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Kurdish Political Studies Program

The first and only academic program in the United States focusing on Kurdish issues

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The Kurdish Political Studies Program (KPSP) is housed at the School of Politics, Security, and International Affairs. It is a pioneering academic program in the United States dedicated to the comprehensive study of Kurdish politics and Kurdistan. KPSP is committed to advancing scholarly research and public awareness of Kurdish politics, organizing events that address contemporary issues impacting the Kurdish community, fostering collaborations between UCF and Kurdish universities, and developing a specialized curriculum centered on themes relevant to the Kurdish experience. KPSP is closely linked with the Security Studies doctoral program. You can find a detailed review of KPSP activities from spring 2020 to summer 2021 here.

The KPSP is also home to the Najmaldin Karim & Jalal Talabani Endowed Chair of Kurdish Political Studies, the only position of its kind in the country. Established on October 29, 2015, the Chair’s mission encompasses teaching, research, and scholarly pursuits focused on Kurdish Political Studies, as well as advancing recognized excellence in this field. Additionally, it supports fellowships, hosts distinguished visitors, organizes public forums, courses, workshops, and other events that objectively present and discuss policies and conditions affecting the security, peace, and democratic governance of the Kurdish people.

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Latest News

Announcement: The Best Article Award in Kurdish Studies

This award, sponsored by Kurdish Political Studies Program at the University of Central Florida, recognizes the best article in Kurdish Studies published in the previous calendar year.

For this award cycle, articles published in 2024 will be considered. All articles published in English-language peer-reviewed journals addressing questions and covering issues related to Kurdish politics, broadly defined, will be considered for the award.

The award is open to all disciplines under social sciences and humanities. The primary author of the article must be an untenured scholar (graduate student, post-doc, independent scholar, assistant professor, or equivalent) at the time of the publication. The winner will be awarded $1000.

Nominations are due by January 15, 2025, and the awardee will be announced by February 15, 2025. Self-nominations are welcome.

Please send an electronic copy of the nominated article to gurses@ucf.edu.

Announcement: The Best Article Award in Kurdish Studies

This award, sponsored by Kurdish Political Studies Program at the University of Central Florida, recognizes the best article in Kurdish Studies by a rising scholar during the previous calendar year. In this year’s competition, social science and humanities articles published by English language peer-reviewed journals in 2022 were considered. The prize for the winning article is $800. The selection committee was composed of Tiffany Earley-Spadoni (University of Central Florida), Ekrem Karakoc (Birmingham University), and Nikola Mirilovic (University of Central Florida).

The winner of the award is:

Suni, Anoush Tamar. 2023. “Palimpsests of Violence: Ruination and the Afterlives of Genocide in Anatolia.” Comparative Studies in Society and History 65(1): 192 – 218. Published online: 10/28/22. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S001041752200041X

The committee also found the following article worthy of an honorable mention:

Mohammed, Sarwar and Tim Gray. 2022. “Political constraints on economic diversification in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.” Energy Policy 171. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2022.113274

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News

People seated at round tables attend a presentation in a conference room; a speaker stands at a podium while a screen displays the event.
COS News

UCF Hosts Conference on Kurdish Studies 

Attendees from all over the world gather to share insights and collaborate on Kurdish studies.  By: Emily Dougherty | April 29, 2025 The Kurdish Political…

Hannah Barnes and Myli Sangria standing in a group in front of panel in Kurdistan
COS News

Two Kurdish Political Studies Program Dr. Najmaldin Karim Research Fellows Visit Kurdistan 

Written by Léa Faure, Ph.D. in Security Studies  In May 2023, two students affiliated with the Kurdish Political Studies Program (KPSP), Hannah Barnes and Myli…

Armenia Yerevan
COS News

Travel Abroad Opens New Perspective For PoliSci Major

Hannah Barnes is learning as a Knight thousands of miles from Millican Hall and the Bounce House — and that suits her just fine. Barnes’…

Cyrus Amiri standing in front of a brick wall
COS News

KPSP Welcomes a Scholar of Literature from Iranian Kurdistan

Kurdish Political Studies Program (KPSP) is delighted to welcome Cyrus Amiri, Ph.D., as a visiting scholar in 2023. Amiri is an associate professor of English…

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