The University of Rhode Island has an expansive foreign language program, with classes ranging from Chinese to German, Russian to Japanese, but according to one professor, Arabic seems to have slipped through the cracks.
Mohamed Gouda, adjunct at URI and Roger Williams University, comes to the Kingston campus twice a week to teach all four of the Arabic courses offered at URI.
"At Roger Williams we developed a minor in Arabic studies, there is no such program here at URI," Gouda said. "I don't really spend that much time here, so I don't know the ways and tools of getting a better program [at URI]. I can give more time if they are willing to provide any programs for it."
Gouda was raised in Cairo, Egypt, and graduated from Cairo University with a bachelor's degree in Islamic studies and then a master's degree in Islamic philosophy. He also has a master's in counseling, which he attained at Rhode Island College. He said that ever since he was young, his dream job was always to teach younger generations.
"I've loved teaching as long as I've lived," he said. "I couldn't imagine myself doing anything else."
Since coming to America, Gouda said he has become very aware of the key differences between American culture and his own.
"America is based on individualism, so everyone's doing everything for their own benefit," he said. "In Egypt, it's very different. Family values are much more important and everyone's taking care of each other."
He explained that everyone in his family, and other families like his, are dependant on each other throughout their lives. He said America's value system now is set up so that during and after college, a student is expected to move out of his or her family's house if they are able to support themselves.
He said that in Egypt, even if one is able to support themselves, the cultural norm is to live with the family and help support it, even after college in some cases.
In his class, Gouda said that he tries to incorporate as much Middle Eastern culture as possible. This is because there are very few classes about Middle Eastern culture at URI, and his language classes are the only outlet in which he has the chance to do so.
He introduces Middle Eastern food, comedy, movies, philosophy and religious practices through field trips and class discussions.
He said Middle Eastern comedic movies are the most popular among his students, including Azhar Usman's stand up special, "Allah Made Me Funny." He said that this special is purely aimed at audiences outside the Middle East, as stand-up comedians are extremely rare in the region.
"The sense of humor in America is very different than what I'm used to," he said. "I don't even like American comedies, I just watch action movies."