Lecturers

Peter Awn has been teaching at Columbia University for more than 30 years, where he is currently Dean of General Studies, Director of The Middle East Institute, and Professor of Islamic Religion and Comparative Religion. He has lectured widely to academics and business professionals on the role Islamic religion plays in the current political and social development of the Muslim world. He earned a B.A. in Philosophy and Classical Languages, a M.Div. in Christian Theology, and his Ph.D. in Islamic religion and comparative religion from Harvard University in 1978. He was the first recipient of the Phillip and Ruth Hettleman Award for distinguished teaching and research, and was honored the Great Teacher Award from the Society of Columbia Graduates. He has traveled in Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, Iran, and South Asia.

Jack Daulton is an acclaimed lecturer on the art and architecture of non-Western civilizations. He has been a study leader on educational trips to more than 50 countries, including Mongolia, Vietnam, Bhutan, India, Ethiopia, and Mali. He is an expert on the art and architecture of Asia and Africa as well as Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, and other religions. Daulton is also a practicing attorney with an interest in international law relating to the preservation and conservation of the world's cultural heritage. In a widely reported 1995 federal case, he recovered a 1,000-year-old sculpture that had been stolen from a temple in Burma.

Cynthia Werner is an Associate Professor of Anthropology and the Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of Anthropology at Texas A&M. She is a socio-cultural anthropologist with a specialty in economic anthropology, particularly in Central Asia, Mongolia, and societies along the Silk Road. She received her advanced degrees from Indiana University and has taught at the University of Iowa and Pitzer College. Dr. Werner looks forward to sharing her insights on social networking, kinship and marriage, small-scale trade, the privatization of agriculture, and the anthropology of tourism.

Leaders

Eszter Foldvary began guiding and leading expeditions after graduating in 1978 from tourism school in Hungary. “I could not picture myself as a teacher…I like to work with people and am interested in traveling….I never wanted to do anything else in my life,” says Eszter. She has led private jet journeys throughout Europe, Asia, Africa, South America, and many other places around the world. Eszter's vast experience, interest in the history of art, ability to speak multiple languages (Hungarian, English, French, and German), and excellent organizational skills serve our travelers very well.