The Gulf Studies Center at the American University of Kuwait seeks to enhance the understanding of the Gulf region and encourage informed scholarship in all academic disciplines.  The Center also works to promote dialogue and understanding between Gulf Countries and the West.  This is achieved through publications, lecture series, and academic conferences; cooperative programs with other universities and institutions; and the Gulf Studies Certificate Program and the Gulf Studies Minor.  The Gulf Studies Certificate program is designed for, but not limited to, students from abroad who will spend a semester at AUK studying and researching Arabic and the Gulf region.

Gulf Studies Center Director
Professor Mohammad Akbar; PhD

Dr. Mohammad Akbar who is an Assistant Professor in Communication and Media at the American University of Kuwait has a long and distinguished career in political media, a career spanning over 30 years.  He was the Director of the English News Department at Kuwait Television dealing with many Gulf-related issues.  His task entailed, among others, the production and airing of daily news items, translating and airing the Emir’s speeches and ensuring that the media represented the views and aspirations of the Gulf Cooperation Council and its news policies. Under his leadership, he established a major translation center at Kuwait Television.  The center which celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2011 provides news media via satellite to all countries.  In collaboration with Kuwait Embassy in London, he established a media center during the Iraqi invasion in Cardiff Wales. Dr. Akbar has a number of publications in the area of media translation. His vision as a new Director of Gulf Studies entails:

• Enhancing public access and understanding of the Center as an academic information center for research, documentation and publication;
• Networking with government, non-government and community based organizations to further the interest of the Center and the University;
• Bringing together a solid corps of researchers from institutions locally and in the Gulf to address Gulf-related issues; 
• Collaborating with international institutions to further the aims and objectives of the Center; and
• Producing a rigorous academic journal with international editors and collaborators.

Gulf Studies Program Coordinator
Dr. Marjorie Kelly

Dr. Marjorie Kelly has taught Anthropology at the American University of Kuwait since the institution’s second year of operation and also serves as Coordinator for the Gulf Studies Program.  She has a decades-long interest in the Arab world and is a graduate of UCLA’s Islamic Studies program in addition to holding a Ph.D. in anthropology.  Her specialty is Arab society, and she also teaches courses in gender, tourism, museums, and the anthropology of the arts.  Dr. Kelly’s research focuses on the representation of culture for museum and tourist audiences and she is currently completing a survey of heritage museums in the Gulf.