Johnny Sarraf

Faculty,
English Department

Room 684
Call Hall
Petaluma Campus

Telephone: (707) 778-2478
jsarraf@santarosa.edu

Schedule

• Monday
     1:30 - 3:20 English 1A Call Hall 693
     3:20 - 4:40 Office Hour Call Hall 684
     5:30 - 6:50 English 5 Call Hall 694
  
  
• Tuesday
     12:20 - 1:20 Office Hour Call Hall 684
     1:30 - 3:20 English 1A Call Hall 694
     5:30 - 6:50 English 2 Call Hall 658
  
  
• Wednesday
     1:30 - 3:20 English 1A Call Hall 693
     3:20 - 4:40 Office Hour Call Hall 684
     5:30 - 6:50 English 5 Call Hall 694
  
  
• Thursday
     12:20 - 1:20 Office Hour Call Hall 684
     1:30 - 3:20 English 1A Call Hall 694
     5:30 - 6:50 English 2 Call Hall 658
  

Classes

• Section 6418 of ENGL 1A: College Composition -- Spring 2013: 14 January 2013 - 22 May 2013 -- Petaluma
  
  
• Section 6420 of ENGL 1A: College Composition -- Spring 2013: 15 January 2013 - 21 May 2013 -- Petaluma
  
  
• Section 7684 of ENGL 5: Advanced Composition and Critical Thinking -- Spring 2013: 14 January 2013 - 20 May 2013 -- Petaluma
  
  
• Section 8696 of ENGL 1A: College Composition -- Spring 2013: 15 January 2013 - 23 May 2013 -- Petaluma
  
  

Biography

I'm an American of Arab descent. My ancestry goes back to Syria, but I was born in Egypt (where my parents grew up) and moved with my parents and sister to the U.S. when I was five years old. After spending most of my life in the U.S. (mainly Southern California), in August 2000 I returned to Cairo where I accepted a teaching position at the American University in Cairo. I was living in Cairo at the time of the terrorist attacks of 11 September against the U.S. In addition to teaching, I was also doing some writing related to the attacks and the American news media's coverage and government's actions. Reactions by some Americans to what I had to say made me think that I would like to address the subject when I would return to the U.S. During the fall-out of the attacks of September 11, I started thinking about taking a U.S. - Middle East focused approach to a critical reasoning and writing course when I would return to the U.S. I taught the course with this focus for the first time in the Spring 2005 at Fullerton College, and it was an amazing experience for those of us involved. My students who put in the effort and cared about what they were learning can certainly attest to that, and I really enjoyed working with them and was greatly encouraged by the experience.

I've been fortunate to have had the opportunity to travel quite a bit around the world, including within Europe, South and Southeast Asia, and the Middle East, and I speak Arabic. Because of my intimacy with America and part of the Arab world, my sensitivity to each, and the close relationships I have with people of both parts of the world, I believe myself to be a bridge between the cultures.

When I'm not busy trying to save the world, I enjoy listening to and playing music, playing and watching sports, reading, writing, and spending time with my wife and our precious little girls.

I've also performed as an actor at the American University in Cairo’s Howard Theater, California State University, Long Beach Theater Arts Department, and Huntington Beach Playhouse and as a singer in the Cairo Choral Society, Cairo Celebration Choir, and Chorale Priere Vivante.

Since the Spring 2007 term at SRJC (Petaluma), I've been teaching an advanced composition and critical reasoning course (English 5) with the focus I described. I hope that this course allows us to understand each other's cultures better and better understand how we Americans and our actions are perceived in a different part of the world. At the expense of sounding like I'm over-stating things, I'm afraid that the world can't afford otherwise. I hope that you'll embrace the opportunity to challenge yourself to examine the important issues openly and honestly. I am teaching the course again this term. In future semesters, look for the course announcement around campus.

Academic Experience

1996-2000 Taught literature and writing at various colleges in Southern California

2000-2004 Lived in Cairo, Egypt
Faculty member at The American University in Cairo
Traveled in the Middle East and around the world
Did some writing and had some of it published

2004-2006 Taught literature and writing in Southern California
Designed Critical Reasoning & Writing course focused on U.S.- Middle East perspectives and perceptions (looking at America and the Middle East from more than an American lens), with Fullerton College students & American University in Cairo students corresponding electronically during the term--look for this course focus for English 5 at Santa Rosa Junior College (Petaluma campus).

2006 Joined Santa Rosa Junior College's English Department

Work and Consulting Experience

Besides my academic experience (listed elsewhere), I worked as an Evaluation Consultant at the Institute of International Education (a USAID program) in Cairo, Egypt (2002-2004), where my job was to oversee and evaluate educational training programs in Cairo and Alexandria.

Professional Areas of Interest

Attended Conference on College Composition and Communication (March 2009) in San Francisco. Notable sessions:

“Reading, Writing, and Rock Stars: Audio Literacies and the Millennial Classroom”
“Black Faces in White Spaces: African-American Identity on a Predominantly White Campus”
“Toward a Civic Discourse on the Israel-Palestine Conflict”
“Approaches to Teaching Argument”
“Film as Visual Rhetorical Texts”
“Taking the Stage: Performance and the Writing Classroom”
“Making Waves by Analyzing the Rhetoric of War”

Professional Involvement and Community Service

Mentor as part of the Puente Project

Summer 2008 Speaker at the Petaluma Women's Club
Discussed my familiarity with Egyptian culture and politics and my effort to bridge our cultures through the approach I take to teaching English 5.

Dec. 2004 Guest on two shows of Long Beach Community Television's "The Palestinians: A Problem of Perspectives and Misconceptions"

Presentations and Publications

Nov. 2010 "Walking in with a Guitar and a Grin: The Blues in Their Eyes Were
Watching God" (Work of Literary Merit Lecture, SRJC)

Aug. 2010 "Approaching the Research Paper--or, 'Where Did Half the Students
on My Roster Go?" SRJC
Conducted the workshop

Nov. 2009 "'Speakerly Text': Road to the Promised Land" (Work of Literary Merit Lecture, SRJC)

Spring 2009 Selecting and Teaching the Work of Literary Merit, SRJC
Conducted the workshop

Oct. 2005 "Bridging Cultures Electronically"
Presented at the ECCTYC Teacher Scholar Conference in Long Beach, California
Described how my colleague in Cairo and I used an online program as a learning tool and cultural bridge between an Arab country (Egypt) and the United States

July 2005 "Engaging the Global Community – Looking Over the Horizon"
Presented ideas with colleagues from The American University in Cairo, at the Merlot International Conference, Nashville, Tennessee

March 2001 Second International Conference on Contrastive Rhetoric, American University in Cairo, Egypt
Participated as Panel Chairperson

Spring 2001 Film Adaptation as the Basis for Evaluative-Comparative Writing, American University in Cairo
Conducted the workshop

2001-2004 Had essays (dealing with U.S. foreign policy in the Arab world and the role of news media) published in the opinion pages of the Arab press

Honors and Awards

Spring 2011 Outstanding Mentor (Puente Program, SRJC)

Spring 2010 Outstanding Mentor (Puente Program, SRJC)

Fall 2009 Tenure Granted (SRJC)

Spring 2009 Outstanding Mentor (Puente Program, SRJC)

Spring 2006 Certificate of Excellence in Student Support (Fullerton College)

Spring 2000 Certificate of Award (from Fullerton College's Inter-Club Council for work as Political Awareness Club Advisor)

Fall 1997 Certificate of Merit (Rio Hondo College)

Dean’s Lists (California State University, Long Beach) for outstanding academic achievement

Links

English 1A (Spring 2013) Syllabus
English 5 (Spring 2013) Syllabus
Writing Center Form