The Arab World numbering an estimated 130 million inhabitants (1972) has produced—through its own college and university system (40 institutions in 1971 and 400,000 college students)—some 560,000 graduates; see Table I. Study abroad has been at a high level ever since the early fifties. During the past two decades it has increased from about 10,000 to 40,000.

This report follows the general lines established by Professors Peter F. Abboud and M.A. Jazayery when they dealt with Arabic and Persian respectively. Its purpose is to survey the development of Turkish language instruction in North America, to present and evaluate the present position, and finally to put forward some questions and recommendations for consideration in the future. Although responsibility for the general tenor and emphasis of the report is mine, I have been guided by the various opinions of my colleagues and have attempted to give these opinions a fair presentation. Towards this end I have not hesitated to indicate where there is divergence among us, or between us and those who teach in other, but related, areas.

This course of one semester for undergraduates samples the literature—broadly defined—of the Arab, Persian and Turkish peoples and a time span of from just before the rise of Muhammad to modern times. It is literature-centered, i.e., the attention is on the reading and discussion of certain works or selections from works, rather than on literary history. Conceived more on the style of a Great Books course, its aim is to give the student as much direct acquaintance as possible in a few weeks with the thought, and the literary sensibilities of a great civilization. An alternative title would be Islamic Humanities, taking a cue from the more inclusive Oriental Humanities courses and the successful Western Humanities courses which led the way for them.

Research facilities in Lebanon are excellent and the research climate, as of June 1972, was fairly good. Lebanon continues to fulfill its historic function as a meeting place for Western and Arab culture. But the same political factors that are alienating the Arab world as a whole from the Anglo-Saxon community, notably the Arab-Israeli conflict, inevitably threaten this liberal research climate. There are vocal and influential elements of Lebanese opinion which feel that American imperialism harnesses even the scholarly community for its exploitative ends. Lebanon has had no Camelot scandal so far, but the American University of Beirut was once forced to cancel a project supported by the U.S. Department of Defense. Under these circumstances it is always possible that an innocent researcher could accidentally create a crisis that would jeopardize research conditions. Thus, it may not be out of place to suggest that visiting scholars should make special efforts to be prudent, candid, courteous and patient in their research work. It is desirable to have at least one reputable Lebanese friend who will be willing to advise and if necessary endorse the research project. It is not necessary that a local institution formally sponsor a project, but some kind of local association can be useful both in assisting the research itself and in avoiding troubles. Graduate students doing field research should definitely have some local advisor or patron.

This survey of Persian language instruction in the United States and Canada does not pretend to be exhaustive in coverage, or to present the most up-to-date and complete information in all aspects. A questionnaire was sent in June 1971 to some 28 institutions of higher learning where Persian was known or suspected to be taught at the time. It was divided into 8 sections, each containing a number of specific questions. The section headings were: I. Background Information; II. Objectives of Persian-Language Teaching; III. Teaching Methods; IV. Teaching Materials; V. Teaching Staff; VI. Degrees and Curricula; VII. Applied Research; VIII. Recommendations and General Evaluation. The list of the institutions was compiled from various sources, including MESA bulletins.

Research in the social sciences in Tunisia is stronger than it is in most Arab countries and compares favorably with Lebanon and Egypt. The several reasons for this position include an increasingly favorable attitude by the government toward the benefits of research, strong leadership within the Centre d’Etudes et de Recherches Economiques et Sociales (CERES), the long financial support of the Ministry of Education and the Ford Foundation, and the large number of higher degree holders who are motivated for research. CERES, a section of the University of Tunis, is the focus of the social science research with a full and part-time staff of more than sixty professionals. While most of the staff have been trained in France, several have taken higher degrees in North America. Because of the rapid increase in the number of foreign researchers in the past few years, it will only be a matter of time before an incident occurs and the government places conditions or restrictions on all research activities. A serious incident has so far been avoided in large part because of the close communication that most foreigners have maintained with their Tunisian colleagues.. The single most important thing that can be done to maintain the present research climate, in addition to the usual courtesies, is the distribution of both preliminary and final reports of research for comment and publication. Distribution should include the relevant ministries plus those individuals who personally aided the work. The editors of the Revue des Sciences Sociales Tunisiennes, the periodical of CERES, are interested in publishing articles in either French or English, as well as short pieces on the status of research.

A number of events, including the Lambert Report on Language and Area Studies, legislation on National Defense Education, and various other bills on international education, provide an important opportunity for reevaluating priorities in the study of foreign regions. We believe that Middle East Studies, as a regional study needs support and that this support is threatened by a shifting attention to domestic needs and by impending reductions in funds for education. But we also believe that what is needed is more than a simple blanket appeal for funding. Clear priorities and new directions are required to give meaning to the call for support and to channel that support into important directions. This matter has been the subject of much discussion within the Middle East studies community and specifically within the Middle East Studies Association. The latest discussions took place at the meeting of Middle East center and program directors, at the Fifth Annual Meeting of MESA in November, 1971.