Asmaa Shehata

Dr. Asmaa Shehata is an Assistant Professor of Arabic at the University of Mississippi, affiliated with the Department of Modern Languages in the College of Liberal Arts. She teaches in the Arabic Language Flagship Program and previously held positions at the University of Notre Dame and the University of Calgary. Her roles include curriculum development, OPI testing (certified by ACTFL), and academic journal reviewing.

Dr. Shehata holds an M.A. in Linguistics from Ohio University (2008), a Ph.D. in Linguistics from the University of Utah (2013), and an M.A. in Religious Studies from the University of Ottawa (2021). Her interdisciplinary research focuses on second language phonology, literacy acquisition, and gender-religion intersections. Key areas include pronunciation instruction strategies, feedback mechanisms in language learning, and sociocultural impacts of religious beliefs on gender roles.

Her work bridges pedagogical innovation with cognitive theories, emphasizing practical solutions for pronunciation challenges. Notable contributions include studies on Arabic consonant perception by English speakers and the role of variability in L2 word recognition. Awards include the University of Utah's Excellence in Linguistics Award (2012) and multiple teaching grants from the University of Calgary (2015–2016).

Dr. Shehata teaches a range of Arabic courses from elementary to advanced levels, including specialized classes on Egyptian dialects and Arabic literature. She actively contributes to academic discourse through peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations, maintaining a research portfolio that spans linguistic, pedagogical, and sociocultural dimensions.