The Optimist (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 72, No. 50, Ed. 1, Friday, March 29, 1985 Page: 3 of 8
eight pages : illus. ; page 11 x 8 in. Digitized from 35 mm. microfilm.View a full description of this newspaper.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
s.:'M2
upniwstirida? march 29 1985-
H 11 ! & t
. . jf;
4
i p i
-(
Accents
..
T
rv
! r t T
j' ii"1" ' '
j ) .
ir
V 4 0
"!.
it-.! . ''felviJ t '. . K
Henry
Speck
1 1 1 ' s Travels
''4
Influence His Teaching
EDITOR'S NOTE: This Is the second In a series of ar-
ticles on ACU teachers and their perspectives on
teaching.
Talking about "far away places with strange-
sounding names" Is something that lots of world
history teachers do. But talking with firsthand ex-
perience about many of those exotic locales is
something not quite as many teachers can do. But
Dr. Henry Speck ill Is one who can and does.
Although he certainly hasn't lived vmy place in
the world Dr. Speck aeeoclate professor of history
can share firsthand stories with his students about
quite a few foreign places. And those foreign ex-
perlences have made a difference he said in the
perspective he has on teaching.
Speck has an intelligent air a definitive accent
and an immense personality. Leaning back comfor-
tably in his chair ho talks with ease and at length
about ancient cultures and rituals. And his unique
personality comes through so strong in the conver-
sation that the listener almost has to pay attention.
His view of what the purpose of a university is
combines with his background to create a class at-
mosphere that is to say the least interesting. "A
university is a place where you talk about and ask
questions and explore Ideas" he said. "Therefore
any of these experiences I've had In Europe as a
schoolboy as a transient resident of several coun-
tries whatever they are make it possible for me to
throw things into a class which people have never
heard of."
Speck said he hoped these Interjections about his
personal experiences helped his students "become
less parochial Americans are accused of that. By
introducing these things into the classes I gt peo-
ple something to talk about that they never have
talked about. It helps them to form new vantage
points and it helps them to see more broadly...
humanely... sophlsttcatedly."
The associate professor lived in the countries of
France Switzerland and Germany for eight years
where he completed parts of his primary and secon-
dary education and then attended universities in
Spain and England where he gained his doctorate
from Oxford. He then taught at universities in the
Middle East for nine years in Iran for five years
and in Iraq and Egypt for two years each. All these
universities but one were managed and operated by
the native peoples of that area. The only exception
was The American University in Cairo which was
operated out of New York. At all the rest Speck
worked day-by-day with the natives of the region.
Speck's interest in ancient history was what in-
itially led him to go overseas. "I had always been in-
terested in ancient history and then in Middle East
history. So I went to Cairo. And then in 1972 1 went
to Iran because I wanted to go to the Middle East."
After Iran he went to Iraq a place he said he par-
ticularly wanted to visit. He obtained a job with a
university in Iraq in 1980.
Dr. Speck was really out on his own away from
American culture when he was teaching in Iraq. "I
was the only American working directly for the Iraqi
government" he said. And talking about when he
crossed the Turkish border into Iraq he said "I was
the first American (the Iraqis at the border) had ever
seen."
But Speck said his stay in Iraq ended prematurely
"because of the deteriorating situation (of the Mid-
die East) in general. There was no place to go and
no place to stay either." The increasingly
tempestuous political situation was one of the
reasons Speck went to Iraq from Iran but it was also
one of the reasons he left the Middle East
altogether. "Otherwise I would still be there" he
said
As a result of his travels Speck said he has
adopted different views and values than he had
when he set out. "I'd like to think my prejudices are
loosened. I have different prejudices now. I think
they are more informed and not as stringent."
What kind of change in prejudice did Speck
undergo because of his overseas experiences? "I
think perhaps one way to put It is: 'When you live In
BH j IbbSbBBBBHH &M& aBMBMJBIBWIWBffffnHBBIBHBg
L 1 -dflt ' hbbbbbbbBK V Aitt. $UU&Efflfjb$KilS&fUKIBi
iSIbbbkbbBbIbbHbbbIbK HrLult 1 Svu JfKSBKSSm&fSMOtttitittH
BBBBBnP 4 f .SHbHpH HHJV "JBtfBBSSSBlBiStKBBBiBtS
KKKSmhtSBHSmSBBBrF MmBsWBbbLbIbbbmbmHbm
HtSlOkWBBmOBtBSttL BBBBmBBBMBBBB. IB BBHbHBBHbVbMBBB9b1BBBbBbK BBBBBBBH
BKKBtBBVKnmSBOSKtBBKJBMBBSBBImHBBKBt bYbbbHI
gBBJBBjBBBBBjBBjnBHBBHBUBnHflBBflnH 'BBbBBBbS
w i&BBBBBHBBBBBBB&BJBBflBHBJBVBSB Hfl
VBnBbflBBBBHflB&BBMBHflBBbflB9HB Lfl
i;j Jit jBWHbBwJbxbibHHBctBBBEBxjc ft SmWSSSSSSSm w
BK4bjbPbbbbbbIbbbbwbbbbbbpbbib
a country where they write from right to left you can
either ignore it or iearn that there is another way of
looking at things.' It makes one realize it is not ab-
surd (to write that way). You can write a language
Just as well from left to right.
"One begins to re-examine one's own systems of
thought and belief. One learns more about oneself.
For example one learns what things are really im-
portant to one and not just what are cultural at-
tachments. It forces one to re-define the bottom line
and to discover what his bottom line really is."
The changes in Speck's perspective do show up
in classes; the ideas he throws in to the discussions
are evidence of that But not only do his
multicultural ideas make class more interesting; his
evident wealth of knowledge about his subject
some from books but much from firsthand ex-
perience adds to the attractiveness of his
classes.
Of course as a history teacher he talks about
historical events in the Middle East but he spices
up his historical lectures with a myriad of personal
anecdotes travel stories Middle Eastern jokes and
analyses of the finer points of Persian carpets. "I
am not a carpet expert but I can decide which
carpets are being bought for fair prices and
something about the quality of them" he said.
Knowledgeable In so many areas because of his
extensive travels the professor makes an intriguing
addition to any conversation. And students speak
favorably about his classes. By sharing his ex-
periences and insights with students Speck tries to
broaden their perspectives give them new vantage
points and loosen their prejudices much in the
same way this happened to him. Through his
teaching students learn things about the Middle
East that you might think could only be learned by
going there yet a three-hour course with Henry StOIY by
Speck'HI Is much less expensive than a plane ticket ei8 q;m
to Iran. ' fclain Drill
BBBBflPt4riSkHBBHBKBBJBBBBBKrwjB .ririflB.
bbbbT "m?!1bbbmbjBMbmb ..bbbbH
BBbV P ' 'ryjBBBBMBBfi8JlMI"BMBM
BBBB ' Vjfffc '4)mBBHBNBBBBBnBflBSBH
BBBBBBa f Kir 'MfL . vHBBBBBHBBBSBBBBBBBflB
K rmg 5 IHbBbHHbbIbHbbVH
Pr Tf- -.jJbthHbbIbBbHbbHpI
wil $ JnSv'iHHBBHPi
bIbW 'JIBBflHP' SbSbbbbbRBrJiv
bbVk flflsff B9bHB'
5iBBBBBb1bB9BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBbVb1b tfy .jH
flHHH -HbbbH
bSbbbbbbbbbbHBb tjbhrHbbbbi
BBBBBBBBBBBBBBK' jSBHHBBBBBBS
BflBBJBBBBBBBBBSBBBBBBBB. sBBBBeBflBBBBBBfl
BBlBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBr' t BBBBBBBBBBBBBB.
Design by
Julia Dillard
i
p
f
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Newspaper.
The Optimist (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 72, No. 50, Ed. 1, Friday, March 29, 1985, newspaper, March 29, 1985; Abilene, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth96168/m1/3/: accessed May 22, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Abilene Christian University Library.