Housni Bennis taught Arabic at Washington University during much of the 1990s. After a hiatus, he returned three years ago to continue teaching at the University.
“I can tell you the change from ’93 to when I came back is huge. We used to start with 10-12 students in first year. Now we have about 50 students in first year,” said Bennis.
As head of the Arabic section for Asian and Near Eastern Languages and Literature, Bennis has witnessed the booming interest in learning Arabic in universities nationwide. Washington University’s enrollment in Arabic language classes rose significantly at the start of 2002, with 53 students enrolled. It remained steady, then spiked considerably over the past two years, with more than 80 students enrolling.
Bennis said the interest in Arabic studies is two-fold. One, students are trying to understand the Middle East through its language and two, there is an increase in job opportunities for those well-versed in Arabic.
In addition to well-known positions in government agencies, a graduate of the Arabic language also has many options in private businesses, including international enterprises.
All told, a graduate majoring in Arabic should have many prospects, with more than 100 offers currently posted on the University career center alone. There is a catch, however – one stemming from the inherent complexity of the language itself.
“Arabic is one of the difficult languages, and in four years of Arabic…you learn a lot, but you still have more to learn,” said Bennis. “You don’t reach advanced understanding in just four years.”
The University teaches a form of Arabic known as Modern Standard Arabic. This style of Arabic, while very common throughout the Arab world, is in practice, rarely spoken.
“It’s the formal language – the language of newspapers. Each country has its own dialect, and even regional dialects,” said Bennis. “If [students] are going to work where the spoken language is needed then they have to be trained in the specific colloquial form that they’re going to need – for example, Iraqi Arabic or Egyptian Arabic or Palestinian Arabic.”
While Modern Standard Arabic is accepted in some offers listed for the University, many prefer additional training in at least one dialect of the language.
Obtaining an immersive experience with one of Arabic’s many dialects proves challenging to many students, as few study abroad programs are available. And unfortunately, spending a year immersed in the culture can translate to a red flag for many government positions, given the tumultuous nature of the region.
Senior Paul Bender, for example, enrolled in Arabic, but ultimately chose not to pursue the language further because of the heavy time commitments.
“I was interested in that part of the world,” he said. “The language is interesting to me, and it seemed like there was a market for it in people being able to speak it. [But] I decided I wanted to major in political science instead, and wanted to be able to take a lot more political science courses. Arabic is a huge time commitment.”
Despite this obstacle, growth in studies of the Arabic language has continued unabated. As a result, the University administration has added multiple positions pertaining to the language, namely, a third professor and an assistant professor. The Asian and Near Eastern Literature and Languages department has also been a great boon.
“As head of the Arabic section, I’m really happy with the job the department is doing through the chair, Fatemeh Keshavarz,” said Bennis. “She has been very supportive and very helpful and has been our link with the dean with hiring enough faculty to respond to the increasing demand for Arabic.”