,” he said.

El Ezabi also said a number of undergraduate students asked if similar advanced Arabic courses were offered on New Cairo’s campus.  

“I was very glad to see how the Egyptian and Arab undergraduate students seemed thrilled to see their own language so actively sought and so highly valued by others,” El Ezabi said. “Many expressed that this rekindled their interest in their own language which has been largely overshadowed by English, especially in their academic and professional pursuits.”

With the ongoing U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, News@AUC spoke with Ibrahim Awad, research professor in global affairs and director of AUC’s Center for Migration and Refugee Studies, to examine the migratory, economic and political consequences of the conflict in the region.

Growing Refugee Crisis

A large mass displacement of international refugees depends on how long the conflict lasts, the level of violence and whether both seriously affect Iranian society, Awad noted. 

Nevertheless, he signaled that internal displacement is already occurring in Iran and Lebanon. According to a UNHCR estimate, between 600,000 to 1 million Iranian households are temporarily displaced due to the conflict, which has killed 1,400 people in Iran and 826 in Lebanon. Initial estimates of 100,000 people fled Tehran in the first two days of the war. With Israel announcing a ground incursion into Lebanon, 815,000 people from Beirut and southern Lebanon have also been displaced. 

Awad noted that Gulf states have a large population of migrant workers from the Arab World, Southeast Asia, Africa and Europe whom work in all the sectors of their economies and send remittances home. For countries that receive large amounts of remittances, this could hurt economies abroad.

“If economic activity is affected in the Gulf for a long period of time, the enterprises that hire migrant workers might not be able to keep them,” he said. “This affects employment because some workers may return to their countries of origin, constituting pressures on their labor markets. It will also affect remittances that they send to their countries of origin, and these remittances are important sources of foreign exchange in most cases.”

Economic Repercussions 

Stopping the war and finding a solution acceptable to both parties in the conflict is the only way to avoid a severe economic impact, Awad declared.

“If the war continues, the economic repercussions will be heavier and heavier,” he said. “So there’s no way to mitigate these repercussions while the war is going on.” He listed rising oil,  gas, food prices and inflation more generally as well as a slowdown of international trade as factors that will impact the global economy.”

Awad explained that the closure of the Strait of Hormuz will spark repercussions in the Suez Canal and regional economies, noting how the Egyptian pound fell from EGP 47 to 52 against the dollar in the past week. On March 10, the price of gasoline rose from EGP 10 to EGP 13 per cubic metre. “These are the economic reasons why the region, including Egypt, wanted to avoid this war at all costs,” he stated.

About one-fifth of the world’s oil production is shipped through the Strait of Hormuz, which has been effectively closed by the war. Oil prices are currently volatile, with the price of crude surging to $110 a barrel on Monday, still higher than the pre-war price of $73. 

Awad emphasized that a closed Strait of Hormuz could make Europe’s opposition to importing Russian oil and gas increasingly difficult if the war continues, causing pressure for large oil-importing countries in the European continent and beyond. The closure sparked the United States to ease sanctions for countries purchasing Russian oil and petroleum, a move rejected by Germany, France, Norway and the United Kingdom. A closure of the strait could also raise the price of foodstuffs worldwide, Awad explained, as it will prevent shipments of natural gas used to manufacture fertilizers. 

Awad also noted that regional tourism is likely to drop sharply, while the closure of airspace across Gulf states has disrupted international travel, causing financial strain for airlines and economic pressure on tourism-dependent countries like Egypt. These shifts reflect how regional instability can quickly translate into rising inflation, strained household budgets and challenges to local economies.

“Instability in the region has consequences, even if instability is, in fact, far from Egypt,” Awad affirmed.

Political Repercussions

“No one currently knows how the war will progress or end,” Awad said, laying out three scenarios for the lasting impact of the conflict:

1. The fragmentation of Iran: “A fragmented Iran could have dire repercussions. Dealing with several small political units is difficult because they have different interests, and this could have very destabilizing effects on the region.”
2. Israel rising as a regional superpower: “Israel wants to end Iran’s nuclear and missile capabilities as well as weaken non-state actors that are close in the region. But this could all come under a broader objective of being the superpower in the region, which could also have a destabilizing effect because Middle East countries will not accept that.”
3. The Iranian government stays intact and acquires a nuclear weapon: “One possibility is that the current Iranian regime remains in power but decides to acquire a nuclear weapon, despite having repeatedly stated that it has not done so. Of course, the bombardment and war will certainly weaken Iran in the region if it stays in power.”

Awad argued that if the war ends with Iran intact and a regime change that accommodates U.S. interests, the situation can still be volatile because “it isn’t only the United States that has objectives to realize out of this war. Israel has its own objectives that might not be in step with the United States.” 

Conflict Resolution

Awad emphasized the importance of a joint solution to end the conflict and not a unilateral declaration of victory. For example, if President Donald Trump did declare victory, the Iranian government may not accept an end to the conflict without a guaranteed change to the pre-war status quo, Awad noted.

“They do not want to go back to the status quo when they were suffering from sanctions for decades and decades,” he said.

Awad expressed skepticism about the ability of the United Nations Security Council to pass a vote to end the war due to the structural veto power of member states. “International organizations are paralyzed by their most important members,” Awad said, citing the United States issuing six vetoes of UN Security Council resolutions demanding a ceasefire in Gaza as an example of this limitation. “The UN General Assembly is just a way for member states to apply pressure by expressing the will of the international community.”

The U.S. and Israel-Iran war has raised criticisms of violations of international law. The United Nations called for an investigation into the February 28 U.S. strike on an Iranian school in Minab, which killed at least 165 schoolgirls. “This provoked a response from Iran, which couldn’t reach the United States, so it launched missiles toward its neighbors in the Gulf,” said Awad. 

“All of these actions contradict international law, but unfortunately, international organizations cannot take effective action because of the flaw in how such organizations were conceived,” he added. “They gave decision-making power to the most powerful countries, who will not act against themselves.”

Awad believes the war could end through intervention or collective action by a coalition of regional powers from around the world. 

“Europe would not like to have another flow of refugees, so you can imagine that a coalition of countries may cautiously intervene,” he said. 

Can data be sexist? Does artificial intelligence have the ability to discriminate? 

As AI has developed rapidly over the past decade, researchers have discovered the real-world harm of potential bias in the data and the ways it disproportionately affects women and marginalized groups. Through the Access to Knowledge for Development Center (A2K4D) at  the Onsi Sawiris School of Business, and its flagship initiative the MENA Observatory on Responsible AI, Nagla Rizk ’83, ’87, professor of economics and founding director of A2K4D, is leading the Feminist AI Research Network’s MENA hub. The network aims to develop AI systems and algorithms in a way that is inclusive, creating new opportunities and innovative solutions to correct inequalities.

So what is feminist AI? Rizk explained, “Feminist AI refers to the act of deconstructing oppressive systems, dismantling historic biases and engrained inequalities, then building inclusive AI structures that are based on principles of justice, transparency, agency, pluralism and more.” In short, it is the development and maintenance of artificial intelligence systems that ensure fairness across genders. AI has the potential to amplify biases and generate new ones. Feminist AI works to deconstruct these biases and create innovative solutions from within the data and algorithm design, addressing these inequalities. 

Feminist AI is closely linked to the principle of  “intersectionality” which refers to the  “interconnected nature of social categorizations such as race, class and gender as they apply to a given individual or group, regarded as creating overlapping and interdependent systems discrimination or disadvantage.” Rizk added, “It is, in short, when oppression is linked.”

AI: Friend or Foe?

Humans have implicit biases, and when we create algorithms and AI models that rely on big data, those biases can unintentionally be amplified. Rizk seeks to find places where there may be  data blur, data bias and data invisibility—and address these issues from the root.

“Technology has the potential to advance development, inclusion and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. At the same time, there is also a peril,” Rizk stated. “As humans build AI models–with data and algorithms at their core—in every link of this chain lies a trigger for potential inequality. This could negatively impact women and marginalized groups. So it's important to think of inclusion when designing AI models.”

Data can be biased against women on both the micro and macro scales. For example, if you do an image search for the word  ‘doctor’ on Google, 36% of results are women, whereas if you search up ‘domestic helper,’ 96% of results are women. Expanding out, Amazon’s AI hiring tools were more likely to prefer male candidates, as they were trained on male-dominated data from the tech industry. Apple-approved credit cards for candidates based on a biased data set would grant men 10-20 times higher credit than their wives. “These structural flaws in the data compound systemic issues that women already face, such as gender-based hiring, pay gaps and lack of financial security,” said Rizk.

Data also has ways of forgetting women. For example, the first iteration of Apple’s health app did not include women’s monthly health cycles. Additionally, there have been cases when diagnosing cardiovascular diseases, AI models have reproduced gender biases that exist in the real world and are less likely to take women’s symptoms seriously. “If women are invisible in the data, they will be invisible in the policy,” Rizk warned.

 “If women are invisible in the data, they will be invisible in the policy."

“If we don't adopt a feminist sensitive approach to technology, we risk leaving behind a key part of the population. We also risk running into problems that will need to be fixed later after they’ve already caused damage,” explained Rizk. “The important point is that feminist AI is proactive. It is transformational.”

The Feminist AI MENA hub is working within the larger network now labelled as “Catalyzing Inclusive AI Research Network” with support from Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC). Feminist AI research strives to take forward-looking steps that dismantle patriarchal structures, oppressive systems and historical inequalities inherent in technology and society in both the digital and analogue worlds. The hub’s work seeks to support the construction of inclusive systems that overcome biases, based on feminist principles, addressing  intersectionality, and ensuring diversity in representation and justice in the building, deployment and impact of AI.

A MENA-Specific Approach to AI and Gender

From research to large scale collaborations with NGOs and government partners, the Feminist AI MENA hub is working to catalyze inclusive AI for development. Rizk emphasized the importance of looking at AI and gender inequality in the MENA-specific context, “The MENA region has its own nuances which require a region-specific response.”

One example of the work supported by the hub is research developing Arabic feminist data sets as part of a larger project to apply data feminism principles to assess bias in English and Arabic Natural Language processing. Another is work supported by the hub to develop an AI tutoring system to assist teachers to teach math in Arabic to girls of different ages in underprivileged community schools in Upper Egypt (Sa’eed). There, girls unfortunately do not receive the same schooling opportunities as boys and require additional support. In both examples, AI is used as a tool that, if properly controlled for potential biases, promotes equal opportunity between the genders. 

Encouraging STEM education for women is crucial to increase the gender balance in the design of technology. In the MENA region, the gender gap is much more pronounced in the area of STEM work than it is in STEM education. This is termed “the gender paradox.” The absence of women in STEM work creates a “feedback loop” where the algorithm is not gender sensitive and ends up discriminating against women. This is both a product of the culture and cycles back into it. 

“If we don't adopt a feminist sensitive approach to technology, we risk leaving behind a key part of the population."

Examples of algorithmic biases in MENA can be found in implicit biases in gig work app algorithms evidenced by the hub’s research on gig work, following earlier research on women in ride sharing in Egypt, and work with research partners in the region. In ride sharing apps, the fact that bonuses are determined by algorithms based on the number of hours of work automatically means that women will be discriminated against as they put in less work hours due to their home care responsibilities. To make up for that, women end up driving at odd surge hours, subjecting themselves to safety hazards, especially in remote areas with limited connectivity. Because they carry the labor of being care givers, women are likely to be punished by ride-sharing app algorithms. This compounds the challenges of this work, which is already precarious lacking job security, social protection and insurance. With the region experiencing the highest global female unemployment rate and the lowest global female labor participation rate, these women end up being stuck between a rock and a hard place.

By performing evidence-based research directly in the region, the Feminist AI MENA hub can better support transformational technology development and bring those findings to the international feminist AI network. “Technology is a product of society, and should respond to the needs of society. What we hope for is that technology is informed by what is going on in reality.” Therefore, added Rizk, “the technology for the MENA region has to speak to the needs of the MENA region.”

Rizk and her colleagues plan on continuing to develop region-sensitive research, and bringing their findings to policy makers, civil society, and the international research network. Outside of the hub, Rizk is taking these principles into the classroom through teaching the course Feminist AI: Technology, Gender and Development. “It gave students a different perspective on using technology,” Rizk said, describing the impact she saw in her students. “We had two male students conduct research on the need to use feminist AI principles in FinTech. To me, it was really fulfilling to have students be aware of how you could actually implement principles of responsible AI.”

“We want to raise awareness and deliver a message of fairness, justice and inclusion,” Rizk concluded. “To be a feminist, you must always be sympathetic to all marginalized communities, not just to women. Therefore, technology must be inclusive to all. We work towards that future.”

March 8 marks International Women’s Day, celebrating women’s achievements and highlighting the ways we can work together to improve the quality of life for women and girls worldwide. Helen Rizzo, associate professor of sociology in the Department of Sociology, Egyptology and Anthropology and the director of the Cynthia Nelson Institute for Gender and Women’s Studies, sat down with News@AUC to discuss the history of this holiday and the impact it has on feminism worldwide. 

“The history of International Women’s Day is quite interesting, as it’s always been tied to women’s labor movements,” Rizzo explained. 

The first International Women’s Day took place in 1909, hosted by the Socialist Party in the United States, celebrating women’s participation in the workforce. As an arm of first-wave feminism, these early women’s days were centered around ending gender discrimination in employment as well as women’s suffrage. The day was a way to highlight the issues facing women and celebrate the achievements that had been made. By 1914, March 8, which so happened to be the Sunday that year, spread across Europe as a day for women to raise their voices and be heard. 

As time passed, International Women’s Day continued to evolve. “In the 1960s and 1970s, second-wave feminism caused a revival in celebrating March 8,” Rizzo continued. “The Women's History Center, which was an archive of the women's movement in Berkeley, went even further and established March as Women's History Month in the United States. Then, the United Nations began celebrating International Women's Day in 1975 to commemorate this day for women's rights and international peace. That’s when it truly became a global phenomenon.”

Having a globally focused women’s day allows for feminist scholars to engage with the transnational ways women’s issues affect each other. For gender practitioners, offering support across borders is incredibly important for gender parity worldwide. There are many ways to celebrate International Women’s Day, but a major part is analyzing how to improve the status of women globally. The United Nations declared the theme for the 2026 International Women’s Day to be ‘Rights. Justice. Action. For ALL Women and Girls,’ emphasizing the importance of a global perspective. 

“The UN lists the areas where women are still unequal, which includes unemployment, the wage gap as well as violence in the workplace, the home and public spaces,” Rizzo explained. “There are still all kinds of issues where we need to make progress. The UN has a statistic that it will take over 200 years to close legal protection gaps. We’re facing the same issues we faced 100 years ago, which is why this day is still important.”

"We’re facing the same issues we faced 100 years ago, which is why this day is still important.”

Highlighting the areas she believes the international community must continue to focus on, Rizzo noted, “There are many critical issues that disproportionately affect women. Gender-based violence can be devastating for many women and girls. Armed conflict and wars, combined with political violence, disproportionately harm women.” . 

With education, we’re still not there yet, Rizzo explained. “There has been a lot of improvement in women’s education. However, there are still areas, even in this region, where women face high barriers to education. We’re also seeing issues where women receive an education, but that doesn’t translate into employment or equal wages.” 

Wage inequality is prevalent across the world and still heavily impacts Egypt, Rizzo said, adding that family law is still a topic in the region that needs reform in order to reach gender equality. “Without equal rights within marriages and family relations, women are more restricted and have fewer access to protections,” she said.

While these issues might feel overwhelming, Rizzo emphasized the power we as individuals have to make a difference. “Spreading information and performing research as a University is a critical step in helping women and girls,” she affirmed. “Having a public reminder to everyone that we still need to work on issues of inequality and discrimination is essential. It’s important to provide evidence that inequality is still there. The research we do at AUC can work in tandem with NGOs, social movements and international organizations that can translate into policy recommendations and social change.”

“Spreading information and performing research as a University is a critical step in helping women and girls."

In addition, Rizzo expressed that both men and women are critical parts of achieving gender equality. Men too are hurt by the standards set up by the patriarchy: They’re not encouraged to express a range of emotions, there is less room for them to explore “feminine” fields and they are often placed into societal boxes. While International Women’s Day focuses on women, achieving gender parity helps people of all sexes. “It’s critical to have men as allies in feminist spaces,” Rizzo stated. “Gender equality does not merely mean rights for women. It means equality overall, and that includes men.”

Looking toward the future of gender equality, Rizzo believes it's essential to have as many gender practitioners as possible. An engaged, active look into gender equality is now more important than ever before. There are growing attacks on academic freedom in the Global North, and funding toward women’s studies has been severely cut and departments and programs have been shut down in places like the United States, she stated. 

“I went to a workshop in Morocco last year where they invited the directors of gender and women’s studies centers from across the Middle East and North Africa region. The goal was to try to map academic departments, research centers and NGOs focused on women’s rights across the region to form a support network,” Rizzo shared. 

"Global gender equality must be based in all parts of the world, and there is plenty of action we can take from the Middle East."

The workshop was funded by the United Nations and the women’s section of the Arab League, and will lead to an official UN report. “Given what’s happening to gender studies programs in the United States, it’s time for our region to step up,” Rizzo concluded. “Global gender equality must be based in all parts of the world, and there is plenty of action we can take from the Middle East. International Women’s Day is a time where we can appreciate the action that’s been made and figure out how moving forward will benefit as many women as possible.”

For the banks of the Rhine to the Nile’s corniche, students have crossed borders to discuss border crossings. University of Cologne students spent the final week of their winter course alongside AUC students, studying migration within the Global South. 

The Dialogue on Migration Governance in the Euro-Mediterranean (DiaMiGo), now in its third year, has brought Egyptian students to Germany and German students to Egypt, allowing them to discuss the transitory nature of migration across the Mediterranean. With migration rooted across the world, students analyzed Egypt as a gateway, a hub and a home. 

“The experience was impactful for not just the students visiting from Cologne, but also the AUC students who came from not just a CMRS [Center for Migration and Refugee Studies] program, but multiple different programs,” shared Emma Stotlemyer, CMRS graduate student and research assistant.  Stotlemyer coordinated DiaMiGo’s winter session alongside fellow research assistant Alaa Kasmo and Fatima Salah, Reem Adel and Hiba A.aseem M.Sharif. “We're able to bring their expertise, perspectives and experience to the program, and they were able to learn a lot more about refugees in Cairo.”

DiaMiGo encouraged participants to focus on integration in the everyday — dissecting Egypt’s role as host and transit hub for migrants, as well as the intersection of heritage, labor, health, activism and local governance on integration. 

Students attended lectures at AUC Tahrir Square, led by CMRS and SEA faculty Amira Ahmed and Gerda Heck, discussing the Egyptian social context, the role of media, culinary connections to migration and musical heritage. Dialogue encouraged participants to analyze what makes a place a home, and how they can expand these lessons into place-making for migrants and refugees. 

“The DiaMiGo Winter School was a truly enriching experience for our AUC scholars and students, as well as for the students from University of Cologne,” shared Ahmed, assistant professor in the Department of Sociology, Egyptology and Anthropology. “It created a dynamic and engaging environment where participants could delve into the key issues affecting migrants and refugees in both Egypt and Germany.”

While the lectures were an important facet of the winter school, what was perhaps more impactful was the dialogue between the German and Egyptian students as well as the refugee fellows who participated. Ahmed added, “One of the highlights of the school was the incredible diversity of backgrounds and experiences, thanks to the refugee fellowships, which offered a unique opportunity for refugees from Sudan, South Sudan, Syria, Somalia and Eritrea to present their perspectives and insights.”

One CMRS student, Rya Hammuod Hamuod Alhosin, described how important it has been for her to share her migrant background in an academic setting. “Writing my thesis on my experience as a Syrian refugee put me on a journey to find my own voice,” she said. Participants in DiaMiGo uncovered the ways that centering migrant history, culture and heritage in integration can be both successful and empowering. 

Narratives around migration often revolve around the Global North. Engaging in migration dialogues while being based in the Global South helped reframe the field for students and decolonize migration perspectives. “Egypt is one of the most important actors in the region to understand global migration routes,” shared Hannah Walsken, a student from the University of Cologne. “Talking to students and refugees in Egypt gives an important perspective. It’s not theory alone, but also the everyday lives of people.”

The variety of perspectives from refugees based in Cairo displayed how important the Egyptian context is as a case study for global migration. The refugee fellows got to share their stories with both AUCians and German students, lending their perspectives and humanizing otherwise abstract concepts. 

“It was impactful because the narratives around integration often focus on how refugees can change themselves in order to fit into a community or society,” said Stotlemyer. “Speaking with the refugee fellows and scholars allowed us to see how refugees are continuing to integrate within their new society in a way that involves their skills, talents, experiences, traditions, customs, food, language, dialects — how they make a place for themselves.”

Partnerships like DiaMiGo lend perspectives between the Global South and Global North, which is essential in an inherently international field like migration studies. Egyptian and German students will continue building global conversations when they meet up for DiaMiGo III this summer in Cologne. Until then, they will continue unpacking the important lessons they learned from engaging in dialogue with one another.

“Being able to unpack and learn how refugees engage in place-making in Cairo is incredibly important for migration studies, for refugee studies and for anybody who engages with any sort of migrant and refugee population — so that we can continue to de-center the narratives of the Global North and re-center narratives coming from the Global South and the refugee community. This allows refugees to create those narratives themselves,” affirmed Stotlemyer.

Exploring the depth of Cairo’s modern history in one month is a tall task— there’s a lot to cover, from the new Grand Egyptian Museum to the ancient hanging churches of Coptic Cairo. Yet, with a jam-packed schedule of field trips and lectures, AUC’s faculty-led winter programs make it possible for students to dive into Egyptian history.

In a joint winter course titled Museums, Memory and Politics, students from AUC and Oberlin College learned about modern Egyptian history side by side. AUCians and Obies worked together on group projects in AUC's Rare Books and Special Collections Library and traveled together for site visits, venturing to al-Azhar Park, bartering at markets and dining at the Cairo Tower.

“I could see — from the metro to tuktuks to microbusses — all the different classes and modes of history all at once in one little place.”

The University offers an annual selection of faculty-led winter programs for AUC students to engage and learn with international students from different universities abroad. The class was separately offered in AUC’s winter term and as an Oberlin January term class. The course was jointly taught by Hoda El-Saadi, adjunct faculty in AUC’s department of Arab and Islamic Civilizations, and Zeinab Aboul-Magd, professor and chair of the Middle East and North Africa studies program at Oberlin College. At the culmination of the month-long course, students gave presentations on topics related to Egypt's culture and sociopolitical history. 

Inspired by a trip through the neighborhood of Sayyidda Zeinab. Josie Shehadi, an Oberlin junior studying English and Middle East and North African Studies (MENA), presented on transportation in Cairo. “I could see — from the metro to tuktuks to microbusses — all the different classes and modes of history all at once in one little place.”

AUC political science senior Noor Ahmad didn’t expect to be traveling during her winter semester, but the course has been a new opportunity to explore home. “It's nice to see things you wouldn’t consider seeing as an Egyptian on your own, so you feel like a tourist,” Ahmad says.

A separate class from Oberlin studying Arabic at AUC tagged alongside the Museums, Memory and Politics cohort for field trips, where they combined a study of Egyptian culture with language-learning opportunities. Oberlin senior Sophia Samara, who studies history, biology and minors in MENA studies, appreciates the many moments in downtown Cairo that put her Arabic to the test. “We would be going to museums and markets, and learning all the vocabulary to explore those places,” Samara says. “When you’re learning the language removed from the places of that language, you feel a lot more disconnected, but here there’s a lot more opportunities to practice.”

Before each field trip, students in the Arabic course read about the museums in Arabic passages tailored to their level. AUC faculty member Sara Abou El Goukh (MA '13) planned the experiential learning opportunities for the class. For her, the most rewarding part of teaching Arabic is watching students grow from just learning the alphabet to saying full sentences. “You get to see students progress,” Abou El Goukh says.

Oberlin data science sophomore Alisha Akhtar says studying Arabic here has let her make new connections that wouldn’t be possible if she only spoke in English. “It was more rigorous than I was expecting, but it was the best for learning so much in three weeks,” Akhtar says.

“When you’re learning the language removed from the places of that language you feel a lot more disconnected, but here there’s a lot more opportunities to practice."

Beyond the classroom, faculty-led winter courses are a cultural exchange. Students from Texas to Cairo share meals and bus rides, getting to know each other over the course of a month. A highlight of the program for Oberlin sophomore Sydney Fink, who studies comparative literature and politics, was discussing international affairs with AUCians.

“A lot of my friends here are political science majors, so we’ve been talking about American and Middle Eastern politics,” she says. “It’s been good hearing people’s lived experiences and perspectives.”

These programs have existed for over 20 years at the University, a strong legacy of fostering relationships and international connections. AUC mechanical engineering senior Karim Elzahby supported the course as a teaching assistant on the program and helped to guide newcomers to the city he calls home. He helped as a teaching assistant after taking the course in his junior year.

“I find the experience of showing people the city that I lived in most of my life very heartwarming,” Elzahby says. “If it was up to me, I’d do it again.”

Coptic Lives, a Core Curriculum course, offers students a gateway into what it would be like to live in historical Coptic society. Investigating history through archeological methods, students discover key elements of Coptic society: from what they ate to what they wore to what they believed. 

Mennat-Allah El Dorry ‘05, assistant professor and chair of Coptic studies at AUC who has trained as both an Egyptologist and archeologist, works to paint a lush tapestry of Coptic lives for her students by guiding them to investigate more than just key historical moments, but also the intricacies of everyday life. 

“The course helped me reconnect with my roots in a deeply personal way and see Coptic lives as lived, enduring experiences rather than distant narratives."

“A very large part of Coptic studies is about the history of the church, persecution, Coptic art and monasticism,” said El Dorry. “But I am intrigued by the daily lives of average people away from this traditional history of Coptic Egypt. We, as Egyptians, have a rich, long history of Coptic culture that is a part of this long and continuous fabric. While politics and religion change, I am interested in looking at the lives of people like myself — and like the students as well.”

In El Dorry’s class, students experiment with the tools historically used by Copts and visit important locations, such as the Coptic Museum and Coptic churches. With a mix of lectures, research and experiential learning opportunities, students paint a full picture of Coptic life, including food, language as well as arts and crafts. The course has no prerequisites and aims to get students at the start of their academic journey excited about archeology and history through the lens of the unique Coptic culture.

 “AUC's Egyptology program features something that few other international programs have: direct access to archaeology and culture.” 

“Coptic Lives didn’t feel like studying history; it felt like being invited into a story of resilience, faith and unwavering resolve,” said student Islam Nadim. “The course helped me reconnect with my roots in a deeply personal way and see Coptic lives as lived, enduring experiences rather than distant narratives. Dr. El Dorry’s passion and personal connection to the subject made that experience truly impactful.”

For El Dorry, the hands-on nature of the class is what makes it so special — the ability to bring Coptic culture to life. “AUC's Egyptology program features something that few other international programs have: direct access to archaeology and culture,” she affirmed. “I want us to focus more on these strengths and for AUC to become an important hub of Coptic archaeology — somewhere students and researchers who want to work specifically on Coptic archaeology can come to as their first choice.”

The Coptic studies program at AUC works to blend the fields of Egyptology, art history, science and religion through the lens of Coptic history. El Dorry herself first became interested in Coptic studies during her time at AUC. “When I was an Egyptology undergrad, a Coptic art class was being offered,” she explained. “The professor who taught it, Gawdat Gabra, was the first chair of Coptic studies at AUC, and he opened my eyes to such a fascinating world. It is an incredible honor to come full circle and now hold the position that first inspired me and to follow in the footsteps of such a scholar.”

When creating his AUC senior film thesis, Mark Ayman ’25 was concerned with one thing: telling a good story. He spent two years developing Cone, a short film that features a small argument between a garage worker and a professor that keeps getting bigger and bigger until the professor eventually spirals into madness. Little did Ayman know, his student film project would be one of 20 selected out of 2,500 submissions to premiere at the Cairo International Film Festival and one of only four Egyptian films selected. 

“The AUC film program helped me gain the conceptual skills I needed."

“The AUC film program helped me gain the conceptual skills I needed,” Ayman said. “Through open student workflow and critique sessions, I learned how to rework and rewrite my project, which is clear in the final product. Many young filmmakers just want to skip to the thrilling part and start shooting, but AUC taught me now to be grounded in development to make a stronger film.”

Cone was developed across three different classes in AUC’s film program, where Ayman studied. “A lot of classes have shaped this film. The script itself was written in a screenwriting class with Professor of Practice Tamer El Said, who supervised the project,” Ayman explained. “I continued developing the film and working on it after the class. Then I brought it into the film production course, where I met Zeina and Karma, and we continued working on it as part of the Senior Film Project class.”

Karma Abu Aly, ‘25 and current AUC senior Zeina Ramy served as the producers for the film throughout its development and filming. Ramy and Ayman met at the AUC Film Association. Ramy noticed Ayman would consistently take pictures of garages, prompting his friend to wonder just exactly what he was plotting. “He explained the idea of the film, and I really liked it. Then we had so much fun in the production course. Afterward, we just continued working on the film,” Ramy described.

“Working with the AUC film program had lots of privileges,” Ayman stated. “They provide equipment and shooting permits. We filmed part of the movie on campus, and they were super accommodating. I also was supported by my adviser throughout the entire project.” The shooting took three days, both at AUC and in Garden City. The crew consisted of 25 people, a mix of AUC students and professionals.

After filming wrapped, Ayman submitted it to the Cairo International Film Festival. “When I learned we were accepted, I was overwhelmed with happiness. The only thought that I had in mind was what I would say to the crew,” he explained. 

Ramy laughed, sharing how Ayman lied to the crew and told them they weren’t selected, just to quickly yell out “just kidding.” Ayman continued, “A lot of people have put so much effort and time into helping me. It’s incredible to have people who trust you with their time, expertise and effort, and then having it pay off.” 

Cone premiered at the Cairo International Film Festival on November 16, 2025. The cast and crew got to walk the red carpet, watch their film in the Cairo Opera’s Grand Hall and participate in a Q & A session. “Sharing my work with people who are interested in cinema and film is always great, especially the audience of the Cairo International Film Festival,” Ayman shared. “The screening of the film was very exciting, as I would hear the audience reacting to the different parts of the film either with shock, laughter or whispering words of excitement. To have your film seen among a hall of people is definitely a rich experience.”

“It’s so incredible to have the film featured in one of the oldest festivals in the region and the world, with something that started as simple as a student film,” he added. 

“It’s so incredible to have the film featured in one of the oldest festivals in the region and the world, with something that started as simple as a student film."

From here, Ayman, Ramy and AbuAly are hoping to find a place for Cone’s international premiere. Through meeting other directors and producers at the festival, they’ve been able to expand their network and learn about new possibilities. “Meeting people after the screening to hear their impressions and experiences watching the film is something I cherish,” Ayman said. “I was overwhelmed with words of love and encouragement from a diverse audience. Whenever I think I used to be one of the audience members of this festival, sitting on the chairs and watching, I feel very grateful.”

Alternative Policy Solutions (APS) sits under the high ceilings of an unassuming office in the historic palace on AUC’s Tahrir Square campus. The think tank is home to policy researchers looking to influence the world of development through in-depth research, consultations and evidence-based policy solutions to some of the most difficult challenges facing Egypt. Rabab El Mahdi ’96, founding director of APS and associate professor of political science, heads the team of researchers and employs some unlikely policy practitioners: undergraduate students in her Introduction to Development class.

“We’re challenging students in ways they haven’t experienced before,” El Mahdi stated, “There are so many benefits to having students at work at APS. They learn from the team, but also bring  fresh insights.” 

Class Structure

The Introduction to Development course is broken up into three parts: an introduction to development theory, a five-week practicum at AUC Tahrir Square and a final project to reflect on the experience. The students spend their Tuesdays in APS’s office, discussing policy with research professionals and learning firsthand the pace of working in a real policy office. They aid in the office’s operations, provide preliminary research for policy analysts and do background research for APS’s publications. 

Sitting in the APS office on the third floor of the palace, the student researchers brought a palpable energy to the airy office space. They were busy researching the development impacts of the Grand Egyptian Museum opening, Egypt’s involvement in debt swaps and possible programs to use for the APS podcast initiative. The hands-on experience of working on policy solutions in real time is unique to the program and a process that turns policy students into policy practitioners.

“The excitement of being in an actual workplace gives them a different drive during their time in the office” said El Mahdi. Students around her buzzed, hard at work. “Hands-on learning has so many benefits in terms of furthering their theoretical understanding of the subject-matter, they apply concepts they learned to current developmental challenges. Plus, there's a different energy at the office than in a classroom.”

Sitting in a cubicle in the corner of the office, junior Laila Mamdouh vigorously typed away at her assignment. “It’s making me learn so much so quickly, without it being stressful or overwhelming,” said Mamdouh. “It's not just a typical format where you go to class, take notes and then have an exam. We actually get to apply what we learn, which gives me so much more incentive.”

The excitement for their work was notable across students. “We were surprised to see just how big of a project this is,” stated junior political science major Omar Fahim. His chair faced the window that revealed the vibrant gardens of the Tahrir Square campus. “APS talks directly to ministers and the government, so it makes me think that our work could be presented to officials. It motivates me to put my all into it.”

More than just encouraging students to critically think about development concepts, the program offers real support to the small but mighty APS office. Mohamed Badereldin, a junior policy researcher at APS, complimented the students helping him on his policy papers. “It’s incredibly useful to have them here in the office,” he said. “Instead of going back and forth on email, I can tell them what I need instantly, and we can have a real conversation about the project. I also think it’s helpful for them to learn how to apply the theories they’ve been taught to real-world situations, which is exactly what we do every day at APS.”

Development concepts might seem abstract in the classroom setting, but these students are learning firsthand how to extract their real-world applications. More than just learning the impact of their field, students felt the responsibility to use their education to help policy practitioners and rise to meet that challenge. 

Having the APS in-office experience was critical for students to understand what being a professional in an office environment is like. For many students, this was their first time personally experiencing office dynamics and expectations. “Dr. El Mahdi’s our professor, but she’s also our boss,” stated student Ginevra Hanna. “She’s treating us just like she treats her employees. It makes me feel grown up, like I can actually do the work.”

Learning how to work in an office is just as important as learning to apply policy concepts to real-world scenarios. As an experience, it is something students will take into all future jobs, even if they end up working in different fields. “They get daily feedback from me and my colleagues, which helps them develop their research in real time. I’ve seen them grow tremendously,” added El Mahdi. “It’s important to encourage strong work ethic in AUC students. By putting them in this environment, we’re testing their limits and showing them what they’re capable of.”

Tahrir as a Classroom 

The opportunity to work in Tahrir was a draw in itself for students, bringing them into the busy hustle of the city. “Tahrir is 45 minutes away from my house, so I don’t get to come out here very often,” Mamdouh stated. “It’s really nice to have something to bring me to this campus. The aesthetic of the office is just incredible with Tahrir Square as a phenomenal view; it really pushes me in the mindset of doing quality work. And since it’s part of class, it’s a win-win.”

Other students echoed how much they enjoyed coming to the Tahrir Square campus and how a new environment encouraged them to give the class their focus and attention. “You know that if you’re coming all the way out here, you have to actually work hard,” shared Hanna. “If you don’t, then it feels like a waste.”

The Introduction to Development’s practicum is part of AUC’s Tuesdays at Tahrir initiative, aiming to bridge the gap between the two University campuses. By providing transportation from New Cairo to Tahrir and vice versa, and encouraging students and faculty to use the Tahrir Square campus as a fixture of their academics, the University is displaying the unity of One University, Two Campuses. It’s also an opportunity to allow students to take advantage of the historic Tahrir Square campus, a landmark and cultural oasis in the heart of Cairo.

“I love the Tahrir Square campus, but unfortunately, I don't come here enough. Sitting here doing work makes me feel like it’s my campus, my second home,” Mamdouh continued. “I’m thankful that AUC provides transportation because it motivates me not only to come to campus, but also to explore the Tahrir area, which is so interesting and historic.” 

The Tahrir Square campus, which has been AUC’s home since its establishment in 1919, hosts a number of AUC programs along with conferences, festivals and symposiums. Its grounds cover a decadent city block that sits parallel to Egypt’s central Tahrir Square. Inside the grounds is a lush lawn, the shade of many palm trees and the historic palace that hosts classrooms, theaters, a cafeteria and, of course, APS. The history of the building is evident in everything from the intricate wood-working detail to neo-Mamluk architecture and designs over the arched windows. The Tahrir Square campus wears its historical and political significance on its sleeve, something felt strongly by the class of politics students. 

“Bringing students downtown is not just a learning experience; it’s a life experience,” El Mahdi confirmed. “It has to do with working on their essential skills, how to navigate the space and deal with colleagues. Coming to Tahrir gets students familiar with the campus, which is important considering all the cultural events that are organized here. Having a course where the Tahrir Square campus is integral is an incredible opportunity because so many things, like consulting sessions with stakeholders, can only happen in Tahrir. This is the center of the city, and it’s a privilege to show that to students.”

To honor the International Day of People with Disabilities, the Psychology of Inclusion and Exclusion in Egypt undergraduate class set up an accessibility simulation, bringing together students and faculty from across the AUC community to gain a new perspective on what life is like with a disability — stepping into the shoes of others. 

The event, hosted by the Center for Student Wellbeing and Student Accessibility Services, started with each attendee being assigned a disability. Some were assigned visual impairments and given eye masks. Some participants were designated audio impairments and wore noise cancelling headphones. Others were given various mobility restrictions, such as being paralyzed from the waist down or having limited mobility in their hands. Together, the participants had to work together to make a salad, a task that might seem simple but had many added challenges. Participants worked together to navigate cutting vegetables, reaching across a wide table and communicating through the challenges that come with audio and visual impairments.

The simulation showed participants the ways people with disabilities have to go about their daily lives as well as how they can support each other. Participants had to rethink their typical teamwork processes to play to their strengths and accommodate gaps. Those with mobility impairments could help coordinate visually with those with audio impairments and auditorily to those with visual impairments. The experience showed how important accommodation, support, grace and understanding are to people with disabilities.

“The event was a focused, high-impact simulation designed to foster empathy and build awareness among participants regarding the challenges faced by individuals living with various disabilities,” explained Alexandra Gazis, associate director of Student Accessibility Services at AUC and course instructor. “The primary goal is to provide attendees who do not have a disability with a short, experiential understanding of how simple, everyday tasks can become exclusionary, especially when various barriers are present.”

The purpose of this simulation was to help raise awareness of the ways that disabilities impact daily life and the ways that the AUC community can think through necessary accommodations by being conscious of what it's like to live with disabilities.

“The simulation was a great way to raise awareness of the realities of living day to day as a student with a disability,” shared Grainne Condron, one of the students in the class. “I see this collaboration between staff and students as making strides toward real change.”

Additionally, AUC will be lighting the plaza and Bassily Auditorium in purple on December 3 to celebrate the International Day of People with Disabilities. AUC will be the first institution to light its buildings purple for this occasion in Egypt, marking once again its commitment to accessibility and visibility.