This semester, the University debuted Bengali language and literature courses to College students for the first time.
Bengali is the primary language of Bangladesh and the second most commonly spoken language of India, making it one of the most popular languages in the world.
Bengali is "politically a very strong language to get involved with," said Prof. Aminur Rahman, who is teaching all of the Bengali courses offered, which consist of Elementary Bengali, Readings in Bengali and Modern Bengali Literature.
The Elementary Bengali courses are worth four credits per semester and will provide language credit fulfillment for students in the College, Rahman noted. Currently, there are about 10 people enrolled in Elementary Bengali and about five students enrolled in Modern Bengali Literature. Readings in Bengali requires a basic knowledge of the language to enroll and has two students this semester.
Despite the limited number of enrolled students, Daniel Lefkowitz, chair of Middle Eastern and South Asian Languages and Cultures Department, said he considers the courses widely successful.
The current enrollment in the language's courses this semester is "very indicative of a potentially strong interest in the language," he added.
The department hopes to increase student interest in the program next year by reaching out to incoming first-year students. Moreover, a greater number of courses hopefully will allow more students to fulfill their language requirements.
Rahman noted that the advantages of learning Bengali continue after graduation, because the language is beneficial to students in "the job market and for understanding the great heritage of Bengal, which is becoming increasingly important."
The addition of Bengali program is a strategic move to increase federal funding, after Title VI funding - grants for universities that provide instruction in international studies - was taken away from the South Asian Studies department five years ago, Lefkowitz said, adding that the department decided last spring to implement the courses.
"Dean [Meredith] Woo has targeted hiring that will strengthen South Asian offerings because a big part of Title VI is language," Lefkowitz said.
The University previously offered Hindi, Urdu and Sanskrit but most departmental programs with federal funding at other higher education institutions have more expansive language programs. Bengali was added to the University's offerings because officials felt the school needed a second modern South Asian language.
Lefkowitz said the growth of the Bengali program after next year will "depend entirely on grant [money] from Title VI"
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