Demand for Arabic language classes remains strong

Increased student interest in a greater variety of languages offered at the University has led the Romance and German, Russian, and Asian language departments to seek more funding for new programs and increased classroom space.

The Chronicle of Higher Education reported last month that after Sept.11, 2001, a Congressional inquiry found that Ancient Greek was a more popular language to study among American students than Arabic, Korean, Farsi and Pashto. Farsi is the official language of Iran and Pashto is the official language of Afghanistan.

Currently the U.S. government considers those four, as well as other languages to be essential for national security.

It is due to this lack of American student interest that Representative Rush Holt (D-N.J.) and 51 co-sponsors proposed a bill in December of last year to increase the appeal of studying these languages. The bill, titled The National Security Language Act, is to fund grants to colleges to create new programs in the desired languages. Holt believes the lack of students studying these languages has become a security issue.

The proposed bill would grant $12 million to colleges for language programs abroad in the languages the U.S. government has identified as important to learn. An additional $15 million would go towards teaching science, mathematics, and technology in those same languages as well as towards funding American students to take these languages in non-English speaking countries.

Even without the federal encouragement there has been a distinct increase among security relevant languages at Tufts according to Hosea Hirata, chair of the department of German, Russian and Asian language and literature. "There is absolutely an incredible increase in demand," he said.

Since Sept. 11, the Arabic program has expanded and a new assistant professor was hired. The department is now able to offer up to level 22, up from the introductory Arabic classes offered previously in the Ex-College.

Rapidly expanding Arabic programs may benefit from this potential increase in fund availability. While many of the University's programs are seeing increased enrollment, enlarging the department is cost prohibitive.

Hirata would like to expand the Arabic language program, but he believes that his department does not have the resources to create a major at this time.

Nevertheless, the department hopes to expand the Arabic program to be able to teach up until level 122, or the fourth year, which is required by majors such as international relations. This would most likely require a full-time lecturer, but "we are trying to find money for that. We are looking for grants to make Arabic a full-fledged program," Hirata said.

Arab students are seeing the increased demand as more and more politically focused students take Arabic language courses.

'The introductory Arabic classes are in very high demand and there is definitely a need for a larger program. My Arabic 2 class is packed and it is more difficult to learn with so many students and only one professor," said senior Yasmine Afif Iliya, who is the secretary of the Arab Students Association (ASA).

"I am one of two students in the class who are taking it because of my Arabic origin," Afif Iliya said. "I think those students in international relations and political science have chosen Arabic over other languages more recently due to current events and the need for people who have a knowledge of the language."

ASA treasurer Riyadh Mohammed agreed. "Of course the recent demand for more Arabic language classes has to do with the war in Iraq and the increased political attention paid to the Middle East. I believe the demand arises from students becoming more aware of these issues and wanting to take a role in it," he said. "However, do not overlook the other side of the equation -- professors and the administration both are pushing for more students because they too see a need for younger voices on the international stage who speak Arabic."

Arabic is one of the more fortunate programs -- despite demand, Korean language courses are not offered. "There is no money and no room," Hirata said. "Physically, we cannot expand anymore unless we find a new building," Hirata said. "We have to find an infrastructure involving building, staff, and funding."

Hirata compared the need for these languages to the demand for Japanese language and culture during the early stages of the Second World War. "The nation scrambled to gather the brightest minds in the country and went through intensive Japanese language program," he said.