Welcome Dr Mashail Ali



Dr Mashail Ali joins the Department as our new Director of Studies for Languages and Cultural Studies.

We asked Dr Ali to tell us of her future plans here at the Department.

'Languages have always been associated with lifelong learning. Learning a language is fun and challenging, and nurtures a global outlook, while more specific benefits include employability, personal and professional development and networking. Such a wide range of needs and interests continues to shape the thriving languages and cultural studies programme at the Department for Continuing Education.'

Why study a language?

'There are more than 700 reasons people study languages - according to research conducted by the Higher Education Academy's Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies in 2005. The strongest of these are the personal benefits and enjoyment that people gain from learning a language. People also study languages as a means toward exploring a community's identity, to gain intercultural competence, to enhance their enjoyment of travel, and to acquire an understanding of others' values, beliefs and attitudes.

'The phrase 'world languages' conveys the programme's global breadth and regional appeal - but it also encompasses the various strands of the programme: classics, the traditionally taught languages (European), the less-taught languages (non-European), heritage/community languages, language studies and linguistics.'

Weekly classes and day schools

'My plan for the Department's language courses for the coming academic year is to offer new languages and more advanced levels for progression, both in Oxford and Reading. I also want to maintain the very popular intensive weekends, and offer a wider range of options on day schools to include themes such as:

  • German-speaking Refugees in Britain during WW2-Culture in Exile
  • China: Traditions and Modernity
  • The Representation of New Political Trends in Italy
  • Traditions in Contemporary Arab Culture

 

'Discourse Analysis, Introduction to Linguistics, and Semantics will be included in both the day school and accredited weekly classes programmes in future.

'Two new literature weekly classes - one in Italian Medieval and Renaissance Literature and another in Contemporary French Literature - will be introduced in the coming 2014-15 academic year. The Spanish team are also offering two new advanced level weekly classes: 'Ideology in Spanish Language' and 'Legal and Business Spanish.'

Online courses

'To reach our international audience, and to respond to the increasing interest in issues relating to multicultural societies and intercultural learning, an accredited online course in intercultural learning is currently under development. This course will meet the needs of staff working for multinational companies, community and voluntary organisations, and government departments as well as members of the public.'

Come learn with us!

'In short - my aim is to continue to engage with the wider community, anticipate emerging needs and trends, and to enhance the stimulating learning environment that the Department is known for.'

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Dr Ali has a Bachelor's in Education and a Master's in Linguistics from the University of Mosul (Iraq), a Masters in Education from the Open University, and PhD in Applied Linguistics from Birkbeck College, University of London.

Since completing her PhD in 1995, she has been teaching the theory and techniques of translation practice, sociolinguistics, Arabic language and culture, and language policy and politics in the Arab World in a range of contexts, university departments and centres, including the London School of Economics, Goldsmiths College, the City Literary Institute, the FCO's diplomatic service, Imperial College, and King's College London, where she became Programmes Director for the undergraduate and postgraduate language provision covering 15 languages.

Dr Ali joined the Department in November of 2013. She replaces former Director of Languages and Cultural Studies Anna di Stefano, who retired in 2013.

To learn more about our offerings in language and cultural studies, please see: www.conted.ox.ac.uk/language. Please note that the 2014-2015 academic year's classes will be online in mid-June.

Published 13 May 2014