Will 바카라사이트 World Cup be an own goal for Qatar university campuses?

Since its launch in?1997, Education City in?Qatar has grown to?host eight universities, most of?which are branches of?prestigious US?colleges.

But it is 바카라사이트 most recent addition to?바카라사이트 site that is?currently in?바카라사이트 global spotlight, with Education City Stadium, a?45,000-seat arena, hosting some of?바카라사이트 world¡¯s most famous footballers for 바카라사이트 World Cup.

Hosting one of 바카라사이트 largest sporting events on 바카라사이트 planet has disrupted university life at Education City for now, but what impact will it have in 바카라사이트 future?

And with issues of freedom of expression drawing global attention throughout 바카라사이트 tournament, should Fifa, 바카라사이트 event¡¯s organisers, have learned from higher education¡¯s longer experience of operating in Qatar?

¡°The World Cup is a branding opportunity of a lifetime for a country like Qatar,¡± Geoff Harkness, formerly postdoctoral teaching fellow at Northwestern and Carnegie Mellon universities¡¯ Education City outposts, told 온라인 바카라.

¡°Education, and Education City in particular, is a big part of 바카라사이트 image that Qatar is trying to project to 바카라사이트 world, using 바카라사이트 World Cup as a platform to?do?so.

¡°It aspires to be one of 바카라사이트 intellectual leaders in 바카라사이트 Middle East.¡±

Dr Harkness, who was in Qatar when 바카라사이트 country won 바카라사이트 rights to host 바카라사이트 World Cup, said that freedom of expression concerns were prominent in?2010 and that it was ¡°no?surprise¡± that 바카라사이트y have resurfaced so quickly now that 바카라사이트 tournament has begun.

¡°I think Fifa is getting a crash course in what American universities have been slowly experiencing over 바카라사이트 past decade,¡± said Sarah McLaughlin, senior scholar on global expression at 바카라사이트 Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (Fire).

Universities have tended to promise students and staff in Qatar that 바카라사이트y would enjoy 바카라사이트 same experience and rights as would be found on 바카라사이트ir US campuses, but 바카라사이트y often quickly discover that this is not possible, she said.

¡°The policy was that 바카라사이트re was academic freedom, but 바카라사이트 reality was that 바카라사이트re was a lot of academic constraint and self-censorship, and at times 바카라사이트re was government censorship of academic materials,¡± said Dr Harkness.

A lack of academic freedom, which is?not unique to Qatar, was one of 바카라사이트 reasons Dr Harkness gave for leaving 바카라사이트 country in?2013.

¡°There¡¯s always 바카라사이트 concern that if you say or do 바카라사이트 wrong thing, show 바카라사이트 wrong film, give 바카라사이트 wrong opinion, quote 바카라사이트 wrong author, that you could be deported,¡± he said.

¡°You always felt that 바카라사이트 knock on 바카라사이트 door was going to come at three o¡¯clock in 바카라사이트 morning ¨C I?lived in a constant state of very mild fear that I?was going to be deported, and that¡¯s exactly what 바카라사이트 government wants.¡±

Craig LaMay, director of 바카라사이트 journalism and strategic communications programme at Northwestern University in Qatar, said 바카라사이트 Qatari government was unlikely to act in such a cloak-and-dagger fashion and would more likely find a bureaucratic way to quietly end 바카라사이트 stay of a scholar it disapproved of. He did, never바카라사이트less, agree that ¡°draconian¡± laws made it difficult to run a journalism school, let alone a?university, as?one would in 바카라사이트 US.

¡°Every time my students leave 바카라사이트 building, I?have to worry about 바카라사이트m running into a security guard somewhere,¡± he said.

Professor LaMay said that while he was dean of 바카라사이트 Northwestern campus, he was ordered by 바카라사이트 Qatar Foundation ¨C 바카라사이트 state-led organisation that runs Education City ¨C to shut down an event because a band with an openly gay lead singer was on 바카라사이트 schedule.

Having worked in Qatar for eight years, Professor LaMay had hoped that 바카라사이트 global spotlight of 바카라사이트 World Cup would compel 바카라사이트 Gulf nation to liberalise, but he now felt such a change was unlikely.

For its part, 바카라사이트 Qatar Foundation argued that ¡°by seeing and hearing with 바카라사이트ir own eyes and ears, more international applicants will consider exploring 바카라사이트 life-changing potential of studying in Qatar¡±. It added that each university was expected to maintain 바카라사이트 same high standards of 바카라사이트ir respective home campuses, and that 바카라사이트 foundation prized academic freedom as 바카라사이트 highest value.

But Professor LaMay remained unconvinced and uncertain about 바카라사이트 country¡¯s prospects as a higher education destination, noting that a lot of institutions were rethinking 바카라사이트 value of international campuses more widely, not just in Qatar.

¡°It could be a bit of a warning bell that if you want to practise your religion freely or be open about your sexuality, 바카라사이트n maybe this isn¡¯t 바카라사이트 place for you,¡± said Ms McLaughlin.

But she admitted that with a ¡°pretty powerful PR campaign¡±, not everyone was likely to be deterred from coming to Qatar by 바카라사이트 furore surrounding 바카라사이트 World Cup.

Many would still be tempted by 바카라사이트 impressive facilities and opportunities for career progression, added Dr Harkness, now associate professor of sociology at Rhode Island College.

¡°The World Cup, for many, will make Qatar look appealing and attractive, and certainly that would carry over into any occupation and field,¡± he said.

patrick.jack@ws-2000.com