Swahili courses its way towards fulfilling the language requirement

Mufasa. Rafiki. Simba. Most students at Princeton speak a little Swahili, thanks to the Disney classic, "The Lion King."

In an effort to further expand some students' knowledge and appreciation of the Swahili language, the University plans to offer a new cycle of Swahili language classes this fall.

The new Swahili courses, which are not part of any program or department, will consist of a four-course sequence beginning with SWA 101 in the fall. SWA 102 will be offered next spring to the students who have completed the fall class.

In the 2003-2004 academic year, SWA 107 in the fall and SWA 108 in the spring will complete the Swahili cycle. SWA 101 and 102 will be offered again for new students.

This is not the first time that Swahili has been offered at Princeton. In 1999, students initiated a one year seminar that was taught by visiting professor Ephraim Isaac. Though 15 students took the course and received credit for doing so, they say that it was not as strenuous as a standard language class. The light homework load and easy classroom drills made for a relaxed environment that was more fun than stressful.

The seminar also did not fulfill the University's foreign language requirement because only two terms were offered and there were not enough students to offer follow-up classes. No Swahili courses were offered this year.

Assistant Dean of the College Hank Dobin said that the two-term sequence did not fulfill the language requirement because "giving a student two terms of a language doesn't give [students] too much pedagogically."

After a nationwide search and reviewing what Jeffrey Herbst, director of the Council of Regional Studies, called "a significant number of very impressive applications," the University hired Charles Bwenge to teach all four Swahili courses.

Bwenge, a Tanzania native, is currently working towards a graduate degree in linguistics and anthropology at the University of Virginia. Bwenge acquired "extensive teaching experience" in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, Herbst said.

Tim Allen '04, who participated in the search process, observed Bwenge propose an outline for the course in February at an "indaba," a group of students and professors on campus that meet weekly to discuss issues pertaining to African studies. "Indaba" is an African word for news.

Allen said that Bwenge's professional demeanor impressed him. "He was incredibly well-organized, I must say."

Dobin agreed, "We're very pleased to have him."

Get the best of the ‘Prince’ delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe now »

Funding for a full-time instructor came from a number of donors, including the Office of the Dean of the College, the Office of the Dean of the Faculty, the Provost and the Council on Regional Studies.

Herbst said he anticipates that the University's investment in the course will lead to its success. "I think Princeton is committed to making every effort to make this work," he said.

He also said he felt that the decision to standardize Swahili as a course that fulfills the language requirement was indicative of Princeton's commitment to learning about foreign lands and customs and to continue growing both culturally and academically.

"This is an example of Princeton's dedication to Africa and expanding international studies more generally. I think this is a very exciting development," he said.

Many students share Herbst's enthusiasm about the upcoming classes. Allen, who took the Swahili seminar last year, said that he sensed a general fascination with Africa among his peers.

"I think there's quite a strong interest in Africa among students on campus," he said.

Deputy registrar Robert Bromfield said that the strong student interest in the seminar played a role in the University's decision to revamp the Swahili courses so that they fulfilled the foreign language requirement.

Dobin speculated that many individuals in the African American Studies program or otherwise studying Africa may want to take the language in order to be able to read vernacular literature, in the same way that Classics majors utilize ancient Greek and Latin.

Some non-AAS concentrators like Megumi Itoh '03, who also participated in last year's seminar, say that they have studied the language purely "out of interest."

Others, such as Allen, a native South African, have more practical reasons for wanting to learn such as traveling to different regions of his homeland. Allen said that his great-grandfather, a missionary in Kenya, had been the last person in his family to speak the language and that he hoped to end that trend.

Allen explained that since Swahili is similar to many other aboriginal languages in Africa, such as Zulu and Xhosa, mastery of the language significantly enhances one's ability to communicate with a large number of people.

Despite its unfamiliarity to most students, Swahili is not an especially difficult language, Allen said. Describing the sound of the language as "very musical," he said that he found studying it enjoyable.

Due to the influence of various traders, missionaries and colonizers throughout history, it has borrowed from quite a few other languages. "Actually, it's similar to Italian," Allen said, noting the impact of that language on Swahili. Swahili also uses the Latin alphabet.

The faculty and students appear to have different opinions of to whom the new classes will appeal most. Dobin and Herbst both said that they expected most students to explore the classes after entering the AAS program or after having taken other courses on Africa. By their logic, the majority of students enrolling in SWA 101 would be sophomores, juniors, and seniors.

In contrast, Allen said he speculated that freshmen would be the most attracted to the Swahili courses because students already studying a language on campus may be less likely to switch to something new and unconventional.

Regardless of who enrolls, most of the organizers predict that the number will be small in the beginning. Though it is impossible to know for certain, estimates of how many students will take SWA 101 this fall range from 10 to 15.

Though enrollment may be low, Swahili's reintroduction to Princeton has generated a positive response from students and faculty who support the University's efforts to diversify its course offerings.

"It's really nice to see underrepresented languages coming to campus," Allen said.