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Profile

College / Department

College of Arts and Sciences
Department of English

Teaching areas

Language and identity, global English, interlanguagepragmatics, sociolinguistics, intercultural communication, curriculum & material development, classroom research, ESL/EFL teaching methods, practicum in TESOL, and academic writing.

Research areas

Language and identity, language policy, global English, intercultural communication styles (verbal & nonverbal), culture and thought, interlanguage and intercultural pragmatics, sociolinguistics, and second language acquisition.

Education

B.A. English Language and Literature, Yarmouk University, Jordan, 1986
M.A. Applied Linguistics/TESOL, Azusa Pacific University, Azusa, CA, 1994
PhD. Rhetoric and Linguistics, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, PA. 1998

Professional experience

University of Cologne, Germany, summer 2011
Qatar University, Qatar fall 2013 & spring 2014
Imam Muhammad bin Saud University, Saudi Arabia, spring 2011
Otto-von-Guericke University, Germany, spring 2006
American University of Sharjah, Sharjah, UAE, 1998 - Present

Memberships

International Communication Association (ICA), International Association for Intercultural Communication Studies (IAICS), and the American Association of Applied Linguistics (AAAL).

Contact

aissa@aus.edu
+971 6 515 2723

Dr. Ahmad Al-Issa

Professor | Associate Dean
PhD in Rhetoric and Linguistics,Indiana University of Pennsylvania, USA

Ahmad Al-Issa has taught graduate and undergraduate courses and seminars in applied linguistics and communication in the US, Germany and Jordan. His areas of research include cross-cultural communication, language and identity, global English, pragmatics, classroom research, teaching effectiveness and curriculum design. He is a member of many international organizations and a recipient of several international research grants. He has published many articles and book chapters, and presented papers and workshops in many parts of the world.

Publications

Al-Issa, A. (2017). English as a medium of instruction and the endangerment of Arabic literacy: The case of the United Arab Emirates. Arab World English Journal, 8(3), 3-17.
Kaspar, K., Newen, A., Dratsch, T., Bruin. L., Al-Issa, A., & Bente, G. (2016). Whom to blame and whom to praise: Two cross-cultural studies on the appraisal of positive and negative side effects of company activities. International Journal of Cross Cultural Management, 16(3), 341-365.
Bente, G. Dratsch, T. Rieger, D., & Al-Issa, A. (2014). Emotional contagion with artificial others: Effects of culture, physical appearance and nonverbal behavior on the perception of positive/negative affect in avatars. In G. Meiselwitz (Ed.), Social Computing and Social Media: Lecture Notes in Computer Science (pp. 411-420). Heraklion, Greece: HCI International (ISBN: 978-3-319-07631-7).
Fischer, O., & Al-Issa, A. (2012). In for a surprise: Piloting the Arab version of the VSM 94. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 36(1), 737-742.
Al-Issa, A., & Dahan, L. (2011). (Eds). Global English and Arabic: Issues of Language, Culture and Identity. New York: Peter Lang. Publishers. (ISBN 978-3-0343-0293-7).
Al-Issa, A. (2005). When the West teaches the East: Analyzing intercultural conflict in the classroom. Intercultural Communication Studies, 4 (3) 129-148.
Al-Issa, A. (2004). Global nomads and the search for cultural identity: Tips from the classroom. College Teaching, 52 (1) 31.
Al-Issa, A. (2003). Sociocultural transfer in L2 speech behaviors: Evidence and motivating factors. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, (27) 581-601.
Al-Issa, A., & Sulieman, H. (2007). Student evaluations of teaching: Perceptions and biasing factors. Quality Assurance in Education, 15(3), 302-317.
Al-Issa, A. (2006). Schema theory and L2 reading comprehension: Implications for teaching. College Teaching and Learning, 3(7), 41-48.
Al-Issa, A. (2011). Global migrations, global English, and the transformation of identity in the UAE. In A. Temimi, & A. Daoudi (Eds.), Arabic Language and the Internet (pp. 21-35). Center for the Advanced Study of the Arab World (CASAW), University of Durham, UK.
Al-Issa, A., & Abo Eissa, A. (2011). Teachers’ attitude and practices towards providing feedback on EFL Arab student’s writing. In C. Gitsaki (Ed.), Teaching and Learning in the Arab World (pp. 161-180). New York: Peter Lang Publishers.
Bente, G., Leuschner, H., Al-Issa, A., & Blascovich, J. (2010). The others: Universals and cultural specificities in the perception of status and dominance from nonverbal behavior. Consciousness and Cognition, 19 (3), 762-777.
Bente, G., Senokozlieva, M., Penning, S., Al-Issa, A., & Fisher, O. (2008). Deciphering the secret code. A new methodology for the cross-cultural analysis of nonverbal behavior. Behavior Research Methods, 40 (1), 269-277.
Al-Issa, A.,& Dahan, L. (2008). Prior knowledge and writing in the college EFL composition classroom. In C. Coombe, A. Jendli, & P. Davidson (Eds.), Teaching Writing Skills in English: Theory, Research and Pedagogy. (pp. 17-26). Dubai: TESOL Arabia Publications.
Al-Issa, A., & Sulieman, H. (2007). L2 learners and student evaluations of teaching: Issues of language comprehension at an American university in the UAE. In L. Barlow, & C. Coombe (Eds.), Language Teacher Research in the Middle East (pp. 21-40). Washington, DC. TESOL International, Inc.
Golley, N., & Al-Issa, A. (2007). A Journey of belonging: A global(ized) self finds peace. In N. Golley (Ed.), Exploring Identity: Contemporary Arab Women’s Autobiographical Writings (pp. 201-221). New York: Syracuse University Press.

Conference Presentations

Al-Issa, A. (March 2017). Language Literacy Attrition: An Empirical Investigation. Paper presented at the 5th Global Summit on Education in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Al-Issa, A. June, 2010). Language and Identity in the Arab Word: The Case of the UAE. Paper presented at the International Conference on e-Arabic. University of Durham, Durham, England.
Al-Issa, A. (June, 2013). RELAX: A model for analyzing cultural conflicts in the EFL classroom. Paper presented at the 3rd Asian Conference on Language Learning, Osaka, Japan.
Al-Issa, A. (March, 2009). Global English and Endangered Arabic. Paper presented at the International Conference on Languages and Cultures in Contact?Then and Now, Czestochowa, Poland.
Al-Issa, A. (April 2016). Effective Teaching: Tales from Arabia. Paper presented at the IRCEEL2016 in Tbilisi, Georgia.
Al-Issa, A. (April 2015). Integrated assessment model for intercultural communication competence. Paper presented at the Mediterranean Conference for Academic Disciplines, Valletta, Malta.

Awards and Honors

Research Grant, Volkswagen Foundation, 2010 - 2012
Research Grant, German Science Foundation 2005 – 2008
AUS Faculty Research Grants 2005 & 2009
Research Grant, British Academy - International Partnership Competition 2009
Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society, 1998

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