Departmental Newsletter for Modern Languages & Literatures at the College of William & Mary
My involvement with the Hispanic Studies department at William & Mary has been one of the most gratifying and enlightening journeys of my undergraduate career. From courses on grammar and vocabulary to more intensive seminars on the Francoist regime in Spain, the Hispanic Studies discipline has challenged my abilities and exposed me to new perspectives…. Read More
During my time at William and Mary, I studied Arabic for three years and my classes in the Arabic department were some of my absolute favorites. My professors, Driss Cherkaoui and Mona Zaki, pushed me to fall deeply in love with the language and I certainly gained a sense of humility and pride during my… Read More
I frequently say that studying Arabic has been one of the best decisions I have made at the College. I discovered a passion for the language and the friendships I have formed through Arabic classes and my study abroad program in Morocco completely changed my time at William & Mary. Knowing Arabic has also enriched… Read More
Hannah Grace Bauman is graduating with a major in Government and a minor in Arabic. During college, she completed a research internship at National Defense University, led and mentored cadets in Army ROTC, co-led a research team with the Center for African Development, and launched an International Justice Mission college chapter. In the spring of… Read More
Prof. John Eisele and Prof. Driss Cherkaoui are putting the finishing touches on the first volume of a textbook series for the Arabic language which will be published by the American University in Cairo Press, entitled “Arabic Links” (in Arabic: كتاب التواصل). The series attempts to handle the issue of Arabic language variation (often termed… Read More
(This story appeared previously here.) Stephen Sheehi, Sultan Qaboos bin Said Chair of Middle East Studies and director of the Asian and Middle East Studies program, organized the “Great W&M Asia Cook Off.” He brought in celebrity chef Katsuya Fukushima, chef and co-owner of Daikaya-Izakaya, Haikan and Bantam King, and restaurateur Yama Jewayni, co-owner of Daikaya-Izakaya,… Read More
Informed by a genuine pleasure in academic dialogue, Professor Sheehi’s teaching engages the nuances of identity and opens the door for his students to develop new and productive ways to think about the complex history of the Middle East. With great energy, intellectual playfulness, fresh ideas, and humor, he consistently leads civil discussions about highly… Read More
Stephen Sheehi, Sultan Qaboos bin Said Chair of Middle East Studies, Professor of Arabic Studies in the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures, has received the 2018 Plumeri Award for Faculty Excellence, celebrating exemplary achievements of William & Mary faculty in teaching, research, and service. Prof. Sheehi’s work meets at the intersection of cultural, visual,… Read More
Threads of Identity Emma Russell (Government and Global Studies, ’19) I spent the summer 2017 studying Arabic at the Qasid Institute in Amman, Jordan and volunteered 20 hours a week as a research assistant at “Tiraz Widad Kawar; Home for Arab Dress”. Widad Kawar, the owner of the museum collection, began preserving dresses when she… Read More
[Full story by Cortney Langley] Being Muslim and Arab American themselves, both Duenya Hassan ’16 and Saif Fiaz ’17 thought they were in for an easy spring semester when they enrolled in “Arabs in America/America in Arabs.” “I was like, ‘I got this. It’s going to be an easy class,’” said Fiaz, a biology major… Read More
Chef Katsuya Fukushima, owner of Washington, DC ramen restaurant Daikaya and two-time winner of Iron Chef America came to William and Mary in the Fall to teach a class on Arabic cooking. Chef Fukushima cooked for students of Prof. Stephen Sheehi in the Arabic House, taught them about Arabic cooking and then answered some questions… Read More
Kelly Houck ’12 sat down with me a couple of days before graduation to talk about her experiences in the Arabic program at the College, her study abroad in Morocco, and what her plans are after graduation.
A new project at William & Mary is the Virtual Library of Freedom, a group started by William & Mary alumna Hannah Thornton ’10. Melissa Woods, a student at William & Mary, writes: The Virtual Library of Freedom (VLF) is a student organization founded in 2010 that aims to promote cross-cultural discussion online between American… Read More
The Arab world has witnessed a series of political upheavals this past year which would have been difficult to imagine in past years. The events have affected the faculty and students of the Arabic section in many different ways. Several students found themselves in Egypt or Syria as the revolutions were getting underway, and had… Read More
Roundtable discussion The Arab world revolutions and uprising: from the personal to the politicalrevolutions in arab world rountable discussion The revolutions, uprisings, and rebellions which have convulsed the Arab world have transfixed the world. Please join us for a discussion of these events from the perspective of citizens from countries which have witnessed or are… Read More
Lecture in Arabic: Prof. Roger Allen University of Pennsylvania “Literary History and Generic Change” Monday, March 14, 3:30 pm Washington 201 The Arabic section will be hosting a major figure in the field of modern Arabic literature on Monday, March 14 in the person of Prof. Roger Allen of the University of Pennsylvania. He is… Read More
February 11, 2011 6:00pm Open Forum and Discussion on Tunisian Revolution led by Chadia Mansour Blow Hall 334 writemypaper4me.org.
by Erin Zagursky | February 10, 2011 William & Mary junior John Pence signed up to study abroad in Egypt this semester because he was “ready for the next challenge.” “This was a challenge. I definitely learned a lot about myself, but it wasn’t the challenge I was expecting,” he said. Pence was one of hundreds… Read More
Ahlan ya gamaa`! (Hello gang!) We are making progress on our Arabic textbook series. We have completed and tested 4 chapters of volume one, and are working and testing the next 4 chapters this semester. It has been bumpy at times, but we are confident that in the end the project will be a significant… Read More
By Jim Ducibella | May 10, 2010 In a Washington Hall office the size of an average walk-in closet, the future of the Arabic language is being designed. Not the language itself, but the manner in which the language will be taught for years to come. Close friends John Eisele and Driss Cherkaoui, both associate professors… Read More
John Eisele and Driss Cherkaoui have been awarded an International Reseach and Studies (IRS) instructional materials grant from the Dept. of Education. The grant, totaling $728,000 over three years, will be used to develop a textbook series for Arabic language, both the literary language as well as four main dialects of Arabic. The project, entitled… Read More
Michael Leruth has been recognized for his outstanding dedication to his students and the university with the prestigious Plumeri award. This prize shows the great appreciation and support for his work from both his colleagues and the student body. Michael Leruth holds a Ph.D. in French from Penn State University (1995) and teaches courses and conducts research on… Read More