| << Front page | News | February 9, 2007 |
Off the Cuff: Marie-Claude Thomas
As the spring semester gets up and running, Oberlin College welcomes Visiting Professor of Arabic Marie-Claude Thomas to its roster. Born in Beirut, Lebanon, Thomas pursued a teaching degree in Arabic before completing a Ph.D. at the Sorbonne in Paris with a dissertation on the status of women in the Middle East. Thomas came to the United States in 1987 and has translated and taught Arabic from her home. Before coming to Oberlin, Thomas taught French for eight years at Baldwin-Wallace College.
How do you feel about starting Oberlin’s Arabic program?
I’m really happy and really pleased. So far the students were responsive to my teaching — I hope that will continue. I will try to make it fun, and easy and interesting for them.
What was your reaction to having over 70 students show up to your first class?
I was amazed! I expected maybe 30 students, but not more than that. They kept coming! They were everywhere. There were people just outside of the classroom and they said, “We are signed up for the class, but we cannot get in.”
What are your first impressions of the Oberlin College community?
I was really impressed. The students are really motivated, dedicated, and smart. And the campus is beautiful. I was very impressed the first time I came to campus. The buildings are old like in Europe, but out in the middle of nowhere. Anyway, Oberlin has an excellent reputation and it’s an honor for me to be here. I hope this program will be successful.
What do you look forward to the most in this upcoming year?
Well, I want to be successful. I want the students to learn Arabic and to be able to use it to communicate. And I would like to teach at a high level and to help the students learn this language that is extremely important.
Are there any aspects of the new job that you’re not looking forward to?
Well, the parking lot is very far away and it’s very cold outside!
How would you rate the importance of learning Arabic in today’s world?
It’s extremely important. I knew that it was important, but now it’s getting even more important considering our security and international relations. I’m very much impressed with inter-cultural communication between people, between countries. And I think teaching Arabic and teaching about how Arabs think, about mentality, about stereotypes, one day will help students in the future to communicate better with other cultures. So it’s extremely important, for our economy it’s important, for our security it’s important, for the future of my children, as well of the students, it’s important to learn Arabic.
How do you feel about starting Oberlin’s Arabic program?
I’m really happy and really pleased. So far the students were responsive to my teaching — I hope that will continue. I will try to make it fun, and easy and interesting for them.
What was your reaction to having over 70 students show up to your first class?
I was amazed! I expected maybe 30 students, but not more than that. They kept coming! They were everywhere. There were people just outside of the classroom and they said, “We are signed up for the class, but we cannot get in.”
What are your first impressions of the Oberlin College community?
I was really impressed. The students are really motivated, dedicated, and smart. And the campus is beautiful. I was very impressed the first time I came to campus. The buildings are old like in Europe, but out in the middle of nowhere. Anyway, Oberlin has an excellent reputation and it’s an honor for me to be here. I hope this program will be successful.
What do you look forward to the most in this upcoming year?
Well, I want to be successful. I want the students to learn Arabic and to be able to use it to communicate. And I would like to teach at a high level and to help the students learn this language that is extremely important.
Are there any aspects of the new job that you’re not looking forward to?
Well, the parking lot is very far away and it’s very cold outside!
How would you rate the importance of learning Arabic in today’s world?
It’s extremely important. I knew that it was important, but now it’s getting even more important considering our security and international relations. I’m very much impressed with inter-cultural communication between people, between countries. And I think teaching Arabic and teaching about how Arabs think, about mentality, about stereotypes, one day will help students in the future to communicate better with other cultures. So it’s extremely important, for our economy it’s important, for our security it’s important, for the future of my children, as well of the students, it’s important to learn Arabic.
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