AUS Department of English launches seminar series

The AUS Department of English has launched a seminar series designed to spotlight faculty research. The inaugural session was presented on February 18, by Dr. Gary Linebaugh, who gave a talk entitled "An Experimental Look at the Production-Perception Relationship for Arabic Speaking Learners of English."

The seminar attracted more than 40 attendees including AUS faculty, two teacher educators from Dubai and a number of AUS undergraduate and graduate students. According to Dr. Sara Cotterall, one of the organizers of the seminar series, "The students who attended were not only English majors, but also students from other majors who are enrolled in Department of English courses. Some of these young people have become interested in the study of language because of their contact with our faculty through their courses."

The department plans to expand the series next semester, said Dr. Maya Kesrouany, who also administers the series, "We aim to have more frequent presentations-at least two per month-and to initiate interdisciplinary roundtable discussions that bring together students and faculty from across the campus," she said.

"Although the primary intent is to provide a platform for English faculty to share their work both with each other and with our students, we are excited about the opportunity of reaching the rest of the university. We look forward to a future of interdisciplinary collaboration with faculty members in other departments, as well as with students with related majors and coursework-for example those of the Departments of Arabic and Translation, and International Studies," added Dr. Kesrouany.

"Dr. Linebaugh's presentation was very well received and prompted a lively exchange of views during the question and answer session," said Dr. Cotterall.

Three further seminars by Department English faculty members are scheduled for this semester: Dr. Abeer Fahim will give a talk entitled "More than Slapstick: The Monstrous Body in Thomas Pynchon's Fiction" on March 18; Dr. Victor Parra-Guinaldo will discuss "Language Reused: the Diminutive Suffix" in April; and Dr. Victoria Amador, will present "Re-envisioning Miss Melly: The Dark Mirrors of Olivia de Havilland" in May.