Roxanne Fleischer
News Editor
After 14 students signed a request for an Arabic language minor, Provost Thomas Falkner approved of the 3000-level class needed to make it possible.
“The interest in Arabic is just taking off,” said Falkner, who said at least six students will be signed up for the new course starting in the fall of 2009.
“Because of the student interest, because of good teaching in those courses, there is a very strong enrollment,” he said. “We try to be responsive to academic interest.”
The 3000-level is the last course needed to fulfill the Arabic language minor, but for the time-being, the minor will remain self-designed. “The challenge is really this: in order to make the commitment to a minor, you have to have the staff. We don’t have that yet,” Falkner said.
Currently, adjunct lecturer Carol Zaru is the only teacher of Arabic, teaching two 1000-level and two 2000-level courses. Falkner said that the Zaru will be invited to take the position of teaching the 3000-level course this fall.
“We have an outstanding person in [Carol Zaru],” he said. The college does not have the ability to offer her a full time position at this time, according to Falkner. “We will need to be considering this for the future,” he said.
Falkner also said there has been more interest in the Arabic program “than I would have imagined.”
Junior Emily Hajjar, a signer of the petition said, “I think its one step closer to offering an Arabic minor.” Hajjar will be taking the newly offered course in the fall. “I am really excited to be continuing my Arabic education,” she said.