America in the Eyes of an Islamic Fundamentalist
By John Calvert
Sayyid Qutb (1906-1966), the prominent ideologue of Islamic fundamentalism, studied in the United States from 1948 to 1950. This presentation traces Qutb's journey across America, focusing on his six-month stay at Greeley's Colorado State College of Education (now the University of Northern Colorado). Letters and articles that Qtub wrote are examined as sources for his observations on American society, allowing audiences to enter the worldview of Islamic fundamentalism and understand how others view Americans. Slides and materials, collected by Calvert in Cairo and Greeley, are featured.

Change and Revolution in the Modern Middle East
By John Calvert
After World War II, a rise of nationalism and self-determination swept through the Middle East. The aspirations of the Arab revolutionary leaders and the riches of oil seemed to offer a new future. Today, Arab nations are the victims of civil war, stagnant economies and authoritarian rulers. Why have these outcomes occurred instead of the progress envisioned decades ago? This presentation provides answers to these questions with reference to Arab independence and the rise of revolutionary regimes in the 1950s and 1960s, the rise of Islamic fundamentalism and the causes and consequences of the Gulf War.