Home » WKU grant to teach Arabic tuition free to 10 students in grades 7-10

WKU grant to teach Arabic tuition free to 10 students in grades 7-10

Deadline to apply March 31

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (March 16, 2017) — A grant from the Qatar Foundation International will allow 10 students in grades seventh through 10th to study Arabic tuition-free during the Summer Program for Verbally and Mathematically Precocious Youth (VAMPY) from June 25 to July 15 at Western Kentucky University.

next-logo-300x149VAMPY is a residential program offered by The Center for Gifted Studies at WKU, during which highly gifted students spend six hours a day in a challenging academic environment surrounded by their gifted peers. Entering its 34thsummer, VAMPY has hosted students from throughout Kentucky, across the U.S., and from 10 other countries.

Lhousseine Guerwane, an Arabic instructor in the Department of Modern Languages at WKU, teaches the VAMPY class and utilizes a variety of project-based learning strategies with the students.

“The Arabic culture is one of the oldest and richest in the world,” he said. “The class participates in debates, role-plays, discussions, field trips, and projects that enhance knowledge of the language.”

In addition to learning the Arabic language, students experience Arabic cultures through exposure to art, food, cinema, celebrations, traditions and music, Guerwane said.

“Students explore the strong cultural ties between Western and Arab cultures and learn about the modern Arab world,” he said. “It is very important for the next generations to learn about other countries and cultures, especially Arabic, in order to build bridges. Common traits people share far outweigh the few differences between their cultures.”

The deadline to apply for the program is March 31. To apply click here.

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