The University of Southern Mississippi announces a new academic program in Arabic language instruction, beginning in the 2008 fall semester. The first course in the series, Foreign Language 101, will meet four hours per week from 5-6 p.m., Monday through Thursday.
A result of diverse interdisciplinary collaboration among several groups on campus, including the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures, the College of Arts and Letters, International Programs, the Office of Graduate Studies, the School of Computing and the ROTC programs, the program aims to foster both Arabic language skills and cross-cultural awareness.
Dr. Nabil Abdelfattah of Montana State University will teach the course via the Interactive Video Network, along with by Ahmed Abdelzaher, a Southern Miss graduate student who will direct classroom activities on site. A second semester of Arabic will be offered in the spring semester of 2009.
The advent of Southern Miss Arabic language program also will complement the internationally acclaimed exhibition “Behind the Veils: Women Artists from the Islamic World,” to be hosted by the College of Arts and Letters October 6 – December 5, at the Hattiesburg Train Depot.
