Mishka University

Unaccredited (Florida State religious exempt) and pursuing accreditation with SACSOC. They offer undergrad, master's and doctorate degrees in Islamic Studies and Arabic. The Associates programs are offered in English, the rest in Arabic. https://mishkahu.com/

$85/credit for Associates, with the Associates being 58 credits and the Bachelor's degree 125.

They also offer an Arabic program for English speakers: https://mishkahu.com/academics/arabic-language-prep-certificate/ Each course is 36 contact hours and costs $360 ($10 an hour), that's similar pricing to Lingoda.

The goal of the Arabic program is to prepare students to be able to take and pass the Arabic courses in the Associates, which I gather are more like typical undergrad English classes which focus on finer points of grammar and composition and not on basic elements of communicating in the language.

 

I really just stumbled on this one while Googling Arabic courses.

I find Islam super interesting as a subject (not that I have an interest in being a Muslim) so it's cool to know there are programs out there to study the religion and language.

 

I almost entered Mishegas University, but they messed up my admissions package. It was crazy.

 

It is unfortunate that more of it is not in English (eg doctoral program). It looks very interesting.

 

Drove you meshug?

 

Mishka would be a great name for a cat.

 

I guess there's a reason. You don't have to know Arabic to become a Muslim. Some Muslims never learn Arabic, but many do, at least well enough so they can read scriptures without relying on what a translator wrote - "going direct," so to speak.

However, I'm told that for a scholastic understanding of Islam, yes, you'd need Arabic - definitely. And since a Doctorate is scholastic understanding at a very high level -- I guess the view is that it's to be taught in Arabic because that's considered the proper way for scholastic study.

 

I figure it's a bit like Bible Study in Christianity. Every person can read the Bible in the language of their choice - but if you're in a scholarly program at a reputable University - you'll have to learn Biblical Greek and Hebrew. And at some schools, for certain degrees, Ugaritic and possibly Aramaic as well.

 

Possibly. Or for a small captive bear, in Russian. "Mishka" is a diminutive of "Misha," which was almost a generic name for adult bears in captivity - the poor animals that wore metal collars and were made to dance, so the owner got a few kopecks. The only place in Russia where that's still happening, is in remote locations in Siberia. Maybe political prisoners are keeping them in the Gulags, for their only means of entertainment. I dunno. Just a conjecture.

Mishka means something much happier in Arabic. Besides being this University's name, it's a name for either boys or girls. It means a niche in a wall, that holds a lantern. A keeper of light. An apt name for a school, methinks.

There's SO much in names. I've loved them a long time. Almost 70 years, now.

 

"Misha" is in turn a less-formal form of Mikhail, a russian form of Michael. Common name in general. The names "Misha", "Mishka", or "Mikhail Potapovich" are very commonly used as a reference to any bear, not just captive, especially in archaic contexts - like fairy tales, or nursery rhymes. I believe it has to do with superstitious hunters and cattle herders unwilling to use the true name of a dangerous predator.

Hm, yeah, you are right. Very nice name for a school.

 

@Stanislav. Thanks for the explanation. You're way better-acquainted with Russian-orbit literature than I am, obviously. I've only come across "Misha" occasionally, in translation or in novels written in English, with plots involving Russia, past or present. The bears in the stories I read were always captive bears - often dancing outside taverns, getting the price of some vodka for their owners. The name was often used in a sympathetic phrase "poor Misha," because of the animal's pathetic plight. I'm glad to know the full background. Thanks again.

It is. And 'keeper of light?' Not a bad name for a child, either. Lasts a lifetime!

 

There is a Romani tribe that crosses Eastern and Southern Europe in frequent travels - the Ursari, (bear-people), whose captive bears provided a good part of their living. Having dancing bears, which was once common, was ended by law in the whole region around 1999 and the animals were relocated to wild refuges. There have been frequent reports of Roma ignoring the ban. (sigh) Just another reason Roma don't like or trust Gadje (non-gypsies) - their living has been taken away. Big point. Damned if you do, damned if you don't.

What do you do? Maybe send the Roma to free AI programming bootcamp? I dunno...

 

We here don't have dancing bears but we do have bares dancing...

 

We had lots 40 years ago. This city has none now. Falling demand - not legal reasons. I think the Internet is a big factor. You don't have to go to a bar and buy drinks, to see whatever you like to see.

Our last strip club closed in 2019. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/hamilton-strip-1.5082947

Wow. We're about as far as you can get from Mishka U. Maybe, out of respect, we should cool it. Or do this in another thread, no?

 

Johann, are you disappointed by the lack of dancing bears, the lack of bares dancing, or the lack of clubs? That's the real question.

 

I know you're just putting me on, but for the record:

(1) I'm glad, for bears everywhere - that there are no more dancing bears.
(2) No, I'm fine with lack of dancers - those young women can now have better lives. I got to know some, socially, back in the day and they were mostly very nice people, who were in the job out of necessity. It did pay them pretty well, I must admit. On the downside, biker gangs controlled a lot of that business and they were, on the whole, VERY bad employers.
(3) I'm glad to see the clubs gone. They were pretty awful places, filled with drunks and degenerates - some even worse than yours truly. They were often very disrespectful to dancers and that got to me, a lot. I was out of there a long time before the clubs closed.

Cheers!

 

Some real success stories came out of the halcyon days of young women disrobing while they danced. I remember a lady named Charleen - that was the spelling - and that's all the info you get. The third most beautiful woman I have ever seen in my 81 years. I keep a list and it's constantly updated. Jet-black hair, shiny and long. Eyes as dark as they come. I think possibly, she might have been another lovely example of those Canadian girls who have a bit of First Nations ancestry that comes to the fore once in a while, over generations.

I used to see her, her husband and their two little ones, around 3 and 4, strolling through the Flea Market some weekends. Nice family. I learned the story. Her husband was a good guy; a hard-working GM plant employee, and a serious body-builder as well. They'd bought a lovely house in the countryside, a very desirable location a few miles from town. Charleen would dance for a couple of years and that money would make the mortgage practically disappear. That would be it, for dancing.

I'm sure the plan worked. I haven't seen her for 41 years now - and I hope Charleen and her husband are having fun with their grandchildren. The last time I saw her, she'd just come into a department store; she was brushing a few flakes of snow from her dark hair and looking at children's clothes. It's one of the warmest memories I have.

 

You did leave the opening. I was seriously curious how you would respond though.

That sounds like an amazing way to wrap up memories of someone. Hopefully the family is happy and all are doing well. It's a hard life and people deserve happiness after!