CGS - News & Announcements

English Fun Day

The Centre for General Studies held an English Fun Day on the 14th of December for EAS students. Designed to foster the students’ English language skills, competitions required students to produce synonyms, write expressive sentences about RUW, and imagine speeches by a famous public figures while others guessed who the speakers were. Students formed teams to compete with one another to win one of the 15 prizes provided by Paris Hilton. Ms. Noor J. Al-Noaimi, author of The Pearl Thief, then joined the fun in an author visit. The audience was comprised of EAS and Women in Literature and Popular Culture students. The author spoke about her novel, the writing process, and the use of fictional writing to express emotions. Students were excited to learn about the craft, and the author’s visit concluded with an interesting question and answer session. Ms. Noor J. Al-Noaimi then signed copies of her novel for the students, as a memorable keepsake. The author visit was followed by a karaoke session, which drew in students and faculty members from the various colleges at RUW. On the sidelines to all of the fun activities were a book sale and food sale. Special thanks go out to Barnes Noble Bookstores, Stick House, and Bluefield Burgers. 

Report on LSC 101 Educational Field trip to Alareen Park

The Centre for General Studies took the EAS orientation students of the LSC101 course for an Educational Field trip to Alareen Park on the 1^st of December, as a part of their English project work. Approximately 20 students and their lecturer with a chaperone spent quality time learning about the rare and beautiful species living in the sanctuary. The students were taken on a guided and informative tour. All of the students expressed their appreciation of such an educational and fun- filled field trip. It was a part of their project work, an oral presentation. The Accompanying Lecturer was Ms. Rama Nair (Organizer & Lecturer in charge) who was accompanied by CGS Secretary Ms. Asma Fouad.

Formation of the Reading Club

Under the aegis of CGS, the Reading Club was established on 15 November 2015 with 19 members. It is initiated and mentored by Ms. Rama Nair and supported by CGS. This endeavor is to create awareness about the benefits of reading and to encourage RUW students to become members, which will enhance the reading culture at our University and develop the language skills of our students in the long run. The President of the Club is Ms. Rania Abed, Vice President is Ms. Zainab Al Ghuloom and the Treasurer is Ms. Radhia Hassan Haji and the club activities are hosted in the new student Al Majlis room.

Ethnographic Research Workshop 

An Ethnographic Research seminar on the 15^th of December was held by Dr. Eugenie A. Samier as part of the CGS/Research Centre’s activities, designed to cover the origins, scope and forms of ethnographic research as well as a broad range of topics it can be applied to.  A list of e-resources that have been compiled for conducting ethnographic research generally and in a number of fields was distributed.

Arabic Language Day

The Centre for General Studies held an Arabic Language Day event on the 22^nd of December hosting authors of Arabic language study and literature to highlight the importance of and continuing support for Arabic language at RUW.  There were four guests presenting: Dr. Abdul Marzouki, a professor of Arabic language at the University of Bahrain, who is also one of the authors of the LAR 101 Arabic text; Dr. Ali Hilal, a former specialist in the management of Arabic language curricula and author of various publications in a number of academic levels in Bahrain; Ms. Fawzia Rasheed, a published literary author and journalist; and the poet Dr. Nabila Zubari.

Project-Based Learning

English for Academic Success Level Two students went on a trip to the movies as part of their Listening, Speaking, and Critical Thinking class. Twenty-nine students actively watched the movie “Inside Out” that was the basis for their movie review project. Ms. Norhan A. Rahman stated that this sort of trip not only enhances students’ linguistic skills through direct exposure to authentic language, but it also builds a strong relationship among lecturers and students.

CGS Writing Clinic Launch

On the 29th of November, the Centre for General Studies successfully launched one of the most significant academic services to RUW.  The aim of this service is to guide the students through their writing assignments. Ms. Norhan A. Rahman and Ms Mariam Alsada provide RUW students with strategies and tools needed to accomplish their written assignments. They catered to their needs in all of the writing process stages: brainstorming, drafting, proofreading and editing. RUW students showed their interest in the service and they started signing up for their appointments and visiting the clinic.  

RUW Conference on Women and Society

The major event for CGS in the month of April was the RUW Women and Society conference in which there was a high level of participation by CGS staff and a large numbers of papers for its parallel sessions, ranging from literary and language analysis, to women’s history, women and violence, and women’s empowerment to cultural comparisons.  The chairs of the three sessions in order of appearance were Mr. Parsa (with rapportage by Dr. E. A. Samier), Dr. Chitra (rapportage by Ms. Rama Nair), and Dr. Jennifer Orlikoff from West Virginia University (rapportage by Ms. Norhan Rahman).  CGS staff who presented papers include Ms. Norhan on ‘The effectiveness of recasts in second language acquisition,’ Ms. Rama on ‘Women across cultures: A comparative study of the South Asian and Eastern Arabian countries,’ Dr. Chitra on ‘Social construction of the “feminine” in independent India: A historical perspective,’ and Dr. Eugenie A. Samier, co-presenting with Ms. Amal Al-Gallaf on ‘Constructing modern women’s leadership identities in the Arabian Gulf: Synthesising roles from culture, tradition and modernisation,’ the last presented in a College of Business and Financial Services parallel session.

Listen, Comprehend and Present

The young ladies of Speaking courses 101 and 201 enjoyed a delightful experience of watching a new release movie of 2016, entitled ‘Zootropolis’. They were required to critique various aspects of the storyline and present their views in front of the class for their project assessment. The icing on the cake was that the RUW students were offered a special package by Cineco: a concession priced ticket with a popcorn pack, a drink and a chocolate bar. It was indeed in a splendid manner that the students enhanced their listening and speaking skills in the English language.

Strategies for Learning a Second Language

Dr. Jennifer Orlikoff, Chair, Director of the Center for Women's and Gender Studies at West Virginia University, gave the Orientation Programme students a lecture on strategies and techniques to enhance their second language learning. She shared with them her experience in being a second language learner herself. RUW girls were engaged and excited to apply all what they have learned.

Women across Cultures Guest Lecture

Dr. Jennifer Orlikoff, Chair, Director of the Center for Women's and Gender Studies at West Virginia University elaborated on the status of women in U.S. and how their reproductive rights are perceived. Students were engaged in a discussion led by Dr. Chitra Sinha, a women studies specialist at the Royal University for women. Not only LAR 133 students enjoyed that interactive section but also other LAR students were invited and actively participated.

History of Bahrain Students visited “Bahrain National Charter

Dr. Abdul Raheem Shaheen accompanied 19 students from the History of Bahrain course in a field trip to the National Charter. The students were engaged in very informative activities and were very enthusiastic to share what they learned through their projects.

Physical Education Horse Back Riding

The LAR 143 Physical Education Class visited the Rashid Equestrian and Horse Club on March the 7th to visit the facilities, learn about how horses are raised and trained for racing and pleasure riding, as well as have an opportunity to have a few minutes ride in the paddock area.  Students were chaperoned by Drs. Fatema and Eugenie, who also enjoyed the visit to the club.