Arabic & Middle Eastern Studies | School of Politics, Public Affairs & International Studies
Arts & Sciences Building 152
100 E. University Ave.
Laramie, WY 82071
Phone: (307) 766-6484
Email: arabic@uwyo.edu
By: Ariel Bernath with the Laramie Boomerang
Twenty-one high school students from across the country gathered in Laramie from July 11-31 to participate in the fifth annual STARTALK Arabic language program.
Students traveled from Wyoming, California, Georgia, Illinois, Missouri and Nevada and lived on the University of Wyoming campus for three weeks to engage in the immersive language and cultural program.
STARTALK is a federal grant program funded by the National Security Agency and administered by the National Foreign Language Center at the University of Maryland. The program funds summer language-learning programs across the nation. STARTALK grants support programs for students and teachers of eight critically-needed languages including Arabic, Hindi, Persian, Turkish, Mandarin Chinese, Korean, Russian and Urdu.
The goals of the STARTALK programs are to increase the number of students enrolled in the study of these critical languages, increase the number of effective critical-language teachers in the United States, and increase the number of materials and curricula available for teaching and learning these critical languages. Another overarching goal is to increase the qualified recruitment pool for national security and diplomatic jobs.
Shawn Bunning is the program director for the Wyoming STARTALK Arabic Camp, which is hosted in the Center for Global Studies at UW. During its first week at the camp, students ventured into the Snowy Range mountains.
“We wanted to use the outdoor environment to bring in different elements of Arabic cultures,” Bunning said.
During the week in the mountains, students compared and contrasted cowboy culture and Bedouin culture. The Bedouin are nomadic Arabic tribes who historically lived in desert regions.
Following their outdoor adventures, students were taken on virtual tours through the Middle East and North Africa. For three weeks, students not only learned the Arabic language, but also actively engaged with music, food, religion and dance of various Arabic-speaking countries and cultures. They also traveled to Colorado to explore local Arabic speaking communities, and interacted with Arabic speakers in Laramie. Camp participants visited the Islamic Center of Fort Collins and the Egyptian Coptic Orthodox Church in Centennial, Colorado; and dined at Jordanian and Moroccan and Lebanese restaurants. They also researched food recipes and explored the beauty of Arabic mosaic art.
Eric Nigh, who serves as the director of Arabic and Middle East studies program at UW, was the main Arabic instructor at the STARTALK camp. Students also benefited from the instruction of Tamara Haddad, a master Arabic teacher who lives and teaches in Dallas. Additionally, four UW students who are studying Arabic lived in the dorms with the high school students and served as mentors for them throughout the program.
“We expect for students to come in with little to no experience speaking the language. By the end of three weeks, most students have mid-level proficiency in reading, writing and speaking,” Bunning said. He added one of the strengths of the program is it was completely free to all students who are accepted. Each year, the STARTALK grant sponsors up to 24 high school-aged people.
Bunning said the existence of the program serves to strengthen UW’s reputation for language and international studies. The strength of its reputation has helped secure a large grant to fund Arabic language study for ROTC program participants. Wyoming STARTALK Arabic Camp is open to high-school age groups, from students entering high school as a freshman to students in their first two years of their undergraduate degree.
Access the Boomerang article here.
Arabic & Middle Eastern Studies | School of Politics, Public Affairs & International Studies
Arts & Sciences Building 152
100 E. University Ave.
Laramie, WY 82071
Phone: (307) 766-6484
Email: arabic@uwyo.edu
