Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations Ph.D. student Carolyn Brunelle visited the Shipley School in Bryn Mawr on November 19th to talk about "The Use and Misuse of Arabic in the US Media Today". She addressed the terms madrasa, Allah, Islam, fatwa and jihad; explaining their linguistic roots, what they mean in Arabic, and the slant the US Media has given them. Carolyn also addressed some of the many words in English that are of Arabic origin, like coffee, cotton and algebra.
If you are a teacher interested in a similar presentation at your school, please email mec-info@sas.upenn.edu.