Jordan: Modernization and Social Change

Faculty and Staff

"What sets this program apart is the attention and support given to each one of us. The SIT staff has been unbelievable in meeting my personal and emotional needs. All of the SIT staff contributed greatly to my experience and I hope to come back to Jordan to visit. Through SIT I really got to see the beautiful culture and traditions of Jordan."

Annie Rupani, Boston University

Dr. Raed Al-Tabini, Academic Director
Dr. Raed Al-Tabini, a Jordanian national, holds a PhD in arid and semi-arid land management and community development from the University of Newcastle Upon Tyne in the UK. He is a former deputy president of the Badia Research and Development Centre in Jordan. Dr. Al-Tabini has managed a variety of development projects in the Middle East and North Africa on such diverse topics as community-based rangeland rehabilitation, management of scarce water resources, and developing sustainable livelihoods in agro-pastoral communities. He also collaborated on establishing the Badia Center for Ecological Educational. Dr. Al-Tabini is a frequent presenter at international conferences and has published 25 academic papers and reports in the field of sustainable development. He has served as an academic director with SIT Study Abroad since the summer of 2007, first with the Water and Environmental Policy in the Middle East program, and subsequently as academic director of SIT's Modernization and Social Change program, both of which are based in Jordan.

Dr. Al-Tabini’s recent publications:

“Livestock, medicinal plants and rangeland viability in Jordan's Badia: through the lens of traditional and local knowledge” published in Pastoralism: Research, Policy and Practice (2012)
“Efficient Water Conservation in Agriculture for Growing Urban Water Demands in Jordan” in Water Policy (2011)

View Dr. Al-Tabini's Research

Jumana Mohamad Attieh Al-Mahamid, Program Assistant
Jumana Al-Mahamid obtained her BA in French language and literature from the University of Jordan in 2003. She also holds an MA in international education from SIT Graduate Institute. She started teaching Modern Standard and spoken Arabic as a foreign language at the University of Jordan in 2000. Jumana has worked for several international organizations as a language instructor, including the Jordan Cement Company, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and the United States Naval Academy. She also has served as an interpreter at the French Cultural Center in Amman. Jumana has developed several manuals for teaching spoken Arabic that aim to integrate Arabic language and culture. She is currently teaching spoken Arabic for SIT Study Abroad, the French Cultural Center, the French Embassy in Amman, and the Qasid Institute for Classical and Modern Standard Arabic. Jumana is a co-author of Yalla Ndardesh, a spoken Jordanian/Palestinian Arabic course.

Dema Matrouk Al Oun, Homestay Coordinator
Dema Al Oun has been working as a homestay coordinator with SIT Study Abroad since 2008. In this capacity, Dema assists with a wide range of homestay arrangements and also works with both students and host families on cross-cultural communication skills. She received her BA and MA in law from the University of Jordan. In addition to her work with SIT Study Abroad, Dema is an active volunteer with the National Center for Human Rights, the Jordan Center for Civil Education Studies, the Jordan Society for Human Rights, and the University of Jordan's Community Service Office. She is also involved in activities with the local community in the Northern Badia. Dema is a member of the Photographic Society of Jordan and Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Knowledge Center‏.

Ahmad Al Rawajfeh, Administrative Assistant to the Academic Director
Ahmad Al Rawajfeh obtained his MA in public administration from the University of Jordan in 2004. He has worked at the Badia Research & Development Centre as head of public relations and community development outreach. In past semesters, he has worked with SIT Study Abroad as a part-time logistical assistant, and since fall 2009 he has been working with SIT as full-time administrative assistant to the academic director. He also has worked part-time with the Royal Botanic Garden in Amman as a research assistant and a focus group coordinator.

Rima Al-Akramawi, Language Coordinator and Instructor
Rima Al-Akramawi holds a BA in English language and literature from Mutah University and is a certified translator and language proficiency interviews (LPI) tester. She started working with SIT in Amman as a language instructor in the summer of 2010. Rima has eight years of experience teaching Arabic as a second language. She has worked as a language coordinator with the Peace Corps, and is currently working as an Arabic language instructor at the French Cultural Center of Amman and at the Qasid Institute for Classical and Modern Standard Arabic.

Mahmoud Al-Shafie, Language Instructor
Mahmoud Al-Shafie has been a language instructor with SIT since February 2007. He received his BA in education, with a concentration in Arabic, from the University of Jordan, where he also earned a master's degree in curriculum and teaching in Arabic. He is currently a PhD candidate in curriculum and Arabic teaching methodology at Amman Arab University. Mahmoud worked previously as an Arabic instructor for speakers of other languages at the University of Jordan's Language Center. He has published two novels, Nuzha Fee Jahannam (Picnic in Hell) and La'natu AL-Jasad (Body Curse). His other publications include the series, “Noon Wal Qalam, Teaching Arabic for Speakers of Other Languages.”

Hala Alfayez, Language Instructor
Hala has a BA in law from the University of Jordan. She received training for teaching Arabic as a foreign language from the University of Jordan and Qasid Institute for Classical and Modern Standard Arabic. She worked as a language-speaking partner to American students at the American Center of Oriental Research (ACOR). Currently, she is working as an Arabic language teacher with SIT Study Abroad.

Riham Al-Naimat, Language Instructor
Riham Al-Naimat obtained a master’s degree in Arabic language and literature from Al-Albayt University in 2007. In 2009, Riham began volunteering as a SIT Jordan language instructor for intermediate high and advanced levels. In the summer of 2010, she joined SIT full time and has been teaching Modern Standard Arabic ever since. She previously worked as an Arabic instructor at the Jordanian Ministry of Education and as an Arabic instructor and language coordinator at international schools in Saudi Arabia.