Lecturer
Contact
100 Bay State Road, Room 308
abirward@bu.edu
Education
2022 Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Ph.D. in English: Composition and Applied Linguistics
Dissertation: The Literacy Publishing Practices of Multilingual Science Researchers and the Challenges Burdens of Publishing
2010 Lebanese American University
M.A. in Comparative Literature (Arabic/English)
Thesis: The Motifs of Eyes and Feet in Irish and Lebanese Poetry, Dance, and Caricature: Resistance and Rebellion of the Suppressed Voice.
2002 San Jose State University
B.A. in English Language and Literature (Honors in English)
Biography
Born and raised in Monrovia, Liberia to Lebanese parents, Dr. Abir Ward, a multinational and multilingual, had lived on three continents before the age of 20. She taught at the Lebanese American University where she started the annual creative writing workshops and poetry competition and at the American University of Beirut (AUB) where she led the editorial work of Pages Apart, a 700-page academic reader used for teaching English. In 2019, Dr. Ward founded 2Rāth, a social justice initiative engaged in the politics of representation. 2Rāth helped create articles on Wikipedia about notable Arab women, and its work has so far garnered over 20 million views. Dr. Ward has published numerous articles on justice-oriented pedagogy, and her research has appeared in Elsevier’s Women Studies International Forum, TESOL’s SRIS, and Computers and Writing Conference Proceedings. She was the recipient of the CCCC Wikipedia fellowship in 2021 and the Middle East Partnership Initiative grant from the US Department of State. At Boston University, Dr. Ward teaches primarily international students in the Writing Program and is the curator of TEDxBU.
Courses taught at Boston University
WR111: Academic Writing for English Language Learners 1
WR 111 is designed to lay the foundation of students academic communication at BU. The course places students in an international and multilingual group of learners and provides opportunities to explore how individual personality is cultivated in relationship to larger communities through various communicative acts. Practicing specific linguistic and rhetorical conventions, while also reviewing advanced grammar and prose mechanics, helps students achieve the balance of language skills necessary to excel in the varied discourse communities of the university. In this course, students discuss and analyze complex texts of different genres and topics, explore multiple intellectual perspectives, and gain critical insights into people from different national, cultural, social, and linguistic backgrounds.
WR112: Academic Writing for English Language Learners 2
WR 112 continues to build students’ academic writing skills, with special emphasis on intercultural literacy, textual analysis, the logic of exposition and argumentation, rhetorical situation and audience, and varied and sophisticated linguistic awareness. The advanced readings on the broad theme of globalization cover a variety of genres and expose students to complex ideas and diverse cultural experiences, stressing important aspects of global citizenship. The course tasks respond to students’ evolving linguistic needs by addressing specific elements of English grammar and style in the context of writing. A strong public speaking component helps students achieve oral fluency and confidence while conversing about cultural contexts presented by the texts. Through reading, discussion, and analysis students gain crucial insights into people from different national, cultural, social, and linguistic backgrounds.
WR120: Academic Writing: Linguistic Injustice
This course examines the subject of linguistic (in)justice in a world designed to favor English as a global language, making it the international language of business and science’s “lingua franca.” This has led to a myriad of hidden linguistic injustices shaped by the sociopolitical landscape of the world. How is the Global South disadvantaged by linguistic injustice? Through a variety of texts ranging from theoretical to creative, and through socially engaged assignments, students hone their writing skills and learn to turn this injustice into an empowering platform. Readings include texts by authors from North America, India, the Middle East, and Europe.
WR120: Academic Writing: Dance and Resistance in Historical Traditions
This course explores dance as an expression of resistance in European, West African, Middle Eastern, and aboriginal dance traditions. The course delves into the rich historical context where dance serves as a powerful form of rebellion against cultural oppression, censorship, and the stifling of native languages. Throughout the course, we will consider the following questions: How do dance steps communicate resistance? When is the role of dance as a platform for declaring unvoiced messages of defiance established? Why are the messages of resistance in dances performed to sung poetry different than those set to music alone or beats? What do various thematic connections between dance traditions help reveal about the concepts of offense, defense, space, and place in dance?
WR 318: Public Speaking
This course explores the art and practice of public speaking in contemporary society, with a focus on persuasion, audience engagement, and civic impact. In an era marked by fragmented attention and rising incivility in public discourse, the course equips students with rhetorical strategies and performance tools necessary for effective and well-researched communication in diverse contexts. Through the study of rhetorical theory and the practice of oral communication, students develop the ability to craft honest and compelling narratives, construct persuasive arguments, and adapt their messages to various audiences and purposes.
Emphasis is placed on collaboration, drafting, rehearsal, and the strategic use of visual and digital media to support spoken communication. Coursework includes a variety of individual and group assignments, such as a personal narrative speech, a Moth-style presentation, and a TED-style talk. Students engage in regular performance-based exercises to refine delivery, and they participate in reflective activities that explore how spoken communication shapes and facilitates understanding across a range of social and professional contexts. By the end of the semester, students gain experience with multiple genres of public speaking and develop critical awareness of their responsibilities as speakers and listeners in academic, professional, and civic settings.
HUB SJ 101: Social and Racial Justice 1—System and Structures
This course provides students with foundational knowledge concerning the historical and systemic bases of social and racial inequities and the efforts to build a more just world. The framework of the course recognizes that social and racial inequities are more than the result of individual bias and prejudice. They are also structural, having been codified in institutions such as laws, policies, customs that uphold and reproduce inequalities and access to power. Students engage their historical understanding and intercultural awareness with the goal of cultivating a campus atmosphere of respect for differences in life experience, sexual orientation, religious belief, and other facets of individual and group identities. Using a module-based approach, consisting of five multi-week units (featuring guest lectures by BU faculty and other experts), this course assists students in critically assessing inequities and efforts towards justice in social systems such as education, environment/sustainability, health, housing, and entertainment. This course fulfills Hub requirements in Historical Consciousness, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, and Critical Thinking.