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FACULTY PROFILES-Arabic

DR. MOHSSEN ESSEESY, (esseesym @ gwu.edu) Director of the Arabic Program, Assistant Professor of Arabic & International Affairs: Professor Esseesy received his Ph.D. with Distinction in Arabic from the Georgetown University. He has extensive experience in teaching Arabic at the university-level including past faculty appointments at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor; Georgetown University, and the University of Florida. He joined the George Washington University as the Director of the Arabic Program in 2004.

Professor Esseesy has published several articles in historical and theoretical linguistics, developed proficiency-based tests and curricula for several courses. He conducts teacher- training workshops and delivers academic presentations at major conferences and symposia. Professor Esseesy serves as a reviewer and referee for the Modern Language Journal and he served as a member of the Executive Board of the American Association of Teachers of Arabic between 2003-2005.

JENNIFER TOBKIN (jtobkin @ gwu.edu), Arabic Language Specialist, holds a B.A. in History and Classical Studies from Loyola University New Orleans and an M.A. in Semitic and Egyptian Languages and Literatures from the Catholic University of America. She has taught Arabic at the Middle East Institute and St. Anselm's Abbey high school. She joined the GWU faculty in 2006.

MUHAMMAD KASSAB (mkassab @ gwu.edu), Arabic Language Specialist, holds a B.A. from the Lebanese University and an M.A. from the American University of Beirut in Arabic Language and Literature. He also holds an M.A. in Arabic Thought and Middle Eastern Studies from Columbia University and a Ph.d. in Arabic Language and Literature from Georgetown University. He previously taught different levels of Modern Standard Arabic at Columbia, Geogetown, and NYU before joining the GWU faculty in 2008.

He has published articles about the classical dialects of medieval Arabic, linguistic variation, methodologies of teaching, and the image of the other and the interaction between the Arab world and Western modernity as described during the medieval period and 19th century Arabic writings.

NASHWA TAHER (ntaher @ gwu.edu), Arabic Language Specialist, has a BA in English Literature from Tishreen University in Syria, an MA from Ohio Univesity in Applied Linguistics and a translators diploma (English-Arabic, Arabic-English) from Tishreen University. Before joining GWU as an Arabic Language Specialist in 2007, she taught Arabic at the the University of Beloit Center of Language Studies, Ohio University and in the Middlebury College Arabic Language Center's summer immersion program. She has also taught English at University of Damascus Languages Institute. While at Ohio University, she also earned the Dean's Outstanding Graduate Teaching award.

RANA KANAAN (rkanaan @ gwu.edu), Arabic Language Specialist, is a Ph.D. Candidate at Cairo University in Egypt. She holds an M.A. and B.A. (with High Honors) from the American University in Cairo, Egypt. Before joining GW in 2007, she spent ten years teaching and promoting international education at the American University in Cairo . She has been actively involved in developing Arabic language materials and syllabi for a variety of language classes including an Arabic online course, Media Arabic and Business Arabic. She has also taught Arabic at American University in Washington DC and at George Mason University in Virginia, in addition to serving as a translation consultant for the Library of Congress and various international development organizations. She joined the GWU faculty in 2008.

SAM HARRIS (slharris @ gwu.edu), Arabic Language Specialist, received his B.A. cum laude in Social Anthropology from Harvard College and his M.A. in Arab Studies from Georgetown University, receiving distinction for his thesis on an Egyptian Islamic youth organization. He has lived and studied in Jordan and Egypt, worked as a freelance translator for clients including the Library of Congress World Digital Library, and taught Arabic at Georgetown University. He joined the GWU faculty in 2008.