Third Symposium of Sultan Qaboos Academic Chairs

9:00　Registration

9:30–11:00　Session 1 Studies in Arabic Language and Its Literature

9:30–9:45 The International Exam of Arabic Language Efficiency, Writing Skills as a Model
Raed Abdel Rahim (Al-Najah National University)

9:45–10:00　 Language and place : Edward Said as an Example
Yasir Suleiman (University of Cambridge)

10:00–10:15 Notes on the Legend of Sinimmar　
Yoshiaki Fukuda (Osaka University)

10:15–10:30 The Rhythm of Arabic Language
Fatma Al-Mamari (Sultan Qaboos College for Teaching Arabic to Non-Native Speakers)

10:30–11:10　Discussion

11:10–11:25　Break

11:25–13:05　Session 2 Water and Faith: Shared Values
11:25–11:45　Water in the Holy Qur’an
Kahlan Al-Kharusi (Assistant of Grand Mufti of the Sultanate of Oman)

11:45–12:05　Treatment of Water in Syriac Religious and Scientific Literature
Hidemi Takahashi (The University of Tokyo)

12:05–12:25　Water and Faith: An Islamic Perspective
Abdullah Said (The University of Melbourne)

12:25–13:05　Discussion

13:05–14:30　Lunch Break

14:30–16:30　Session 3 Societal Change in Middle East
14:30–14:45　 Some Reflections on Social Change and Continuity in Oman and the Gulf
John Peterson (Historian)

14:45–15:00　 Role of Media in Societal Change in Middle East
Abdullah Al-Kindi (Sultan Qaboos University)

15:00–15:15　 Social Dynamism of Changing Woman’s roles in the Gulf
Namie Tsujigami (The University of Tokyo)

15:15–15:30　 Societal Changes in the Arabian Gulf: The Case of Language Change and Identity in Oman
Rahman Al Mahrouqi (Sultan Qaboos University)

15:30–16:10　 Discussion

16:10　Announcement of the Winners of Poster Competition
16:20　Outcomes and Recommendations
16:25　Closing Address

9:30-15:00 (Registration 8:30-9:15)
Opening Ceremony
including Welcome Speech by Junichi Hamada, President of the University of Tokyo, and Address by His Highness Sayyid Haitham Bin Tariq Al Said

Session 1 Integrated Water Resources Management
Sultanate of Oman’s Strategy for Securing Water Resources
His Excellency Engineer Ali bin Mohammad Al-Abri
Undersecretary of Water Resources, Ministry of Municipalities and Water Resources (Oman)

Integrated Water Resources Management in Changing World
Taikan Oki
Professor, Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo (Japan)

Managing Contaminated Soil and Groundwater: A True Challenge
Ruud Schotting
Professor of Sultan Qaboos Chair for Quantitative Water Management, Utrecht University (The Netherland)

Session 2 Water and Socio-Cultural Diversity
Water and Nature of Japan: Observation of the First Japanese Received by the Sultan of Oman
Masayuki Yamauchi
Professor Emeritus, The University of Tokyo (Japan)

Traditional Knowledge in Water Management: Lessons from the Aflaj of Oman
Abdullah Al-Ghafri
Director of Aflaj Research Unit, The University of Nizwa (Oman)

Indigenous Water Management
Ahmed Al Salih
Professor of Sultan Qaboos Chair for Desert Farming, The Arabian Gulf University (Bahrain)

Language
Japanese Arabic, and English (with simultaneous interpretation)