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Student Reports of Summer School 2016

Katharina Nicolai, M.A. Middle Eastern Politics and Economics (PoWO)

“It is only a few days past that we boarded the plane to leave Tehran. Two weeks in Iran, tightly packed with courses, excursions and sightseeing, is an unfortunately short time to spend on a topic with such extraordinary current relevance and in a country with so much to offer. But it was long enough for all of us participants to have generated the imperative wish to continue with the subject and return to Iran. Within the main topical framework of the Summer School, a wide variety of aspects concerning resource management and sustainability were broached. The differences in the approaches by the Iranian and German professors and the Iranian institutions we visited were highly interesting.  However, the most rewarding part of the Summer School was the contact to the participating Iranian students. Through conversations about their respective research and the difficulties they face with this work, we were able to gain far more insight into matters of government driven sustainable development as well as the university system in Iran than would have been possible by merely attending lectures. Moreover, the hospitality of the Iranian students and university staff was overwhelming, making this exchange a wholly wonderful experience.”

Verena Gantner, M.Sc. Economics of the Middle East (EMEA)

“Natural Resource Management and Sustainable Development: this topic is of high relevance, especially in countries with a rich endowment in natural resources such as Iran. During our summer school in Iran from August 24 till September 7, we gained a deep insight of natural resource management in Iran and its effect on the Iranian economy, society, and the natural habitat. We spent the first week attending lectures in Tarbiat Modares University with our fellow students from different universities across Iran. Studying together with our Iranian colleagues was very fruitful and beneficial: we could not only exchange our scientific thoughts and comments about the content of the lectures during the discussions and tea breaks but we could also learn about the students’ life in Iran and we got to know Iranian hospitality at its best. Both Iranian and German students benefitted from especially from the lecturers from different universities and had the chance to get to know different teaching approaches. After classes there was also some time left to discover different parts of Teheran with our colleagues and we all enjoyed mingling with the Iranians and to learn more about their country and traditions. In the second week, we left Teheran and visited Abyaneh, Kashan, and finally Isfahan. Our group was accompanied by some members of Tarbiat Modares University who truly succeeded in making our journey as enjoyable as possible. We  enjoyed hiking in the mountains of Abyaneh after some hectic days in Teheran as well as exploring the bazars of Kashan and Isfahan to see beautiful handicrafts and to do some shopping. The NAREM summer school was a unique opportunity not only to enhance my knowledge about natural resource management, but also to make new friends in Iran and develop my own opinion about this country.”

Georgi Martinov, M.A. Middle Eastern Politics and Economics (PoWO)

“Between 24.08.2016 and 07.09.2016 I was able to take part in the highly competitive summer school Natural resources management and sustainable development, which took place at the Tarbiat Modares University in Tehran, Iran. The project was a noteworthy opportunity for me to continue expanding my knowledge and skills in the fields of political economy. It also allowed me to get familiar with the multifaceted local traditions, customs and culture. Although the school was an academic quest for assessing the main challenges in terms of sustainable development, which the Iranian economy has to deal with in the future, the project gave us unique chance to connect with our Iranian counterparts. Establishing a warm relationship based on trust, friendship and mutual respect with the local students was our main achievement. In addition to this we received thorough overview on various theoretical topics ranging from analyzing economic papers, quantitative methods’ exercises to energy modeling, green economy and discount rate. Our trips to historical sites like Isfahan, Abyaneh and Kashan helped us grasp the historical and cultural diversity, which is central part of the Iranian identity. Last, but not least we were accompanied over the course of the entire summer school by a great deal of professionalism and care, demonstrated by the team of professors and organizers, for which we are truly grateful.”

Johannes von Bonin, M.Sc. Economics of the Middle East (EMEA)

"I consider the first “NAREM Summer School” project as a one of a kind experience and a great success story. After arriving in Tehran, we dove into the first week, which consisted mostly of lectures in the Tarbiat Modares University (TMU). The Lectures covered a wide range of topics within the framework of natural resources and related policies, sustainable and green development and the relations between Germany and Iran. During breaks between lectures and joint evening activities, we had the opportunity to get to know our fellow students from Tehran and Mashhad. They turned out to be very polite, hospitable, smart and super fun to hang out with. It was interesting to find out that their thoughts and views, daily life problems and concerns as well as their expectations of the future were actually quite similar to ours. There were of course some exceptions that reflected the political situation in Iran and its position in the world. Additionally, we visited some of Iran's governmental institutions during the first week. Personally, I think that the visit of the Iranian Central Bank was the most outstanding one because the deputy governour himself explained the economic challenges of the hydrocarbon dependent economy of Iran and the corresponding countermeasures. Another mind-blowing visit lead us into the highly secured vaults that are home to the National Jewels. The amount of jewels, gold, silver and other valuable materials that are incorporated in the countless exhibits are beyond imagination. This collection is truly an ode to craftsmanship, but at the same time it depicts the immense inequality, post revolution Iran says it is trying to fight. However, inequality is still sprawling in the country. The remaining five days of the Summer School were used to further discover the cultural and national heritage of Iran. Our bus driver, who was dressed like a jetpilot took us to Isfahan. On the way, we had a one day stopover in the beautiful village of Abyaneh. The old persian capital Isfahan, with its buzzing bazaars, gorgeous mosques and churches and the culinary delightful restaurants created a worthy end to this international exchange, that will hopefully be continued in the future."