"Bahrain Studies" Annal examines the British Position on the Sovereignty of Bahrain in Qatar Peninsula

Bahrain Studies Center at the University of Bahrain (UOB) published the second issue of the "Annal of the Centre for Bahrain Studies" titled "Bahrain's Sovereignty in Qatar Peninsula and the British Position Toward It (1949-1935)" by researcher Dr. Hamad Ebrahim Abdullah, Assistant Professor of Modern History in the Department of Social Sciences at the College of Arts at UOB.

The study monitored the policy followed by Britain towards Bahrain’s sovereignty in Qatar Peninsula in British documents after the Anglo-Persian Oil Company obtained a concession for oil exploration in the Peninsula in 1935 from the government of Qatar.

Also, the study sought to identify the nature of the British position on Qatar's encroachment towards Bahrain's sovereignty, the declared and undeclared views of Britain regarding the events that took place in the Al-Zubarah region of Qatar Peninsula and Hawar Islands and the shoals (Fasht) of Dibal, and the extent of its commitment to neutrality between Bahrain and Qatar.

Moreover, research in the documents showed that Qatar government’s wish to encroach on declared and historically supported properties of Bahrain in the Peninsula and the islands of Bahrain during the period from 1935 to 1949 was based on benefiting from the Anglo-American dispute over oil concessions in the midst of oil discoveries stage in the Arabian Gulf region in the first half of the twentieth century.

With this new scientific publication of UOB’s Bahrain Studies Center Annal, the Center shall contribute to uncovering the details of an important stage of the national history of the Kingdom of Bahrain.

It is worth noting that the first issue of the Bahrain Studies Center Annal was published in March 2019 with a study on: “Al Khalifa in Qatar Peninsula: A Study in Political Geography” by Dr. Mohammed Ahmad Abdullah, who is a researcher in political geography and director of the Bahrain Studies Center at the University.

Dr. Kamal Al Gharbi appointed as the Head of the Media, Tourism and Arts Department at UOB

3 February 2020

The President of the University of Bahrain (UOB), Prof. Riyad Yousif Hamzah, issued a resolution appointing the Assistant Professor in the Department of Media, Tourism and Arts at the College of Arts, Dr. Kamel Mahmood Gharbi, as the head of the Department.

According to Resolution No. (5) of 2020, Dr. Gharbia shall be managaing the Department of Media, Tourism and Arts for a period of two years, starting from the announcement of the resolution on the 12th of last January.

Dr. Al-Gharbi expressed his thanks and gratitude for the confidence of the University President and the Dean of the College of Arts in him, expressing his ambition to complete several projects, the most important of which are meeting the requirements for quality assurance for all programs to be adopted locally and working to obtain academic accreditation from an international body in line with the strategic plan of UOB.

Also, he stressed that the department's priorities include supporting scientific research activities, such as establishing a multidisciplinary research group, encouraging interdisciplinary studies, organizing an international conference on new media, and urging faculty members to further conduct sober scientific publishing.

Moreover, he stated that " Also, we are looking forward to reviewing some programs with the aim of improving, developing and benefiting from the best academic practices and the latest trends in the fields of specialization, expressing his hope to support and expand existing community partnerships, and to create new partnerships that enhance the presence of the Department of Media, Tourism and Arts in the local communication and media scene.

As the Department of Media, Tourism and Arts offers four academic programs, which are a Bachelor’s in Media, a Bachelor's in Tourism, a Bachelor's in Art and Design, as well as a Master's in Media.

It is worth noting that Dr. Gharbi holds a PhD in Media and Communication from the Sorbonne University (Paris 1) in year 2004, and he has published several scientific papers in refereed journals in several areas, most notably the new media, as well as several articles and participations in specialized media publications.

Also, Dr. Gharbi has supervised several media conferences and specialized workshops organized by the University, and participated in the development of study plans and the development of new programs and courses and their description at UOB.

Sustainable Development Goals

4 Quality education

17 Partnerships for the goals

Key words

Department of Media, Tourism and Arts, University of Bahrain, Academic Accreditation, International Conference on New Media

During Her Participation in The Orient Pioneers Symposium in Abu Dhabi...

Dr. Al-Kaabi:

The Discourse of Female Western Travelers in the Region Identifies with Colonial Narratives

The Assistant Professor of Narratives and Literary Criticism at the Department of Arabic Language and Islamic Studies at the College of Arts, Dr. Dheya Abdullah Al-Kaabi, confirmed that the discourse of female western travelers in Arabia is identical and consistent with the colonial discourse.

The term “colonialist” refers to the approach of control and influence imposed by a colonial state on its entity.

This came during the participation of Dr. Al-Kaabi at the international symposium organized by Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism on the 24^th and 25^th of last November and entitled "Orient Pioneers: Western Travelers in Arabia Forum".

Where Dr. Al-Kaabi presented her research paper, entitled: "Colonial Narratives and Gender Policies: Female Western Travelers in Arabia as A Model."

Dr. Al-Kaabi stated, "The writings of female western travelers in Arabia and the Arabian Gulf region from the mid-nineteenth century until the early decades of the twentieth century formed extremely important records, whose major cultural discourses must be unraveled, and they must be linked to the colonial discourse of the British Empire and the politics of imperial gender policies as well."

Also, she noted that “Female western travelers in the Arabia and the Arabian Gulf region had extremely limited references in the official archives of the British Government of British India and the archives of the Colonial Office. And despite this absence and obliteration, most of these travelers have recorded their travels in books and left us with a large number of personal correspondence and documents, and some of them wrote their own biographies. "

Moreover, Al-Kaabi worked on investigating colonial narratives and gender policies in the discourse of three female western travelers, namely: Lady Anne Blunt in her books, “

Bedouin Tribes of the Euphrates, A Journey between the Bedouins in the Euphrates Island in Syria in 1878” and “A Pilgrimage to Nejd, the Cradle of the Arab Race 1879-1878” , Theodore and Mable Bent in their book "Southern Arabia" and the German Countess Dorotea Von Linka in her book "A Journey to Medina through the Heart of the Desert (Deserts of the Inner Inland)".

The study sought to observe how gender (colonial) policies affected the discourse of these female western travelers, reveal the relation between their narratives and the rising discourse of the British Empire at the time, and to know the what’s harmonious and different between these three journeys.

The international symposium included eight scientific sessions and attracted elite orientalists, historians and researchers in the history of the region.

UOB Considers Offering A Higher Diploma in Cyber Psychology

Student Projects Caution Against the Dangers of Cyberspace on Children and Youth

Considering the escalating role of technology and cyberspace in contemporary life, the Dean of the College of Arts Dr. Abdulaziz Mohammed Bulaila stated that the College is considering the introduction of a higher diploma program in cyber psychology, which is studies the behavior of individuals and groups through cyberspace,

This came during the opening of the Cyber ??Psychology exhibition held by the Department of Psychology at the College of Arts, which presented the projects of students of the social psychology and educational psychology courses.

Moreover, Dr. Bulaila commended the exhibition, which included educational projects related to the impact of cyberspace on human behavior, praising the Department and its professors for keeping up with new topics, as the department intends to organize an international conference on cyber psychology.

The exhibition contained awareness-raising models, brochures, drawings and forms on several topics, such as addiction to the Internet, obsession with online shopping, bullying and blackmail, and others.

Associate Professor of Psychology at the College, Dr. Amani Abdulrahman Al-Shirawi, stated that the students reviewed several psychological problems arising from the injudicious use of cyberspace, stressing the importance of youth and teenagers taking advantage of technology in communication, learning and spreading awareness.

Furthermore, Dr. Al-Shirawi stressed the need for parents to supervise their children’s use of devices that allow them to access the cyberspace to protect them from several dangers, such as blackmail or electronically active gangs, in addition to the risks of excessive use as well, which is what many children suffer from today.

It’s worth mentioning that the Department of Psychology at the College of Arts organizes an exhibition of projects for its students at the end of each semester.

Sustainable Development Goals

3 Good Health and Well-Being

4 Quality Education

17 Partnerships for the Goals

Key Words

Cyber ??psychology, the behavior of individuals and groups on cyberspace, the Department of Psychology in the College of Arts, an international conference on cyber psychology, Internet addiction, obsession with online shopping, online bullying and blackmail

Among 100 Young Men and Women From 19 Arab Countries

UOB Media Student Participates in the "Young Media Leaders" in UAE

29 September 2019

Among 100 young men and women representing universities, institutes and institutions from 19 Arab countries, Adel Hassan Ebrahim, student at the University of Bahrain (UOB), represented the University in the third edition of the "Young Arab Media Leaders" program in the United Arab Emirates.

The program aims to develop a generation of young media talents and media influencers who will lead Arab media in the future, which went for two weeks, during the period from (1 to 16 September 2019).

On the margins of the closing activities of the program, Ebrahim, who majors in Radio and Television in the Department of Media, Tourism and Arts at the College of Arts, stated that he attended several workshops, lectures and discussion sessions presented by Arab media professionals, adding that he participated in the issuance of one issue of "Al-Ruya" newspaper, which was published with media materials from the program’s young participants.

The young participants were selected from more than 1200 participation applications received by the Arab Youth Center, after a specialized jury of prominent experts and media professionals studied and evaluated all the submitted applications and reviewed the media materials submitted by the competitors on their current experiences and their future aspirations.

The program was organized by the Youth Center in cooperation with a group of leading media organizations, including the National Media Council and the Media Zone Authority - Abu Dhabi (twofour54), in addition to the Thomson Reuters Foundation, Dubai Media City, Al-Ruya and The National newspapers.

Goals:

4 Quality Education

17 Partnerships for the Goals

Key Words:

Young Arab Media Leaders Program, Media Talents, Department of Media, Tourism and Arts, National Media Council

A Plan to Expand the Academic Cooperation System with Regional Colleges of Arts

25 September 2019

The Dean of the College of Arts at the University of Bahrain (UOB), Dr. Abdulaziz Mohammed Bulaila, stated that “The College intends to expand the academic cooperation system with regional and global prestigious universities and colleges” indicating that the College of Arts will soon sign a memorandum of understanding in this regard with King Saud University in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Furthermore, Dr. Bulaila said that strengthening academic relations with prestigious colleges would help exchange expertise and experiences, contribute to the benchmarking process, improve the performance, and improve the educational process.

He pointed out that the Dean of the College of Arts at King Saud University, Dr. Prince Nayef bin Thunayan Al Saud, welcomed the principle of cooperation between the two colleges, expressing his aspiration for coordination in common aspects of cooperation as soon as possible.

As he stated that "It’s pleasant that this forthcoming cooperation in line with the growing fraternal relations between the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia at all levels."

He further stated that "Starting with the College of Arts at King Saud University in Riyadh comes in view of the close relations between the two countries and the two universities, as many professors of UOB graduated from King Saud University, in addition to the existence of many horizons and avenues for cooperation between the two colleges."

According to Dr. Bulaila, opening the door for cooperation between the two colleges and the advancement of work and programs will include all their departments, namely: Media, Tourism and Arts, Arabic Language and Islamic Studies, English Language and Literature, Social Sciences, and Psychology, pointing out that the College began working in the committees it formed to ensure the activation of this cooperation .

Moreover, he said, "We look forward to exchanging scientific experiences at the undergraduate and postgraduate level, and reviewing and evaluating academic programs in order to achieve the quality of education and international accreditation standards," stressing at the same time "the importance of the anticipated cooperation in encouraging students and professors in the two colleges to expand their knowledge experiences, make scientific research and hold international seminars and conferences.”

Furthermore, the Dean of the College of Arts asserted that the College’s tendency to develop the cooperation system would include several prestigious colleges and universities in the region and abroad, hoping to open communication channels with British universities as well.

As the actions of the College of Arts at UOB are part of an academic plan to improve all its programs in accordance with the requirements of the Education and Training Quality Authority, as well as the University’s development plan.

Sustainable Development Goals

4 Quality Education

5 Gender Equality

17 Partnerships for the Goals

Key Words

Academic cooperation system, exchange of expertise and experiences, benchmarking, education quality, international accreditation standards