Middle East Studies Center Faculty & Staff

Middle East Studies Center Staff

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Portland State University Associated & Affiliated Faculty

Diana Abu-Jaber (Ph.D. 1986, State University of New York, Oswego) is Associate Professor of English. She teaches courses on fiction writing, post-colonial literature, first generation writers and film studies | Contact

Harry Anastasiou (Ph.D. 2002, The Union Institute & University) is Professor of Political Sociology of Peace & Conflict Resolution. He teaches courses on Greek-Turkish relations, the Cyprus problem, international peace studies, conflict resolution theory and practice, nationalism and interethnic conflict | Contact

Pelin Basci (Ph.D. 1995, University of Texas) is Associate Professor of Turkish Language and Literature. She teaches courses on first- through third- year modern standard Turkish, modern Turkish literature, popular culture in Turkey, and women in the Middle East |Contact

Lindsay Benstead (Ph.D. 2009, University of Michigan) is Assistant Professor of Political Science. She teaches courses on Middle East and North African politics | Contact

Cliff Breedlove (M.A.T 1998, Portland State University) is Instructor of Arabic in the Department of World Languages and Literatures. He teaches first-, second-, and third-year Arabic courses | Contact

Kimberley Brown (Ph.D. 1988, University of Minnesota) is a Professor of Applied Linguistics. She teachers courses on bilingualism, intercultural learning, international studies, language pedagogy and world Englishes | Contact

Berrin Erdogan (Ph.D. 2002, University of Illinois) is Associate Professor of Business Administration. She teaches courses on organizational behavior and human resources management | Contact

Lina Gomaa (M.A., University of Salford) is Instructor of Arabic in the Department of World Languages and Literatures. | Contact

James Grehan (Ph.D. 1999, University of Texas) is Professor of History and Middle East Studies Center Director. He teaches courses on the history of the early modern and modern Middle East (since 1500), world history, Ottoman history, early modern and modern Islam, and popular culture & popular religion | Contact

Yasmeen Hanoosh (Ph.D. 2008, University of Michigan) is Assistant Professor of Arabic language and literature. She teaches courses on modern Arabic story & novel and standard Arabic | Contact

Priya Kapoor (Ph.D., Ohio University) is Associate Professor of Communication. She teaches courses on Communication, Society and Culture; Problems of Intercultural Communication; and Gender and Race in the Media | Contact

Kris Kern (MLS, 1997, Emporia State University) is library liaison to Middle East Studies Center | Contact

Masoud Kheirabadi (Ph.D. 1987, University of Oregon) is an adjunct member of faculty teaching for International Studies, Geography, and Sociology departments. He teaches a variety of geography and Middle Eastern/Islamic studies courses including Geography of Middle East, Geography of Religion, Islam and Society, US-Middle East Relations, US-Iran Relations, Iran through Film and Literature, and Religion, Society, and Politics in Iran | Contact

Taghrid Khuri (Ph.D. 1994, Portland State University) is an adjunct member of faculty teaching for International Studies and Women’s Studies. She teaches courses on Gender Issues in the Middle East, Third World; Socio-economic Development; Human Rights and related gender policy development issues | Contact

Bishupal Limbu (Ph.D. 2010, Northwestern University) is an assistant professor of English. His teaching and research interests include colonial and postcolonial discourse, globalization and cosmopolitanism, literatures and cultures of francophone North Africa, Palestinian literature, representations of refugees, and human rights. | Contact

Jon Mandaville (Ph.D. 1969, Princeton University) is Professor Emeritus of History and former Middle East Studies Center Director | Contact

Anne McClanan (Ph.D. 1998, Harvard University) is Professor of Art. Her courses include courses Byzantine and early medieval art, and she has excavated in Turkey, Israel and Jordan | Contact

Natan Meir (Ph.D. 2003, Columbia University) is Assistant Professor of Jewish History. He teaches courses on history of Zionism and East European Jewish history | Contact

John Ott (Ph.D. 1999, Stanford University) is Associate Professor of History. He teaches courses on medieval religions and culture, medieval Iberia, Jerusalem and the Holy Land, and the crusading period, in addition to surveys of medieval western Europe | Contact

Moshe Rachmuth (Ph.D. 2010, University of Oregon) is Instructor of Hebrew in the Department of World Languages and Literatures. | Contact

Shafiqur Rahman (Ph.D. 1986, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) is Professor of Finance. He teaches courses on Islamic finance and countries practicing Islamic banking; Corporate Financial Management; Investment Analysis & Portfolio Theory; Options, Futures, & Other Derivatives; Hedging & Risk Management; and Financial Institutions & Markets | Contact

Mohammad Saeed Rahman (B.S., Portland State University) is an adjunct member of faculty teaching for the School of Business Administration | Contact

Laura Robson (Ph.D. 2009, Yale University) is Assistant Professor of History. She teaches courses related to modern Middle East, Palestine/Israel, imperial and colonial history and religious minorities in the Middle East | Contact

Anousha Sedighi (Ph.D. 2005, University of Ottawa) is Associate Professor of Persian. She teaches courses on Persian language, literature, and culture | Contact

Nina Spiegel (Ph.D., Stanford University) is Rabbi Joshua Stampfer Professor of Israel Studies. She teaches courses on Israeli culture and society | Contact

Loren Spielman (Ph.D. 2010, Jewish Theological Seminary of America) is Assistant Professor of Classical Judaism & Schusterman Teaching Fellow. He teaches courses on the religion of Ancient Israel and Rabbinic culture in the Roman world | Contact

Sarah Sterling (Ph.D. 2004, University of Washington) is adjunct Assistant Professor of Anthropology. She teaches courses on Predynastic and Old Kingdom Egypt | Contact

Dannelle Stevens (Ph.D. 1992, Michigan State University) is Professor of Curriculum and Instruction. She teaches courses on teacher’s learning and development | Contact

Barbara Tint (Ph.D. 2003, University of Melbourna, Australia) is Professor of Conflict Resolution. She teaches courses on Israeli/Palestinian conflict and intercultural conflict resolution | Contact

Nohad Toulan (Ph.D. University of Pennsylvania) is Dean Emeritus of College of Urban and Public Affairs and Professor Emeritus of Urban Studies and Planning | Contact

Steven Wadley (Ph.D. 1987, University of Washington) is Associate Professor of Chinese and Altaic Languages. He teaches second-year Chinese and upper division classes in Chinese language and literature as well as University Studies/ International Studies classes on Asia | Contact

Keith Walters (Ph.D. 1989, University of Texas) is Professor of Applied Linguistics. He teaches courses on sociolinguistics and language and nationalism in the Arab world | Contact

Michael Weingrad (Ph.D. 1999, University of Washington) is Associate Professor and Academic Director of the Harold Schnitzer Family Program in Judaic Studies. He teaches courses on modern Jewish literature, history, and culture | Contact

Birol Yesilada (Ph.D. 1984, University of Michigan) is Professor of Political Science and International Studies. He teaches courses on the European Union, international political economy, decision-making, and Turkish politics | Contact

Other Affiliated Scholars

Evergreen State College

Steve Niva (Ph.D. 2003, Columbia University) teaches courses on International Politics and Middle East Studies | Contact

Therese Saliba (Ph.D. 1993, University of Washington) teaches courses on international feminism, Middle East studies, and English | Contact

Lewis and Clark

Julia Banzi, (Ph.D., University of California Santa Barbara) is Professor of Guitar. She teaches courses on flamenco, folk, and classical guitar at both Lewis & Clark and Reed Colleges | Contact

Oren Kosansky, (Ph.D. 2003, University of Michigan) is Assistant Professor of Anthropology. He teaches courses on Moroccan modernity, culture and power in the Middle East and social theory | Contact

Cyrus Partovi (M.A.L.D. 1969, Tufts University) is Senior Lecturer in Social Sciences. He teaches courses of Middle East politics, U.S. foreign diplomacy and democracy | Contact

Paul Powers, (Ph.D. 2001, University of Chicago Divinity School) is Associate Professor of Religious Studies. He teaches courses on early and modern
Islam, Islamic law, and religious fundamentalism | Contact

Oregon Health and Science University

Omar Reda (M.D., University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center) is Assistant Professor of Psychiatry | Contact

Oregon State University

Faiza Al-Saaidi (Ph.D. Oregon State University) is Instructor of Arabic. She teaches courses in Arabic language and women’s studies | Contact

Yael Beged-Dov is E-Campus Hebrew Instructor. She teaches courses in Hebrew language | Contact

Nabil Boudraa (Ph.D. Louisiana State University) is Associate Professor of French and Francophone Studies. He teaches courses in French language and on francophone studies | Contact

Gilad Elbom (Ph.D. 2009, University of North Dakota) is an Instructor in the School of Writing, Literature and Film. He teaches courses on fiction, poetry, and Middle Eastern literature | Contact

Joan Gross (Ph.D. 1985, University of Texas at Austin) is Professor of Anthropology. She teaches courses in linguistic anthropology | Contact

Sebastian Heiduschke (Ph.D., University of Texas at Austin) is Professor of German. He teaches courses on German language and German Cinema, including Turkish-German and Turkish-Austrian cinema and contemporary Israeli-German connections | Contact

Jonathan Katz is Professor of History | Contact

Joseph Krause (Ph.D. 1981, Michigan State University) is Professor of French. He teaches courses on French language, French Culture & Society and Francophone Studies, including North Africa | Contact

David McMurray (Ph.D. 1992, University of Texas at Austin) is Associate Professor of Anthropology. He teaches courses on peoples and cultures of the Arab World, the anthropology of migration and other subjects | Contact

Aaron Wolf (Ph.D 1992, University of Wisconsin, Madison) is Department Chair of Geosciences. He teaches courses on Water Resources Policy and Conflict Resolution, Middle East Geopolitics | Contact

Reed College

Kambiz GhaneaBassiri (Ph.D. 2003, Harvard University) is Associate Professor of Religious Studies. He teaches courses on Islam | Contact

Darius Rejali (Ph.D. 1987, McGill University) is Professor of Political Science. He teaches courses on government torture and interrogation | Contact

Paul A. Silverstein is Associate Professor of Anthropology. He teaches courses on race and ethnicity, migration, urbanity, sport, historical anthropology, France, North Africa and the Middle East | Contact

Steven M. Wasserstrom (Ph.D. 1995, University of Toronto) is Professor of Religious Studies. He teaches courses on Judaism and Islam | Contact

Southern Oregon University

Robert Harrison (Ph.D., University of Southern California) is Professor of History. He teaches courses on the Islamic Middle East | Contact 

University of Oregon

Michael Allan (Ph.D. 2008, University of California-Berkeley) is Assistant Professor of Comparative Literature. He teaches courses on Colonialism, Orientalism, and Multiculturalism in comparative literature | Contact

Sean Anthony (Ph.D., University of Chicago) is Associate Professor in the Department of History. He teaches courses in Islamic history. | Contact

Frederick S. Colby (Ph.D. 2002, Duke) is Associate Professor of Religious Studies. | Contact

Deborah Green (Ph.D., 2003, University of Chicago) is Associate Professor of Judiac Studies. | Contact

David Hollenberg (Ph.D., 2006, University of Pennsylvania) is Assistant Professor of Arabic Language and Literature. | Contact

Michael Malek Najjar is Assistant Professor of Theatre Arts. He teaches courses on Arab-American Theatre and Performance, Directing, Playwriting, Theatre History, and Contemporary Theatre and Performance | Contact

Stephen Shoemaker (Ph.D. ’97, Duke University) is Associate Professor in the Department of Religious Studies. | Contact

Alison Snyder (M.Arch. 1987, Columbia University) is Associate Professor of Architecture |
Contact

University of Portland

John McDonald (M.A. 1994, Portland State University) is English Department Lecturer | Contact 

Western Oregon University

Patricia Goldsworthy-Bishop (Ph.D., University of California, Irvine) is Assistant Professor of History. She teaches courses on North Africa and European Colonialism in North Africa | Contact

Willamette University

David McCreery (Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh) is Professor of Religious Studies. He teaches courses on Syro-Palestinian archaeology, Archaeological Methodology, Old Testament history, and Hebrew | Contact

Ann M. Nicgorski (Ph.D., University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill) is Professor of Art History and Archaeology and Faculty Curator at the Hallie Ford Museum of Art. She teaches courses on Greek and Roman Art History, Western Medieval Art History, and Christian Iconography | Contact