Dr. Blake teaches a series of courses on the Middle East: Islamic Civilizations, Modern Middle East, Ottoman Empire, Women in Islam, Islamist Movements, and the Arab-Israeli Conflict. She also teaches World History Since 1500, Historical Methods, and the occasional Senior Seminar.
She serves as advisement coordinator for the History Department, so all students who plan to apply for graduation this year should see her to check their academic record.
Dr. Blake also serves as the Coordinator of the International Studies Concentration and the Fulbright Program advisor for graduating seniors and graduate students interested in applying for a Fulbright Scholarship. If you are interested in applying for a grant, go to the Fulbright website at http://us.fulbrightonline.org/home.html, review the information, and contact Dr. Blake, preferably in the spring or summer. Applications are typically due the first week of October.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:- Associate Professor, History Department, Rowan University, from fall 1992.
- History Department Advisement Coordinator since 2008. Rowan University Fulbright Program Advisor since 1999. International Studies Concentration Coordinator 1994-2003 and from July 2014; Interim Study Abroad Coordinator 1995-96.
- Lecturer, Department of Religion, Rutgers University, spring 1992. Course on Islam.
- Princeton University, 1983-1991. Ph.D. in Near Eastern History, 1991. "Training Arab-Ottoman Bureaucrats: Syrian Graduates of the Mulkiye Mektebi, 1890 - 1920."
- University of Jordan, Amman, 1982-83. Intensive Arabic course.
- Hebrew University, Jerusalem, 1981-1982. Language training and history courses.
- University of California, Berkeley, 1975-77, 1979-80. B.A. in History (with distinction).
- Biographical Dictionary of Islamic Civilizations, edited by Mustafa Shah and Muhammad Abdul Haleem. I.B. Tauris, forthcoming. Entries on Usama ibn Munqidh, Khayzuran, Zubayda, and Shajar al-Durr.
- Mustafa Şekib Bey: An Ottoman Diplomat's Response to Religious Propaganda, Rhetoric and Intervention. Middle East Studies Association (MESA) conference, Oct. 2013.
- Book Review, Remapping the Ottoman Middle East Modernity, Imperial Bureaucracy and the Islamic State, by Cem Emrence. International Journal of Turkish Studies 19, nos. 1 & 2 (Fall 2013): 185-188.
- Lesson plan on Women and Gender in Islam. Oxford Islamic Studies Online. http://www.oxfordislamicstudies.com. May 2012.
- Lesson plan on The Roots of Democracy and Constitutionalism in the Middle East. Oxford Islamic Studies Online. http://www.oxfordislamicstudies.com. September 2011.
- Thematic guide: The Ottoman Empire. Oxford Islamic Studies Online. http://www.oxfordislamicstudies.com/. May 2011.
- "Incorporating Technology into Courses on Islamic Civilization." In Teaching Islam, edited by Brannon Wheeler, American Academy of Religion. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002. Republished in Oxford Islamic Studies Online, 2008.
- Participant in Common Core Academy Grant, Department of Education, Rowan University.
- N.E.H. Summer Seminar for College and University Teachers; The Late Ottoman and Russian Empires: Citizenship, Belonging and Difference. June 9-27, 2014.
- Rowan University, Teaching Load Adjustment, 2013-2014, 2012-2013, 2005-2007, 1997.
- Wall of Fame for Advising 2009, 2010, 2012.
- Rowan University, Sabbatical, spring 2005.
- Institute of Turkish Studies Dissertation Writing Grant, 1989-90.
- Fulbright Hayes Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad Scholarship, 1987-88. Turkey and Syria.
- American Research Institute in Turkey, Honorary Fellowship, 1987-88.
- Princeton University Fellowship, 1988-89, 1983-84.
- National Resource Fellowship, 1984-87, and summer 1986.
- Rotary Foundation Graduate Scholarship, 1982-83, to Jordan.
- Israel Government Grant, 1981-82.
- Phi Beta Kappa, 1980.