Masters Students
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Current Students
Nilufer Duygu Eriten
Duygu is from Istanbul, Turkey, where she lived all her life before coming to the US in 2007. She studied in Istanbul University and has a BA and MA in economics. Currently, Duygu is a second year MA student in the CSAMES at the UIUC, and planning to graduate in Spring 2010. Her interests are the formation of the ethnic identities in the Middle East and in the Balkans during the nineteenth century, the late Ottoman Empire era and the Turkish and Kurdish nationalism.
Jeffrey Peyton
Jeffrey Peyton joined the CSAMES MA program in Fall 2008, with the Middle East concentration. His primary interest is in religion in the Middle East; in particular, he plans to examine interreligious relations and relations between states and minority religions in the region. Jeff grew up in Champaign and completed his undergraduate work in Islamic Studies in the Department of Religion at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign. He is the recipient of a FLAS fellowship for the 2008-2009 academic year and is studying Turkish and Arabic. Upon completing his MA at CSAMES, Jeff intends to pursue a Ph.D. in Religion.
Natasha Samreny
Natasha Samreny is pursuing her master's degree in Middle Eastern Studies and Arabic. She moved from Tampa Bay where she reported and produced daily and in-depth news for WUSF 89.7 FM. Samreny graduated cum laude in 2006 from the University of South Florida with a BA in broadcast news.
Graduated Students
Darakhshan Khan
Darakhshan Khan graduated from our program in May 2009 with a master’s in Asian studies, focusing on South Asia. Her area of interest is religion, gender, and Islamic revivalist movements in South Asia. Darakhshan has a bachelor’s degree in microbiology and has worked as a journalist in her hometown of Bombay. She also worked as a CSAMES graduate assistant. Darakhshan began her Ph.D. program at the University of Pennsylvania beginning in fall 2009.
Rashelle Roos
After completing her MFA in Sculpture/Painting at UIUC in 2007, Rashelle wanted to continue her studies with a focus on Middle Eastern cultures. She is interested in both traditional and contemporary artwork from the region. Rashelle enjoyed participating in an Artists' Residency in Kapadokya, Turkey, and teaching art classes in Istanbul, Turkey, in 2007. She finds artwork to be a great tool for initiating cross-cultural exchange. Rashelle worked as a graduate assistant for CSAMES in summer 2008. Rashelle completed her MA in Asian Studies with a Middle Eastern concentration in December 2008. She is now involved with the local art scenes in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, UAE. Rashelle is currently creating a body of work, including oil and mixed-media paintings, which are inspired by historical and contemporary styles from the region.