Making things even more difficult, the Arabic taught in school may only take students so far in the real world. Most institutions teach traditional, formal Arabic, which is consistent throughout the Arabic-speaking world. But in less formal settings, local dialects dominate.
“This is a huge issue in Arabic,” says Tucker. “It’s a situation where the spoken language is extremely different than the written.” Thus, he says, students who really want to be versatile must spend significant time studying in various parts of the Middle East.
While Middle Eastern studies programs have exploded in popularity in the past six years, whether they will remain in the national spotlight remains to be seen. According to Newhall, interest in the programs appeared to begin to flatten in 2005, but it’s still too early to draw any conclusions. The continued fighting in Iraq, the escalating conflict with Iran and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict suggest that affairs in the Arab world will continue to make national headlines. As a result, many professors have reason to believe that interest in Middle Eastern studies will also continue to grow.
© Copyright 2005 by DiverseEducation.com
