Phone: (626) 815-6000, Ext. 3369
Email: kwerthmuller@apu.edu
Office Location: Ronald Building 118
Office Hours: By appointment
Kurt Werthmuller, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of History and Political Science
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Profile
Kurt Werthmuller, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of history at APU and a historian of the Middle East, with a specialization in medieval Islam as well as a variety of interests in the modern Middle East (Israel/Palestine, Egypt, Syria/Lebanon, Arabic language and literature). His most recent research has been on the Coptic Christian community of Ayyubid Egypt, for which he was a Fulbright-Hays fellow in Egypt in 2004-05, and on the reign of the Ayyubid sultan al-Malik al-Kamil (nephew and second successor to Saladin).
Werthmuller has lived and traveled extensively in the Middle East, including nearly four years in Egypt for academic and humanitarian pursuits, a number of academic visits to Syria, and various travels in Israel and the Palestinian territories to study the Arab-Israeli conflict. He has a passion for promoting understanding and respect between Western and Middle Eastern peoples, and for the peaceful, just resolution of regional tensions which respect the rights and traditions of all communities involved.
Outside of his research interests in the medieval and contemporary Middle East, Werthmuller is a film buff, a connoisseur of spicy foods, and a proud father to his daughter, Sophia Lily, with his wife, Florence.
Werthmuller has lived and traveled extensively in the Middle East, including nearly four years in Egypt for academic and humanitarian pursuits, a number of academic visits to Syria, and various travels in Israel and the Palestinian territories to study the Arab-Israeli conflict. He has a passion for promoting understanding and respect between Western and Middle Eastern peoples, and for the peaceful, just resolution of regional tensions which respect the rights and traditions of all communities involved.
Outside of his research interests in the medieval and contemporary Middle East, Werthmuller is a film buff, a connoisseur of spicy foods, and a proud father to his daughter, Sophia Lily, with his wife, Florence.
Education
Ph.D. - University of California, Santa Barbara, 2007
M.A. - Harvard University, 2002
B.A. - Messiah College, 1995
M.A. - Harvard University, 2002
B.A. - Messiah College, 1995
Professional/Scholarly Presentations
Presentations
Werthmuller, Kurt. “Ayyubid Society and Coptic Identity through the Pen of a Medieval Coptic Patriarch, 1235-1243,” at the Middle East Studies Association of North America Annual Meeting, 2006.
Werthmuller, Kurt. “The Copts of Egypt: Tradition and Renewal,” for “Minorities in the Middle East: A Symposium,” Florida State University, 2008.
Werthmuller, Kurt. "Converts as Mediators of Medieval Coptic Identity, 969-1250 C.E." paper presented for the Faith and History Conference at Gordon College, Boston, 2006
Werthmuller, Kurt. "Bridging the Divide Between Arab and American Cultures," Cross-cultural workshop given for the Arabic Evangelical Church of Boston, 2004
Werthmuller, Kurt. "Beards, Belly Dancers, and Ballot Boxes: Why Egypt Remains the Place to Watch," lecture for public lecture series at Pennsulvania State, McKeesport, 2006
Publications
Werthmuller, Kurt. “Palestinian Refugees.” The Arab-Israeli Wars: An Encyclopedia. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 2005.
Werthmuller, Kurt. “The Copts in Egypt, 1000-1500 CE.” World History Encyclopedia. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, forthcoming 2009.
Werthmuller, Kurt. “The Copts in Egypt, 300-1000 CE.” World History Encyclopedia. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, forthcoming 2009.
Werthmuller, Kurt. Review of Napoleon in Egypt. Middle East Studies Association Bulletin, Vol. 39, 2, (2005).
Werthmuller, Kurt. Review of A Troubled History and Whose Land? Whose Promise? What Christians Are Not Being Told about Israel and the Palestinians. Christian Reflection, April, (2005): 84-88.
View All Professional/Scholarly Presentations
Werthmuller, Kurt. “Ayyubid Society and Coptic Identity through the Pen of a Medieval Coptic Patriarch, 1235-1243,” at the Middle East Studies Association of North America Annual Meeting, 2006.
Werthmuller, Kurt. “The Copts of Egypt: Tradition and Renewal,” for “Minorities in the Middle East: A Symposium,” Florida State University, 2008.
Werthmuller, Kurt. "Converts as Mediators of Medieval Coptic Identity, 969-1250 C.E." paper presented for the Faith and History Conference at Gordon College, Boston, 2006
Werthmuller, Kurt. "Bridging the Divide Between Arab and American Cultures," Cross-cultural workshop given for the Arabic Evangelical Church of Boston, 2004
Werthmuller, Kurt. "Beards, Belly Dancers, and Ballot Boxes: Why Egypt Remains the Place to Watch," lecture for public lecture series at Pennsulvania State, McKeesport, 2006
Publications
Werthmuller, Kurt. “Palestinian Refugees.” The Arab-Israeli Wars: An Encyclopedia. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 2005.
Werthmuller, Kurt. “The Copts in Egypt, 1000-1500 CE.” World History Encyclopedia. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, forthcoming 2009.
Werthmuller, Kurt. “The Copts in Egypt, 300-1000 CE.” World History Encyclopedia. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, forthcoming 2009.
Werthmuller, Kurt. Review of Napoleon in Egypt. Middle East Studies Association Bulletin, Vol. 39, 2, (2005).
Werthmuller, Kurt. Review of A Troubled History and Whose Land? Whose Promise? What Christians Are Not Being Told about Israel and the Palestinians. Christian Reflection, April, (2005): 84-88.
View All Professional/Scholarly Presentations
Professional Experience
Consulting Engagements
Member, search committee for the visiting professorship in Contemporary International Issues (Middle East), Global Studies Program, University of Pittsburgh, 2007
Member, institutional representative, and advisor to the Pittsburgh-area Consortium for Educational Resources in Islamic Studies/CERIS, 2007.
Member, search committee for the visiting professorship in Contemporary International Issues (Middle East), Global Studies Program, University of Pittsburgh, 2007
Member, institutional representative, and advisor to the Pittsburgh-area Consortium for Educational Resources in Islamic Studies/CERIS, 2007.
Professional Involvement and Accomplishments
Honors, Awards, Recognition
Fulbright-Hays Fellow, Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad Program, 2004-05
Research Fellow, American University in Cairo, Department of Arabic Studies, 2004
Full-tuition graduate fellowship recipient, UC Santa Barbara, Department of History, 2002-03
Associations, Boards, Committees
Member of the Middle East Studies Association of North America, 1999-present
Fulbright-Hays Fellow, Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad Program, 2004-05
Research Fellow, American University in Cairo, Department of Arabic Studies, 2004
Full-tuition graduate fellowship recipient, UC Santa Barbara, Department of History, 2002-03
Associations, Boards, Committees
Member of the Middle East Studies Association of North America, 1999-present
Expertise
Coptic Christianity
Fatimid and Ayyubid Egypt (969-1250 CE)
Nationalism and Identity in the Modern Middle East
Non-Muslims Communities of the Medieval and Modern Middle East
Social and Political Systems of the Medieval Islamic World
The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
Special Interests and Activities
Participant, First Annual Workshop on the Arab-Israeli Conflict, 12-day academic tour and lecture series, hosted by the S. Daniel Abraham Center for International and Regional Studies, Tel Aviv University, Israel, June, 2006
Part-time instructor, HIS 195: Topics - The Middle East and Modernity, included co-leading a 40-day summer study abroad course of 19 students through Egypt, Jordan, Syria, and Turkey, Westmont College, Santa Barbara, 2004
Part-time instructor, HIS 195: Topics - The Middle East and Modernity, included co-leading a 40-day summer study abroad course of 19 students through Egypt, Jordan, Syria, and Turkey, Westmont College, Santa Barbara, 2004
Note: This information is current for the 2008-09 academic year. For additional information, please contact the appropriate office.
