The President of Yarmouk University, Prof. Zeidan Kafafi, sponsored the inauguration of the conference: "The Importance of English Language in Humanities", which was organized by the Department of English Language and Literature at Yarmouk University celebrating the International Day of English.
In his concise talk, Prof. Kafafi stressed the importance of the English language at present and how it stands as a global language that is widely used in the political, scientific, literary, and cultural aspects of our modern life. Referring to the main differences between Old and Modern English, he stated that English has always been the lingua franca and the most appropriate means of communication among the different peoples.
Also, Prof. Kafafi praised the distinguished academic level of the English Language and Literature Department at the university and how its academic staff members exert their best efforts to teach the students the many language skills needed for everyday life communication. He then encouraged the academic staff members of the English Department to cooperate with academic staff members of other faculties and continue organizing various cultural events using English.
In his turn, Prof. Fawaz Abdul Haq, the Vice President for Student Affairs and External Communication, said that English proficiency in writing, reading, and listening is essential for students of English as such a language is the medium of communication among communities. As the head of the standards-setting group for the English language curriculum in Jordan, Prof. Abdel-Haq likewise emphasized the importance of making a radical change in the English language curricula by getting rid of the traditional methods of teaching, such as lecturing and memorization, so that students can learn different language skills in the school stage.
For his part, Prof. Mohamed Beni Doumi, the Dean of the Faculty of Arts, called for more efforts from the academic staff members of the English Department to establish a PhD program in English, which should enable students to complete their PhD studies at Yarmouk University, something which will contribute to the academic reputation of the University as well as its English Department.
As a representative of the Department of English Language and Literature at Yarmouk University, Dr. Lutfi Abu Al-Haijaa, the head of the Department, stressed the importance of the English language in the various fields of humanities and called the students for taking advantage of the activities of this day and reflecting such knowledge on their academic life. He then appreciated the efforts of the organizing committee, namely Dr. Hussein Obaidat, Dr. Aya Akkaawi, Dr. Malek Zuraikat, and Dr. Eqab Shawashreh.
However, the conference included three sessions. The first one was chaired by Dr. Lutfi Abu Al-Hijaa and included several papers, namely "Teaching American Literature" by Dr. Ghada Saasa, "The Role of British Documents in the Study of Modern Jordanian History" by Dr. Ahmed Jowarneh and Dr. Jabr Al-Khatib, "The Role of English in the Integration of Knowledge of Political Sciences" by Dr. Khair Al-Thiabat, and "English for Social Workers: A Need or a Luxury" by Dr. Ayat Nashwan.
The second session was chaired by Dr. Aya Akkawi and included several papers, namely "The Importance of English in Social and Cultural Studies" by Dr. Ruba Al-Akash, "The Importance of English in the Study of History" by Dr. Mohammed Al-Mazawdeh, "The Importance of English in Political Sciences" by Dr. Ayman Al-Hayaajneh, "The English Language in Hebrew Literature" by Dr. Mahmoud Al-Amaraat, and "Speech of Conviction" by Dr. Mahmoud Kannakri.
The third session was chaired by Dr. Rashid Al Jarrah and included several papers, namely "Between English and Arabic in the Language Use" by Dr. Ahmed Abu Delo, ''The Effect of English on Hebrew '' by Mohammad Al-Nuseirat, ''Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems'' by Dr. Khaled Hazaima, "The English Language in the Field of Geography from the Perspective of Students: A Comparative Study between Students of Bachelor and Master Degrees" by Dr. Reem Kharouf, and "The Impact of the Turks' Negligence of English in the Academic and Public Life" by Dr. Walid Al-Al-Aredh.
