This website was created for the course Asian American Studies 132AC, Islamophobia and Constructing Otherness, taught by Dr. Hatem Bazian at the University of California, Berkeley.
Samira Damavandi
Samira is a second- year student at UC Berkeley majoring in Middle Eastern Studies and Political Science and minoring in Gender and Women's Studies. She is very involved in the Iranian community on campus and is very passionate about the intersection of women's rights and politics in the Middle East. She is a member of the Cal in the Capital program and this summer will be pursuing an internship on Middle Eastern affairs and foreign policy in Washington, D.C.
Bridget Bones
Bridget is a fourth year student at UC Berkeley majoring in international relations. She is writing her senior thesis on the role of remotely piloted systems in Afghanistan and how they are impacting US foreign policy in the region. After graduation, she is joining Teach for America and teaching secondary biology in the Mississippi Delta.
Andrew Grant
Andrew is a sophomore at UC Berkeley majoring in Political Science, with a minor in Middle Eastern Studies. He is a member of the Berkeley Model Arab League, serving as the Egyptian delegate to the Joint-Defense Committee. This summer, he will be interning as a trial monitor for the Khmer Rouge war crimes trials in Cambodia.
Naweed Mohabbat
Naweed is a sophomore at UC Berkeley majoring in Political Economy and minoring in Middle Eastern Studies. He is heavily involved in the MEMSA (Middle Eastern, Muslim, South Asian) Coalition on campus, as well as the ASUC, serving as the Executive Communications Director in the Office of the President. This summer, he will be interning at the Embassy of Afghanistan in Washington, D.C. as a Political/Legislative intern.