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Faculty,
students discuss offering Arabic class next semester Editor-in-Chief
Many
say the time is right to offer an Arabic class at Missouri Southern next
semester. Southern
offers six foreign languages - Spanish, French, German, Russian, Chinese
and Japanese. But students and members of the faculty have both become
interested in the opportunity to learn a new culture - Arabic. I
would like for this class to be offered, said Dr. Jay Moorman, head
of the department of communications. The time is now for this class
to be offered. Dr.
Chad Stebbins, director of the Institute of International Studies, said
Southern could benefit from the addition of the class. Obviously,
the more languages we offer, the more it helps the international
programs, he said. But on the flip side of the coin, Arabic is one
of the most difficult languages to learn. He
said although the College offers Chinese, few students take it because
it is so difficult. He believes the same could happen with the Arabic
class. It
could be a risky financial move to hire a full-time instructor and have
few students in the class, he said. Arabic
was offered in the fall of 1991 and spring of 1992, and it is listed in
the catalog, but not enough interest has been generated to have the
class until now. If the class happens, it will be offered as Arabic 298
next semester. Moorman
and Khalil Mekkaoui, part-time foreign language professor, said the
events of Sept. 11, 2001, and the recent conflict between the United
States and Iraq have increased the interest in the Arab culture. Last
year, Mekkaoui called Moorman and said he would like to teach a class
like this. It s
very important because of what has been going on, Mekkaoui said.
It is important for students and the general public in our area to
have first-hand exposure to a culture that has been misunderstood
sometimes. Mekkaoui
is a native of Morocco and speaks all dialects of Arabian language. He
became an American citizen in 1989. He
has taught linguistics and Islamic civilization in Morocco and also
taught at King Saud University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He worked for
the Peace Corps as a language teacher and has a master s degree in
linguistics and teaching foreign language. Despite
his qualifications, Mekkaoui is afraid he will be unable to teach the
class next semester. As a part-time instructor, the College allows him
to only teach a certain number of hours per year. If he teaches the
Arabic class next semester, he could go over the limit. He would have to
get special permission from the administration if that is the case. Nevertheless,
Mekkaoui said he continues to have wishful thinking. He wants to
include culture and religion in the class, plus teach some of the Arabic
languages. I
would have absolute enjoyment teaching this class because I would feel
like I was contributing something, he said. Students
are also pushing for the class to be offered. Casey Alcorn, freshman
business and communications major, said students need to learn about the
Arabic culture in times like these, and additionally, the market for
jobs with experience in Arabic is growing, especially in intelligence
agencies. Stebbins
said the FBI is reporting that not enough people in government agencies
have skills in the Arabic, Hebrew, Persian and Turkish languages. Alcorn
said the chance to learn about others is a part of the college
experience. A
big thing is to kind of get your feet wet, to experience something
new, she said. Being in college is all about experiencing new
things. Alcorn
approached Moorman and Mekkaoui a couple of weeks ago about the class.
Moorman told her if she could get 12 people to commit to taking the
class, it could possibly be offered. She
has approximately eight students signed up right now and is hoping for
more. But
it takes a big interest by the students and an interest by the
faculty, Moorman said. The bureaucracy has to approve this. Mekkaoui
said he was pleasantly surprised when Alcorn approached him. This
is the only way it s going to happen, he said. If students want
it, it will happen. It s always better to be needed than to have to
sell yourself. Alcorn
said she is trying to get the word out about the class. She makes
announcements in all her classes and will soon be putting posters up. Mekkaoui
said if he gets the opportunity to teach this class, his goal is not to
change opinions or push his own, but to merely state facts and educate.
He also wants to eliminate stereotypes of Arab peoples. It is a shame that a country such as the United States and people in the highest education still don t know the feelings of the populous of the Arabic culture, he said. |