Centre For General Studies - Faculty Members

Dr. Abdulraheem Shaheen
Assistant Professor
Centre for General Studies

Telephone: +973 1776 4497
Email: ashaheen@ruw.edu.bh

PhD in Educational Citizenship - St Joseph University – Lebanon

MA in Education - St. Joseph University – Lebanon

Postgraduate Diploma - University College of Bahrain 

BA in Arabic Language Studies - Al Azhar University – Egypt

A native of Bahrain, Dr. Shaheen graduated from the Faculty of Arabic Language at Al-Azhar University in Cairo in 1979. Dr. Shaheen went on to serve at the Ministry of Education as a teacher of Arabic Language at the Secondary level. After ten years of teaching he joined the Department of Curriculum Development of Arabic Language and worked there for seven years where he trained and supervised more than 60 teachers. In 1992, he joined the Department of Special Education in Bahrain. He was later made responsible for the recruitment of teachers in private educational institutions and directed the Arabic language instruction in private schools. In 2002, Dr. Shaheen was promoted as the Head of the Educational Research Development Centre. He received his PhD in 2008 in Educational Citizenship. Dr. Shaheen joined the Centre for General Studies at Royal University for Women in 2010.

Mr. Parsa Zoqaqi
Assistant to the President for Quality Assurance & Institutional Effectiveness.
Centre for General Studies

Telephone: +973 17764406
Email: pzoqaqi@ruw.edu.bh

Parsa Zoqaqi is the Director of Quality Assurance & Accreditation Unit at Royal University for Women (RUW). He has a graduate degree in English Translation from Azad University and a Post Graduate degree in TESOL from University of Southern Queensland. Parsa is currently the head of the KPI architecture team and is involved in the monitoring of the RUW performance through a Balanced Scorecard System. He also chaired the Strategic Planning Committee developing the university’s Strategic Plan.

In the realm of education, Parsa has over 20 years of teaching experience, teaching English, Leadership, and Communication Skills, and has designed and implemented a variety of curricula at Higher Education institutions.   He also has extensive teacher training experience running workshops on course design, classroom management, KPI development, and leadership. Moreover, he has held various educational management positions in major institutions in the region. Parsa joined RUW in 2005.

Mr. Sami Dagash, MSc
Director of Enrollment Management / Lecturer
Centre for General Studies

Telephone: +973 1776 4483
Email: smohamed@ruw.edu.bh

Mr. Sami Mohamed Dagash received his BSc degree in Computer Science from Al Zaytoonah University in Jordan and obtained his Master's degree in Computer Science from the University of Science (USM) Penang, Malaysia. From 2008-2011, Mr. Sami worked as a Lecturer in Computer Science at the University College of Bahrain where he coordinated the Internship-practicum programme and taught many IT courses. He has a particular interest in Object-Oriented Programming, Web Design, and Visual Programming. Prior to taking up his academic positions he worked alongside IT Project Managers as a Business Development Manager in a specialized IT Company located in Kuwait. Mr. Sami joined the College of Information Technology at the Royal University for Women in September, 2011.

Ms. Amy Owen
Lecturer
Centre for General Studies

Telephone: +973 1776 4478
Email: aowen@ruw.edu.bh

MA in World Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics 

West Virginia University, USA. May 2017.

BA in International Studies 

West Virginia University, USA. May 2015.

Ms. Amy is a master’s graduate from West Virginia University, USA and has a bachelor’s degree in International Studies with emphasis in Middle Eastern and North African Studies, and a master’s degree in World Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics with a TESOL specialization.

Ms. Amy has been teaching at the university level for six years and has experience teaching Arabic language and literature courses, English as a second language (ESL) courses, English composition and rhetoric courses, and a wide range of liberal arts courses. Her areas of academic interest include second language acquisition, foreign language teaching and learning, English composition, sociolinguistics, and Arabic literature. 

Ms. Amy joined the Centre for General Studies at Royal University for Women in 2017. 

Ms. Hager Faisal
Lecturer
Centre for General Studies

Telephone: +973 17764407
Email: hamer@ruw.edu.bh

MA in Gender and Women’s Studies; specialization in Gendered Political Economies

The American University in Cairo, Egypt. 2013. 

Thesis Topic: Gendered Informality in Egyptian Beauty Salons: Egyptian Female Manicurists Who Cannot Afford the Beauty Price

BA in English 

Misr International University, Egypt. 2009. 

Ms. Hager Faisal received her master’s degree in Gender and Women’s Studies from the American University in Cairo and earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Misr International University (MIU). During her undergraduate studies, she also received a scholarship and spent her junior year studying internationally and serving as a teaching assistant of Arabic at James Madison University in Virginia, USA.  

Before joining Royal University for Women, Ms. Hager served as a Lecturer at Misr International University for ten years. She also worked as a part-time lecturer at Arab Open University, Egypt. During those years, she taught a wide range of courses including English as a second language courses, English for academic purposes courses, and sociology courses. Ms. Hager is also a firm believer in extracurricular activities, and during her previous tenure served as the Co-Founder and Editor-in-Chief for MIU magazine and launched the MIU Debate Club. 

Ms.Hager’s research takes place at the intersections of sociology and gender studies. Her research interests include issues of women’s education, gender socialization, and gender and labour.  

Ms. Hager joined the Centre for General Studies at Royal University for Women in 2019 as a Lecturer where she teaches English and liberal arts courses such as English for Tertiary Studies, Women Across Cultures, Women in Literature and Popular Culture, and Introduction to Sociology.

Sh. Dwa Al Khalifa
Lecturer
Centre for General Studies

Telephone: +973 17764484
Email: dalkhalifa@ruw.edu.bh

MSc Social and Public Communication (Merit)| London School of Economics (LSE) | 2018 – 2019

Research: The construction of social representations within the Bahraini society

MA Fine Arts Digital, Camberwell College of Art: University of the Arts London (UAL) | 2017 – 2019

BA of Business in International Business | Royal University for Women | 2010

Ms. Dwa Al Khalifa is a master’s graduate with an MA in Visual Arts from the University of the Arts London and an MSc in Social and Public Communication from London School of Economics. Ms. Dwa Al Khalifa is also a graduate and alumna of Royal University for Women, where she received her BA in International Business. 

Upon graduating from Royal University for Women in 2010, Ms. Dwa Al Khalifa joined the PR department where she managed the public relations of the University including promotion of majors, courses, and services through press releases, exhibitions, school visits, community programmes, and events. After six years in the PR field, Ms. Dwa Al Khalifa pursued her MSc degree in Social and Public Communication, a research-based degree focused on theories of communication and their psychological foundations which enable the analysis of communication events. Her thesis titled “Storytelling and Folklore: A Tale of Social Construction in the Bahraini Islands” explores Bahraini folklore through the lens of social representations and the embedding of cultural norms through a wider collective identity. Simultaneously, Ms. Dwa Al Khalifa completed an MA in Visual Arts where she specialized in Fine Art Digital. This was a research-oriented, interdisciplinary degree with focus on innovation and developing a reflective art practice. Ms. Dwa Al Khalifa completed her degree with an exhibition in central London and a theoretical paper “Faceless Fragments; Identification, Immersion, Imagination and Inspiration” focusing on how faceless portraits can be used to bring forth personal narratives.

In 2019, Ms. Dwa Al Khalifa rejoined Royal University for Women in the Centre for General Studies as a driven University Lecturer, highly adept across teaching, lecturing, as well as contributing to courses in the College of Business and Financial Sciences and the College of Art and Design. 

Ms. Dwa Al Khalifa is also a national athlete having represented her country in regional and international competitions, and is a part-time artist in her leisure time.