As part of the initiatives of Year of Reading 2016

The College of Humanities and Social Sciences organized a reading session about the book "Flashes of Thought" by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice-President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, on Sunday, October 23, 2016, in the presence of Dr. Hassan Al Naboodah, Dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, and a number of faculty members and female students at the Crescent Building Theater on the Al Ain Campus.

Dr. Hassan Al Naboodah, during the opening speech, emphasized the importance of reading to expand the perceptions and knowledge of students, and protect young minds from ignorance restrictions, since the more a person reads, the more that person knows. Dr. Al Naboodah was indicating the role of the United Arab Emirates University in embracing these events that contribute to building well-informed and well-educated generations, and he was encouraging them to read a variety of books and participate in the development and culture in the UAE.

The session, chaired by Dr. Ahmed Afifi from the Arabic Language Department, and Dr. Yahya Mohammed from the Department of History, discussed how to generate ideas from valuable and useful books, and employ them in the student’s academic, professional and social life. They also discussed how to activate the main themes, such as happiness and innovation in everyday life as well as their various reading experiences, lessons, and experiences that have benefited them through reading such books.

It is worth mentioning that the United Arab Emirates University hosts a number of initiatives, events and competitions that call for entertaining and useful reading, in the last week of the activities of the Month of Reading, all this within the Year of Reading 2016. These events include the student retreat event, brainstorming sessions, and "Today’s reader…Tomorrow’s leader" competition, which are held in collaboration with various institutions in the State.