March/April 2002
Arabic language in demand at FSU
By Carissa Neff
The telephone of Zeina Schlenoff--adjunct professor of Arabic I, II, III and IV at FSU-won't stop ringing.
The callers? "Many people outside the university-faculty and students who want to come to FSU to study Arabic," she said. "Right now we have quite a few students from criminology, from international affairs, students who eventually want to work for the government, for the FBI, for federal law enforcement agencies . . . But there are also Ph.D.s who are learning the language for their own research."
Joann deWalden, a senior in criminology, said
she wants to use the Arabic she is studying in a job with a federal
agency.
"I grew up speaking an Arabic dialect and have now learned
to read and write it," she said. "I think the current
events have impacted my opportunities to get hired with federal
agencies."
Another senior in criminology, Adam Pace, came to Schlenoff's
class knowing nothing about Arabic "except that one reads
it right to left."
"But an FBI agent in my hometown told
me that if I could learn Arabic, it would be the most beneficial,"
Pace said.
Schlenoff, the only teacher of Arabic languages at FSU, taught
French and Arabic at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst,
where she received a Ph.D. in French literature. Five years ago,
FSU's department of modern languages asked her to teach Arabic.
"I love teaching, love to see how the students progress on a daily basis," said Schlenoff, who is well liked by her students.
"She teaches in a very motherly way," said Brandon Blake, a student who hopes to one day work for the CIA.
For the past two years, Schlenoff has also
directed and taught Arabic in an intensive summer program at
American University in Beirut. "I like bringing Arabic books
and materials back to share with my students [at FSU],"
she said.
She teaches Arabic I and III in the fall and Arabic II and IV
in the spring.
"So we won't really see an increase in the language classes from the events of September until next fall when Arabic I is offered again," she said.
But Schlenoff doesn't know where the expected
influx will go.
"We've got 60,000 students between FSU, TCC and FAMU, and
this is the only class offered in Arabic," she said.
Peter Garretson, who teaches Middle East history and is director
of the graduate program in history, said Schlenoff "built
the program herself.
"Without her, there's no Arabic language
program."
Nearly 100 percent of the students who begin Arabic I follow
through to Arabic IV, Schlenoff said, though she is modest about
the lasting appeal of her classes.
"I'm very lucky," she said. "I get good students. The language is difficult, so the ones who come are the ones who really want to learn the language."
Students taking Arabic I and II attend class
five days a week and begin writing the Arabic alphabet in the
first three weeks.
Garretson sees hints of what might be in store for Schlenoff
come fall registration.
"I can't recall a time (until now) when I had students sitting on the floor waiting for others to drop the course," he said.
Asked in January how many would take other
courses in Arabic languages or Middle-Eastern culture if the
courses were offered, all the students in both of Schlenoff's
sections raised their hands.
"Of course they want to have more courses to choose from,"
Schlenoff said. "But it takes money to design and teach
classes."
Arabic is "a tool in my toolbox," said Robert Doherty, a student in Arabic IV who teaches law and international business in the College of Business. "Arabic is an extremely important communication tool for business, and it's unfortunate that it's now linked to terrorism."
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