Robert Greeley
Office
Voter Hall 001
Tel
(802) 443-5556
Email
rgreeley@middlebury.edu
Office Hours
SPRING 2024: Tues: 9:45-11:15 Thurs.9:45-11:15, or by appointment.

Robert Greeley is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Arabic at Middlebury College. Robert completed his BA in Arabic at the University of Utah, his MA in Arabic Literature at UC Berkeley in the Department of Near Eastern Studies, and his PH.D. in Geography at the University of South Carolina, Columbia. As well as being fluent in Modern Standard Arabic and Levantine dialects, he also has excellent working knowledge in Iraqi Arabic and is proficient in Spanish and Farsi.

Robert’s research interest is conservation geography.  He focuses on the intersection of protected areas, environmental governance, and environmental practice. He uses direct lines of inquiry about hunting and food security to develop research questions that demand hands-on, in language, and on-the-ground presence. Bridging language proficiency and cultural literacy developed through academic studies and in country presence, Robert produces citable and replicable social science research built on robust and individually owned real data. His research melds conservation geography and food studies by noticing and scrutinizing consequential and in-situ verbal and discursive details that point to how environmental actors negotiate their material environment and their social milieu.

Courses Taught

Course Description

Beginning Arabic I
The goal of this course is to begin developing reading, speaking, listening, writing, and cultural skills in Arabic. This course stresses written and oral communication, using both formal Arabic and some Egyptian dialect. Emphasis is also placed on reading authentic texts from Arabic media sources, listening to and watching audio and video materials, and developing students' understanding of Arab culture. 6 hrs lect/disc.

Terms Taught

Fall 2021, Fall 2022

Requirements

LNG

View in Course Catalog

Course Description

Beginning Arabic II
This course is an intensive continuation of ARBC 0101. In addition to the goals stated for that course there will be extra emphasis on cultural skills during winter term. (ARBC 0101 or equivalent).

Terms Taught

Winter 2021, Winter 2023

Requirements

LNG, WTR

View in Course Catalog

Course Description

Beginning Arabic III
This course is a continuation of ARBC 0102. 6 hrs. lect/disc (ARBC 0102 or equivalent)

Terms Taught

Spring 2021, Spring 2022, Spring 2024

Requirements

LNG

View in Course Catalog

Course Description

Intermediate Arabic I
This course is a continuation of ARBC 0103. Emphasis is placed on reading authentic materials from Arabic media, expanding students' vocabulary, listening to and watching audio and video materials, and developing students' understanding of Arab culture and communicative competence. (ARBC 0103 or equivalent) 6 hrs. lect/disc

Terms Taught

Fall 2020, Fall 2023

Requirements

LNG

View in Course Catalog

Course Description

Intermediate Arabic II
This course is a continuation of Arabic 0201. Fifth in a series of courses that develop reading, speaking, listening, writing, and cultural skills in Arabic. This course stresses communication in formal and spoken Arabic. (ARBC 0201 or equivalent). 6 hrs. lect/disc

Terms Taught

Spring 2023

Requirements

LNG

View in Course Catalog

Course Description

Food Security in Lebanon
In this course we will begin with a short history of Lebanon’s agrarian to urban transition to look at its contemporary food system, asking such questions as: Who profits from the food system? How viable is agriculture in Lebanon? Does this system provide food security? This course will provide students with an understanding of how global and local political/financial systems have extracted wealth from farmers, and have left the Lebanese in a state of fluctuating food insecurity. We will look at commodity chains, crop selection, markets, farmer to farmer relations, and the role of Syrian crops entering the country. We will draw on the work of NGOs, UNEP reports, media, policy papers, and the academic literature. (ENVS 0112 or GEOG 0100 or IGST 0101 or ANTH 0103; Or by instructor approval) 3 hrs. lect.

Terms Taught

Spring 2022, Fall 2023

Requirements

AAL, MDE, SOC

View in Course Catalog

Course Description

Human-Environment Relations: Middle East
In this course we will begin with an environmental history of Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon, asking such questions as: How does politics affect conservation practice? To what extent are formulations of nature constructed socially and politically? Whose rights are affected by protected areas and who decides governance criteria? The objectives of this course include providing students with an understanding of human-environment relations theory by addressing the regional specifics of modern environmental and social histories of these countries. We will look at animals, water, and forests in the literature of NGOs, UNEP reports, media, policy papers, and the academic literature. (One of the following: ENVS 0112, GEOG 0100, IGST 0101, SOAN 0103; Or by approval) (not open to students who have taken FYSE 1523) 3 hrs. lect.

Terms Taught

Fall 2022

Requirements

MDE, SOC

View in Course Catalog

Course Description

Advanced Arabic 1
A continuation of Arabic 0202. This course aims to help students reach an intermediate-high level of proficiency in reading, speaking, writing, listening, and culture. Readings include articles on cultural, social, historical, political and literary topics. (ARBC 0202 or equivalent) 3 hrs. lect/disc. on T/R., plus a 50-minute lect time on Mondays TBD by enrolled students.)

Terms Taught

Fall 2021

Requirements

LNG

View in Course Catalog

Course Description

The Environmental Middle East: Forests, Rivers, and Peoples
In this course we will examine the environmental history of the Middle East and contemporary conservation practices in this region, focusing on four environmental case-studies: a contemporary conservation project in Lebanon, the Ghuta Forest of Damascus, the GAP dam project in Syria, and the marshes of Southern Iraq. We will consider these sites of contested power relations, cultural practice, and memory through the lenses of political and environmental essays, academic critiques, policy papers, historical documents, current media, and literary works. The objectives of this course: to provide students with a solid grasp of contemporary Middle Eastern environmental history, to address the key elements of cultural practice in each geographic area, and to achieve advanced proficiency in Arabic, including a mastery of environmental terminology. (ARBC 0302 or equivalent) 3 hrs. sem.

Terms Taught

Spring 2021, Spring 2023, Spring 2024

Requirements

LNG, MDE, SOC

View in Course Catalog

Course Description

Independent Study
(Approval Required)

Terms Taught

Fall 2021, Spring 2022, Fall 2022, Spring 2023, Fall 2023, Winter 2024, Spring 2024, Fall 2024, Winter 2025, Spring 2025

View in Course Catalog

Course Description

Senior Thesis I
Approval required.

Terms Taught

Spring 2020, Fall 2021, Spring 2022, Fall 2022, Spring 2023, Fall 2023, Winter 2024, Spring 2024, Fall 2024, Winter 2025, Spring 2025

View in Course Catalog

Course Description

Senior Thesis II
Approval required.

Terms Taught

Spring 2020, Fall 2021, Spring 2022, Fall 2022, Spring 2023, Fall 2023, Winter 2024, Spring 2024, Fall 2024, Winter 2025, Spring 2025

View in Course Catalog

Course Description

Middle East Studies Senior Thesis
(Approval Required)

Terms Taught

Spring 2020, Winter 2021, Spring 2021, Winter 2022, Spring 2022, Winter 2023, Spring 2023, Winter 2024, Spring 2024, Winter 2025, Spring 2025

View in Course Catalog

Course Description

Global Security Studies Senior Thesis
(Approval Only)

Terms Taught

Spring 2021, Fall 2021, Spring 2022, Spring 2023, Spring 2024, Spring 2025

View in Course Catalog

Course Description

Global Migration and Diaspora Studies Senior Thesis
(Approval Only)

Terms Taught

Spring 2021, Fall 2021, Fall 2022, Fall 2023, Fall 2024

View in Course Catalog