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AWEJ for Translation & Literary Studies, Volume 4, Number2. May  2020                                   Pp.82 -90

EFL Female Students’ Perception of Feminist Poetry: A Case Study in the Department of English at Umm Al-Qura University

Department of English, College of Social Sciences
Umm Al-Qura University, Saudi Arabia

Abstract:

This study examines the perception of English as a Foreign Language female students in the Department of English at Umm Al-Qura University regarding feminist poetry. It offers an insight into their understanding of the genre and its themes and how these are relevant to women’s changing roles in Saudi Arabian society. Research was conducted among forty students who studied the Poetry course (731478-2) during the first and second semesters of the academic year of 2019-2020 at the university. The study adopts a qualitative methodology with a survey as the primary tool to collect data. Students were asked to complete a questionnaire which directly addressed the research questions and were then given a chance to add their comments and personal inputs. Given that women’s empowerment is a vital part of the Saudi vision of 2030, the majority of the responses show positive attitudes towards studying feminist poetry. In doing so, this study sheds light on the value of integrating feminist poetry as it raises students’ awareness of women’s rights in different cultures, allowing them to reflect on their own experience.

Cite as:

Azhar, H. J.  (2020). EFL Female Students’ Perception of Feminist Poetry: A Case Study in the Department of English at Umm Al-Qura University. Arab World English Journal for Translation & Literary Studies 4 (2) 82 -90.

References:

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Dr. Hadeel Jamal Azhar is an assistant professor of English Literature at Umm Al-Qura University. She holds a PhD in Victorian Women’s Poetry from Edinburgh Napier University, and an MA in English Literary Studies from the University of Aberdeen. Hadeel is currently the Deputy-Chair of the Department of English at UQU. Her research and teaching interests lie in Victorian and Edwardian literature and culture, including women’s writing, interdisciplinary aspects of law and literature, and cross-cultural and comparative studies. ORCiD ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5513-1572