What you read here, is an exclusive interview with Dr. John Dolan, a former professor of English Composition and Literature at the American University of Iraq-Sulaimani. He was fired by the AUI-S administration in August. He answers many important questions on his relations with the AUI-S administration, the faculty members, and the students. He also clarifies some points mentioned in his article.
Most of the people who have read your article say, “Why didn’t he write a critical article while he was at AUI-S?"
I valued my job and I did not want to offend a capricious and ideologically blinkered administration.
Some students feel disgraced by your article? In many places you have made references to AUI-S students that illustrates us as “rough-looking, wimpy, academically incapable and etc.. why?
It was in no way my intention to disgrace the students. I should explain that in American culture, it is fashionable both to be tough looking (think Clint Eastwood) and to be wimpy and urbane (think Johnny Depp). My point in the paragraph you refer to was that Kurds and Arabs are different, you have a history of conflict and Americans can’t wish that history away overnight.By the way, I never said or thought that students were academically incapable. I said that the ESL course had not prepared them well for university courses in English.Finally, let me refer you to the following paragraph where I express my sincere admiration for students:
