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Dr Rasha Soliman

Dr Rasha Soliman

  • Position: Associate Professor of Arabic Language and Linguistics
  • Areas of expertise: teaching Arabic as a second language; applied linguistics; sociolinguistics; curriculum design; language learning needs & attitudes; Arabic teacher training; dialectology & mutual intelligibility.
  • Email: R.K.Soliman@leeds.ac.uk
  • Phone: +44(0)113 343 9826
  • Location: 4.04a Michael Sadler Building
  • Website: | Twitter | LinkedIn | Googlescholar | Researchgate | ORCID | White Rose

Profile

Teaching Arabic as a Second Language has been my career since 1995. I started teaching Modern Standard Arabic and Egyptian Colloquial Arabic in Cairo before I decided in 2001 to pursue an MA in Applied Linguistics at the University of Southern Queensland in Australia. In 2004, I moved to the UK and took an Arabic teaching post at the University of Manchester. In January 2015, I completed my PhD study in Arabic Applied Linguistics. My research focused on the mutual intelligibility between native speakers of different Arabic dialects. It also focused on how to incorporate Arabic language variation in the classroom.  In September, 2015, I joined the University of Leeds as a Teaching Fellow in Arabic Language then as a Lecturer in Arabic Language and Linguistics since September, 2017.

External Examiner experience: Undergraduate and Postgraduate coursework and research at: ,The University of Edinburgh, Goldsmiths – University of London, Nottingham Trent University, Coventry University, University of Cambridge, Manchester Metropolitan University, UNILANG  for the Association of University Language Communities.

Responsibilities

  • Director of Leeds Centre for Excellence in Language Teaching
  • LCS Equality and Inclusion Lead

Research interests

Arabic Applied Linguistics with a focus on:

  • Diglossia
  • Arabic Language Variation and Dialectal Mutual Intelligibility
  • Teaching Arabic as a Second Language
  • Methods of Grammar Teaching
  • Arabic Language Learning Needs & Attitudes
  • Second Language Teacher Education
  • The application of the Common European Framework of Reference to the teaching of Arabic as a Second Language

Research Projects

I am currently conducting research on Learners’ perceptions of Arabic grammar and its teaching methods. I have also been working on the creation of a CEFR vocabulary profile for Arabic language.

<h4>Research projects</h4> <p>Any research projects I'm currently working on will be listed below. Our list of all <a href="https://ahc.leeds.ac.uk/dir/research-projects">research projects</a> allows you to view and search the full list of projects in the faculty.</p>

Qualifications

  • PhD in Arabic Applied Linguistics - University of Leeds
  • MA in Applied Linguistics - University of Southern Queensland - Australia
  • Post-Graduate Certificate in Second Language Teaching - University of Southern Queensland

Professional memberships

  • BAAL - British Association for Applied Linguistics
  • UCML - University Council of Modern Languages
  • AULC - Association of University Language Centres
  • BRISMES - British Society for Middle Eastern Studies

Student education

I convene and teach Level 1 Arabic Language modules (ARAB1001 and ARAB1002).

Research groups and institutes

  • Arabic
  • Dialectology
  • Language at Leeds
  • Language variation
  • Language pedagogy
<h4>Postgraduate research opportunities</h4> <p>We welcome enquiries from motivated and qualified applicants from all around the world who are interested in PhD study. Our <a href="https://phd.leeds.ac.uk">research opportunities</a> allow you to search for projects and scholarships.</p>