THE HAGOP KEVORKIAN CENTER FOR NEAR EASTERN STUDIES
Saturday Seminars for Teachers
The Arabic Language
ways of teaching, learning, and understanding

Saturday, January 31, 2009
50 Washington Square South  (Corner of W 4th and Sullivan Streets)

Is your school considering introducing Arabic to its curriculum?  With more and more emphasis on developing K-12 Arabic language programs throughout the United States, there is a great need for raising awareness of what creating such programs may entail, what curricular challenges may arise, and last but not least, what teaching and learning Arabic can do for your students’ understanding of the Arabic speaking world and beyond. 

~    p     r     o     g     r     a     m    ~

10:00-11:15am: Ahmed Ferhadi, Professor of Arabic Language and Linguistics at NYU will introduce the Arabic language and its unique linguistic attributes across the Arab World and beyond, focusing primarily on the socio-cultural elements of one of the worlds most complex and influential language systems. 

11:30am-12:30pm: Anna Swank, Arabic Teacher at Friends Seminary, New York City, will discuss her experience developing a high school course in Arabic, focusing on the practical concerns of curriculum adaptation, classroom activities, and other challenges in bringing this less commonly taught language to an American school.

12:30-1:30pm: Middle Eastern Lunch

1:30-2:00pm: Resource Sharing/Q and A session with Anna Swank, Ahmed Ferhadi, and Greta Scharnweber, Associate Director, the Kevorkian Center for Near Eastern Studies.

2:00-4:00pm: (Optional) Group visit to the Asia Society’s exhibit on Islamic Calligraphy:  “Traces of the Calligrapher” and “Writing the Word of God.”  For more information on the exhibit, visit www.asiasociety.org/islamiccalligraphy/

~    r     e     g     i     s     t     e     r     ~

This seminar is free of charge, but space is limited and pre-registration is required.

To register, email the information below to Sarah Coffey ( sc145@nyu.edu ); By fax: 212.995.4144.  By mail: Kevorkian Center/Saturday Seminar, 50 Washington Square South, 4th Floor, New York, NY 10012.

Name:______________________________________  School______________________________________
Main Subject (s) of teaching:________________________________  ___________________________________________
Phone: _________________  Fax:________________
Email: _____________________________________
Mailing Address:_________________________________________
______________________________________________________
___________________________________________

With questions or for more information, please contact Greta Scharnweber, Associate Director and Outreach Coordinator at the Kevorkian Center, by phone: 212.998.8872 or by email:  greta.scharnweber@nyu.edu

~The Kevorkian Center is a National Resource Center supported by a Title VI grant from the U.S. Department of Education ~