UOD Media; Oct. 11, 2022

The American Corner at the University of Duhok is a resource center affiliated with the International Relations office (IRO) at the Presidency of the University of Duhok, and is directly linked to the United States Embassy and Consulates in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region in particular. The main message that the American Corner at the University of Duhok aims to achieve is to “activate cultural and scientific relations between the United States of America and its embassies and their host countries”. In addition to Duhok, there are similar Corners in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq in in Erbil and Sulaymaniyah. Furthermore, there are other similar spaces in various Iraqi governorates and cities including, Baghdad, Basra, and Najaf, which are all part of the big network of American Corners and Spaces around the globe which exceed 600 that perform similar functions.

The services and events provided by the American Corner at the university of Duhok are not limited to benefiting its students, teaching and administrative staff, but extends to the local community in general, with their different age groups.

Dr. Lokman Hadi Hassan, Vice President of the University of Duhok for Scientific Affairs, stated: “The American Corner was established at the University of Duhok in the year 2006, and the university provides it with a place through which it can provide its services to university students and professors as well as residents of the city of Duhok in general. At first, the Corner was in the building of the College of Law, and it later moved into the building of the Central Library. The American Corner provides a digital library that students and researchers can benefit from, as a physical library. It also offers workshops and lectures to correct misconceptions related to America".

The students of the University of Duhok have a prominent interest in the programs of the American Corner, which works to provide a range of development and training activities and programs for the youth. The corner also provides awareness-raising activities that specialize in correcting misinformation about the American culture and people, through the lectures and seminars it offers, as well as celebrations of historical American occasions that reveal and correct a number of misconceptions in society. Finally, the English language learning programs are among the permanent programs in the American Corner for various groups from inside and outside the university.

As for the university’s teaching staff, they can benefit from some of the services of the American Corner, especially with regard to the electronic library that it provides in various disciplines, and it provides any willing teacher with sufficient time and appropriate equipment to view its content from the sources, books and scientific journals.

The director of the American Corner, Mr. Mahmood Chachan Jumaa, defines the Corner as “a source of visual, printed and electronic information that introduce audiences to American culture, history, values, and politics in order to build bridges of understanding and dialogue between the citizens in Dohuk and the American people. Even though our visitors are students from the University of Dohuk, but the Corner is open to the whole community of the city as well as visitors from other places.” He added: “We are working to provide multiple programs that achieve American and local goals that serve the community in the city, such as introducing cultural exchange programs and introducing students and academics to study programs funded by the US Embassy in Baghdad. To provide them with the opportunity to acquire capabilities and knowledge that they later harness in the service of society and the city of Dohuk, as well as offering a set of programs that contribute to developing the skills and capabilities of young people in the city, most notably the popular diplomacy programs, through which we aim to make our youth global citizens who can view global problems and contribute to providing solutions to them according to their viewpoints”.

It is worth noting that the American Corner at the University of Duhok provides its research and scientific services and facilities free of charge to any beneficiary group or person, whether from inside or outside the university.