Eastern Student Harrison Brooks Studies in the Middle East

2017 Mar 28

A group of history students from Eastern Connecticut State University took a week-long global field course (GFC) in the Middle East this March. The students visited sights throughout Israel, Jordan and the West Bank as they learned about the region's various conflicts and histories.

Among the students was Harrison Brooks '17 of Stratford, who majors in Political Science and Economics.

The course abroad was designed to expose students to the modern Middle East; teach them the ancient and modern histories of the region; provide multiple perspectives on the Arab-Israeli conflict by visiting the Israeli-Lebanese border, the Israeli-Syrian border, Jordan and a Palestinian refugee camp in the West Bank; and provide students with an appreciation for the Holocaust by visiting the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem.

"I teach courses on the Arab-Israeli conflict and the history of modern Israel," said History Professor Caitlin Carenen, supervisor of the trip. "This GFC was designed to supplement the classroom experience by providing field experience. While traveling, students kept travel journals and upon returning, students wrote long reflection papers assessing their experience."