U of Texas Center Offers Broad Teaching of Mideast

By Laura J. Brown
Washington File Staff Writer

Balances long-term programs with response to September 11

Austin, Texas -- In the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks, scholars at one of the largest Middle East studies programs in the country are caught in a balancing act. While responding to the recent flood of inquiries on Middle East issues, they say that maintaining a focused, long-term strategy of fostering broad understanding of the region is crucial.

Keith Walters, associate professor of linguistics at the University of Texas Center for Middle Eastern Studies, said that responding to the surge of interest in the Middle East after September 11 has been a challenge.

"The level of attention and interest [in Middle East issues] is high," he said. "People are saying to us, 'Give me books to read.' At the same time, how to tackle that demand is a struggle."

The center includes some 50 scholars drawn from 17 departmental disciplines and offers about 100 Middle East language and area studies courses each year. In recent months, the center director, Abraham Marcus, and his fellow faculty members responded to hundreds of press inquiries on Middle East issues and coordinated several on-campus seminars on subjects such as Islam, women and diversity in Muslim countries, and Afghanistan in response to heightened student interest.

The center is planning a special summer seminar in Istanbul called "Challenges of September 11." The two-week intensive course for undergraduate and graduate students at the University of Texas will focus on the political, ethnic and economic challenges faced by Middle Eastern and Muslim countries, including their relationship with the West. Through a comprehensive program of lectures, interaction with local students, and field trips, Marcus said the trip would be "a living classroom" on the post-September 11 environment in the Middle East.

While programs on the aftermath of the terrorist incidents are important, Marcus said, "we can't forget about the broad missions of the center" that go beyond two-week seminars, one-time panel discussions and phone inquiries from the press. "The main goal is to have expertise in literature, language, history, anthropology, and other disciplines tied to the Middle East. That's where society will benefit most," he said.

Kamran Aghaie, assistant professor of Islamic studies, agrees. "The knee-jerk reaction can take away from the substance," he said. "Every course can't be about terrorism or Afghanistan. We try to have a long-term, sustained and substantial program. If we structure our programs around what just happened, we will miss the real issues."

The real issues, according to Director Marcus, are covered in the broad range of courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels, as well as the long-term programs that the center offers. Drawing on the expertise of its faculty, the center has courses from "Arab-Israeli Politics" to "Muslim Women: Past and Present." In addition, it offers language classes in Arabic, Hebrew, Persian, Turkish and Farsi. Graduates of the Middle Eastern Studies programs often further their studies at the doctorate level or work for a variety of non-governmental organizations, government agencies and research institutions, Marcus said.

The center is also involved in outreach programs, giving teachers in Texas and neighboring states the resources and training necessary to teach Middle East studies from the kindergarten level through high school. Outreach Coordinator Christopher Rose said the programs "reach people who otherwise may not be exposed to Middle East cultures or history." A two-month program this summer will bring middle and high school teachers to Egypt where they can learn about regional issues directly from local experts and prepare curricula for their classrooms.

Another of the center's popular programs is its book-publishing program, which in conjunction with the University of Texas Press publishes scholarly and literary works on the Middle East. Anne McCann-Baker oversees the Modern Middle East Literature in Translation Series, which produces translated versions of notable books by Middle East authors. Of the 20 books published in this series over the last 13 years, more than 30,000 copies have been sold. One Arabic novel, Year of the Elephant, has sold over 10,000 copies and is in its seventh printing.

"Reading well-translated versions of these novels, poems and short stories about the Middle East is one of the best ways to bridge cultural misunderstandings between east and west," McCann-Baker said. Moreover, she said, the books "deserve a broad audience around the world."

Ian Manners, professor of geography and Middle Eastern studies, says he watched the center, founded in 1969, develop from "a broom closet" that offered basic language and culture classes on the Middle East to an extensive research and outreach program that is active in the community. He says the center's comprehensive approach to Middle East studies is crucial to reaching a broad audience and sustaining genuine interest in the region.

"If we can engage people's curiosity and get them to rethink some of these images they have, if we can engage people in a dialogue and encourage more people to visit the region, that's when we begin to make some progress," he said. "But it doesn't happen overnight, and the work continues tomorrow."

(The Washington File is a product of the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)