Arabic language class enrollment at Tufts has increased dramatically in the past few semesters, mirroring a nationwide trend that many cite as a direct result of Sept. 11.
“We used to have one small section of first year Arabic,” Assistant Arabic Professor Amira El-Zein said. “We have now three sections, with 72 students in the first year alone.”
The department also created a fourth-year Arabic class this fall at the request of students who wished to continue studying the language.
The number of students enrolled in Arabic classes has tripled since Sept. 11 as a direct result of the tragedy, according to El-Zein.
“All of a sudden, there was an urgent need for people who could translate from Arabic, who could speak the language and communicate with Arabs abroad,” El-Zein said. “So, everybody rushed to learn Arabic. It was a shocking discovery to realize that very few Americans were trained in the language. The demand surpassed by far the supply.”
German, Russian and Asian Languages Professor Valerie Anishchenkova agreed with this assessment. “The current political situation prompted an increased interest in the Middle East from a number of different angles,” she said.
Professors such as El-Zein and Anishchenkova say they use Arabic to teach students about the importance of improving relations between the Middle East and the United States.
“We want our students to be an essential component in the near future in the urgent dialogue between the Arab world and the States,” El-Zein said. “Learning Arabic should be learning about how to erase hatred between Americans and Arabs, and how to reestablish an urgent confidence between both sides,” El-Zein said.
Anishchenkova said that students of the language also consider its mastery “an important career opportunity.”
The surge in popularity of the language has led to “a shortage of qualified teachers, translators, journalists, interpreters, etc.,” El-Zein said. “Students rush to learn Arabic because they know they will have jobs in the government, the many security agencies, in teaching, in the military, and in the diplomatic fields.”
Sophomore Lisa Kalajian, who is presently studying Arabic at Tufts, said she hopes to work in and with these countries in the future. “The Arab world is extremely important for political and economic reasons and we don’t have enough people [in the U.S.] that speak the language,” she said.
Students at Tufts attribute the language’s sudden popularity to its aesthetic qualities, as well as its contemporary relevance.
“I am taking Arabic right now because not only is it one of the most ancient languages, it is also a very poetic and beautiful language,” sophomore Unaza Khan, adding that her interest in Arabic increased after Sept. 11.
Undergraduates have not reported difficulty obtaining seats in Arabic classes, but some students say class sizes are large.
“I had no trouble [enrolling], but the classes seem big, as in over the language class cap,” Kalajian said, adding that the large class size made it “more difficult to learn.”
“I think it’s important that as many people who want to take the class and learn the language can ... We just don’t have enough Arabic professors to meet the demand,” Kalajian said.
Sophomore Jonathan Apikian said he had observed students from Fletcher who had been placed on waitlists sitting in during classes.
But senior Matt Pohl said, “Arabic is not difficult to get into at all. The number of sections has increased. My section has approximately 10 students enrolled.”
Students are already incorporating Arabic into their plans of study. Apikian has made Arabic his second major after International Relations and plans to study abroad in Morocco or at the American University in Cairo.
El-Zein said she’s thrilled at the rising interest in Arabic and believes that the Arabic program at Tufts will continue to grow. “I truly think that in a few years it will become one of the most active Arabic programs across the country, and among the best ones,” she said