14th of March, 2010: Aymen ElSheikh: TESOL Politics: Making the Case for English as an International Language (EIL)

Aymen ElSheikh: TESOL Politics: Making the Case for English as an International Language (EIL)

Aymen will be sharing findings from his current research on TSEOL in Sudan. He will deconstruct the teaching of English to speakers of other languages in the context of Sudan. He explains the concept of English as an International Language (EIL) and suggests how it might be a viable solution for meeting the diverse demands of teaching English around the world.

Aymen is a PhD candidate from the Department of Literacy, Culture, and Language Education at Indiana University.

For a copy of the paper and directions to the seminar, please contact me at my email and I will send you both!

Thanks,
Laura
l.e.mann@sms.ed.ac.uk

7th of February, 2010: Salma Mohamed Abdalla: The role of Zakat in Water Distribution in Khartoum

Salma Mohamed Abdalla: Coping with Water Scarcity: the Role of Zākat Institutions in Water Distribution in Greater Khartoum.

Salma will be sharing some of her findings from her current field research on the Islamic welfare/charity, 'Zakat'. Salma is a graduate of the University of Khartoum and now a PhD student at the International Graduate School of African Studies, University of Bayreuth, Germany.

For a copy of the paper and directions to the seminar, please contact me at my email and I will send you both!

Thanks,
Laura
l.e.mann@sms.ed.ac.uk

12th of January, 2010: Will Berridge: Political interference and the slow death of civil policing in Sudan, 1924-1985

Will Berridge from the University of Durham will be presenting his doctoral research on Policing in the colonial and post-colonial period.

Who: Will Berridge
What: Political interference and the slow death of civil policing in Sudan, 1924-1985
Place: Amarat, Street 5, besides the Russian embassy
Date: Tuesday, Jan 12th
Time: 7PM

Organized by Moritz Mihatsch

16th of December, 2009: Henry Jung: Power Sharing as a model of conflict regulation in peace agreements?

Henry Jung, a German MA student from the University of Leipzig will present his research on Power Sharing as a model of conflict regulation in peace agreements? The case of the CPA in Sudan.

Who: Henry Jung
What: Power Sharing as a model of conflict regulation in peace agreements?
Place: Amarat, Street 5, besides the Russian embassy
Date: Wednesday, Dec 16th
Time: 7PM

Organized by Moritz Mihatsch.

7th of November, 2009: Eman El Tigani: Communication and Information Systems during conflict

Eman El Tigani: communication and Information Systems during conflict

Eman El Tigani will be presenting her research on information systems and communication media in conflict zones. Although she has a lot of experience in the field, she is just starting her research project and would really appreciate helpful feedback and suggestions.

For a copy of the paper and directions to the seminar, please contact me at my email and I will send you both!

Thanks,
Laura
l.e.mann@sms.ed.ac.uk

11th of October, 2009: Christina Buetzer: Integration and Relations in Khartoum: Southern Sudanese living in the Capital.

Christina Buetzer: Integration and Relations in Khartoum: Southern Sudanese living in the Capital.

Christina is a doctoral candidate at FU-Berlin. She is doing her research on the strategies and perspectives of Southern Sudanese living in Khartoum. In the past she has also been interested in Southern Sudanese refugees living in Uganda and Kenya.

For a copy of the paper and directions to the seminar, please contact me at my email and I will send you both!

Thanks,
Laura
l.e.mann@sms.ed.ac.uk

26th of September, 2009: Mahadeva Ramachandran, WFP: Changing Food Security Interventions in Sudan

Changing Food Security Interventions in Sudan

Mack (Mahadevan Ramachandran) will be giving a presentation about WFP food security programs in Sudan, paying particular attention to the potential of using vouchers to stimulate local markets.

Mack did his PhD on food security in Ethiopia and has been working for the WFP in various countries in Africa and beyond ever since.

For a copy of the paper and directions to the seminar, please contact me at my email and I will send you both!

Thanks,
Laura
l.e.mann@sms.ed.ac.uk

15th of August, 2009: Ulich Mans, University of Amsterdam: Opening up to the world? Khartoum's position within the global city network

Opening up to the world? Khartoum's position within the global city network

Ulich Mans is a PhD student from the University of Amsterdam, currently in Khartoum undertaking his PhD fieldwork. He will be presenting a draft of his paper to be presented at the 10th N-AERUS Conference in Rotterdam on Open Cities in October 2009. His research aims to assess the type of global 'city dynamics' taking place in Khartoum and investigate how, despite economic sanctions, Khartoum fits into an international business network.

For a copy of the paper and directions to the seminar, please contact me at my email and I will send you both!

Thanks,
Laura
l.e.mann@sms.ed.ac.uk

1st of August, 2009: Liam Morgan, Practical Action: Technology in Development - Changing perceptions of how technology can work for the poor.

Technology in Development - Changing perceptions of how technology can work for the poor.

Liam Morgan has a professional background in manufacturing engineering and subsequently achieved a MSc in Engineering Project Management at Leeds University. He has spent the last three years in Sudan, two and a half of which have been spent with the British INGO Practical Action. During that time he has been working on a range of development projects focused on the development and promotion of appropriate technologies for poverty reduction. Liam is planning to study a MSC in Conflict, Violence and Development at SOAS this September where he aims to continue his transition to the social sciences.

For a copy of the paper and directions to the seminar, please contact me at my email and I will send you both!

Thanks,
Laura
l.e.mann@sms.ed.ac.uk

25th of July, 2009: Ingeborg Denissen,University of Utrecht: Contesting the City: Informal politics of marginalized communities in megacities

Contesting the City: Informal politics of marginalised communities in megacities

The cases of Mexico City and Greater Khartoum

Ingeborg Denissen is 1st secretary at the Dutch Embassy in Khartoum and also works on her PhD for the University of Utrecht, the Netherlands. She finalised her first case study in Mexico City in 2008, and is now preparing a comparative research phase in Khartoum. She will present her research set-up and hopes for a fruitful discussion about possible case studies in marginalised communities in greater Khartoum.

For a copy of the paper and directions to the seminar, please contact me at my email and I will send you both!

Thanks,
Laura
l.e.mann@sms.ed.ac.uk

POSTPONED--- Taghreed Elsanhouri, SOAS: "Ethnographies of Two Sudanese Media Sites"

This presentation has been postponed. I will post the new date soon. Sorry for the inconvenience!

"Ethnographies of Two Sudanese Media Sites"

Taghreed Elsanhouri is an independent filmmaker and writer. Her research is entitled Protagonists, authors, subjects – conversing the nation in war and peace. It includes a one hour film which focuses on representations of the Sudanese nation state in war and peace in and through locally produced media. Her first independent feature documentary, All about Darfur, won the Award of Commendation from the American Anthropological Association in 2006 and has been selected at numerous film festivals including the Toronto International Film Festival 2005. Projects in progress include a narrative feature screenplay selected for development at the Berlin Talent Campus 2007.

For a copy of the paper and directions to the seminar, please contact me at my email and I will send you both!

Thanks,
Laura
l.e.mann@sms.ed.ac.uk

16th of June, 2009: Patrick Meier, Fletcher: "Does the Information Revolution Threaten Authoritarian Rule?"

"Does the Information Revolution Threaten Authoritarian Rule?"

Patrick is a Henry R. Luce PhD Candidate at The Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy and a Doctoral Research Fellow at the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative (HHI) where he works on crisis mapping, early warning and humanitarian technology applications.

Please come along!

For a copy of the paper and directions to the seminar, please contact me at my email and I will send you both!

Thanks,
Laura
l.e.mann@sms.ed.ac.uk

Please send me your address if you are not getting emails!

Hello everyone,

I am in the process of updating the email list and I just wanted to check whether I have everyone's addresses.

I think there is a piece of paper floating somewhere on the margins of my desk or filing cabinet with the names of people who have come in the past but who I have so far failed to add to the list.

Please email me and let me know if you are one of these people. I am sorry!

Also, I think we will move presentations to Saturday. Please let me know if you have an opinion about this!

All the best,

Laura

2nd of June, 2009: Mamour Turuk, Newcastle University: Developing Critical Thinking Skills through Integrative Teaching of Reading and Writing in ESL

"Developing Critical Thinking Skills through Integrative Teaching of Reading and Writing in ESL"

Mamour is a teacher from Upper Nile University and a PhD student from the University of Newcastle. He will be presenting his research on integrative teaching in the ESL environment.

For a copy of the paper and directions to the seminar, please contact me at my email and I will send you both!

Thanks,
Laura
l.e.mann@sms.ed.ac.uk

26th of May, 2009: Laura Mann, University of Edinburgh: Getting a Job in Sudan: An Exploration into Economic Trust and Social Capital

Getting a Job in Sudan: An Exploration into Economic Trust and Social Capital

Laura is a PhD student from the University of Edinburgh. She will present her ongoing research on trust and social capital in the Sudanese labour market. .

For a copy of the paper and directions to the seminar, please contact me at my email and I will send you both!

Thanks,
Laura
l.e.mann@sms.ed.ac.uk

5th of May, 2009: Paul Fean, University of Sussex: Teachers’ Perceptions of Teaching and Learning in Youth Education Centres in Omdurman

Paul Fean worked in Sudan from 2003 to 2006, implementing teaching and training projects across educational levels and sectors, including universities, primary and secondary schools, youth education institutions, teacher training institutes, NGO centres and the British Council. 

In addition, Paul established a voluntary educational project - Student Action for Education (SAFE) - which trains Sudanese university students to teach English through games and songs and coordinates their voluntary teaching placements. 

Paul returned to Khartoum in June 2008 to carry out his doctoral study - an action research project with teachers from Youth Education Centres in Omdurman.

For a copy of the paper and directions to the seminar, please contact me at my email and I will send you both!

Thanks,
Laura
l.e.mann@sms.ed.ac.uk

2nd of May, 2009: Nahla Yousif Khiery, UNICEF: Child Vulnerability, Poverty and the Legal System in Khartoum State

Nahla Yousif Khiery has worked for UNICEF in Sudan since 2004. She is also currently enrolled as an online student, studying for a law degree at Northumbria University in the UK.

She is going to be presenting research on street children, poverty, delinquency and the legal system in Khartoum State. She will be especially keen to discuss how such issues relate to policy and the UN’s Millennium Development Goals.

Nahla has a wealth of experience conducting research in Sudan, especially in difficult situations (as she used to work in Darfur). Please come along and offer your perspective, comments and suggestions.

For a copy of the paper and directions to the seminar, please contact me at my email and I will send you both!

Thanks,
Laura
l.e.mann@sms.ed.ac.uk

7th of April, 2009: Hala Asmina, Ohio University: The Role of Radio in Peace-Building in Sudan

Hala Asmina is a PhD student from Ohio University, currently in Khartoum conducting research about the role of radio in peace-building in Sudan.

Please come along and offer your perspective, comments and suggestions.

For a copy of the paper and directions to the seminar, please contact me at my email and I will send you both!

Thanks,
Laura
l.e.mann@sms.ed.ac.uk

March 2009: Alden Young, Princeton University: The Restructuring of Sudan’s Economy 1954-1967

The first presentation is scheduled for Tuesday, the 31st of March, 2009.

Alden Young has been very brave and has volunteered to go first!

He is a PhD student from Princeton University. He has been in Khartoum for the past six months, gathering material at the Sudanese national archive. Alden will make a presentation on the restructuring of Sudan’s economy during the years 1954-1967.

Please come along and offer your perspective, comments and suggestions.

For a copy of his paper and directions to the seminar, please contact me at my email and I will send you both!

Thanks,
Laura
l.e.mann@sms.ed.ac.uk

setting things up

Hello everybody! Welcome to the Khartoum Student Seminar Series!!

I just want to go through the format. It is pretty easy. Every fortnight (or so), we will organize a student seminar. Each time, a new presenter will have an hour or so to present either their research or a certain research issue that they feel is pertinent to their project. They will then take questions from the other students and hopefully a discussion will start! As this is a student seminar, I will leave it up to the presenter to decide if non-students are allowed. This is to inspire confidence among the shyer members of the group. Ideally every participant should present at least once (we are all in this together). If you want to present a second time and there is enough time, then you are welcome. That’s it!

SO..... I am just trying to put together a list of participants. If you are not quite ready to present, that’s ok. Just start thinking about it...

If you do wish to make a presentation, please send an email to l.e.mann@sms.ed.ac.uk with:

-a short blurb about your background,
-a provisional title for your presentation,
-the dates that you are available and,
-whether or not you require any kind of IT assistance, in terms of projectors or boards.

We can’t guarantee projectors and boards, but we will look into it. Also if you would like to invite non-students, either professors, friends or anyone else you might want to ask along, please let us know. It is up to you!

When you present, it would be helpful if you could prepare a copy of your paper a week or so beforehand so we can circulate it among the other participants. It will give people a chance to read through your work and come to the seminar laden with thoughtful comments and suggestions. If English is not your first language, do not fret and worry about your grammar. We will be kind. It’s the content that counts.

We know it may seem like a lot of work but it is good practice for “real” conferences. You should see it more as opportunity than a duty.

شكرا!

Laura, Alden and Paul