Brigham Young University’s federally funded National Middle East Language Resource Center is leading the way in introducing the study of a critical language to high school students and adult learners across the nation.
On Wednesday, July 18, students will begin an intensive one-day Arabic language and culture camp on the BYU campus or in their hometown or region, including Hawaii, Maryland, Minnesota, Montana and Oklahoma.
After the camp, students continue their study of Arabic in a highly interactive format via Arabic without Walls. The course includes live interaction with a BYU-based tutor and assists camp participants to progress together in acquiring practical ability in Arabic.
Language ability in Arabic opens doors, and more students are starting their study of the language and culture earlier, said Kirk Belnap, director of the BYU center.
Inspired by her teacher Laila Lamani, Mollie Korewa pursued Arabic for two years at West High in Salt lake City, did intensive Arabic summer camps at BYU for two summers, and continued taking Arabic at SLC Community College while still in high school. She went to Morocco last summer on a State Department-funded NSLI Youth scholarship.
Korewa will soon begin her freshman year at Yale where she will be studying history as well as Arabic, Chinese and Spanish. She is among a rising demographic of students who are charting their educational paths through nontraditional opportunities for students who would like to explore possibilities in these less-commonly-taught languages.
"A grant from Qatar Foundation International [ www.qfi.org] will open this opportunity to some students who otherwise could not afford it," said Belnap.
For more information on registration, cost and credit, visit nmelrc.org/one-day-camp-and-arabic-without-walls.
Writer: Lee Simons
