Ramzi Salti
Advanced Lecturer
Stanford Language Center
Web page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ramzisalti
Bio
Dr. Ramzi Salti is an Advanced Lecturer for the Arabic Program, SLC, at Stanford University and a fully Certified ACTFL Oral and Written Proficiency Tester of Arabic. Since 2000, he has continuously organized and emceed various events--at Stanford and elsewhere--that center on various Arabic cultural productions, postcolonial theory, Pop Culture, and the use of technology to enhance language proficiency in the classroom.
In addition to teaching at Stanford, Dr. Salti authors his own blog at www.arabology.org and hosts a popular podcast titled 'Arabology' which initially aired on KZSU Stanford 90.1 FM and is now available on all music streaming platforms. All episodes are also housed at https://soundcloud.com/arabology.
Salti has amassed several prestigious awards during his years at Stanford, including the Stanford Dean's Award for Distinguished Teaching (2004-5), the ASSU's Honorable Mention for the Teacher of the Year Award (2009) and the Knight Favorite Professor Award by the John S. Knight Fellowships Program for Professional Journalists in 2005, 2009, and 2013. He also received special recognition in 2024 for his 25 Years of Academic Service at Stanford.
Over the past two decades, Salti has received multiple grants from the Stanford Arts Institute to bring such Arabic cultural icons as Mashrou Leila's Hamed Sinno, Yasmine Hamdan and Pierre Dulaine to the Stanford campus. He also co-founded the Stanford Middle East Ensemble in 2013 and has since organized countless cultural and musical events at Stanford--including Arabic film screenings (Arab Film Festival); cultural workshops at Stanford's Markaz Resource Center; annual audio-visual presentations about Arabic music (Stanford Global Studies); and concerts by such iconic/indie musicians as DAM, Omar Offendum, Mike Massy, and "Emel Mathouthi at the Bing" (Stanford Live).
Dr. Salti's collection of short stories, titled 'The Native Informant & Other Stories: Six Tales of Defiance from the Arab World,' was published in 1994 to much critical acclaim and is now available on Kindle and Google Play. He has consistently published essays and articles in such journals as World Literature Today, The International Fiction Review, The Journal of Arabic Literature, Notes on Contemporary Literature, and World Literature Today. Several chapters from his Doctoral thesis, which surveys the (mis)representations of marginalized sexualities in Arabic Literature, have also been published in a number of scholarly journals and websites.
In addition to his academic writings, Dr. Salti has worked as an Entertainment writer and has published articles in "The Los Angeles Times," "The West Hollywood Weekly," and "4-Front Magazine." He is also an avid Olivia Newton-John biographer, known for his critically acclaimed biography and discography of Newton-John which was published in "DISCoveries" magazine; he has also interviewed such artists as Debbie Harry (Blondie), academy award winning actress Marlee Matlin, and many other cultural icons in the US and abroad.
BIO: Ramzi Salti was born in Lebanon in 1966. French educated in Beirut, he completed his high school education in Jordan by earning his British G.C.E. and Tawjihi degrees and, in 1983, moved to the United States where he earned his B.A. in French and English (1988) from Santa Clara University and his M.A. (1991) and Ph.D. (1997) in Comparative Literature (Arabic, French, English) from the University of California at Riverside. He currently resides in the San Francisco Bay area where he devotes his time to public speaking, writing, podcasting, radio broadcasting, and teaching at Stanford University.
Honors & Awards
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Academic Service Award (25 Years at Stanford), Stanford University (2024)
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Academic Service Award (20 Years at Stanford), Stanford University (2019)
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Outstanding Mentor, The Native Community at Stanford University (2018)
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Knight Favorite Professor Award, John S. Knight Fellowships Program for Professional Journalists (Stanford) (2013, 2009, 2005, 2004)
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ASSU Teacher of the Year Honorable Mention Award, Associated Students of Stanford University (2009)
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Dean’s Award for Distinguished Teaching, Stanford University, 2004--5, Stanford University (2005)
Boards, Advisory Committees, Professional Organizations
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Film Selection Committee, Arab Film Festival (2014 - Present)
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Board Member, Arabian Shakespeare Festival (2013 - Present)
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Member, Arab Studies Table, Stanford University (2013 - Present)
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Rater + Tester (Arabic), ACTFL (2010 - Present)
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Contributor + Book Reviewer, World Literature Today (1989 - 2009)
Professional Education
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Ph.D., University of California at Riverside, Comparative Literature (Arabic, French, English) (1997)
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MA, University of California at Riverside, Comparative Literature (Arabic, French, English) (1991)
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BA, Santa Clara University, English & French (1988)
Research Interests
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Assessment, Testing and Measurement
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Diversity and Identity
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Gender Issues
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Immigrants and Immigration
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Literacy and Language
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Professional Development
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Race and Ethnicity
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Technology and Education
Current Research and Scholarly Interests
1. Developing additional material for my 2023-24 courses at Stanford including "Arabic Conversation" and "Colloquial Arabic."
2. Regular writer and contributor to "Arabology"--a blog that highlights and analyzes various cultural productions from/about the Arab world. Includes over 800 of published articles, essays, radio interviews and podcasts that center on (alternative) Arabic music, Egypt's Golden Age, Arab Divas, Arab American identity, marginalized sexualities and postcolonial literature. Over 1.8 million readers as of June 2021. Go to www.arabology.org
3. In-production for upcoming 12th season of my Arabology program: Currently recording and editing various audio-visual interviews with some of the Arab world's most groundbreaking musicians, writers, poets, and media personalities.
Projects
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My 'Arabology' Radio Show + Podcast, Stanford University
Various articles and media about my 'Arabology' radio show which airs on KZSU 90.1 FM
Location
Stanford University
For More Information:
- Arabology : Arabic Music Airing From the Heart of Stanford
- The music of the Arab Spring finds a home on the Stanford campus
- The ambassador of 'Arabology': Stanford DJ and Lecturer Champions Music of the Middle East
- Ramzi Salti Champions Indie Arab Musicians With 'Arabology' Podcast
- Arabology Podcast (All Episodes)
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My Arabology YouTube Channel, KZSU 90.1 FM
Location
Stanford University
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Utilizing Interactive Media to Improve Language Proficiency in the Classroom, Stanford University (2015 - Present)
This project explores the way in which the use of interactive technology has contributed towards moving Y2 Arabic students at Stanford to the Advanced Proficiency (ACTFL) levels. This aim has been largely realized when it comes to students in my Y2 Heritage Arabic courses--a fact that I attribute to the generous use of multi-media interactive sources in those sections. Below are some ways in which I have successfully employed multi-media tools in the classroom, coupled with observations about language proficiency levels that I am making in my capacity as a Fully Certified ACTFL Tester of Arabic (both written and oral):
Location
Stanford
2024-25 Courses
- Intermediate to Advanced Conversation
ARABLANG 127 (Aut, Win) - Second-Year Arabic, First Quarter
ARABLANG 21 (Aut) - Second-Year Arabic, Second Quarter
ARABLANG 22 (Win) - Second-Year Arabic, Third Quarter
ARABLANG 23 (Spr) -
Independent Studies (1)
- Graduate Studies in Arabic
ARABLANG 395 (Aut, Win, Spr)
- Graduate Studies in Arabic
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Prior Year Courses
2023-24 Courses
- Accelerated Second-Year Arabic, Part I
ARABLANG 21A (Aut) - Accelerated second-Year Arabic, Part II
ARABLANG 22A (Win) - Colloquial Arabic, First Quarter
ARABLANG 125A (Aut) - Colloquial Arabic, Second Quarter
ARABLANG 125B (Win)
2022-23 Courses
- Colloquial Arabic, First Quarter
ARABLANG 125A (Spr) - Conversational/Colloquial Arabic, Second Quarter
ARABLANG 125B (Win) - Second-Year Arabic, Second Quarter
ARABLANG 22 (Win) - Second-Year Arabic, Third Quarter
ARABLANG 23 (Spr)
2021-22 Courses
- Colloquial Arabic, First Quarter
ARABLANG 125A (Aut) - Colloquial Arabic, Third Quarter
ARABLANG 125C (Spr) - Conversational/Colloquial Arabic, Second Quarter
ARABLANG 125B (Win) - Intermediate to Advanced Conversation
ARABLANG 127 (Aut, Win, Spr) - Second-Year Arabic, First Quarter
ARABLANG 21 (Aut) - Second-Year Arabic, Second Quarter
ARABLANG 22 (Win) - Second-Year Arabic, Third Quarter
ARABLANG 23 (Spr)
- Accelerated Second-Year Arabic, Part I
All Publications
- Ramzi Salti Champions Indie Arab Musicians With 'Arabology' Podcast The California Report Magazine 2024: 5
- The Native Informant & Other Stories (New EBook Version) https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=XLJrVyxz5ZQC Three Continents Press. 2024
- “Al-shaab yurid isqat al-nitham!”: Sustaining Revolution through Hip Hop Freedom Moves: Hip Hop Knowledges, Pedagogies, and Futures University of California Press. 2023; First Edition: 83-102
- Arabic Music: An Interview with Dr. Ramzi Salti Qahwa 2017: 25-32
- Q&A with Ramzi Salti, DJ of Arabology Stanford Daily 2016: 1
- The Ambassador of 'Arabology': Stanford DJ and Lecturer Champions the Music of the Middle East Palo Alto Weekly 2016; XXXVIII (10): 2
- Islamic Voices: Music of the Arab Spring Stanford Live Journal 2016
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A different leader of men: Yusuf Idris against Arab concepts of male homosexuality
WORLD LITERATURE TODAY
2001; 75 (2): 246-256
View details for Web of Science ID 000171754200005
- Re-Orienting the Subject: Arab American Ethnicity in Ramzi M. Salti's The Native Informant: Six Tales of Defiance from the Arab World Ethnicity and the American Short Story edited by Brown, J. Garland Publishing, Inc. 1997: 16
- The Native Informant and Other Stories Lynne Rienner Pubs. 1994
- Oppressive Spaces: A Critical Examination of the Life and Works of Nawal el-Saadawi Journal of Arabic Literature 1994; 25 (2): 152-174
- The Native Informant and Other Stories Three Continents Press. 1994
- A Note on Mahfouz's Effort to Strike a Balance Between East and West International Fiction Review 1990; 17 (2): 3
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El Far3i Completes His Acoustic Trilogy with “Nas Min Khashab”
Arabology.
2022
Abstract
After a decade of unequaled creativity and challenges, El Far3i has just completed his acoustic trilogy with his new album “Nas Min Khashab” [People Made of Wood]. See https://www.arabology.org/2022/03/elfar3i.html
CD Review - Ramzi Salti's Arabology Radio Show Counts Down Top 20 Indie Arabic Songs of 2018 Arabology 2019
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Queering Orientalism [Ramzi Salti relates homophobia and gender discrimination to the critique of colonialism]
Immigrant Narratives: Orientalism and Cultural Translation in Arab American and Arab British Literature
Oxford University Press. 2014
View details for DOI 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199792061.003.0009
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THE 'NATIVE INFORMANT' AND OTHER STORIES - SALTI,RM (Book Review)
WORLD LITERATURE TODAY
1995; 69 (4): 863-863
View details for Web of Science ID A1995TK26300202