Associate Professor of Anthropology and Cross-Cultural & Global Studies, Program Director
University of Houston-Clear Lake
Maria Curtis has been teaching Anthropology and Cross-Cultural & Global Studies at UH-Clear Lake since 2007, and currently serves as Program Director. In addition to her faculty role, she has lead several study abroad programs to Turkey and Oman, and study away programs in Washington DC with students interested in diplomacy. She has worked closely on international initiatives with her students and university, and has been engaged in creating cultural programming for the wider Houston community. She teaches courses on the SWANA region, Arab American studies, heritage and museum studies, and food security and sustainability. Her research has focused on Arab and Muslim American communities in the U.S. and Houston, with a focus on women’s roles in cultural production. She has worked with the Arab American National Museum, and is founding curator of the Skaff Family Arab American Archive, a diverse body of primary source materials related to communities on the Gulf Coast. Her recent scholarship is focused on Oman, examining how its long record of environmental stewardship is reflected in its national identity, diplomacy, and heritage and preservation initiatives
Most recently she was a recipient of the State Department IDEAS grant to support study abroad to the Sultanate of Oman focusing on food security and environmental sustainability, and delivering Arabic language instruction on her campus. She is passionate about making study abroad available to as many students as possible and conducts research on first gen and Latinx student decision making when considering education abroad.
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Wednesday, June 1, 2022
1:00 PM – 1:50 PM MDT