The recent report of the Duke South Asian Studies Initiative has highlighted a glaring deficiency in Duke's educational offerings.
Progress in this area needs to begin immediately. In addition to classes focusing on politics and economics, there should also be a greater focus on South Asian languages. Currently, the only such language offered is Hindi, but this is by no means the sole language spoken in South Asia. For example, Urdu is the official language of Pakistan, Telegu is one of the top 15 spoken languages of the world and more than 77 million people worldwide speak Tamil.
However, to learn these languages at Duke, one must enroll in online courses or travel to UNC or N.C. State. For many, this is not a viable option. Duke should offer its own South Asian language courses, both for students interested in the languages themselves and for students interested in the advanced study of the region's economics and politics.
Swathi Appachi
Trinity '09
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