Edward Curtis, the new director of Arabic Studies program, has announced his three-year plan for the future of the program at IU Indianapolis. Curtis’ goals include the following:
*Community Engagement. The program will rely on a soon-to-be-announced Community Advisory Board to identify opportunities for mutually-beneficial research, teaching, and service both on and off campus with members of the Arab and Muslim communities of central Indiana. Such engagement will include an annual community-focused lecture on campus about the latest academic discoveries in Arabic and Islamic studies.
*Scholarships. The program commits to raising $25,000 over three years for scholarships to support students who minor in Arabic and Islamic studies.
*Internships and Community-Engaged Learning. Starting with the hiring of a paid intern/student program assistant, the program will leverage its community connections to provide students with the chance to complete internships and participate in community-focused research, teaching, and service.
*New Courses. The program will offer revised or new courses on the anthropology of the contemporary Middle East and North Africa (MENA), the modern history of MENA, and the influence of Arab culture on Spain and Latin America as well as one-credit “appetizer” courses about Syrian-Lebanese food and cooking, Islamophobia, and the Qur’an.
*A More Flexible Minor. Pending approval, students will be able to take any combination of courses in the minor to satisfy the 15-credit requirement.
The Arabic Studies Program welcomes your financial support via the Arabic and Islamic Studies fund managed by the Indiana University Foundation. For questions, please contact ecurtis4@iu.edu.
