DOCSLIB.ORG

Development of Modern Persian Higher Education: the Western Style

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Development of Modern Persian Higher Education: the Western Style DOCUMENT RESUME ED 374 724 HE 027 730 AUTHOR Fereshteh, M. Hussein TITLE Development of Modern Persian Higher Education; The Western Style. PUB DATE 94 NOTE 17p. PUB TYPE Historical Materials (060) EDRS PRICE MFO1 /PCO1 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Christianity; *College Administration; *Educational History; Educational Trends; Foreign Countries; *Government Role; *Higher Education; Islamic Culture; *Modernization; *Traditionalism; Traditional Schools; Western Civilization IDENTIFIERS *Iran; Iranian Revolution 1979; Islam; Missionaries ABSTRACT This paper examines the development of higher education in Iran in the 19th and 20th centuries. Itexamines the role of Christian missionaries in the creation ofDarolfunun, the first Western-style Iranian college, founded in1851. The University of Teheran, based on French models, was foundedin 1934. While Western influence on education in Iran wasincreasing, the traditional schools of higher education, the madrasahs,continued to flourish, albeit with declining government support. Evenin the 1970s, with oil wealth providing the impetus for thecreation of many Western-style universities, madrasahs continued to expandand attracts students to their traditional Islamiccurriculum. Since the Iranian Revolution of 1978-79, the government hastried to cleanse universities of their Western values and curriculum, andunite the university- and madrasah-systems. Other recent trendsin the administration of higher education in Iran are alsodiscussed. Contains 29 references. (MDM) ********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that canbe made from the original document. *********************************************************************** DEVELOPMENT OF MODERN PERSIAN HIGHER EDUCATION: THE WESTERN STYLE M. Hussein Fereshteh los ABSTRACT Higher education in the area that is now Iran goes back to pre-Islamic times when the Zoroastrian religion (600 B.C.E. to 642 A.D.) was the official and popular faith. Modern schools were introduced to Iran by Christian missionaries beginning in 1834. The first western style institution of higher learning in the county was established by European and Iranian educators in 1851. It was called the Darulfunun, or Poly-mei-laical college, and was a state school intended to prepare civil servants and military personnel. During the next century, the graduates of the missionary schools and the Darulfunun and its successors became Iran's educational, political and economic leaders. Widespread modernization of Iranian higher education began in 1925 when a faster pace of cultural change was initiated by the Pahlavi dynasty. It was claimed by the former Ministry of Education that, "... the rate of illiteracy in Iran decreased from 90 percent in 1920 to 36.9 percent in 1978." Educational opportunities for women were expanded to thepoint where many women had become leaders in Iranian higher education. Higher education in Iran, However, has had an important social role to play in the people's lives and in socioeconomic development both before and after the Revolution. During approximately twenty years prior to 1978, many American higher educators and institutions of higher education were involved in developing Iranian colleges and universities. Thousands of young Iranians studied at institutions of higherlearning in the United States. These former linkages were abruptly terminated by Iran's new rulers after the establishment of the Islamic Republic. This investigation is designed to analyze and interpret the relationships and interfacing between the American and Iranian systems of higher education before and after the Revolution. BEST COPY AVAILABLE tI DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION "PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS INFORMATION E II ATIONAL RESOURCES CENTER (ERICi MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY ropfr.1,,roci as Tht, docurIrnt ha; boor P W.:0 I Soqi thevrcor c,r rocon.tabon M. Hussein Fereshteh pbutnallori rThir10 10 Ma, bange,, h1,0 1,000 .1"0r 1,1" 1000,11otin quality 911'; Pnud&, 1;100 01 OnnlIfInS ....t<Itntl 'inetirwo not necey,mly cool TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES colincy . Ihr i.d JE HI ory,d) or INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)" DEVELOPMENT OF MODERN PERSIAN HIGHER EDUCATION: THE WESTERN STYLE M. Hussein Fereshteh Missionaries It was early in the nineteenth century that European missionaries started coming toPersia. Most of the missionaries selected to be in the mrthwestem part of the country.The rationale for that perhaps was the closeness of this area to Europe and a higher degreeof exposure to western culture and values there. Another reasca pershps wasthat most of the Iranian Christians lived in the northern part of Iran which very close to Europe. Conductingreligious ceremonies and opening schools for the Iranian Christians were the missionaries'primary duties. Following the European missionaries, American missionaries started coming to Iran. The first American missionary group, the Congregationalists (the American Board in Boston) chose Rezaeh as the site of their mission and in the 1834assignment Dr. Perkins directed its activities. He established a boys' school, also referred to as the Male Seminary at Rezayeh in 1836. In 1878 the school was re-organized as a college; besides offering an academic program, it gave industrial, theological, and medical courses. Almost all the boys who studied in theseschools were Nestorians and Armenians, but the missions were eager to work among the Muslims, too.1 Rezayeh was a suitable town to start their missions, because the town was notentirely a Muslim community, its populationincluded a large number of Nestorians and Armenians. The town also was relatively close to European countries. Some of citizenshad already been exposed to western ways and modern educational thought. Because ofthe missionaries' efforts, ...a Muslim boys' school, called Marefat, wasbegun in 1904 and in 1909 five boys graduated from it. Two years later 3 the school merged with the college to become the American school for Boys. In 1913 the college had 120 Muslim students, some from leading iamilies.2 The missionary activities led to a college being established; About 1915 the Mission purchased forty-four acres of land on what is now Shah Reza Avenue, where a college was built. Affiliated with the elementary and high school program, the American (Albors) College opened in 1925. It received a charter from the Board of Regents of the State of New York, thus making it an accredited liberal arts college.3 Additional information tells us that, Alborz High School and College in its last graduation ceremony in 1940, awarded 106 junior college diplomasand 20 baccalaureate degrees, of whom four were women. Until 1934 in most large cities of Iran such as Tehran, Tabriz, Rasht, and Hamadan, American missionary schools were established, having more than 12 hundred male and female studentsin kindergarten, middle and college levels.4 Just before Mohammad Mussadigh's coup d'etat, three advisors recruited by the United States Office of Education were sent to Tehran in June 1951. "Theeducational di ision was established in July. The three education advisors were each assigned toeach Ostan (Province)."5 Some Americans also came to Iran whose work included economic and financial advisory missions which directly and indirectly added some new cultural andeducational exposure to the Iranian university system. Amongthem were Mr. Schuster, a financial advisor, and Mr. Millspaugh, an economist who went to Iran in 1907 and againin 1922. In this regard Mr. B. Rubin, an analyst of Iranian culture and politics, claims that, The Persians had more success with a new mission of American financial advisors, led by Arthur Millspaugh, who worked in Iran...he had taught economics at several universities 4 before joining the UnitedStates government, wherehe enjoyed some success inIran, and many of hisexperiences were as frustrating as those faced byshuster some fifteen yearsearlier.6 schools, particularly AlborzCollege, American missionaries,through the missionary the way for otherAmerican educational agents and their religiousactivities in Iran, had paved ideas: a) to establish their own to come to Iran.They may also ha,,ftgiven the Iranians two attracted to d. r, westerncultural and independent western-stylecollege; and b) to ,,,come economical, ant. politicalproblems of the educational ideologies inorder to solve educational, time and provide greatersocial mobility. The Survival of theMadraseh western-style Iranian college,it From the formation ofDarolfunun, (1853) the first second institution of highereducation, took over a half a centuryfor Iran to establish its Daneshsara-ve All (1928), nowknown as the called Darol-Moallemin-eAli, and later called the first Iranianuniversity, the University of Teachers' EducationUniversity. Later on in 1934 The formation and growthof the Iranian Tehran, based on Frenchmodels was established. George Lenczowski. higher education systemhas been explained by The old Darulfununwith its six departmentshad declined already under Qajar ruleand by the time of Reza'sadvance to power it was clearthat a new start had tobe made. The first step, taken in 1928, wasto create an Artsand Science Faculty, first called Daral-Moallemin-e Ali and laterrenamed 1934 a Daneshsara-ve Ali (Teacher'sEducation University). In University of final law was issuedcreating an autonomous Tehran with six faculties...Bythe mid-1907's theuniversity counted fifteen distinctunits.? the development andgrowth of similar After the establishmentof Tehran
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Editorial Aug 2013; Vol 23 (No 4), Pp: 373-374
    Iran J Pediatr Editorial Aug 2013; Vol 23 (No 4), Pp: 373-374 In Memoriam prestigious Boston Children’s Hospital, under the tutelage of Dr Charles Janeway, he went to Shiraz as Professor Mohsen Ziai; Chairman of Pediatrics Department at the newly A Pediatrician with Many Gifts founded Namazi Hospital . (July 29, 1927- March 27, 2013) In 1959, he married Nahid Gharib, the oldest daughter of the late Prof. Mohammad Gharib and the sister of Prof. Hossein Gharib, a famous Elaheh Malakan Rad, MD; Ali Rabbani, MD endocrinologist at the Mayo Clinic. During his tenure Department of Pediatrics, Tehran university of Medical Sciences, at Namazi hospital from 1955 through 1967, he Tehran, Iran helped modernize undergraduate and graduate medical education in Iran. In 1965, he returned to the United States as Associate Prof. of Pediatrics and Director of Pediatric Ambulatory Services at The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. After two years, he returned home to become Chancellor of Mashhad University. Then, in 1969 he was appointed Dean, University of Tehran Medical School, and soon thereafter, installed as the Medical Director of former Reza Pahlavi Medical Center and Deputy Director of Imperial Organization for Social Services, a position he held until his final departure from Iran in 1977 . In these years, he visited China and witnessed Iranian Journal of Pediatrics lost a famous Editorial firsthand “the barefoot doctors in action project”. Board member and the Iranian medical community This visit triggered a novel idea in his always- lost a leader on 27th March 2013, with the death of visionary mind to establish a health network in Iran Prof.
    [Show full text]
  • Education and Emigration: the Case of the Iranian-American Community
    Education and Emigration: The case of the Iranian-American community Sina M. Mossayeb Teachers College, Columbia University Roozbeh Shirazi Teachers College, Columbia University Abstract This paper explores the plausibility of a hypothesis that puts forth perceived educational opportunity as a significant pull factor influencing Iranians' decisions to immigrate to the United States. Drawing on various literatures, including research on educational policy in Iran, government policy papers, and figures from recent studies and census data, the authors establish a case for investigating the correlation between perceived educational opportunity (or lack thereof) and immigration. Empirical findings presented here from a preliminary survey of 101 Iranian-born individuals living in the U.S. suggest that such a correlation may indeed exist, thus providing compelling grounds for further research in this area. The paper expands on existing literature by extending prevailing accounts of unfavorable conditions in Iran as push factors for emigration, to include the draw of perceived educational opportunity, as a coexisting and influential pull factor for immigration to the U.S. Introduction Popular discourse about Iranian immigration to the United States focuses on the social and political freedoms associated with relocation. The prevailing literature on Iranian immigration explains why people leave Iran, but accounts remain limited to a unilateral force--namely, unfavorable conditions in Iran. Drawing on existing studies of Iranian educational policies and their consequences, we propose an extension to this thesis. We hypothesize that perceived educational opportunity is a significant attraction for Iranians in considering immigration to the U.S. To establish a foundation for our research, we provide a background on Iran's sociopolitical climate after the 1978/1979 revolution and examine salient literature on Iran's higher education policy.
    [Show full text]
  • Historical Evolution of Education in Iran 14
    CHAPTER II HISTORICAL EVOLUTION OF EDUCATION IN IRAN 14 CHAPTER II fflSTORICAL EVOLUTION OF EDUCATION IN IRAN Title Page No. 2.1 Education in Iran 15 2.2 Iran - education system 20 2.2.1 School education 20 2.3 Structure of school system 21 2.3.1 Primary 21 2.3.2 Lower secondary 21 2.3.3 Upper secondary 22 2.4 higher educations 24 2.4.1 Non-university level 25 2.4.2 University level studies 25 2.4.3 University level third stage: doctorate (doctora) 26 2.5 Teacher education 26 2.5.1 Training of pre-primary and primary school teachers 26 2.5.2 Training of secondary school teachers 27 2.5.3 Trainingofhigher education teachers 27 2.6 Non-traditional studies 27 2.6.1 Distance higher education 27 2.7 Education overview 27 2.7.1 Administration and finance 28 2.7.2 Size 28 2.7.3 Structure 28 2.7.4 Higher education in Iran 28 2.7.4.1 Public sector 29 2.7.4.2 Private sector 30 2.7.5 Academic year 31 2.7.6 Teacher education 31 2.8 The Islamic revolution and education in Iran 31 References 35 15 2.1 EDUCATION IN IRAN HISTORY Prior to the mid-nineteenth century, it was traditional in Iran for education to be associated with religious institutions. The clergy, both shia and non-shia, assumed responsibility for instructing youth in basic literacy and the fundamentals of religion. Knowledge of reading and writing was not considered necessary for all the population, and thus education generally was restricted to the sons of the economic and political elite.
    [Show full text]
  • The Historical Relationship Between Women's Education and Women's
    The Historical Relationship between Women’s Education and Women’s Activism in Iran Somayyeh Mottaghi The University of York, UK Abstract This paper focuses on the historical relationship between women’s education and women’s activism in Iran. The available literature shows that education is consid- ered to be one important factor for Iranian women’s activism. The historical anal- ysis of women’s demand for education helps us to gain an understanding of the past in order to relate it to the future. This paper analyzes Iranian women’s active participation in education throughout the Safavid period (1501-1722) and the Qajar period (1794-1925). Women’s demand for education continued into the twentieth century and by the time of the constitutional revolution (1905-1911), during which Iranian women participated immensely in political affairs, the alliance of elite and non-elite women was clearly visible around educational issues. Women’s demand for education gained particular visibility; however, the focus shifted from modernization based on Westernization during the Pahlavi period (1925-1979), towards Islamization from 1979 onwards. This paper analyzes the ways in which, during different eras, women have been treated differently regard- ing their rights to education and at some points they faced difficulties even in exercising them; therefore, they had to constantly express their demands. Key words Iran, Education, Women’s movement, Historical perspective Introduction The historical analysis of women’s activism in Iran shows that educa- tion has always been considered an important factor for Iranian women and something that they have always demanded. The right to education is non-negotiable, embedded in the teaching of Islam as well as in hu- ㅣ4 ❙ Somayyeh Mottaghi man rights provisions.
    [Show full text]
  • The Relationship Between Science and Government in Iran: a Historical Perspective
    ISSN: 2186-8492, ISSN: 2186-8484 Print アシエン ヅロナル オホ ソセアル サイネセズ アナド ヒウメニテズ Vol. 2. No. 1. February 2013 THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SCIENCE AND GOVERNMENT IN IRAN: A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE Maryam Shamsaie 1, Mohd Hazim Shah 2 1 Faculty of Islamic Science, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, IRAN. 2 Department of Science & Technology Studies, Faculty of Science, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, MALAYSIA. [email protected], [email protected] ABSTRACT Researchers here at this point to define the relationship between the government actions and the process of scientific activities. It can be also narrated in this way: How do politician’s attitudes, policies and decisions impact the scientific arena? In common wisdom, the functions of science and thinking in a closed society with a closed government is absolutely affected and is therefore canalized in the best case and even nonexistent as a result of suppression of free, independent thoughts in the worst scenario. In this paper we shall look at the relationship between Islam, science and government in Iran from a historical perspective. We will shall by looking at science in Iran in the ancient (pre-Islamic) period, in the Middle Age after the advent of Islam, and finally in the modern period. Keyword: Science, Democratic Government, Nondemocratic Government, Islamic Government, Modern History INTRODUCTION It is needless to say that the scientific advancement in any country is directly affected by the significance that science has for its rulers. On the other hand many scientists and philosophers believe that the government has a significant role in the well being and welfare of the society.
    [Show full text]
  • Mathematics Education in Iran from Ancient to Modern
    Mathematics Education in Iran From Ancient to Modern Yahya Tabesh Sharif University of Technology Shima Salehi Stanford University 1. Introduction Land of Persia was a cradle of science in ancient times and moved to the modern Iran through historical ups and downs. Iran has been a land of prominent, influential figures in science, arts and literature. It is a country whose impact on the global civilization has permeated centuries. Persian scientists contributed to the understanding of nature, medicine, mathematics, and philosophy, and the unparalleled names of Ferdowsi, Rumi, Rhazes, al-Biruni, al-Khwarizmi and Avicenna attest to the fact that Iran has been perpetually a land of science, knowledge and conscience in which cleverness grows and talent develops. There are considerable advances through education and training in various fields of sciences and mathematics in the ancient and medieval eras to the modern and post-modern periods. In this survey, we will present advancements of mathematics and math education in Iran from ancient Persia and the Islamic Golden Age toward modern and post-modern eras, we will have some conclusions and remarks in the epilogue. 2. Ancient: Rise of the Persian Empire The Land of Persia is home to one of the world's oldest civilizations, beginning with its formation in 3200–2800 BC and reaching its pinnacle of its power during the Achaemenid Empire. Founded by Cyrus the Great in 550 BC, the Achaemenid Empire at its greatest extent comprised major portions of the ancient world. Persian Empire 1 Governing such a vast empire was, for sure in need of financial and administration systems.
    [Show full text]
  • Based on Cost & Economic Approach
    Int. J. Fin. Acco. Eco. Stu. Vol. 2 / No.1 / Winter 2012 Classroom-Oriented Higher Education System or Workshop-Oriented Higher Education System (Based on Cost & Economic Approach) Receipt: 15, 4 , 2012 Acceptance: 29, 5 , 2014 Taghi Torabi Associate Professor at Islamic Azad University Sciences and Research Branch Samaneh Tarighi PhD Student, Economic faculty of Islamic Azad University, Sciences and Research Branch (Corresponding author) Mahsa Ghorbani PhD Student, Management & Accounting Faculty of Allameh Tabataba’i University, Tehran, Iran Abstract The most important goal of each society, is to reach economic development. As the goal and agent of development, man has got an important responsibility, which responsibility is realized by way of education, specially higher education, because the universities are the main factors for progress, production of knowledge and education of specialized human forces and they play a significant role in management of knowledge production. Taking into consideration the scientific and economic status and the international situation, today, the universities face big challenges, and in this paper we are going to address the issue of pathology of higher education in Iran and consider the failure of paying attention to the style and quality of holding classes, i.e. mere attention paid to those educations that are carried out in the classes in a cliché form (classroom-oriented method) instead of managing the workshop-based classes, as a serious damage in shaking the higher education structure. In this essay, we will address the issue that the training method in the previous decades has been in the form of discussion, workshop-based, and with the goal of development of thought and skills.
    [Show full text]
  • Women and Education in the Islamic Republic of Iran: Repressive Policies, Unexpected Outcomes by Goli M
    TRANSITIONS forum THE FUTURE OF IRAN: EDUCATIONAL REFORM Women and Education in the Islamic Republic of Iran: REPRESSIVE POLICIES, UNEXPECTED OuTCOMES By Goli M. Rezai-Rashti www.li.com GLOBAL TRANSITIONS PROSPERITY STUDIES www.prosperity.com THE FUTURE OF IRAN: EDUCATIONAL REFORM Women and Education in the Islamic Republic of Iran: REPRESSIVE POLICIES, UNEXPECTED OuTCOMES his paper focuses on the increasing participation of women in education in This working paper was produced for the TIran and the contradictory and unexpected consequences of such increased Legatum Institute’s workshop on Educational Reform on 12 November 2012. The workshop participation. The paper draws on theories of critical policy analysis elaborated was part of ‘The Future of Iran’ project, which by Ozga (2000, 1987), Ball (2006, 1994), Rizvi and Lingard (2010) and argues is designed to encourage Iranians to begin thinking about the challenges they will face that policy texts at the local level of practice encounter unexpected and complex if, or when, they suddenly find themselves in dynamics because of the “embodied agency of individuals who are its object” a position to carry out major political, social and economic reforms. (Ball, 1994). In Iran, one could argue that the policies regarding women’s access to education did not meet their intended expectation and failed to create ‘Ideal ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Muslim Women’ (Mehran, 2003). Today, despite such regressive policies, Iranian Goli M. Rezai-Rashti women have an unmistakable presence in public life and have resisted and Goli M. Rezai-Rashti is professor of Education at the University of Western Ontario. Her research been able to challenge their unequal treatment under the present government.
    [Show full text]
  • Women in Higher Education in Iran: How the Islamic Revolution Contributed to an Increase in Female Enrollment
    Global Tides Volume 10 Article 10 2016 Women in Higher Education in Iran: How the Islamic Revolution Contributed to an Increase in Female Enrollment Meredith Katherine Winn Pepperdine University, Malibu, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/globaltides Part of the International Relations Commons Recommended Citation Winn, Meredith Katherine (2016) "Women in Higher Education in Iran: How the Islamic Revolution Contributed to an Increase in Female Enrollment," Global Tides: Vol. 10 , Article 10. Available at: https://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/globaltides/vol10/iss1/10 This Social Sciences is brought to you for free and open access by the Seaver College at Pepperdine Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Global Tides by an authorized editor of Pepperdine Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]. Winn: Women in Higher Education in Iran 1 Introduction In 1979, Iran underwent a drastic social and political change called the Islamic Revolution. When Ayatollah Khomeini rose to power amid sweeping popular dissent and disdain for the existing Western-oriented regime, Iran went from a secular nation to an Islamic republic. This change drastically shifted society and social practice. Many observers, particularly those from the West, lamented the abysmal state of rights and opportunities for Iranian women after the revolution. While it is indeed true that women in the Islamic Republic of Iran have often been deprived of their rights, this narrative lacks nuance and fails to consider the difficulties facing women before the revolution. Moreover, it does not account for the ways that the rights of Iranian women have improved since the Islamic Revolution, particularly in education.
    [Show full text]
  • Homa Katouzian: a Bio-Bibliography” Iran Nameh, 30:4 (Winter 2016), IV-XXIII
    Mohamad Tavakoli-Targhi, “Homa Katouzian: A Bio-Bibliography” Iran Nameh, 30:4 (Winter 2016), IV-XXIII. Homa Katouzian: A Bio-Bibliography Mohamad Tavakoli-Targhi This special issue of Iran Nameh is dedicated to Dr. Mohamad Ali Homayoun (Homa) Katouzian for his lifetime service to Iranian Studies. Born on 17 November 1942 in Tehran to Maryam and Mohamad Hadi Katouzian, he graduated from Alborz High School (formerly American College) in June 1960. During the same year, he was admitted to the University of Tehran’s Medical School. After a year at the University of Tehran, he changed course and decided to move to England to study economics. Katouzian completed his undergraduate studies in Economics at the University of Birmingham in 1967. In the same year, he began his graduate studies at the University of London receiving an M.Sc. in Economics in 1968. Immediately after graduation from the University of London in 1968, Katouzian was offered a lecturer position at Leeds University, which he accepted. He was then hired in 1969 as a Lecturer in Economics (Assistant Professor) at the University of Kent at Canterbury, where he was tenured in 1971 and promoted to Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor). In the fall of 1972 he taught at the newly-reorganized Pahlavi University as a Visiting Professor of Economics. In 1973 he served as Senior Associate Member of St. Antony’s College, where he was later appointed as a Visiting Iranian Fellow in 1975-1976. Subsequently, he served as Economic Consultant to the Organization of American States (1976), the Iran Planning Institute (1977), the International Labour Organization (1980), and the United Nations Conference of Trade and Development (1982).
    [Show full text]
  • Problems and Issues in Higher Education: Perspectives on Iran-United States Educational Relations and Influences. PUB DATE [29 Aug 94] NOTE 28P
    DOCUMENT RESUME ED 375 690 HE 027 774 AUTHOR Fereshteh, M. Hussein TITLE Problems and Issues in Higher Education: Perspectives on Iran-United States Educational Relations and Influences. PUB DATE [29 Aug 94] NOTE 28p. PUB TYPE Reports Research/Technical (143) Viewpoints (Opinion/Position Papers, Essays, etc.)(120) EDRS PRICE MF01/PCO2 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS College Faculty; College Role; College Students; Cross Cultural Studies; Cultural Exchange; *Cultural Influences; Curriculum; 'Educational History; Folk Culture; Foreign Countries; *Higher Education; Institutional Role; *International Educational Exchange; International Relations; *Role of Education; Traditionalism; United States History IDENTIFIERS *Iran; Iranian Revolution 1979; Islam; Pahlavi University (Iran); University of Pennsylvania ABSTRACT This review evaluates the writings and opinions of Americans and Iranians on relations and influences between institutions of higher education in Iran and the United States before and after the 1979 revolution. The review explores the arrival of modern western education in Iran, Egypt, and Turkey where a traditional education system had prevailed since the seventh century. It describes the influence of religion and education in Iran, the development of Iranian higher education, the development and role of the "madrasah" (traditional Islamic education systems), Iranian universities before the revolution, western involvement in Iranian higher education, problems with the adoption of the French university system curriculum, and the fundamental conflict faced by universities based on western-style higher education in traditional cultures such as Iran's. The study also examines the role and effect of the revolution on higher education in Iran and the influence of the universities on the revolution. It notes the modernization of Pahlavi University in part through cooperation with the University of Pennsylvania and other similar cooperative relationships.
    [Show full text]
  • Current Status of University Libraries in Iran: Their Development, Organization, and Services
    University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal) Libraries at University of Nebraska-Lincoln 2011 Current Status of University Libraries in Iran: Their Development, Organization, and Services Abdol Hamid Moarrefzadeh Shahid Chamran University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/libphilprac Part of the Library and Information Science Commons Moarrefzadeh, Abdol Hamid, "Current Status of University Libraries in Iran: Their Development, Organization, and Services" (2011). Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal). 491. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/libphilprac/491 Library Philosophy and Practice 2011 ISSN 1522-0222 Current Status of University Libraries in Iran: Their Development, Organization, and Services Abdol Hamid Moarrefzadeh, PhD Dept. of Lib. and information Science Shahid Chamran University Ahwaz-Iran Introduction Throughout the development of civilization, right up to the modern era, libraries and books have played an integral part in people’s cultural, political, and social development. Libraries earlier tended to serve an archival function. The role of the library and librarian was to store and provide access to materials, mostly books. The common view of libraries earlier was that they were storehouses of knowledge of civilization. However, a modern library, although still serving the archival function, also has an active and assertive role in providing information to users. We live in a world in which increasing specialization is essential. Library could be a principal operator in promoting the intercommunication among the specialists. In this democratic age, all the people need a steady and balanced supply of reading material for their advancement of knowledge.
    [Show full text]