Shatha Almutawa
The George Washington University, 2106 G St. NW, Washington, DC 20002 | [email protected]
Education
Ph.D. University of Chicago Divinity School, Muslim and Jewish intellectual history, June 2013.
M.A. University of Chicago Divinity School, Muslim and Jewish intellectual history, June 2006.
Universität Potsdam, Germany, Summer 2004. Philosophy of religion exchange student.
B.A. Mount Holyoke College, May 2003. Major in Religion, Minor in Philosophy.
Teaching Experience
George Washington University
Adjunct Professor, Religion Department, Washington, DC. Fall 2015.
PSTD 1010 – Introduction to Peace Studies
Qatar University
Assistant Professor, History Department, Doha, Qatar. Fall 2013.
HIST 217 – Islamic Civilizations (two sections)
HIST 320 – Islamic Movements
Bradley University
Visiting Instructor, History Department, Peoria, IL. Fall 2012-Spring 2013.
HIS 104 - Non-Western Civilization: the Middle East Since Muhammad
CIV 100 - Western Civilization
University of Chicago
Instructor, Humanities Core, Chicago, IL. Summer-Fall 2010.
RLST 25901 - Introduction to Muslim and Jewish Philosophy
HUMA 14000 - Reading Cultures: Collection, Travel, Exchange
Teaching Assistant, Divinity School, Chicago, IL. Fall 2008- 2010.
DVSC 30400 Introduction to the Study of Religion
Writing Intern, Humanities Core, Chicago, IL. Winter 2007-Winter 2008.
HUMA 12300 - Human Being and Citizen
HUMA 12000. Greek Thought and Literature
Lector, Department of English, Chicago, IL. Winter 2007-Spring 2009
English 13000/33000 - Academic and Professional Writing
Lake Forest College
Lecturer, Lake Forest College, Illinois, Fall 2010.
ARA 110: Beginning Arabic
ARA 210: Intermediate Arabic
Cornell College
Lecturer, Mount Vernon, Iowa, Blocks 6 and 7 (February and March) 2010.
ARA 101: First-Year Arabic
ARA 102: Intermediate Arabic
Academic Presentations
“Allegory and History in Ikhwan Al-Safa’s Reading of Biblical Narrative,” Middle East Studies
Association Annual Meeting. New Orleans, LA. October 11, 2013.
“Isma’ili, Sufi or Sunni? Ikhwan Al-Safa and the Debates over their Affiliation.” Middle East
History and Theory Conference. University of Chicago. May 4, 2012.
“Religio-Philosophical Narratives: Plato in Rasa’il Ikhwan Al-Safa.” American Academy of
Religion. Platonism and Neoplatonism Group. November 21, 2011.
“The Use of Narrative in Rasa’il Ikhwan Al-Safa.” Middle East Studies Association. Washington,
DC. December 4, 2011.
“Arguments for Creation in Rasāʾil Ikhwān al-Ṣafāʾ.” Middle East History and Theory
Conference. University of Chicago. May 14, 2011.
“Religion in the Rhetoric of the #SaudiWomenRevolution.” Journal of Middle East Women’s
Studies Distinguished Lecture and Research Workshop. Yale University. April 15, 2011.
“The Buddha in Basra.” American Academy of Religion Regional Conference. Augustana
College. Rock Island, IL. April 2, 2011.
“Al-Farabi and Plato’s Laws.” American Academy of Religion. Atlanta, GA. October 31, 2010.
Academic Publications
“Education through Narrative in Rasā’il Ikhwān Al-Safā’” in Knowledge and Education in
Classical Islam, Ed. by Sebastian Günther (Brill, forthcoming).
“Philosophy” and “Spain,” Cultural Sociology of the Middle East (California: SAGE Publications,
2012).
Review of Radical Reform: Islamic Ethics and Liberation by Tariq Ramadan in the Journal of
Religion (spring 2012).
Review of Reading Hayy Ibn-Yaqzan: A Cross-Cultural History of Autodidacticism by Avner
Ben-Zaken. Bulletin of Middle East Studies (spring 2013).
“The Status of Women in the United Arab Emirates,” Women's Rights in the Middle East and
North Africa: Citizenship and Justice (Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield, 2005).
Other Publications
“A 17th-Century Indian Parrot: Interpreting the Art of the Deccan,” Perspectives on History,
Summer 2015.
“Between Suicide Bombings and Religious Freedom in Islamic History,” AHA Today, July 9,
2015.
“Democracy, Liberty, History,” Perspectives on History, March 2015.
“Crossing Borders, Bridging Generations: Brooklyn Historical Society Explores MixedHeritage Identities,” Perspectives on History, March 2015.
“Hit by the Wrecking Ball: Historic Buildings from the Recent Past,” Perspectives on History,
February 2015.
“Beyond the ‘Seven Speak-Nots’: History Education in China,” Perspectives on History,
February 2015.
“Jami’s Haft Awrang Undergoes Conservation at the Smithsonian,” Perspectives on History,
January 2015.
“Arab New York,” Perspectives on History, November 2014.
“Layers of Culture: Byzantine Artifacts in Heaven and Earth,” Perspectives on History,
February 2015.
“People’s Histories of the United Arab Emirates: Creating Archives and Oral Histories in
Dubai and Abu Dhabi,” Perspectives on History, October 2014.
“Modern Arab Historians Should Be Given a Wider Audience,” The National, July 29, 2014.
“History and Modernity in the Arabian Peninsula,” AHA Today, June 10, 2014.
“Creating and Preserving Cultural Heritage in the Arab World,” Perspectives on History,
April 2014.
“Recording Divergent Histories of Homelessness,” Perspectives on History, April 2014.
“Secular Revolutions, Religious Landscapes,” Sightings, University of Chicago, February 24,
2011.
“The Persecution of Religious Minorities in Iraq,” Sightings, University of Chicago, June 10,
2010.
“Iraq is Not a Shining Example for the Middle East,” Amnesty International USA Human
Rights Now blog, May 26, 2011.
“Can Social Networking Put Saudi Women Behind the Wheel?” Ms. Magazine blog, May 25,
2011.
“Arab American Women Take the Stage,” Kalimat 1, Spring 2011.
“Arabs Still Battling the Misconceptions of 9/11,” Sayidaty Magazine, Dubai, May 2009.
Public Lectures
“Democracy and the 2011 Elections in the United Arab Emirates.” University of Chicago
Divinity School. Wednesday Lunch Series. October 5, 2011.
“Human Rights in Iraq after 2003,” University of Chicago Divinity School. Wednesday Lunch
Series. November 10, 2010.
“Country Focus: The Human Rights Face and Voice of Iraq.” Amnesty International Regional
Conference. Chicago, IL. November 14, 2009.
“International Students Across Divisions: Teaching in the American Classroom.” University of
Chicago Center for Teaching and Learning Workshop on Teaching at the College. Chicago, IL.
September 22, 2009.
“The Veil: Visible and Invisible Spaces.” University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Union Art Gallery.
Milwaukee, WI. November 14, 2008.
Service to the Profession
Director of the Writing Center, Wesley Theological Seminary, August 2015-present.
Teach two courses on academic writing. Organize events. Prove one-on-one help to students.
Senior Editor, Perspectives on History, American Historical Association, March-August 2015.
Associate Editor, Perspectives on History, American Historical Association, February 2014-15.
Edited and wrote articles for the American Historical Association print magazine and blog.
Promoted articles on social media. Developed article ideas, proofread articles, worked with
designers on magazine layout.
Editor, University of Chicago, August 2010-May 2013.
Edited the University of Chicago online publication Sightings. Published articles twice a week.
Solicited articles from academics, religious leaders and thinkers. Updated the publication’s website.
Volunteer Experience
Iraq Country Specialist, Amnesty International USA, Chicago, Fall 2009-2011.
Served as AIUSA’s primary expert on the country. Monitored human rights violations in Iraq.
Wrote regular blog posts and website content. Responded to requests for help. Gave lectures.
Producer and Host, Conversations with Arab Activists, WHPK 88.5 FM Chicago, 2006-2007. x
Planned, produced and hosted the weekly radio show featuring Arabs and Arab Americans fighting
for human rights, women's rights, and freedom of religion and the press peacefully and creatively,
especially through art, theatre, dance and music.
Translation Experience
Democracy Now!, February 2011.
Translated articles from English into Arabic for the Democracy Now! website.
Department of Sociology, University of Chicago, July 2004.
Translated Islamic Adaptations Project surveys from English into Arabic for the Committee on
Human Development.
Lumiere Productions, New York, NY, March 2004.
Wrote subtitles for interviews and reports by Ha’aretz, Al-Jazeera and NPR journalists in Israel,
Palestine and Iraq for the PBS documentary “Democracy on Deadline” using Autolog.
Mundo Media, New York, NY, December 2004.
Interpreted on air for the widow of one of the American pilots whose airplane was crashed into the
World Trade Center on September 11, and an Iraqi widow whose civilian husband was shot by an
American soldier for the documentary “Ellen: What Answer to Terrorism?”
Catholic Charities, New York, NY, August 2003.
Provided live Arabic-English interpretation for a lawyer and her client, a Syrian asylum seeker.
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, Summer 2001.
Conducted research in 40 volumes of the Arabic tabaqat literature for Professor Barbara von
Schlegell. Translated 20 biographies of medieval Sufi women scholars from the tabaqat.
Selected Fellowships and Awards
2012 Arts Council Summer Fellowship for adaptation of a play based on 10th c. Iraqi stories.
Martin Marty Center Junior Fellowship for dissertation completion, 2011-2012.
Doolittle-Harrison Fellowship for conference travel, Fall 2010.
Perrin Fund Travel Grant, Fall 2010.
Frances Mary Hazen Fellowship for research, 2010-2011.
History of Judaism summer research Grant, Summer 2010.
Divinity School full scholarship for the master’s and PhD work, 2004-2010.
Edward Chipman Prize for excellent work in major, 2003.
The United Arab Emirates government scholarship for undergraduate study abroad, 2000-2003.