Jim Isajewicz knows he could end up in the Middle East as a Marine officer -- and his Arabic classes could possibly save lives someday.

Isajewicz (sophomore-international politics) said he is currently taking his second Arabic course at Penn State and plans to pick up the Middle Eastern Studies minor in the future.

"When I graduate, I'll be an officer in the Marine Corps and probably go to Iraq or somewhere close," he said. "I figure I can best preserve the lives of my men by learning about the language and culture in the Middle East."

Isajewicz is just one of a wave of students attempting to gain both a political and military advantage by taking Middle Eastern and Arabic courses.

Arabic class enrollment has nearly quadrupled from 45 students in the 1999-00 school year to 174 students this year because of the need for qualified Arabic speakers in either the government or the military, Arabic language coordinator Inas Messiha said.

Originally, most students taking Arabic courses offered at Penn State did so because of their own heritage, Messiha said.

Last week, the Army began sending officers to graduate school to become more educated in Middle Eastern studies and international business -- a transition from experienced officers to academically advanced officers.

However, the Penn State ROTC program does not require students to take these courses to be commissioned, said senior military science instructor Master Sgt. Stephen Krivitsky.

"Taking these classes helps cadets as a leader and as a person," he said. "It helps them better understand people. We don't live in a closed world."

Krivitsky said Middle Eastern courses might be a requirement for officer commissioning in the future, but right now the choice is made independently by cadets.

Sgt. Darryl Williams, army recruiter for State College, said recruits with any experience in Arabic will be given a proficiency exam. Then, the Army will evaluate the recruit's ability to assist in communications.

Students who choose to take Arabic are more likely to work diligently in the classroom because they already have a good incentive, Messiha said.

"When someone chooses to take Arabic, they must really, really want to learn it," she said.

John Keller, director of education abroad, said the trend hasn't carried over to the study abroad program in terms of numbers.

"I can't say that I've seen any particular trend in the numbers of students going to these places [the Middle East]," he said.

However, Lauren Praetzel (senior-psychology), Smeal education abroad peer advisor coordinator, said she studied in Cairo, Egypt, this past summer in order to gain a better understanding of the culture, but the focus for many has shifted to politics rather than culture.

"There were both types of people studying over there -- those looking for the politics and those travelling because of their heritage," she said. "But only one student was travelling with me for heritage."

Messiha said five of the students currently in the Middle East took Arabic with Messiha before going abroad, most majoring in political science.

"The majority of students studying abroad are looking to learn a foreign language or a new culture," she said. "But these students are looking to use this experience for work in the government or military."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.