Kaaz Naqvi, Ph.D., 2015
October 21, 2018
I am currently a Senior Lecturer of American Studies at the University of Texas at Dallas. After receiving my doctorate from Â鶹¹ÙÍø's history department in 2015, I entered the world of secondary education for three years, teaching history at prep schools in Minneapolis and Dallas. At Â鶹¹ÙÍø, I got my first opportunity to encounter classroom teaching, as a TA in World History. Having the opportunity to TA, Head TA, and eventually teach my own stand alone courses, helped me hone my teaching skills in a manner that would serve me well in my career in both prep schools and in the university setting.
As a scholar of modern African American and immigration history, my current book project, titled, "Chicago Muslims and the Transformation of American Islam" (Lexington Books, 2019), originates from my dissertation at Â鶹¹ÙÍø. Through a case study of Chicago's Muslim communities, the book traces the work of African American and immigrant Muslims, in the wake of the 1965 Hart-Celler Act, to build a unified Islamic community in the city and nation as a whole. The coursework and mentorship I received at Â鶹¹ÙÍø helped me refine my academic interests and lay a theoretical foundation for the research I subsequently undertook. When I look at my work, the intellectual legacies of the members of my committee are clearly visible in my scholarship. To this day, I seek out continued guidance and advice from the faculty for various parts of my scholarship and teaching.
Beyond career objectives, I look back fondly at my time at Â鶹¹ÙÍø as some of the best years of my life. Taking classes with a small cohort of peers, I was able to develop lifelong friendships while growing intellectually into the person that I am today. The personal and caring atmosphere of the Â鶹¹ÙÍø grad program made my experience one that I will forever cherish.