Arabic Language and Literature

Dr. Mohammad T. Alhawary joined the University of Oklahoma in 2001 and currently holds a joint appointment in the Department of Modern Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics and the School of International and Area Studies and is ConocoPhillips Professor of Arabic, Language, Literature and Culture.

Alhawary received his Ph.D. in Arabic Language, Literature and Linguistics from Georgetown University in 1999. His research and publications are in the areas of Arabic applied linguistics (second language) acquisition, testing, curriculum design KG-16, bilingual education, foreign language teaching pedagogy, and computer-assisted language learning), Arabic grammatical and lexicographic tradition, Classical & Neoclassical Arabic literature, and Literary and cultural theory. Prior to his appointment at OU, he taught all levels of Modern Standard and Classical Arabic on several campuses in the Washington Metropolitan area for about 8 years.

He has contributed extensively, in collaboration with Center for Applied Linguistics in Washington DC, in developing proficiency testing for Arabic as a less commonly taught language as well as in several Arabic CALL projects. Among his other (textbook) contribution are Syrian Arabic Through Video (Co-authored) and Let’s Learn Arabic Together (for school children KG-12, in progress). He is currently serving as executive director of the International Association for the Study of Arabic and Islamic Manuscripts (IASAIM), Istanbul, Turkey.Dr. Alhawary developed the minor in Arabic program at OU (officially effective Nov. 2002) and all the required courses including: all levels of Beginning, Intermediate and Advanced Modern Standard Arabic courses and a course on Arabic Literature and Culture in Translation. The number of students enrolled in Fall 2001 (17) more than quadrupled in Fall 2003, reaching to 80.

Dr. Alhawary may be contacted at malhawary@ou.edu