Intensive Summer Arabic in Morocco
Donation protected
I am honored to have been accepted into Yale University’s competitive intensive intermediate Arabic program in Rabat, Morocco, for the summer of 2015. My home institution has generously committed to helping as much as they can, but I will still need about $7,000 to successfully complete the program (see cost description). Living on a graduate student stipend these past four years at UCLA, I do not have the means to pay for this myself. With only a month to go before my tuition is due (May 10), I am reaching out to you to help me fulfill my dream of conducting solid dissertation research and making my small contribution to creating a more peaceful world.
Why Arabic?
Before graduate school, I was an educator in Los Angeles’ underserved schools for six years in various capacities. A school field trip to Egypt in 2007 sparked an interest in travel in the Middle East, and since then I have visited many other countries in North Africa, the Mediterranean, the Gulf and Levant, and I have worked in the United Arab Emirates teaching English. In 2009, while participating in a youth mentor training, I was exposed to Sufi (Islamic mystical) poetry via the director of the Youth Mentoring Connection in Los Angeles. I found this poetry to be not only beautiful but also empowering, encouraging readers to uplift themselves and others. My desire to work toward education equity merged with my love of cultural diversity and literature in a way that I never could have expected.
This is the work I want to do for the rest of my life, and while my PhD program in literature supports my goals, I need a little help in the final stretch!
My Dissertation
My dissertation project will require original translations from Arabic that have never been done before. I am looking at scientific, philosophical, and poetic texts written in Arabic in 12th and 13th century Spain. These texts would have been read by English churchmen and professors and likely translated into Latin. Through textual evidence, I am seeking to develop a better understanding of how Arabic language, literature, and ideas influenced the English language, poetry, and education system in its early, medieval stages.
The strong reading skills in Arabic that I will gain through this program are crucial to this research. In addition, Rabat is full of libraries and archives with medieval manuscripts invaluable to my research. The director of the program has already pledged to introduce me to these institutions upon my arrival.
Career Goals
First and foremost, I would love to teach and share my knowledge and love of English and Arabic literature at the college level. I want to expand traditional, Western-focused curricula to embrace more cultural diversity, not only because I think it’s more interesting but also because I believe that this approach fosters better intercultural sensitivity overall, no matter what professions my students enter in the future.
That being said, I am also open to and interested in working for a non-profit, NGO, or international organization (such as UNESCO) that is dedicated to cultural preservation, intercultural respect and understanding, and educational opportunities for everyone, regardless of race, class, gender, religion, country of origin, or any other form of discrimination. I believe everyone deserves access to a good education that enables personal fulfillment and positive contribution to the world.
Kickback
In appreciation of your generosity, I want to offer you a kickback as a small token of my unbounding gratitude toward your support. I pledge the following perks to any donors:
- Any amount: Your name (if you share it) will appear in the acknowledgements of any publications arising from my research in Morocco, including articles, my dissertation, and any books I might write.
- $20: A postcard from Morocco (Delivery: July 2015)
- $100: personalized watercolor painting with Arabic calligraphy (Delivery: September 2015)
- $250: 30-minute, one-on-one Arabic lesson via Skype. Learn how to introduce yourself, sing a pop song, write your name, whatever you’d like! (Delivery: August through December 2015)
Want to learn more?
Even if you’re not much of a reader, you can still get a lot out of some short, inspiring poems. There are fabulous English translations of some of my favorite Sufi poets from what we call the Middle Ages. Simply search online or at your favorite bookstore for Rumi, Hafiz (also spelled Hafez), Attar, al-Farid, or Emre.
My many thanks to you.
Why Arabic?
Before graduate school, I was an educator in Los Angeles’ underserved schools for six years in various capacities. A school field trip to Egypt in 2007 sparked an interest in travel in the Middle East, and since then I have visited many other countries in North Africa, the Mediterranean, the Gulf and Levant, and I have worked in the United Arab Emirates teaching English. In 2009, while participating in a youth mentor training, I was exposed to Sufi (Islamic mystical) poetry via the director of the Youth Mentoring Connection in Los Angeles. I found this poetry to be not only beautiful but also empowering, encouraging readers to uplift themselves and others. My desire to work toward education equity merged with my love of cultural diversity and literature in a way that I never could have expected.
This is the work I want to do for the rest of my life, and while my PhD program in literature supports my goals, I need a little help in the final stretch!
My Dissertation
My dissertation project will require original translations from Arabic that have never been done before. I am looking at scientific, philosophical, and poetic texts written in Arabic in 12th and 13th century Spain. These texts would have been read by English churchmen and professors and likely translated into Latin. Through textual evidence, I am seeking to develop a better understanding of how Arabic language, literature, and ideas influenced the English language, poetry, and education system in its early, medieval stages.
The strong reading skills in Arabic that I will gain through this program are crucial to this research. In addition, Rabat is full of libraries and archives with medieval manuscripts invaluable to my research. The director of the program has already pledged to introduce me to these institutions upon my arrival.
Career Goals
First and foremost, I would love to teach and share my knowledge and love of English and Arabic literature at the college level. I want to expand traditional, Western-focused curricula to embrace more cultural diversity, not only because I think it’s more interesting but also because I believe that this approach fosters better intercultural sensitivity overall, no matter what professions my students enter in the future.
That being said, I am also open to and interested in working for a non-profit, NGO, or international organization (such as UNESCO) that is dedicated to cultural preservation, intercultural respect and understanding, and educational opportunities for everyone, regardless of race, class, gender, religion, country of origin, or any other form of discrimination. I believe everyone deserves access to a good education that enables personal fulfillment and positive contribution to the world.
Kickback
In appreciation of your generosity, I want to offer you a kickback as a small token of my unbounding gratitude toward your support. I pledge the following perks to any donors:
- Any amount: Your name (if you share it) will appear in the acknowledgements of any publications arising from my research in Morocco, including articles, my dissertation, and any books I might write.
- $20: A postcard from Morocco (Delivery: July 2015)
- $100: personalized watercolor painting with Arabic calligraphy (Delivery: September 2015)
- $250: 30-minute, one-on-one Arabic lesson via Skype. Learn how to introduce yourself, sing a pop song, write your name, whatever you’d like! (Delivery: August through December 2015)
Want to learn more?
Even if you’re not much of a reader, you can still get a lot out of some short, inspiring poems. There are fabulous English translations of some of my favorite Sufi poets from what we call the Middle Ages. Simply search online or at your favorite bookstore for Rumi, Hafiz (also spelled Hafez), Attar, al-Farid, or Emre.
My many thanks to you.
Organizer
Rebecca Hill
Organizer
Los Angeles, CA