Skip to main content
University of Nebraska Omaha logo University of Nebraska Omaha
APPLY MY UNO DIRECTORY

University of Nebraska Omaha logo
International Programs Center for Afghanistan Studies
APPLY MY UNO DIRECTORY
  • About Us Backback to Main menu
    • Meet Our Team
    • Mission and History
    • Contact Us
    • International Programs at UNO
  • Academics Backback to Main menu
    • Immersion Seminars
    • UNO-Pakistan Universities Academic Linkages Project
    • UNO-AUAF Partnership Project
    • Journalism Partnership
    • Geography and Geology
    • Teacher Training
    • Arthur Paul Afghanistan Collection
    • Afghanistan Transboundary Water Resources
    • Women in University Administration Program
    • UNO-Pakistan Excellence and Achievement (TEA) English Language Teacher Exchange
  • News Backback to Main menu
    • CASA Celebration Week
    • News and Updates
  • Products
  • Support Us

Immersion Seminars

  1. UNO
  2. Center for Afghanistan Studies
  3. Academics

  • Related Resources

  • Center for Afghanistan Studies Facebook

More than 600 civilian and military personnel planning to work in Afghanistan have come to UNO for Immersion Seminars

Participants rapidly develop basic language skills, cultural awareness, and a historical understanding of modern Afghanistan.

Immersion Seminars

Seminar Overview

The three-week experience prepares both civilian and military personnel for making their time in country more productive.

  • Morning sessions focus on politics, ethnic relations, gender issues, terrorism, and a variety of other topics.
  • Afternoons are devoted to developing practical communication skills in Pashto and Dari, or Afghan Persian.
  • Some evenings feature cultural exchanges with Omaha's Afghan community.

Essential Understanding

Afghanistan is a vastly diverse country with a rich cultural heritage and complex tribal and ethnic relationships. The region is—and always has been—geostrategically important to the world’s major powers. American and other international service personnel can better help Afghans if they more fully understand the country in a broader context.

Knowing that this context is essential, professionals from the U.S. intelligence community, the Foreign Service, non-governmental organizations, and all branches of the U.S. military have attended immersion seminars at UNO. They have departed for Afghanistan with a better understanding of the country and its people, and with more confidence in their ability to communicate with Afghan partners.


Depth of Experience

The Center’s team members have deep roots in Afghanistan. Many were born and raised there, later working and raising families amid history-making events.

Others have spent nearly their entire professional lives studying the country’s culture and geography, visiting its cities and villages, and working with Afghans.

All are deeply committed to preserving Afghanistan’s heritage and developing its economy and civil society.


Seminar Topics and Activities

Immersion Seminars rapidly cover all aspects of Afghan culture and include activities that allow participants to practice their new communication skills:

  • Globalization on the Silk Road – Conquests, Commerce, Ideas, Language, and Culture

  • Dari and Pashto Language Instruction

  • Language Lab Practice

  • Religious Factors in Afghanistan

  • Women of Afghanistan and Afghan Culture

  • Afghanistan: How Has it Been Ruled? (Government and Governance)

  • The Politics and Perils of the Globalization of Extremist Religion

  • Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the Pashtoons

  • Language and Cross-Cultural Experiences

  • Research in the Arthur Paul Afghanistan Collection at UNO’s Criss Library

  • Afghanistan History and Culture, 20th Century

  • Medicine in Afghanistan

  • Geology of Afghanistan

  • Introduction to Geospatial Solutions

  • Afghanistan’s Past and Present

  • The Afghan Army and its Evolving Structure

  • Food and Culture Night with Afghan Families

  • Tribal Dynamics

Read the report of the Fall 2018 Immersion Seminar.

More information about the Spring 2020 Immersion Seminar.

Visit the International Studies & Programs site
brochure cover

In Depth

For information on upcoming immersion seminars or to arrange a custom-designed seminar specifically for your team, contact:

Major Robert Holbert, US Army (Ret.)
Immersion Seminar Coordinator
Email: rholbert@unomaha.edu
Phone: 402.554.2376

Download the Immersion Seminar brochure by clicking the arrow below.

Contact Us

  • The Center for Afghanistan Studies
  • Phone: 402.554.2375
  • Email: unoafghanstudies@unomaha.edu

Related Resources

  • Center for Afghanistan Studies Facebook

International Programs

  • Contact Us
  • International Programs
  • 241 Arts and Sciences Hall
  • 222 University Drive East
  • Omaha, NE 68182  map this location
  • 402.554.2293
  • world@unomaha.edu
  • Program Resources
  • Admissions
  • International Student Advising
  • International Studies Major
  • ILUNO Intensive English
  • International Professional Development (IPD)
  • Education Abroad
  • Center for Afghanistan Studies
Arts and Sciences Hall
  • Next Steps
  • Visit UNO
  • Request Information
  • Apply for Admission
  • The UNO Advantage
  • Our City (Omaha)
  • Just For You
  • Future Students
  • Current Students
  • Work at UNO
  • Faculty and Staff
  • A-Z List
  • Popular Services and Resources
  • my.unomaha.edu
  • Academic Calendar
  • Campus Buildings & Maps
  • Library
  • Pay Your Bill
  • Course Catalogs
  • Internships & Career Development
  • Bookstore
  • MavCARD Services
  • Military-Connected Resource Center
  • Speech Center
  • Writing Center
  • Human Resources
  • Center for Faculty Excellence
  • Affiliates
  • University of Nebraska System
  • NU Foundation
  • Buffett Early Childhood Institute
  • Daugherty Water for Food Institute
  • National Strategic Research Institute
  • Peter Kiewit Institute
  • Rural Prosperity Nebraska
  1. University Policies
  2. Privacy Statement
  3. Accessibility
  1. 402.554.2800

University of Nebraska Omaha
University of Nebraska Omaha, 6001 Dodge Street, Omaha, NE, 68182
  • © 2023  
  • Emergency Information Alert
  • Report an Incident or Concern

Omaha Skyline

Our Campus. Otherwise Known as Omaha.

The University of Nebraska does not discriminate based on race, color, ethnicity, national origin, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, and/or political affiliation in its education programs or activities, including admissions and employment. The University prohibits any form of retaliation taken against anyone for reporting discrimination, harassment, or retaliation for otherwise engaging in protected activity. Read the full statement.

scroll to top of page