A classical education is often associated with the ancient Greek and Roman lyceum, the progenitor of the liberal arts curricula that are falling out of favour in the West. The Golden Age of Islam too had a tradition of wide-ranging study and thought. The madrasas, sometimes seen by non-Arabic speakers in narrow theological terms, were for centuries centres of diverse learning; the Quran was often the touchstone for discussions spanning medicine, architecture, mathematics, history and philosophy.
Modern education often takes a strictly utilitarian bent, preparing people for a particular job. A laudable goal, but perhaps one that should be subsidiary to that older understanding of the role of education: developing one's faculties and becoming a better person. Sorbonne University at its Abu Dhabi campus has recast this in the rather hackneyed adages to "open one's horizons" and "build a bridge between civilisations", but the principles are the same.
In addition to its degree programmes, the university has announced a series of lectures at its new Reem Island campus. Three of the four lecture series will focus on music, literature and food; the last is entitled "Similarities between the Gulf and the Mediterranean". It must be admitted that, excepting this last category, the subject matter is overwhelmingly Eurocentric, as one might expect from a programme organised by a Parisian university. The Sorbonne occupies a peculiar place in Emirates society, a French-language educational institution in a country that does not have a francophone tradition. If it is to be a success, it will be as a cultural ambassador bringing not only European cultures to the Gulf, but absorbing the Arabic as well.
It is not that the great ideas and themes of Islam and Arabia are not being discussed in majlis across the region - only that often these discussions are impenetrable to non-Arabic speakers. One of the great strengths of the Sorbonne's lecture programme is that it will be translated into three languages, French, English and Arabic, to broaden the audience for these seminal ideas. Outside the rarefied heights of academia, a greater familiarity with Voltaire, or an understanding of the niceties of Middle Age dining, might seem of little practical use. But there are other reasons for education besides material gain, not least the simple joy of learning.
Sorbonne lectures and the open mind
If the Sorbonne is to be a success, it will be as a cultural ambassador, bringing not only European cultures to the Gulf, but absorbing the Arabic as well.
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