Arabic-L:PEDA:Arabic, To Where Roundtable at NECTFL

[Dilworth Parkinson]

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Arabic-L: Wed 18 Mar 2009
Moderator: Dilworth Parkinson <dilworth_parkinson at byu.edu>
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1) Subject:Arabic, To Where Roundtable at NECTFL

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1)
Date: 18 Mar 2009
From:Rajaa.Chouairi at usma.edu
Subject:Arabic, To Where Roundtable at NECTFL

This important round table panel discussion is opening the NECTFL  
conference this year and we expect a lot of people to attend from  
around the country.  I intend the discussion to be dialectical in  
nature and to show a non-diplomatic (yet civilized) disagreement, in  
order to reach a good result.  Here is a synopsis of what will take  
place.

When and Where:  The Northeast Conference on the Teaching of Foreign  
Languages.  April 17, 2009.  New York Marriott Marquis Hotel on Broadway

Title: Arabic, to Where? Are We Wasting Time or Are We on the Right  
Track?

Panelists:  Rajaa Chouairi, United States Military Academy, West  
Point; Karen Ryding, Georgetown University; Leslie McLaughlin,  
Institute of Arabic & Islamic Studies, University of Exeter; Mahdi  
Alosh, United States Military Academy, West Point; Munther Younes,  
Cornell University.

Description:  What is the future of Arabic teaching and what is the  
ideal curriculum in a modern world. Are we doing the right thing? Are  
we wasting time by not teaching the spoken variety? When to teach this  
variety and how? How are Arabic literacy practices reflected in the  
classroom? This is possibly the most unique, frank and out-in-the-open  
panel discussion on Arabic.

Rajaa Chouairi, senior Arabic faculty at the United States Military  
Academy, West Point, will be hosting and leading a frank and open  
discussion by a panel of four major Arabic pedagogues from the U.S.  
and England: Karen Ryding, Professor Emeritus, Georgetown University;  
Leslie McLaughlin, Institute of Arabic and Islamic Studies at the  
University of Exeter, England; Mahdi Alosh, Professor, United States  
Military Academy, West Point; Munther Younes, Senior Lecturer, Cornell  
University.

Difficult and controversial questions will be asked by Chouairi and  
the audience to people of contradictory opinions with the hope of  
finding a common ground that will be beneficial for Arabic curriculum  
development.

Presentation of each panelist will not exceed 5 minutes, and then  
Rajaa Chouairi will conduct and direct the discussion and the  
questions of the audience.  The whole discourse will be based on the  
following short 5 minutes presentations:

Chouairi: Introduction.
Ryding:  What is Educated Spoken Arabic, and how and when should it be  
included in the curriculum.
Younes:  Integrating Arabic Colloquial with Fusha from the beginning.
Alosh:  The Arabic Continuum, Where to Start?
McLoughlin: Away with myths.

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End of Arabic-L:  18 Mar 2009