Amanda Khalaf
Arab American University
Palestine
Amanda Khalaf is the director of the Language Center at Arab American University in Ramallah, Palestine. With almost 2 decades of teaching experience, her philosophy in the classroom is to focus on the well being of the student before anything else academically. Her research focuses on investigating teaching taxonomies that would best accommodate teaching under trauma.
Teaching Medical English in Areas of Conflict: Strategies for Inclusion and Impact
26/07/2025 06:00 UTC
This presentation discusses the development of a Medical English curriculum in Ramallah, Palestine that is centered on justice, inclusivity, and well-being moves students from community health campaigns to student-led research on local issues. Grounded in critical pedagogy and applied linguistics (Gay, 2018; Paris & Alim, 2017; Canagarajah, 2013; Benesch, 2017), this approach fosters critical thinking, public engagement, and positions language as a tool for empowerment and social change.
Key takeaways:
Build inclusive curricula
Connect language, identity & research
Adapt approaches for conflict-affected contexts
Co-presenter: Dr. Anastasia J. Khawaja