Brief Bio
1. Personal Information
Name: Sandhya Rao Mehta
E-mail: rao@squ.edu.om
Academic Rank: Assistant Professor
Department: English
Specialization: Literature
Minor specialization:
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
2000-Present
Lecturer/Assistant Professor
Delhi University
1990-2000
Lecturer/Reader
Institution
Himachal University, India
Delhi University, India
Delhi University
3. Education and Qualifications
3- 1 Qualifications
Year
Qualification
2000
PhD (Literature of the Indian Diaspora)
1989
MPhil (Asian Literature)
1986
MA (Literature)
3-2 Courses Taught
Level
ENGL 4221 MODERN NOVEL
Advanced
ENGL 3129 RESEARCH PROJECT
ENGL 4235 WORLD LITERATURE
Advanced
Advanced
4. Research
4-1 Research Interests
SOUTH ASIAN LITERATURE
LITERATURE OF THE DIASPORA
CRITICAL THINKING AND WRITING
4-2 Papers (5 most important or recent papers)
1. Mehta, S. R. ed. (2015). Exploring Gender in the Literature of the Indian Diaspora. Newcastle: Cambridge
Scholars Publishing Ltd.
2. Littlejohn, A. & Mehta, S. R. eds. (2012). Language Studies: Stretching the Boundaries. Newcastle:
Cambridge Scholars Publishing Ltd.
3.
Mehta, S. R. (2015). Creating Homes in the Diaspora: The Impact of the Indian Community on the City of
Muscat. Journal of Arabian Studies. Routledge. (Forthcoming, January 2016).
4. Heble, A. & Mehta, S. R. Collaborative Student Writing in the Literature classroom, Arab World English
Journal, 4 (2), 2013, p. 173-184.
5.
Mehta, S. R. and Al-Mahrooqi, R. (2015). Can Thinking be Taught? Linking Critical Thinking and Writing in
an EFL Context. RELC. Vol.46(1). 23–36 doi. 10.1177/0033688214555356
6.
Heble, A. & Mehta, S. R. "A tale of two cultures: The Omani–Indian encounter in the literature
classroom" Arts and Humanities in Higher Education. January 9, 2013 as doi:10.1177/1474022212469787
1|P age
4-3 Conferences (5 most important or recent conferences)
1. Featured Speaker - “Concept Mapping and Critical Thinking in Writing: A Case Study”. ELT
Professional Development Symposium, Higher College of Technology, English Language Center,
5-6 January, 2016
2. An Assessment of Linguistic Competence among Tourism Students: A Case Study”. VII International
Tourism Congress, Sultan Qaboos University, Oman, 1-4 Dec 2014.
3. The role of Student Organizations in enhancing Experiential Learning”. Gulf Research Council. Cambridge,
UK, 26-29 Aug. 2014.
4. "The Indian diaspora and its impact on the city of Muscat: A study in cultural geography. Muscat: History
and Civilization". Conference held by Omani-Studies Centre of Sultan Qaboos University, Oct. 27-28, 2013.
5. "Can Thinking be Taught?: Linking Critical Thinking and Writing in an EFL Context". American Canadian
Conference for Academic Disciplines, Toronto, 19-22 May 2014.
4-4 Thesis Supervision (5 most recent theses)
5. Awards
Distinguished Researcher Award, College of Arts and Social Scienced, 2015.
1.
2.
6. Community Service
6-1 Community services (Lectures – Seminars – etc….)
Invited Speaker – Muscat International Book Fair, 2015.
Content writer for Knowledge Oman – a knowledge sharing community
6-2 Committee membership (5 main committees)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Chair, Faculty Seminar Forum, Department of English
Member, BA Program Review Committee
Member, Research Committee
Member, Conference Committee
Member, Student Reserach Conference Committee
2|P age