After going to Syria for 4 1/2 weeks, Dr. Bob attained new insights about education and the value of his own philosophies. The following is his official report/evaluation of this project. Scroll down to see the whole document, or use the following menu to find something specific. Project Goals Program Activities Logistics Assessment Recommendations

Project Goals

What were the objectives of the program?

The objectives for this visit went through several evolutionary stages. Dr. Ann Struthers, a Fulbright lecturer at the University of Aleppo (1996-98), was the person who originally suggested that I come to Syria and assist faculty and students in developing a writing center modeled on the program which I direct at Coe College. As negotiations continued with faculty and administrators at the University of Aleppo and the other three national universities, it became apparent that these universities lacked the flexibility or resources for creating writing centers, but that it would be useful for Syrian faculty, administrators, and students in English language programs to become familiar with some ideas about composition instruction that support our writing center program:

• Students will improve their writing when they engage in regular, frequent composing tasks.
• Learning to write does not precede writing; we learn to write by writing.
• Writing is a social process: students benefit from frequent conversations and collaborative exercises; students can help each other become more skilled working with the language.
• Learning to write well depends upon learning to become a skilled reader.
• The goal of writing instruction is not perfect writing but better writers: development of ideas and communication take precedence over perfect editing.

To what extent were you able to meet your project goals?

In preparation for this visit to Syria, I stressed the need to include American college students who have worked in this kind of instructional environment. Fortunately we were able to use the USIA Grant as "seed money" for obtaining additional funds from Coe College and several private donors so three Coe students could accompany me during the first two weeks of the Syria trip. These three Coe seniors, each with three years experience working in the Coe Writing Center, were able to spend one week in Aleppo and one week in Lattakia. In Lattakia, the Coe students lived with Syrian families, gaining an intimate introduction into Syrian family life.

During the 4 weeks of the visit, we gave 25 lectures and workshops, working with more than 1000 students and 75 faculty and administrators at the four national universities. Also included in my schedule were meetings with Embassy and American Cultural Center personnel and three meetings with faculty and students in two private American language schools in Aleppo and Damascus. Because my wife was also in Syria for two weeks, we gave two lecture/recitals on American folk songs. Here is a summary of our formal presentations:

University of Aleppo:

• 4 lectures on writing and research techniques with literature and linguistics classes
• Lecture on writing process for faculty and interested students
• Workshop on small-group discussion techniques
• Question/answer session with students

University at Lattakia

• 4 lecture/workshops with literature and linguistics classes
• Question/answer session with students

University of Damascus

• Lecture on the teaching of writing for faculty and interested students
• Lecture for faculty and students in the English for Special Purposes program
• Workshop for faculty in the ESP program
• Discussion session with small group of English faculty

University of Homs

• Discussion session with English Department faculty
• Question/answer session with applied linguistics students

American Cultural Center

• Short lecture on value of writing during Nesteby Memorial Prize ceremonies
• Two workshops for U.S. Embassy and American Cultural Center personnel
• Lecture on "How to Teach Writing," included a cumulative reflection on Syria trip

Miscellaneous

• Informal lecture accompanying two recitals of American folk songs
• Question/answer session with students at private school in Aleppo
• Workshop with faculty and with students at Damascus Community School

Program Activities

How effective was the format of the program?

While it would impossible to foresee this program's long-term impact, the immediate responses were exhilarating. Our efforts were most effective during the first two weeks when the three Coe students and I had five days for working at each institution. Our program in Aleppo was particularly strong because of Dr. Struthers' excellent preparatory groundwork. Many of her students were excited about meeting and talking with American students and they had thousands of questions. After concluding a large group session, we would often have 40 or 50 students following us through the hallways, wanting to talk about writing or Shakespeare or study in the U.S. or American foreign policy. In contrast to our work at Aleppo, our meetings at Tishreen University in Lattakia were exclusively with students in much smaller classes. Since the Coe students also were living with Syrian families in Lattakia, this week was much more intensively focused on our interaction with about 20 students. It was also the case that during my week in Lattakia, I had many more opportunities to communicate with the Tishreen faculty during informal meals and one-on-one conversations.

During the final two weeks of the program, after the Coe students had returned to the United States, my sessions tended to be more structured and formal. Most of my work consisted of lectures in a classroom or lecture hall, followed by conversations with individuals after the formal presentation. While these sessions with faculty or graduate students lacked the emotional intensity we experienced in Aleppo, several later sessions had their own distinct attractions. I was particularly pleased by the opportunity to work with the ESP faculty at the University of Damascus: I met with the administrators to discuss their program, a meeting which laid the groundwork for my initial lecture session and a faculty development workshop later in the week. Because many of these faculty attended two or three different sessions (as well as a reception sponsored by Juliet Wurr at her home), we had more time to become acquainted with each other. During the workshop we discussed specific examples of writing submitted in their classes, and the group really began to explore fundamental writing issues.

Did you have the time and scope to achieve your goals?

We achieved many of the short-term goals. We met many Syrian faculty, administrators, and students interested in the study of English. We suggested new perspectives for thinking about the writing process and how students can help each other become more skilled in English composition. In many respects, the nature of our presentations was part of our message. Because we arrived as a faculty/student team, we had opportunities to model how American professors relate to students, demonstrating interactive lecture techniques (e.g. moving through an audience, using personal stories and analogies, frequent humor, relaxed interaction with students). It was also important to show how American students are given responsibilities and freedom to express their perspectives on issues.

As for the likely long-term impact of our presentations, it is tempting to sound optimistic, but English faculty at these universities face a daunting task: they often teach composition classes with 300 or more students in one class, meeting only one time a week. Many of our suggestions for transforming their writing instruction are immediately relevant to their situation (e.g., de-emphasize the role of the instructor as the "corrector" of students' composition; adopt an approach which emphasizes more informal, non-academic writing with students responding to each others' texts), but adopting these techniques would require a major paradigm shift in their thinking about the teacher's role in a student's education. Many students, however, were eager for such a paradigm shift: many individuals expressed their dissatisfaction with the quality of the university's instruction and were eager to hear about new instructional models. Within a few years these young people will be teaching English, and some will not be content with the traditional procedures for teaching composition.

Were you scheduled too heavily or too lightly?

The schedule was excellent. On two occasions I gave three lectures or workshops in one day, which proved a bit exhausting, but I have no complaints. On the Sunday before returning to the U.S., I wrote the following passage in my journal while sitting in a park in Damascus:

By the time I give my lecture tomorrow night at the Cultural Center I will have given 26 lectures and workshops in 27 days, but I am surprised at how easily everything has worked out. Fortunately I was able to do it with little or no preparation. I suppose this trip represents a culmination of 50 years of living and 30 years of teaching and studies. During the formal sessions and the many, many conversations preceding or following these presentations, I feel like I have had to call upon nearly every anecdote and moment in my life, pulling up stories or images as I tried to communicate my ideas about the teaching of writing. Two weeks ago at the home of the British Ambassador I read a passage from Kathleen Norris when she talks about good stories being as "tough as grass"--I hope my stories had that kind of toughness, helping me make sense of what I have encountered.

Although I certainly repeated myself a lot, I felt good that I had enough stored up in the mental reservoir that I could talk so frequently about writing to these different audiences without exhausting my resources. I feel as buoyant and excited at the end as I did at the beginning.

Were you satisfied with the activities planned?

Three people were primarily responsible for planning what we would be doing on this trip: Dr. Struthers at the University of Aleppo, Gretchen McCullough at Tishreen University, and Juliet Wurr for the remaining 2 weeks. All three did a marvelous job. Gretchen was working in an especially difficult situation because she did not know me or the Coe students and we never had an opportunity to communicate directly with each other prior to our arrival. Despite these limitations, she devised a sensible schedule of activities that enabled us to start working without any major difficulties.

Were your audiences appropriate?

Yes. I was particularly pleased with the opportunities for us to meet directly with Syrian students. I regret we did not have much contact with the students in Damascus or Homs.

What was audience reaction to your program?

As I indicated earlier, we frequently had enthusiastic responses, particularly from students. At my final lecture in Damascus, many individuals--both students and faculty--had attended previous sessions. The audience included students we had met in Aleppo and Lattakia, students who traveled several hours to hear this final lecture. After the lecture, many students personally expressed their appreciation for our visit to Syria. Since returning to the U.S., I have already received six letters from students and teachers seeking further assistance or guidance in their writing projects. During this trip we encountered hundreds of students committed to improving their English skills; many of them were ready to hear our message.

Logistics

How well organized was the program?

No problems. Prior to the trip, our questions were handled efficiently and expeditiously despite the difficulties of long-distance communication. Once we arrived in Syria, we were always given printed schedules of when we needed to be where. Our schedule was thoughtfully constructed and worked with only minor snafus.

Were the administration arrangements satisfactory?

Excellent.

Can you identify individuals who were particularly helpful?

In Washington Sandra Rouse was our contact person and she impressed me as thoroughly professional. She handled all of our requests with quickness and precision. She provided timely information; in our phone conversations, she was always pleasant and helpful. As for Juliet Wurr, the USIS officer in Damascus who took care of us in Syria, she was simply outstanding. She obviously brings enormous energy and commitment to the program. She was remarkably effective in her dealings with Syrians and a joy to work with. As I look back on this entire program, one of the great highlights was the opportunity to meet Juliet and watch her in action. In my opinion she scored a perfect "10."

Assessment

How do you think the program went? Benefits?

I can guarantee that the program had enormous value for the five Americans who visited Syria because of this trip. My wife and I have been profoundly changed by this trip: we learned so much about Syria, the Syrian people, the Middle East, the nature of education in such a different culture, the priorities and values we hold most dear as educators. This was the third time I have taught in overseas program, but this trip affected me in more profound ways than my previous experiences in England, Hong Kong, China, and Japan. More importantly, the trip had a significant impact on the three Coe students. Jennifer, Claire, and Matthew fell in love with the country and were deeply touched by the generosity and kindness of the Syrian people. Matthew is seriously considering the possibility of returning to Syria as an English teacher. Claire will start graduate school next fall in the field of political science; her research interests are focused on third world cultures, and she has told me that this trip (combined with two terms studying in Belfast, Ireland last year) will have a life-long impact on her academic career. As for assessing the program from a Syrian point of view, we were probably as effective as the time would allow. Although the lectures and workshops went well, the greatest strength of this program was our direct interaction with the Syrian people. The Coe students did a superb job immersing themselves into the Syrian culture. Although it was a relatively small portion of the trip, we also gained many unexpected benefits from the two lecture/recitals on American folk songs. Although Prof. Marrs has been a professional singer for over 30 years, she has never had such an enthusiastic response to her performing as the two programs in Damascus. She had many requests for recordings (she made one in Damascus and is now preparing another for the American Cultural Center library) and immediately found many new fans for this vocal literature.

Recommendations

Although we worked with over 1,000 Syrian students and faculty, we barely touched the surface. For example, just as we were to begin our final workshop at Tishreen University, a group of first-year students walking by the classroom asked if they could attend the session. They were so eager to meet Americans and practice their English. After the workshop I met with three of these young students and they showed me short pieces of their recent writing. If we had had the time, we could have done dozens of these sessions and still not have met the students' needs. And of course each year thousands of new students enter their universities. It would be wonderful if Coe students--or American students from other comparable institutions--could visit Syria each year and begin to build on the incomplete foundations laid by this initial trip, not only to meet with new groups of students but also to spend more time working more intimately with faculty in helping them devise strategies for overcoming their difficult teaching conditions.

One major recommendation regarding this program (this is addressed as much to myself as to anyone else) is that the Coe students had not become more familiar with Syrian and Middle Eastern culture before leaving for the trip. We focused so intently on preparing our workshops that we did not adequately prepare for knowing more about Arab culture. I should have required that Claire, Jennifer, and Matthew read 2-3 classic Arab authors (e.g., Gibran, Qabb n, Mahf z). We were frequently asked about our knowledge of authors from the Middle East; the Coe students could have done a better job as U.S. representatives if they had been more prepared to deal with questions about Arab literature.

Despite our occasional inadequacies, it was a great trip. People listened attentively to our message, we had many wonderful meals, and many Syrian-American friendships were begun. Our presentations delivered ideas that fit with the people's needs; many faculty and students clearly understood the implications of these ideas. The Chair of the English Department at the University of Aleppo said that our visit was "worth a million dollars in diplomacy." We felt the U.S. government got a good return for its investment of $10,000. I would hope that further funding could be provided to allow for Syrian and American students to work together on their writing skills while also learning more about each other as fellow human beings.

Report prepared by Prof. Bob Marrs;
Rhetoric Department, Coe College; Cedar Rapids, IA 52402
E-mail: rmarrs[at]coe.edu
Office Phone: (319) 399-8707 FAX: (319) 399-8830

Assisted by Matthew Jacobs, Jennifer Martinson, Claire Rasmussen, and Prof. Margie V. Marrs (Coe College)