Posted on 07/06/2008 9:12:10 PM PDT by forkinsocket
Amber Tracy spent the past academic year studying Arabic. But with a full-time job and other classes, she wasn't progressing as quickly as she had wanted.
On June 23, she began an intensive Arabic program at Cal State San Bernardino, learning Arabic all day and practicing it in residence halls well into the night.
"I think I've learned more in the last week than I did all last semester," Tracy said after finishing a lunch of Arab-style chicken, rice and salad with her tutors and other students. "Being able to focus on Arabic and not think about anything else is really an amazing opportunity."
Tracy is one of 46 students in the six-week program, one of only a few Arabic residential immersion courses nationwide.
All but one of the students live in university housing, where they practice with fellow pupils and with tutors -- some of whom also live in the residence halls -- and other fluent Arabic speakers.
They sign a pledge to only speak Arabic to the best of their ability. The students also learn about Arab culture.
Most of the students either had not studied Arabic before they began the program or only had one or two quarters or semesters of the language, said Dany Doueiri, coordinator of the program.
Several have one or two Arabic-speaking parents and speak a colloquial version of the language and want to learn how to speak, read and write classical Arabic.
Cal State San Bernardino has become the leading Cal State campus for Middle Eastern language and cultural courses.
First in Cal State System
The Arabic immersion program, which began last year, is the only one in the 23-campus system and attracts students from around the state.
In 2005, the university established the system's first Center for Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies.
The immersion program is in part funded by the federal government, which in 2006 began its Strategic Language Initiative to increase learning of Arabic, Mandarin Chinese, Russian, Farsi and other languages that the government views as "critical-need."
Broadening learning of the languages promotes cultural understanding, allows the government to better monitor possible terrorist activity and helps U.S. business, said Eileen Lainez, a spokeswoman for the Defense Department, in an e-mail.
The Defense Department is one of the agencies participating in the initiative.
Tracy, 23, an international-relations major at Cal State Sacramento, said she wants to one day work at a U.S. embassy in the Middle East.
"I think it's important to have people who understand Arab culture make policy, make agreements and breach misunderstandings," she said.
In addition to learning Arabic, students take field trips to Arab markets in Anaheim, coffeehouses near San Diego, and other places where they can interact with immigrants from Arabic-speaking countries.
They learn Arab dancing, drink Arab coffee, hear Arab poetry and visit Arab churches and mosques. Tutors and instructors are of Arab ancestry.
Countering Stereotypes
Brian Baker, 22, of Beaumont, said the interaction counters the negative stereotypes many Americans have of Arabs.
"We're ingrained with certain images of the Middle East and Arab culture since we're young," said Baker, who studied Middle Eastern history at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. "Learning the history of the Middle East and being in this class shows the truth of the culture and weeds out the negative things we're told."
Baker has an interest in the Middle East in part because of his Christian faith. He wants to find out more about the birthplace of Christianity and about the links among Islam, Christianity and Judaism.
He plans to participate in the second part of the immersion program next summer.
Students will travel to Amman, Jordan, to learn more Arabic and practice the language while working at nonprofits, businesses and government agencies. Sixteen students from last year's San Bernardino program are now in Jordan.
As Baker practiced his calligraphy on a recent afternoon, Doueiri walked around a language lab helping students.
Jacob Yousif, of San Bernardino, had the word "muhandis," or engineer, on his computer screen and asked Doueiri for help pronouncing it.
Yousif, 18, is the son of Iraqi immigrants. They wanted to teach him Arabic when he was 10 years old, but Yousif wasn't interested. Now he is.
He is starting studies in international business this fall at Cal State San Bernardino and believes Arabic will be helpful in future jobs.
He also wants to communicate better with relatives.
Rhonda Saleh, 22, learned colloquial Arabic from her Lebanese parents but struggles to grasp the full meaning of the Quran and other written works, which are in classical Arabic.
The Highland woman wants to pass on the language and Lebanese cultural traditions to the children she plans to have one day.
"Even though I'm American and I love American culture and I'm a part of it, I want them to be exposed to (Lebanese) culture as well," she said. "It's important for them to know who they are."
I would love to know arabic so I could spy.
Did I read that right???
Understanding your adversary is always an advantage.
New liberals have to be multi-lingual.
They are going to have to say and understand such important things as “would you like cous cous or tamales or french fries with that?”
In the meantime, what do our public schools stress -
SPANISH and French, if you are lucky.
What a waste of time!
I'll save you lots of effort and $, Baker. Christianity is an outgrowth and fulfillment of the promises of Judaism. Islam is a sloppy, fantastic, plagiaristic parody of Judaism. That's all you need to know. Got it?
Study Arabic, children, because some dhimmis are more equal than others. Maybe you can be a house servant of some mullah in the future, instead of a galley slave or something.
Studying Russian certainly didn't give her a complete understanding of Communism (and other forms of totalitarianism}, or she wouldn't be repeating mistakes of the past by forever advocating endless "negotiating" with North Korea and Iran.
Since "Arabic culture" is Islamic culture, isn't this religious teaching in the public school system? Do they pray 5 times a day as well? wear their burkas?
So the government is funding Isalmic "and" Middle Eastern studies?
I repeat, the government is funding Islamic studies?
Just because Middle Eastern nations are theocratic Islamic supremacist countries does not permit our government to indoctrinate people at taxpayer expense in all things Islam.
I wonder if they are learning about halal preparation of chicken (slice the throat and say a prayer) as well.
Hitler must be green with envy. If only he had the time and opportunity to brainwash the next generation of his enemies and remove all the negative stereotypes they had of Mein Kampf Nazism by whitewashing them over with BS.
Perhaps we should all be learning Hindi so that office workers can communicate more clearly with offshored co-workers by phone and so all of us can communicate with phone support people in all areas (computer support, billing payments, reservations, etc.).
Because "obviously" some of the passages in the Koran CANNOT mean what they say when she reads them with her Western eyes. Obviously there must be some misunderstanding in her translation. Struggle with it. Islam means peace/ < /s >
Bet she doesn't struggle with any "meaning" in 1001 Arabian Nights. They are just stories.
I understand your point, but churning out globalist foreign service officers gives no advantage to America.
Exactly. Speaking and understanding Arabic these days can have many benefits.
I work in the Middle East, so I first started learning rudimentary phrases to be polite. The Arabs are eager to teach us when we indicate we want to learn. In my early days, at my request, they taught me the words for "bomb," "explosion," "car-bomb" and other such things so that if I were to for example, hear them spoken in an airport or a local government building, I'd know to sound the alarm.
I've also learned the cusswords, of course and was able to bust a Jordanian cab-driver in San Francisco a few years ago as he was cursing me in Arabic under his breath because my short trip wasn't going to be a big fare. When I let him know I not only understood him but was appalled at being verbally abused that way, he FREAKED and begged me not to report him. I relented, but I paid him the exact fare and not one penny more and I tend to be a generous tipper.
National Security Language Initiative (NSLI) - Budget Information
http://www.ed.gov/about/inits/ed/competitiveness/nsli/funding.html
Denying that there are negative things at all doesn't do anyone any favors except permit bad people continue to do bad things.
Socialists empowered Stalin by refusing to criticize the USSR as well. They had no problems at all criticizing the US and UK even during WWII but Stalin was not to be criticized.
No. Rather it makes her an islamist who would sell out Israel for what she would.
Quickly.
I need an Arabic translation of the following sentences:
“The zipper on this bulky vest is broken.”
“I would like to be issued a newer vest, one size bigger, please, in order to hold 4 more pounds of 3/4” nails.”
“Mohammad, please hide the coil that is sticking out of my vest.”
“My mother is so proud of me and my brother when we told her that we will blow ourselves up tonight in the name of the Intifada.”
“Tonight, I am going to kill my sister because she went out on a date with an infidel.”
“$24,000 from the Saudi royals is nothing compared to the pride I feel for my 6 boys who choose to martyr themselves for the sake of the struggle.”
“This is my seventh beheading ceremony. I praise the Almighty One for the opportunities.”
“Tonight, I will cross into Iraq and help Abdul put together more IEDs for the British.”
“What is this Free Republic? This must be the conservative branch of the Great Satan.”
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