Dr. Hamza Karam Ally has been a professor at King’s for five autumns. The difference this fall? He has been selected by you, the readers of The Watch, as October’s faculty of the month. We sat down with him to find out what you want to know. 

What do you do in your free time when you’re not teaching?

I play guitar, poorly. I do watch sports a lot, particularly football. I read some less academic novels. And I listen to a lot of music. Mostly 60s or 70s music. Dylan and Springsteen.

Are you teaching any classes next semester that you’re really excited about? 

I’ve got a new class, actually, next semester. It’s called Society, Politics and Literature. Which is a very blank canvas. The gist of what it’s going to be is what happens to a person in the course of their lives and how they are socialized, politicized, confronted by society and changed by it.

What are your favorite movies?

Hard to go wrong with The Godfather Part I. And a little off the beaten path would be Pan’s Labyrinth. It’s obviously very different from The Godfather, but it’s also kind of a perfect movie I wouldn’t change anything about.

What advice would you give to a first year student? 

Go slow. It’s a long road, particularly if you’re the sort of person who has aspirations of going to grad school. Also, the kind of pressure that I see first year students put on themselves— I always want to tell them, you will stumble. Everyone does, and that’s okay. You’ll get it all sorted out. And, at every opportunity, give yourself credit. 

What advice would you give to a graduating student? 

The one thing I would say is you’re still not necessarily locked into what you want to do for the rest of your life. Just remind yourself of that.

Where’s your favorite place to eat in Halifax? 

I like this place called Ragazzi Restobar. It’s a little Italian place, which me and my wife go to a lot. Highly recommend it. 

Do you have any really stand out moments from your time at King’s?

I met my wife here, so that has to be on the top of the list and nothing comes close to that. The other part of it is that the students are exceptional. How awesome it’s been to know students for three or four years, and you can get past that stage where you’re still awkward with each other and to just marvel at how amazing your work is.