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Inside the Blue Book
Crossing
the Cultural Divide
by
Jennifer L. Holley
March
2003
NELC
421 :
Elementary
Modern Standard Arabic
Faculty:
Bassam Frangieh, Senior Lector
Even
prior to September 11, which made knowledge of the Middle East more
important than ever to Americans, Bassam
Frangieh had high enrollments in his Arabic classes. But this year,
he saw an increase of a dozen students in the beginning course,
Modern Standard Arabic. About 65 students shopped the class, and
35 undergraduate and graduate students enrolled.
Sticking with Arabic,
however, takes much more than mere interest. Frangieh calls it "one
of the world's most sophisticated and complex languages," and a
challenge to the students, many of whom have not heard or even seen
the language before. "The most difficult aspects are the grammar,
which is hard to master, and the vocabulary, which is vast," he
says.
| |
Students
hope the class will help them catch Osama bin Laden or marry
an Arab prince.
|
Students' specific reasons
for taking the class are as varied as the group is diverse. Some
students want to visit the legendary places described in Arabian
Nights in the original language. A couple said they think Arabic
will help them in their quest to catch Osama bin Laden in the caves
of Afghanistan. One student said she wanted to marry an Arab prince.
"I lost track of her, so I don't know if she has achieved her goal
yet," says Frangieh. Students watch films; read poetry, literature,
and excerpts from the Koran and the Arabic press; and discuss many
aspects of Arab traditions.
Increased interest
in Arabic has created what Frangieh describes as "an opportunity
for American students to gain an understanding of a vastly different
part of the world through the language." Whether students taking
beginning Arabic will enroll in a continuing course next year is
yet to be seen. Frangieh says, "It will be interesting to see if,
due to the recent situation with North Korea, students will drop
Arabic in order to study Korean!"  |
