| July 7, 2016

Mai Hussein, Lecturer and Researcher

Mai Hussein, Lecturer and Researcher

BY: as told by Mai Hussein / as written by Catherine Nygren

PRINT IMRPIMER

Mai HusseinI worked on my dissertation on the theatre of Wajdi Mouawad in both Drama, my primary area, and French, my home department. My supervisors were very helpful,  as were my committee, particularly in preparing me for candidacy.  I also had to adjust my writing to a more North American style,  compared to Middle Eastern lyric writing,  so my supervisors’ feedback was helpful,  as were workshops through campus writing centres and the department. During my program, I also taught many Arabic courses, and my pedagogy was significantly influenced by a teaching mentor.

When I started,  I was guaranteed four years of funding,  but budget cuts reduced that to two years.  A couple scholarships and contract instructor positions helped,  but it wasn’t enough because of international student fees,  so I had to rely on my spouse and work as a freelance translator.  

In my department and campus events,  I represented the Arabic language community.  I’m no longer involved in committees,  but I’m still friends with current instructors and colleagues.  In the larger community,  I’m very involved with tutoring and translating,  especially for Syrian refugees, and I volunteer extensively in the community and with my mosque.

I completed my degree in six years.  Coursework and teaching took up a lot of time, and I have a family,  so this seems like the most achievable amount of time,  despite the unrealistic pressure to finish in four years. When I started my doctoral program,  I didn’t know that if I do a PhD at a university,  I won’t be hired by that same university,  unlike in other countries. I would like an academic job,  but my family is settled here now,  so I want to stay in this city. I’m currently teaching French and Arabic courses at various institutions,  and looking for permanent positions.

I wish that I’d had better exposure to training to for nonacademic positions from the beginning,  so that I hadn’t focused on academic training or built a self-identity around getting into academia. Even things like interviewing are different in different countries, so more hands-on workshops would have been helpful. My PhD experience is relevant to my teaching, but outside of academia, such as in my translating work, less so.

Mai HusseinI worked on my dissertation on the theatre of Wajdi Mouawad in both Drama, my primary area, and French, my home department. My supervisors were very helpful,  as were my committee, particularly in preparing me for candidacy.  I also had to adjust my writing to a more North American style,  compared to Middle Eastern lyric writing,  so my supervisors’ feedback was helpful,  as were workshops through campus writing centres and the department. During my program, I also taught many Arabic courses, and my pedagogy was significantly influenced by a teaching mentor.

When I started,  I was guaranteed four years of funding,  but budget cuts reduced that to two years.  A couple scholarships and contract instructor positions helped,  but it wasn’t enough because of international student fees,  so I had to rely on my spouse and work as a freelance translator.  

In my department and campus events,  I represented the Arabic language community.  I’m no longer involved in committees,  but I’m still friends with current instructors and colleagues.  In the larger community,  I’m very involved with tutoring and translating,  especially for Syrian refugees, and I volunteer extensively in the community and with my mosque.

I completed my degree in six years.  Coursework and teaching took up a lot of time, and I have a family,  so this seems like the most achievable amount of time,  despite the unrealistic pressure to finish in four years. When I started my doctoral program,  I didn’t know that if I do a PhD at a university,  I won’t be hired by that same university,  unlike in other countries. I would like an academic job,  but my family is settled here now,  so I want to stay in this city. I’m currently teaching French and Arabic courses at various institutions,  and looking for permanent positions.

I wish that I’d had better exposure to training to for nonacademic positions from the beginning,  so that I hadn’t focused on academic training or built a self-identity around getting into academia. Even things like interviewing are different in different countries, so more hands-on workshops would have been helpful. My PhD experience is relevant to my teaching, but outside of academia, such as in my translating work, less so.

Discussion

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

OR AS GUEST

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Participer en tant qu’invité