Jumana S. Al-Ahmad

Jumana S. Al-Ahmad is a visiting assistant professor of Arabic in the Department of Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures at Virginia Tech. She holds a Ph.D. degree from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam in the Netherlands where her research focused on Islam and Human Rights and an M.A from the University of Virginia in Middle Eastern Studies.

Her current research focuses on teaching about the Middle East through critical, ethical, and humanistic approaches that enhance global and intercultural learning.

Prior to joining VT, Dr. Jumana taught at several American universities including Washington and Lee University, Wake Forest University, and the University of Richmond. She has taught all levels of Arabic, as well as cultural content courses such as Media Arabic, Social Justice in Arab Thought, Middle Eastern Cinema, Islam and Human Rights, and Women and Gender in Islam. In addition, she taught intensive Arabic for five summers at the Summer Language Institute at the University of Virginia. She has a deep passion for the arts and has completed academic training in drawing and painting.

Dr. Jumana has received several grants supporting her research including the Lenfest Grant and American Institute for Maghrib Studies (AIMS). She is active in presenting her research at regional, national, and international academic conferences, including the American Academy of Religion, Arab Council for Social Science, American Association of Teachers of Arabic, Critical Muslim Studies, and the Women International Forum. She has given talks on her research at numerous universities, including George Mason University, Emory University, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam,  and Ghent University.

In teaching Arabic, she is committed to a proficiency-based approach that fosters student engagement and language acquisition. Her goal is to raise students’ awareness of the language and guide them toward achieving a desired level of proficiency. Her teaching focuses on three key aspects: 1) an integrated approach to developing the four language skills: reading, writing, listening, and speaking through communicative methods; 2) an emphasis on accurate use of grammatical structures and clear pronunciation to enhance effective communication; 3) fostering an understanding of the diverse cultures of the Arabic-speaking world.