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Texas State’s new Arabic program
delights and challenges students

February 2008—Shaun Payne became interested in learning to speak Arabic as he began to develop opinions on international issues such as war and poverty—issues of particular relevance to Arabic-speaking countries in the Middle East and North Africa.

Shaun Payne: "Students are actively involved in the teacher's lectures."

An International Studies major from Bryan, TX, he became one of the first students to enroll in Texas State’s new Arabic program in Fall 2007. In the program, he is learning to speak, read, and write Arabic, and he has progressed so well that he plans to travel to Yemen and Syria in Summer 2008, to further his studies in Arabic language and culture.


“Students are finding that the Arabic language isn’t as difficult to learn as they thought,” says Arabic Program Coordinator Amjad Abunseir. After taking the beginning course, students are able to carry on conversations and to read and write simple texts, and they’re beginning to understand the subtleties of social interaction in the Arab world, he said.

Abunseir hopes that students will consider enrolling in Texas State’s Arabic classes to fulfill their foreign language requirement. “Interest in Arabic language and culture is very strong in the United States because of globalization and because of the involvement with Iraq,” he said, adding that the Middle East also provides significant business opportunities.

By the end of Arabic 1410, Abunseir says students will, in-shaa’a-llaah (God willing):

• have mastered the Arabic alphabet and sound system, be able to distinguish and pronounce all Arabic sounds, and take dictation;
• be able to initiate social interactions, ask for basic information, and be aware of basic cultural aspects of social interaction in the Arab world;
• be able to talk about themselves, their education, and their family with any native speaker of Arabic;
• comprehend simple written texts on familiar topics;
• comprehend simple audio/video texts on familiar topics;
• be able to compose simple paragraphs about themselves; and
• be familiar with some of the differences between formal (standard) and spoken (dialect) Arabic.

Jennifer Bland: "Just the class atmosphere feels Middle Eastern. It's great!"

Abunseir, from Jordan, taught Arabic at The University of Texas at Austin before starting Texas State’s Arabic program in fall 2007. The program currently offers four courses ranging from beginning to intermediate Arabic. More courses are planned, including an Honors course on Arabic culture and two advanced courses. One course will train students who plan to work in the Middle East in giving interviews to the Arabic media. A second course will offer training in the Jordanian dialect.

Shaun Payne said that Abunseir makes learning Arabic easier by introducing students to the culture that provides the context for language. Abunseir and invited speakers present information on a wide range of cultural aspects from weddings, bellydancing, and food, to manners, life style, and religion, giving students a picture of the Arabic people that is often different from the one portrayed in the media.

“My favorite thing about the class is that students are actively involved with the teacher’s lectures,” Payne continued, explaining that Abunseir conducts the classes in English and Arabic, employing the “Arabic style” of teaching to help students grasp the language faster. Students sit in a circle so that they see each other. Abunseir stands directly in front of each student as he or she recites words and phrases so that he can correct the pronunciation. He gives examples of how the words are used in a typical conversation in the Middle East.

Outside of class, Abunseir assigns students to write reports on various aspects of Arabic culture, and he gives students tasks to perform during vacations to that they will practice their newly acquired language skills. He also sends students e-mails asking them whether they have questions about the work and encouraging them to study.

Jennifer Bland in Yemen last year. She will return to Yemen this summer.

“If students put in the time and effort, they will excel,” Abunseir said.

International Studies major Jennifer Bland, from Mission, TX, hopes one day to work for the American government in an Arabic-speaking country in the Middle East or Africa. In fall 2007 she was also one of the first students to enroll in Texas State’s new Arabic program.

Both Bland and Payne are taking Arabic 1420, which builds on the reading, writing, and speaking skills that they gained in the introductory class, Arabic 1410. Bland said she appreciates the one-on-one instruction, the small class size (currently an average of seven students in each class), and the practice of being paired with another student as a conversational partner to ensure mastery of the language.

“Just the atmosphere in the classroom feels Middle Eastern,” she added. “We usually talk about food, music, and the experience of living in the Middle East. Prof. Abunseir is determined that we will succeed in learning Arabic. It is just great!” Bland, who took a study abroad course in Yemen before she enrolled in Texas State’s Arabic classes, said she will return to Yemen this summer well-prepared for immersion into Arabic language and culture because of what she’s learned at Texas State. Another student, Brian Pedurand, wrote Abunseir recently to thank him for an enjoyable and challenging class and for his passion for teaching.

The four-course sequence of Arabic (1410, 1420, 2310, and 2320) satisfies the foreign language requirement in the College of Liberal Arts. Because the courses are offered through the Office of Extension, people can take the courses without being students of the University.

Abunseir said he would like to thank those who have supported the Arabic Program, including College of Liberal Arts Dean Ann Marie Ellis; Department of Modern Languages Chair Dr. Robert Fischer; Office of Extension Director James Andrews; Deborah McDaniel, Senior Administrative Assistant in the Office of the Extension; and the University News Service for publicizing the program.

More information about the program is available from Abunseir at arabicclass@txstate.edu, by calling (512) 245-1745, or by visiting www.modlang.txstate.edu/Arabic.shtml. Information is also available from the Office of Extension at http://www.studyanywhere.txstate.edu/ext_arabic, telephone: (512) 245-2322 or (800) 511-8656.