Brief Bio 1. Personal Information Name: Dr. Emily Jane O'Dell E-­‐mail: emilyodell@squ.edu.om Academic Rank: Assistant Professor Department: English Specialization: Literature Minor specialization: Creative Writing Address: Sultan Qaboos University, College of Arts & Social Sciences. P.O Box 42, P.C. 123. Al-­‐Khod, Sultanate of Oman 2. Employment History Place of Work (Institution) Year Occupation Sultan Qaboos University 2015-­‐present Assistant Professor of English Literature American University of Beirut 2012-­‐2015 Whittlesey Chair & Visiting Assistant Professor Columbia University 2010-­‐2012 Adjunct Assistant Professor Harvard University 2008-­‐2009 Postdoctoral Fellow & Lecturer 3. Education and Qualifications 3-­‐ 1 Qualifications Year Qualification Institution 2009 Postdoctoral Fellowship Harvard University 2010 Masters Columbia University 2008 PhD Brown University 2006 Masters Brown University 2003 Masters Brown University 2001 BA Brown University St. Petersburg State University / Duke 2007 Certificate of Advanced Russian University (Russia) University of California / Universitas Wacana 2014 Certificate of Advanced Indonesian / (Java, Indonesia) Completion of Fulbright American Institute of Iranian Studies 2008 Persian and Tajiki Language Certificate (Tajikistan) 3-­‐2 Courses Taught (SELECTED) Level Egyptomania: Imaginging Egypt in Literature, Theatre, & Film (*I received Undergraduate & graduate an award for teaching excellence at Harvard for this course) [Harvard University] Studies in the Essay [SQU] Undergraduate World Literature [SQU] Undergraduate Research Project [SQU] Undergraduate Introduction to Literature [SQU] Undergraduate Academic Writing [SQU] Undergraduate Introductory & Intermediate Playwriting/Drama [Brown University] Undergraduate & graduate Introduction to Semitics [American University of Beirut] Undergraduate & graduate Medieval, Islamic, and Renaissance Civilizations (Literature course) Undergraduate [American University of Beirut] Ancient Near East and Classical Civilizations (Literature course) [American Undergraduate University in Beirut] Ancient Egyptian Literature [Brown University] Undergraduate & graduate Middle Egyptian (hieroglyphic language course) [Brown University] Undergraduate & graduate Sufism in Central Asia [Columbia University] Undergraduate & graduate Ancient Egyptian & Nubian Cilvilzations [Columbia University & American Undergraduate & graduate University of Beirut] Egyptian Religion [Columbia University & American University of Beirut] Undergraduate & graduate 4. Research 4-­‐1 Research Interests (SELECTED) Critical Theory Cultural Studies World Theatre / Performance Studies Creative Writing 1|Page
Film Studies & Screenwriting World Literature Islamic Studies Philology Archaeology & Cultural Heritage Studies 4-­‐2 Papers (5 most important or recent papers) "Subversives & Saints: Sufism and the State in Central Asia,” in Pauline Jones Luong, (ed.) Islam, Society and Politics in Central Asia. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press, 2016. "Historicizing Peace between Muslims and Christians in Sudan," Archaeology and Cultural Heritage in War and Peace, Routledge, 2016. "From Leprosy to The Willow Tree: Decoding Disability & Islamic Spirituality in Iranian Film," Disability & Society, 2015. "X Marks the Spot: Mapping Malcolm's Encounters with Sudan," Journal of Africana Religions ("The Meaning of Malcolm X for Africana Religions: Fifty Years On": A Special Issue), January 2015.s “Iranian-­‐Russian Cinematic Encounters,” in Stephanie Cronin, (ed.) Empires and Revolution: Iranian-­‐Russian Encounters Since 1800. London: I.B. Tauris, 2013. "Waging War on the Dead: Necropolitics and Sufi Shrine Destruction in Mali,” Archaeologies, December 2013. 4-­‐3 Conferences (5 most important or recent conferences) "Advancing Disability Rights in Bhutan & Oman," The Royal Palace of Bhutan/Center for Bhutan Studies (Paro, Bhutan), November 2015. "From Leprosy to the Willow Tree: Decoding Disability & Spirituality in Iranian Film," Rethinking Disability on Screen Symposium, University of York, May 2015. "Sufism and the State in Post-­‐Soviet Central Asia," "Sufism in India & Central Asia International Conference," Jamia Millia Islamia (India), 2015. “Memories of the Mongols at Merv: Surveying Archaeological & Textual (Persian and Arabic) Accounts,” Society of East Asian Archaeology Conference at the National University of Mongolia, June 2014. “A Russian-­‐Iranian Cinematic Encounter: The Birth of Iranian Film,” Empires and Revolutions: Iranian-­‐Russian encounters since 1800 Conference (SOAS/Iran Heritage Foundation/London Middle East Institute), School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, Summer 2009. 4-­‐4 Thesis Supervision (5 most recent theses) Columbia University: Mary Cochran, "Identity Erased: The Collateral Damage of Cultural Heritage Destruction during War" 5. Awards (SELECTED) Harvard University Award for Distinction in Teaching, Harvard University, 2009. Whittlesey Chair, Department of History and Archaeology, American University of Beirut, 2012-­‐13. Harvard University Postdoctoral Travel Grant for Travel to Iran (Islamic shrines in Shiraz, Esfehan & Tehran), Harvard University, Spring 2009. Postdoctoral Fellowship, The Humanities Center, Harvard University, 2008-­‐2009. Fulbright-­‐Hays for Advanced Indonesian & research on the history of Islam in Indonesia, UCLA/UKSW in Java, 2014 American University of Beirut Faculty Travel Grant to Mongolia (Mongolian archaeology), May-­‐June 2014. American University of Beirut Faculty Travel Grant to India (Sufism in India), 2014. Critical Language Scholarship (Persian & Tajiki) in Dushanbe, Tajikistan (American Institute of Iranian Studies), 2008. Title VIII Research Scholar Grant (Islam/Sufism in Turkmenistan & Uzbekistan), 2011. Visiting Research Fellowship (history of Sufism in Kyrgyzstan), the Social Research Center (SRC) at the American University of Central Asia, Kyrgyzstan, 2011-­‐present. IREX Short-­‐Term Travel Grant (history of Islam in the Czech Republic & Slovakia), 2010-­‐2011. IREX Research Travel Grant to Kazakhstan & Kyrgyzstan, 2015. Edward Hewett Policy Fellowship (Islamic law & Sufism in Tajikistan & Afghanistan), National Council for Eurasian and East European Research, 2009-­‐2010. Pepsico Fellowship to Uzbekistan and Karakalpakstan (Sufi shrine research), Harriman Institute, Columbia University, 2010. Czech FLAS Fellowship, Columbia University, 2009-­‐10. SOAS Travel Grant for a conference on “Russian-­‐Iranian Encounters Since the Early Nineteenth Century” (Iran Heritage Foundation & SOAS, June 2009. Persian (Farsi) Fellowship, Persian Flagship Program at the University of Maryland, 2009. Foreign Language Area Scholarship (FLAS), St. Petersburg State University, Russia, 2007. Brown University Research Travel Grant to Russia, 2007. Wilbour Fellowships in Egyptology, Brown University, 2005-­‐2008. Brown Summer Middle Eastern Studies Fellowships, 2003-­‐2007. Graduate Middle Eastern Studies Fellowship, Brown University, 2004-­‐2005. Creative Writing Graduate Fellowship, Brown University, 2001-­‐2003. 2|Page
Weston Playwriting Award, Brown University, 2001. Minnie Hicks Award for Elocution, Brown University, 2001. 6. Community Service 6-­‐1 Community services (Lectures – Seminars – etc….) [SELECTED] "X Marks the Spot: Mapping Malcolm's Encounters with Sudan," American University of Beirut, February 2015. "Preserving Endangered Languages & Heritage in Oman," Sultan Qaboos University, Sultanate of Oman, 2015. "Writing Refugees," Sultan Qaboos University, Sultanate of Oman, 2015. "The Contendings of Horus & Seth," American University of Beirut, April 2015. “The History & Transmission of Islam in Java,” Universitas Kristen Satya Wacana (Java, Indonesia), August 2014. “Teaching Sainthood: The Pedagogy of Sufism & the Wali Songo in Java,” Universitas Kristen Satya Wacana (Java, Indonesia), August 2014. “Subversives & Saints: Sufism and the State in Central Asia” (Anis Makdisi Lecture), American University of Beirut, Spring 2014. th
“Mleeta: An Archaeology of Terror or War?,” 19 Annual European Association of Archaeologists, Pilsen (Plzeň), Czech Republic, 2013. “Adjudicating Bodily Difference in Iranian Islamic Jurisprudence,” Sexual Sovereignty: Citizenship, Governmentality, Territory Conference, American University of Beirut, 2013. “Adjudicating Antiquity: The Taliban & Archaeology,” World Archaeology Congress (Jordan), January 2013. “Imaginging Sufi Space in Central Asia,” Columbia University, Annual World Convention of the Association for the Study of Nationalities (ASN), 2013. “Women and Medieval Islamic Shrine Visitation in Turkmenistan,” Harriman Institute, Columbia University, 2011. “Recent Fatwas from the Ulema Council of Afghanistan: the Role of Islamic Jurisprudence in Afghanistan in the Post-­‐9/11 Era,” Harriman Institute, Columbia University, 2011. “Islam and Gender in the Czech and Slovak Republics,” Yale University (Department of Anthropology), November 2010. “Journeys into the Heart of Islam: Sufi Travels and Tales,” Arab Studies Program, Brown University, 2010. “Czech Mates: Collaborations between Iranian and Czech Communists During the Cold War,” the 15th Annual World Convention of the Association for the Study of Nationalities (ASN), Columbia University, May 2010. “Cultural Competence in a Global Society," Turkish Cultural Center, New York, July 2010. “What is Sufism?” Turkish Cultural Center, September 2010. “Tombstones for Tables: Posthumous Living in the Islamic City of the Dead,” The Oriental City Conference, Institute of Oriental Philology at Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland, May 2009. Discussant, “Production and Transmission of Islamic Knowledge in Azerbaijan: Between Traditional Authorities and New Actors” (Dr. Rufat N. Sattarov), The Changing Social Role of Islam in Post-­‐Soviet Eurasia (Conference), Harvard University, st
March 20-­‐21 , 2009. “Iran and Tajikistan: Perfect Together?” 14th Annual World Convention of the Association for the Study of Nationalities (ASN), Columbia University, May 2009. “A Russian-­‐Iranian Cinematic Encounter: The Birth of Iranian Film,” Empires and Revolutions: Iranian-­‐Russian encounters since 1800 Conference, Iran Heritage Foundation and London Middle East Institute, SOAS (LMEI), School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, Summer 2009. “Emotional Egyptians: Excavating, Cataloging and Defining Emotion," Semitic Philology Workshop, Harvard University, March 2009. “Ancient Egyptian Emoticons: Excavating Fossils of Cognition in Art and Literature," the Humanities Center of Harvard University, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, March 2008. “Hieroglyphic Preservation and Archaeological Excavation: The Abu Bakr Cemetery at the Great Pyramids of Giza,” The Aga Khan Humanities Project, University of Central Asia, Tajikistan, July 2008. Coordinator (taught poetry to adults with developmental disabilities), Howard Swearer Center for Public Service, Brown University, 2001-­‐2003. Coordinator (taught playwriting, directing and acting to Providence at-­‐risk high school students), The Cast, Howard Swearer Center for Public Service, Brown University, 1997-­‐2003. Contributor, SHARIAsource Project, Harvard's Islamic Legal Studies Program. Volunteer, Migrant Worker Task Force & Cancer Center (Beirut), 2014-­‐2015. Masters & Undergraduate Thesis advisor, Columbia University, 2011-­‐2012. Sheridan Center Teaching Liaison, Brown University, 2005-­‐2009. 6-­‐2 Committee membership (5 main committees) Committee Member, Seminar Committee (English Department), Sultan Qaboos University Committee Member, Sports Committee, Sultan Qaboos University Brown Bag Series Coordinator (Seminar Committee), Civilization Studies Program, American University of Beirut, 2014-­‐2015 Faculty Advisor, Outlook (Student Newspaper), American University in Beirut, 2012-­‐2013. Alumni Interview Committee (interviewer of Brown University undergraduate applicants), 2006-­‐present. 3|Page
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