Kwame Lawson

I am a media analyst, an experienced Arabic linguist and a former college professor (six years university teaching, three years secondary school teaching, with experience in piloting innovative curricula at the secondary level). For well over two decades, I have been involved in study and work related to the Middle East with a particular focus and interest in Egyptian issues. Most recently, I have lived in the UAE for the past three years, working with an American contractor providing substantive open source research products to a variety of clients across the UAE government.

The work I do as a researcher pays the bills, but my love for the creative arts (music, first and foremost, cinema and literature - I have a PhD in modern Arabic literature from the University of St. Andrews, Scotland) is my real passion.  I am an amateur DJ  and have curated Middle East film festivals in universities where I have taught.  I have also written for the nationally syndicated program Afropop Worldwide.

So although my resume is pretty policy-heavy at present, I am looking for ways to fuse my interests in the creative arts and my love for Arabic language and culture.

• 6 years' experience as a university professor, teaching across the full range of proficiency levels from novice to native 
• 3 years' experience teaching at the secondary level in an inner-city public charter high school, leveraging innovative new models of instruction to promote engagement
• 9 years working in research centers, think tanks and government agencies, driving research agenda, writing extensively, team building, mentoring junior colleagues, and collaborating with outside entities 

• PhD in Modern Arabic Literature, University of St. Andrews, Scotland, 2001
• BA in Near Eastern Studies, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 1992
• Graduate, Center for Arabic Studies Abroad (CASA) Program, Cairo, Egypt, 1993-94