College Reassesses Teaching Islam Attacks Give Administrators Pause to Consider Cucciculum

Author: Tim McCahill Assistant News Editor

A Nov. 11 article in The New York Times "Education Life" supplement questioned the state of instruction on Islam, the Islamic world and American foreign policy after Sept. 11 at American institutions of higher education. The article, which focused primarily on state universities or larger research institutions like Harvard and Georgetown, raised questions that have particular resonance here at Middlebury.

The lengthy article described the lack of exposure most American students have had to topics related to Islam and subjects left by the wayside during the Cold War such as terrorism or Arabic language instruction. Academics in fields like these are few and far between, leading to instances at some colleges when "a single professor must often shoulder the burden of covering the entire Islamic world, usually in a survey course," the article concluded.

While some universities have risen to the challenge of introducing undergraduate students to issues raised or rediscovered by the events of Sept. 11 — the article reported on one Georgetown University class entitled "Contemporary Islamic Activist Intellectuals" that has received attention both in and outside the gates of that institution — others have taken pause to review their curricula to see where or how they might be lacking.

Such is the case at Middlebury. While the College has a long and proud history of offering courses focusing on Islam or Islamic culture and politics, some administrators admit that there is room for improvement. Consequently, a Middle Eastern Studies committee is being formed to examine Middlebury's current course offerings on such topic to see what more needs to be done — and how this should be accomplished.



A View from the Present



International studies and religion, identified by President John McCardell in 1994 as two of Middlebury's academic "peaks," offer some insight into how prepared the College is for educating students of a world that now appears even more complex and, as New York Times reporter Eyal Press wrote in the Nov. 11 article, increasingly "volatile."

The College's religion department is recognized as one of the strongest among most American liberal arts institutions with student populations approximate to Middlebury's. There are currently nine professors of religion at Middlebury, including one expert on Islam, Walid Saleh, assistant professor of religion. The Religion Department also offers several courses on Judaism and the Bible, as well as a minor in Jewish Studies.

The department offers nine courses on or related to Islam, including "Islam in America," a seminar on Islam and "Islam in the Modern World," taught by Saleh.

"[Middlebury] has played a leading role in addressing the rise of certain disciplines but has been judicious in implementing them," commented Saleh. "The College has one of the best religion departments among liberal arts institutions, which shows the foresight of the College [in its planning]. It's remarkable."

"We teach each tradition as a rich tradition," Saleh went on to explain, "[and present] religion as tied to different manifestations of society."

Although Saleh commended the College for meeting student demand for certain academic disciplines — he cited the Women and Gender Studies program as a prime example — he admitted that changes in the curriculum must evolve over time.

Reflecting on what kinds of transformations might occur in college curriculums across the nation, Saleh urged patience and careful study. "This is a time for scholars to draw connections and understand the background [of recent events]," he explained. "It's a complicated process."

Dean of the Faculty Robert Schine echoed this sentiment. "The attacks of Sept. 11 do give administrators pause, including the rest of the administration here," he said. "The attacks of Sept. 11, the factors that lead to them and the blindspots in American and European outlook on the world that we're discovering in the wake of the attacks — those are all reasons to think about the curriculum."

Schine explained that the College was "particularly fortunate" to have a religion department of its size and topical breadth, but noted that there needs to be a greater focus in the College's other academic departments on the kinds of issues that have risen to the fore since the September terrorist attacks.

He specifically mentioned the lack of an undergraduate program in Arabic language and a dearth of courses on Middle Eastern history and politics. Indeed, a look through the current course catalog does reveal an imbalance in the number of courses taught that deal specifically with some element of the Islamic world or the Middle East.

The history department offers one course, "In the Footsteps of Alexander the Great," that focuses on the empires of the Near and Middle East and includes some discussion of the success of the Taliban in Afghanistan. Another, "Nomads of Eurasia," deals with the nomadic groups of some of the same Central Asian nations that have gained greater prominence in American foreign policy since the campaign in Afghanistan began.

Gregory Gause, a professor of political science at the University of Vermont, was invited by the College last year to teach a course in the spring on the "International Politics of the Middle East." Other courses in the Political Science Department include one on American foreign policy and a few joint International Studies seminars, including "Terrorism," "Jihad vs. McWorld" and "Religion and Conflict," taught by Professor of Religion Kate Sonderegger and James Jermain Professor of Political Economy Russell Leng.

The geography department offers one course on "The Geopolitics of the Middle East," which, although not being taught this year, has traditionally been a popular choice among students.

The upcoming Winter Term will bring a few other pertinent selections, including visiting lecturer Alexis Debat's course on American intelligence, a Salzburg Seminar entitled "Religion, Nation and State in the Contemporary World" and a religion class on "Muslim Women's Narratives."

"Given the fact that liberal arts colleges of a modest size can not do everything, [the Middle Eastern Studies committee] will try to come to a sense of which of these things is most critical, which should we do immediately and which we should set as goals for the middle or long-term."

The committee, which Schine insisted is "still in formation," will include students, faculty and staff, as well as members of the Summer Language School administration.

Schine cautioned, however, against changes in the curriculum that would be or appear to be the direct result of the terrorist attacks and the subsequent American and British military response.

"We've been aware here for a long time that there would be a desideratum [for an expansion of the International Studies program to include courses on Africa, the Meditteranean or the Middle East]," he said. "The events of Sept. 11 did not prompt us to do something precipitous that we hadn't thought about before, but have urged the whole question on us again. And we won't do anything precipitous."



A Domestic Dearth, an

International Crisis



Between June and August the College organizes one of the nation's few intensive Arabic language courses, a program that is already well-reputed nationally and internationally.

Michael Katz, dean of the Summer Language Schools and C.V. Starr Schools Abroad, has noticed an increase in the number of inquiries on Arabic courses being taught in next year's session since Sept. 11.

"As of [Nov. 27] we have had 317 inquiries for Arabic, and that is huge compared to [the other languages offered during the summer]," Katz explained. "As of Jan. 1 last year we ha
d 269 inquiries. That's substantial."

Katz projected a total of 90 students of Arabic in next year's summer session, with a possibility of more "if we could find the staff to teach it."

Political circumstances in certain Arabic-speaking nations, coupled with a lack of Arabic language teachers inside the United States, have presented problems for Katz and his staff to accommodate the increase in demand. In addition to the small number of graduate programs in Arabic language offered nationwide, he also mentioned visa restrictions now being imposed on males from Arabic-speaking nations by the American Immigration and Naturalization Services.

"I've been in touch with the director of the Arabic school and advised him … to look more for Arab-American teachers or people who are already in this country and teaching at universities. But each summer we like to get people from the Arabic-speaking world. [By February] we'll have a better idea of what the inquiries and applications are," he explained.



A Vision of the Future?



"Arabic is the only language that we teach during the summer that we do not presently teach during the academic year," Katz said. "I would very much like to see Middlebury teach Arabic during the academic year. It makes sense now, it made sense before Sept. 11."

One student who has risen to fill the void in Arabic language instruction at Middlebury is Amine Bouchentouf '03. He will be teaching a workshop on the language during Winter Term.

"As a school that prides itself on the instruction of language, we could be doing a whole lot more," Bouchentouf consented.

"[The Arabic language workshop] has been on my mind for some time," he went on to explain. "The Sept. 11 events definitely made me sit down and start taking care of the logistics of it. I'm trying to spearhead a small initiative in order to help people understand Middle Eastern culture."

The workshop will focus on conversational Arabic and will place a premium on the culture of Bouchentouf's mother country, Morocco.

Bouchentouf also detailed the formation of a Middle Eastern club that will promote the spread of that region's culture and complement the activities of the Middlebury Islamic Society. "Once that club is formed we'll try to get more faculty involved in it," he said. "It's important to get a structure."

"We're going to have to build a strong academic foundation in order to promote a long-term understanding culture and life and politics. We should not rush into this either — it cannot be served in a 'fast food' manner. We have to promote long-term interests and focus on all of its aspects — positive and negative."

Other students have also provided forums for informal discussion and greater understanding of issues related to the September terrorist attacks and subsequent events. Joseph Schine '03 and Julie Baroody '03.5 have headed a series of conversations between faculty and students since September; the discussions take place in Lower Proctor every Wednesday.

Schine commented on the consistent faculty participation since the discussions began and noted a relatively high degree of student turnout. With exams approaching, however, he said he encouraged greater student involvement as the war on both international and domestic fronts continues.