But Thursday night, Farida Badr, an Arabic lecturer, made it work and facilitated UNC’s first Arabic calligraphy competition.
Badr said she created the event because she didn’t just want to teach the skill inside the classroom, but reach the students outside of the classroom in a fun way as well.
“I want to add to students something they will never forget,” she said.
The event created the perfect opportunity for students to be immersed with Arabic culture without even having to take an Arabic course.
This was true for Justin Landis, a senior who took Arabic up to the 305 level.
“I took Arabic for a long time and wanted to get back into it, but I didn’t want to take another language class,” Landis said.
Landis had a piece of his calligraphy featured in the competition and said he would enjoy practicing this as a pastime in the future.
He particularly enjoys Arabic calligraphy's emphasis on art.