Samia Tawwab

Samia Tawwab is a Sessional Assistant Professor and Coordinator of the Italian Studies Program at York University's Department of Languages, Literatures and Linguistics (DLLL), within the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies. She holds a PhD and MA in Italian Studies from the University of Toronto (focused on medieval religious drama, particularly Iacopone da Todi’s laude) and an MEd in Post-Secondary Education from York University, emphasizing language and culture pedagogy.

Education:

• PhD in Italian Studies, University of Toronto
• MA in Italian Studies, University of Toronto
• MEd in Post-Secondary Education, York University
• BA (Honours) in Classical Studies & Italian, Ain Shams University, Cairo

Research & Teaching: Her work centers on Italian language pedagogy, curriculum adaptation for non-background students, and medieval literature. She has extensive teaching experience at the post-secondary level, including roles at the University of Toronto (2006–2018) and York University since 2016.

Community Contributions:

• Hosted informal Italian conversation classes at York University (Fall 2020).
• Co-led a student performance of Dante Alighieri’s Inferno Canto V (Winter 2021), part of a global tribute marking the 700th anniversary of Dante’s death. This event was featured in yFile.

Labs/Teams: Coordinates the Italian Studies Program at York University, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration in language and cultural education.