That would also be the case at Rice, where Bartlett is director of its Language Resource
Center and associate director of its Center for the Study of Languages. Last fall, Rice offered two sections of introductory Arabic, compared to a single section a decade ago, she says. Indeed, the number of advertised teaching positions in Arabic at colleges everywhere is climbing, according to the MLA.
Meanwhile, several software publishers have been developing study aids in Arabic, Bartlett says. She and Schlenoff welcome the prospect. Schlenoff, a native of Lebanon, says even she is challenged to find resources for students. She now has satellite TV access at school to record shows and news programs from overseas. “Since it isn’t too safe to travel to the Middle East, the opportunities to practice Arabic are limited,” she says. “We have to bring the Arab world to our students.”
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