“I’ve wanted to minor in Arabic since I started at UofL, but they didn’t have a program for it,” said Gatsos.

Junior political science major Kristen Justice told a similar story.

“I found out about the minor sometime during the spring 2020 semester and wanted to declare it immediately. I believe I even emailed Khaldoun about it over the quarantine period,” Justice said.

Offered through the Classical and Modern Languages department, Arts and Sciences, the new degree comes amid growing student interest in Middle Eastern and African cultures and languages.   

Most of the classes are taught by professor and program coordinator Khaldoun Almousily, a popular instructor who has and is credited with igniting curiosity in Arabic language and culture.

“Arabic is a very beautiful language with rich history and high demand in the job market,” said Almousily.

“Arabic has only 28 letters. It takes students a day or two to learn to read and write in Arabic. The U.S. Department of State offers several fully funded scholarships to students to study Arabic abroad. Because of all that, a large number of students expressed their high interest. In the coming years, we will offer a major. We also are in the process of starting a translation course so students could start making money as translators and interpreters.”  

UofL also offers a minor in , an interdisciplinary program that provides instruction in languages, anthropology, art history, humanities, history and politics.  

Almousily’s work to build global understanding goes well beyond Kentucky. Affiliated for years with the Jordan-based Arab Council for the Gifted and Talented, he was appointed chair of the council’s Curriculum and Instruction Committee Sept. 7.   

The appointment gives Almousily a chance to lead a team of educators from 23 countries to develop and improve curriculum and instruction for Arab students and teachers.

“I have always wanted to make a difference in the education system in the Arab world,” Almousily said.  

He hopes his new appointment can directly benefit UofL too. His ideas include forging co-education partnerships between the university and the council, encouraging Arab graduate students to apply to UofL and opening doors for research and study abroad opportunities.

Almousily earned a Diversity Champion Award in 2017 and is a member of the Classical and Modern Languages department Diversity Equity Inclusion Committee.

For more information about the Arabic language minor, click

The program places early career educators as foreign language teaching assistants at U.S. colleges and universities with an objective of improving U.S. students’ foreign language abilities and knowledge of other countries. In addition to performing teaching duties, FLTAs engage in coursework, conduct language and cultural activities in their host communities, and improve their English language skills and knowledge of the United States.

Moustafa is an assistant lecturer at Misr University in Cairo and holds a master’s in Media and Mass Communications, a rare degree among Egyptian Fulbright scholars. Back home, she is working on a dissertation investigating the effects of social media on the children of immigrants. She selected UofL from a list of five possible institutions, citing her love of country music as one reason she chose to make the journey to Kentucky.

Moustafa said she has been inspired by many professors, including her Fulbright advisor, Arabic program coordinator Khaldoun Almousily; Spanish professor Gregory Hutcheson, who serves as her academic advisor; Classical and Modern Languages department chair Alan Leidner; and English professor Hristomir Stanev.

“I hope to apply everything I learn here back home, from writing syllabi to making students love the course,” she said.

Living and working here has been a horizon-broadening experience for Moustafa, but she said she will also walk away from it with a new appreciation for her own country.

“When I got here, part of me was happy to be in the U.S. and learning something new, but also part of me acknowledged that Egypt is good, Egypt is great,” said Moustafa. “I will come back thinking I’m actually proud to be an Egyptian.”

Lucky for UofL, Jordanian native Khaldoun Almousily is exactly that type of teacher.

Although he has been at the university for just two semesters, his Arabic language classes in the College of Arts and Sciences’ Classical and Modern Languages Department have become popular and, now, four of his students have won prestigious Critical Language Scholarships (CLS) in Arabic.

The four CLS winners are , , and . All four credit Almousily’s instruction—plus his ability to weave a bit of history and culture into his curriculum—with their success in earning the award.

“He incites passion for Arabic and the Middle East in all of his students and is an incredible and patient instructor,” Pepper wrote.

Ball called Almousily “one of the most influential professors I have ever had.”

Apparently, Almousily’s penchant for teaching is a strong family trait. Two of his sisters and one brother, who still live in Jordan, are also Arabic teachers.

“I love teaching more than anything else and I love interacting with students,” Almousily said.

The is a fully funded language and cultural immersion program for college students. It is funded by the U.S. Department of State to build a larger pool of Americans who can speak foreign languages considered to be critical to the U.S. Candidates for the CLS in Arabic are required to have at least one year of college-level instruction.

Ball, a Manchester native, and Pepper, an Elizabethtown native, will both spend their CLS at Noor Majan Training Institute in Ibri, Oman.

Brawner, a Glendale native, will travel to Meknes, Morocco, and Wright, who is from Louisville, will study in Tangier, Morocco.

Almousily came to UofL in 2015 as an instructor and program coordinator of Arabic language. He previously was an interpreter/translator on state and federal levels and taught for five years at Western Kentucky University, where he was instrumental in building Kentucky’s and Western’s first major and minor in Arabic. He hopes to build a similar program for UofL.

He likes to keep students engaged in the classroom by giving them real-world, tangible experiences as they learn. He explains:

“When the unit is about things you need from a grocery store, we turn the classroom into a store were students design a shopping list and go to the market to buy several items they need for the dish they are making. When the unit is about clothing, I bring real clothes and turn the classroom into a market where students are divided into customers and salespeople. They talk about the design, materials and try to negotiate the price.”

He also likes to get students out of the classroom. He has organized field trips to an Islamic Center and has shown Arabic-speaking movies. Such approaches resonate well with students.

Wright wrote that he appreciates Almousily for “encouraging me to apply for a CLS and for really pushing me to be more comfortable speaking Arabic as opposed to just learning the material from a book.”

The CLS scholars will head to their respective destinations this summer.