Islamic Concentration Benefits Students
Jeff Wright
Issue date: 1/28/10 Section: Opinion
The announcement that the College has approved a new concentration in Islamic Civilization and Cultures is a welcome development and one that fits into the greater academic and student interest in the Middle East that has emerged over the last few years at Kenyon. Led by the concentration's director, NEH Distinguished Teaching Professor of Religious Studies Vernon Schubel, the new program will "allow students to study systematically and coherently the global civilization of Islam - its religious traditions, histories and cultures - in all of its diversity," according to the approved proposal.
The new concentration will take an interdisciplinary approach to the study of the Middle East, and the professors who will be taking part come from the Religious Studies, History, Music, International Studies and Modern Languages Departments. In addition to courses that focus on the Islamicate world in at least two different departments, the concentration also has a language requirement, mandating "at least one year of instruction in an Islamicate language," though the only one Kenyon currently offers is Arabic. Off-campus study, though not required by the new concentration, is highly recommended and encouraged. In years past, Kenyon students interested in the Middle East have studied abroad in Cairo, Morocco, Damascus and Ramallah, and the new concentration should encourage even more interest in study-abroad opportunities in these places and others.
The approval of this new concentration can be seen as part of a pattern of greater interest and involvement in the Middle East at Kenyon. The Middle East Student Association (MESA), a student organization, is now in its second year of activity on campus. By screening movies, holding discussions, bringing in speakers and through its undergraduate journal, the MESA journal, MESA hopes to facilitate and provoke discussion of and interest in the Middle East at Kenyon. In addition, over the last few years, the Arabic program at Kenyon has become both more robust and more popular, thanks in large part to the hard work of Visiting Instructor of Arabic Sadika Ramahi. Having Arabic at Kenyon has allowed more students to study a uniquely beautiful and challenging language, and it has encouraged more students, equipped with the language skills they need, to study abroad in the Middle East. In recognition of the increased interest in the language and the Middle East in general, the administration should make Ramahi full-time (she currently also teaches at Denison University). Since the Modern Language department features multiple professors for most other languages, a full-time Arabic professor seems both feasible and important to continue the growth of Middle Eastern studies at Kenyon.
The new concentration will take an interdisciplinary approach to the study of the Middle East, and the professors who will be taking part come from the Religious Studies, History, Music, International Studies and Modern Languages Departments. In addition to courses that focus on the Islamicate world in at least two different departments, the concentration also has a language requirement, mandating "at least one year of instruction in an Islamicate language," though the only one Kenyon currently offers is Arabic. Off-campus study, though not required by the new concentration, is highly recommended and encouraged. In years past, Kenyon students interested in the Middle East have studied abroad in Cairo, Morocco, Damascus and Ramallah, and the new concentration should encourage even more interest in study-abroad opportunities in these places and others.
The approval of this new concentration can be seen as part of a pattern of greater interest and involvement in the Middle East at Kenyon. The Middle East Student Association (MESA), a student organization, is now in its second year of activity on campus. By screening movies, holding discussions, bringing in speakers and through its undergraduate journal, the MESA journal, MESA hopes to facilitate and provoke discussion of and interest in the Middle East at Kenyon. In addition, over the last few years, the Arabic program at Kenyon has become both more robust and more popular, thanks in large part to the hard work of Visiting Instructor of Arabic Sadika Ramahi. Having Arabic at Kenyon has allowed more students to study a uniquely beautiful and challenging language, and it has encouraged more students, equipped with the language skills they need, to study abroad in the Middle East. In recognition of the increased interest in the language and the Middle East in general, the administration should make Ramahi full-time (she currently also teaches at Denison University). Since the Modern Language department features multiple professors for most other languages, a full-time Arabic professor seems both feasible and important to continue the growth of Middle Eastern studies at Kenyon.
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