Exploring Arab & Russian Cultures: SEELC & NESA Faculty Partner with Metro Schools

January 8, 2026 – January 22, 2026

This January, the Department of Slavic and East European Languages and Cultures (SEELC) and the Department of Near Eastern and South Asian Languages and Cultures (NESA) continued their collaboration to offer The Taste of Arabic and Russian Cultures, a J-Term course for students at Metro Early College Middle School. Led by Dr. Manal Habbal from NESA and faculty from SEELC, the course provided an engaging introduction to both languages and their cultural traditions.

 Students learned greetings and basic communicative phrases in Arabic and Russian, explored the Arabic language and practiced Arabic calligraphy. They also developed understanding of the Arab world, its history and influence on modern civilization, in addition to gaining insights into the Arab culture and traditions. At the end of the course, Metro Middle schoolers presented interesting final projects to their peers, all while enjoying Middle Eastern and Russian delicacies. This enriching experience was met with lots of curiosity, enthusiasm and engagement. 

Once again, we are grateful to Metro’s administration, staff, and classroom teachers for their support in making this collaboration possible. It was an honor to interact with such bright young students and facilitate their knowledge of various cultures and languages from across the globe.