Deanship of Graduate Studies Celebrates Successful PhD Defense

The Deanship of Graduate Studies and Scientific Research at the Islamic University of Minnesota – Main Center – witnessed a new academic milestone on Monday, November 24, 2025, with the public defense of a doctoral dissertation in the Department of Arabic Language and Literature, College of Arts and Humanities.

The dissertation, titled “Social Responsibility in Modern Arabic Poetry: A Study on the Diwan and Mahjar Schools as Models,” was presented by Nigerian researcher Abbas Shu’aib Hassan. His work deeply explored how poets of the two literary schools reflected social, national, and humanitarian concerns in their poetry, highlighting the role of literature in shaping collective consciousness.

The defense committee was chaired by Dr. Osama Abdulrahman Abu Zaid, Head of the Department of Arabic Language and Literature, while the dissertation was supervised by Dr. Nasser Ammar Zahrari, a faculty member at the university.

The committee also included Dr. Tamer Al-Qazzaz and Dr. Abdurabbeh Salem as internal discussants, along with Dr. Mohammed Al-Yaseen as an external examiner. Committee members commended the researcher’s scholarly effort and the depth of his literary analysis.

The defense session was successfully held via the virtual Zoom platform, reflecting the university’s commitment to facilitating academic procedures for its international students. The session concluded with the awarding of the doctoral degree to Abbas Shu’aib Hassan, accompanied by praise for the quality of his research and its distinction in linking poetic texts to societal issues.