Department of Arabic Language Instruction

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Chair of the Department of Arabic Language Instruction: Iman Aziz Soliman

Arabic Language Teachers: D. Abo El-Seoud, L. Al-Sawi , M. Al-Qaffash, S. El-Ezabi, N. Harb, M. K. Hassan, A. Hassanein (Executive Director, Center for Arabic Study Abroad at AUC/ Center for Advanced Arabic Study in Cairo (CASA@AUC/CAASIC), I. Saad (Director, Arabic Language Intensive (ALIN) program), H. Salem, I. A. Soliman (Chair, ALI)  A. Waked, and S. Yacout (Director, Arabic Language (ALNG) and Arabic Language Intensive, Summer (ALIS).

The Department of Arabic Language Instruction (ALI) is responsible for Arabic Language Instruction within the university’s academic structure. The ALI administers regular non-intensive and accelerated courses in Arabic offered for academic credit (ALNG). This Unit offers courses that cater to undergraduates and graduates who need to fulfill their Arabic requirements. It also serves non-degree and study abroad students. ALNG Unit offers courses at the elementary, intermediate, and advanced levels in both Modern Standard Arabic and Egyptian Colloquial Arabic. There are two tracks for Modern Standard Arabic classes: normal and accelerated.

Under the umbrella of the Department of Arabic Language Instruction, three intensive programs are administered: the Arabic Language Intensive Program (ALIN), the Arabic Language Intensive Summer Program (ALIS), and the Center for Advanced Arabic Study in Cairo (CAASIC) that hosts the Center for Arabic Study Abroad (CASA@AUC). ALIN students who are qualified to change to undergraduate programs may receive up to 12 undergraduate credits in the fall and in the spring semesters from AUC, except elementary undergraduate students who can receive 10 credit hours. In the Summer Program (ALIS), students can receive up to 6 credit hours. Students may be able to obtain credit toward an academic degree at their home institution for their Intensive Arabic Language (ALIN) coursework. They should determine their institution’s policy regarding transfer credit before coming to Cairo.

Students registered in the ALIN and wishing to change their program to AUC undergraduate, graduate and non-degree programs have to satisfy the admission requirements listed in the catalog for these programs.

Arabic Language Undergraduate Credit Courses (ALNG)

Director: S. Yacout

All Arabic language credit classes at AUC are administered and taught by the Department of Arabic language Instruction.

Timely Completion Policy for Arabic Language Requirement

All students must sit for an Arabic language placement exam during their freshman year unless they have submitted a Thanawiyya Amma certificate or its equivalent before the date of the last placement exam for any given academic year. Based on the placement exam score, students will either be exempted from required Arabic Language courses or be required to take one or two sequenced courses. Students exempted from Arabic may still opt to register in elective Arabic courses. All students are required to take up to 6 credits from the following ALNG courses:

ALNG 1010 - Eye on Press (3 cr.)  

ALNG 1020 - Arabic in Context (3 cr. per semester)  

ALNG 2010 - Current Issues and Egyptian Society (3 cr. per semester)  

These courses replace the previously required ALNG courses:

ALNG 1101-1102-1103 - Elementary Modern Standard Arabic (3 cr. each per semester)  

ALNG 2101-2102-2103 - Intermediate Arabic (3 cr. each per semester)  

Arabic Language Intensive Program (ALIN)

Director: I. Saad

The Department of Arabic language Instruction offers intensive Arabic language courses for students, businessmen, diplomats, scholars, and others needing to gain a broad command of contemporary Arabic as quickly and as effectively as possible. For over sixty years, first through its School of Oriental Studies and then through its Center for Arabic Studies, AUC has taught Arabic to foreigners. Since the inception of what is now the Department of Arabic language Instruction, in the 1970s, this program has attracted students from the United States, Africa, Asia and Europe, offering intensive courses in both modern standard and Egyptian colloquial Arabic. A summer program is also offered.

Arabic Language Intensive Program (ALIN) is part of the Department of Arabic language Instruction program. Students must register for a minimum of twelve credit hours per semester, while the normal course load is twenty contact hours per week. Diplomats and professionals may enroll on part-time basis and register in for less credit hours.  All courses are taken for grades, and credit is granted as indicated at the beginning of each course listing.  Summer students can receive up to 6 credit hours. ALI offers all proficiency levels from complete beginners to advanced. Each level is studied in one separate semester. The Fall semester runs from the first week of September through mid-December.  The Spring semester runs from the first week of February through mid-May, and the summer session runs from the first week of June through end of July.

Elementary Level

The main emphasis is on modern standard Arabic, but Egyptian colloquial Arabic is simultaneously offered (about twenty five percent of class time is devoted to colloquial).  Attention is given to the Arabic of print and broadcast media too.  Arabic is used as the main medium of instruction in the second half of the program. The course comprises up to twenty hours per week of classroom instruction, and up to twenty hours of home assignments. A student who successfully completes the first year of intensive study with the Department of Arabic Language Instruction can expect to possess a working competence in reading and writing modern standard Arabic and understanding and speaking Egyptian colloquial or modern standard Arabic.

Intermediate Level

Courses at this level are designed for those who have completed a year of intensive study at the elementary level of the Department of Arabic Language Instruction or who have studied two or more years elsewhere and can demonstrate a similar level of competence. Arabic is the chief medium of instruction. Students continue work in modern standard Arabic and Egyptian colloquial Arabic. Students who complete this second year of study should be able to read and write modern standard Arabic with some fluency, to pursue study in topics that specially interest them in Arabic, and to converse freely in Arabic.

Advanced Level

Exceptional students may wish to take a third year. These courses are arranged according to demand, but they typically include advanced work in reading and writing, listening, and speaking, as well as media. At the end of such a course a student should be able to compete with Arab students at the university level.

Certificate and Program Requirements

ALIN fulltime students must take at least twenty contact hours per week for which they are awarded twelve credit hours per semester. At the end of students’ enrollment in the Department of Arabic Language Instruction, certificates of achievement will be awarded from the department (specifying the level that they have successfully completed, i.e., elementary, intermediate, or advanced) (See the Intensive Arabic Language Course listing and the number of program credits awarded for each course).  Students who are enrolled on part-time basis, receive certificates of course completion.

Arabic Language Intensive Courses (ALIN) (To see all ALIN courses, please go to the “Courses” link in the homepage.)

ALIN courses are listed sequentially by area. In this four-digit system, the first digit represents the level of the course: 1 for elementary, 2 for intermediate, and 3 for advanced. Prerequisites are not listed for every course. However, entry into all intermediate and advanced courses presupposes that the student is of intermediate or advanced standing. The instructor’s permission may also be required. Standing will be determined by written and/or oral placement tests for incoming students and sometimes for continuing students.

Arabic Language Intensive Summer Program (ALIS)

Director: A. Hassanein

The Department of Arabic Language Instruction offers an intensive summer program from the second week of June until the last week of July. Students must take twenty hours of class per week to be considered full-time. The summer curriculum includes Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) and Egyptian Colloquial Arabic (ECA) at all levels, or Modern Standard Arabic only, both options as a full load. In addition, a number of electives are also offered depending on the students’ level. Students in summer receive from six to eight credit hours depending on their level. A certificate of achievement from the Department of Arabic language Instruction is then offered upon successful completion of the program.

Co-Curricular Activities/Student Cultural Activity Program                                 

An integral part of the intensive language program, both full year & summer, is an extensive series of tours of Cairo and trips to the easily visited sites of interest all over Egypt. These tours and trips are supplemented by a lecture series. While the department subsidizes a large portion of the expenses, including transportation (except where air travel is involved) and entrance fees, students are required to pay for their food and lodging. The Department of Arabic Language Instruction cultural program also includes a cultural component featuring activities such as calligraphy, music, folkloric dance and an overview of Egyptian films. In addition, the program includes an end of semester summer party which is organized with the active participation of the students.

Arabic Language Intensive Summer Program Courses (ALIS): To see all ALIS courses, please go to the “Courses” link in the homepage.

Center for Advanced Arabic Study in Cairo/Center for Arabic Study Abroad at AUC (CAASIC/CASA@AUC)

Executive Director: H. Salem

CAASIC offers full-year and short term advanced-level training in Arabic language and culture to graduate and undergraduate students at The American University in Cairo. CAASIC welcomes applicants from all nationalities with a minimum of three years of formal instruction in Arabic. Students receive 8 credit hours in summer, 12 credit hours in fall, and 12 credit hours in spring. The normal course load is twenty contact hours per week.

Program Requirements

CAASIC students apply and undergo a selection process that requires sitting and passing a language entry exam, submitting transcripts, three letters of recommendation as well as a statement of purpose.

Program Description

The program consists of three semesters - summer, fall and spring - as follows:

A. Summer Program

The summer program offers 20 contact hours per week and fellows are expected to spend between four to five hours daily doing homework and preparing for class activities for the following day. The summer academic program includes two courses:

AIAS 4301 - An Introduction to Cairo, ECA (4 cr.)                                         

This course offers eight to ten contact hours per week and aims to develop the fellows’ proficiency in the Egyptian dialect quickly so that they can function in their new environment. In addition to focusing on the colloquial of daily life, the course places emphasis on aammiyyat al-muthaqqafiin (educated colloquial), in which the colloquial is mixed with formal Arabic. Multiple sections of this course are offered to accommodate varying levels of proficiency.

AIAS 4101 - An Introduction to Cairo, MSA (4 cr.)                                      

This is a content-based course that offers eight to ten contact hours per week and aims to engage students through a number of historical, political, social and cultural issues of significance to the society in which they are living. The course places emphasis on the development of all language skills with attention to expanding vocabulary and enhancing grammatical accuracy.

B. Fall Academic Program

Description and Courses                                                                                        

The fall semester requires learners to study three core courses at 20 contact hours per week. The following courses are offered in the fall:    

1. AIAS 5301 - Egyptian Colloquial Arabic (3 cr.)  
2. AIAS 5151 - Listening And Speaking (3 cr.)  
3. AIAS 5121 - Reading, Writing and Vocabulary Building (6 cr.)  

C. Spring Academic Program (12 credits)

The spring semester represents the culmination of the CAASIC program. The spring semester allows learners to utilize the advanced language skills they have developed during the summer and fall by working with Arabic materials in their own fields of specialization. Each fellow is required to study four courses, each course is for 3 credit hours, a total of 12 credit hours.  Any spring course offered must have a minimum enrollment of six students. All CAASIC/CASA@AUC students will be required to abide by an Arabic-only speaking policy on campus and off campus as much as possible. 

Exit Exam

All CAASIC/CASA@AUC students will be required to participate in an end of full-year proficiency exit exam. This exam is no substitute for the regular quizzes or monthly and end of semester achievement exams.

Courses

Sections with odd numbers are for international students and sections with even numbers are for Egyptian degree seeking students.

• ALNG 1010 - Eye on Press (3 cr.)
• ALNG 1020 - Arabic in Context (3 cr. per semester)
• ALNG 1101-1102-1103 - Elementary Modern Standard Arabic (3 cr. each per semester)
• ALNG 1301-1302 - Elementary Egyptian Colloquial Arabic (3 cr. each per semester)
• ALNG 1501 - Accelerated Elementary Modern Standard Arabic (6 cr. per semester)
• ALNG 1502 - Accelerated High Elementary and Lower Iintermediate Modern Standard Arabic (6 cr.each per semester)
• ALNG 1991 - Selected Topics (3 cr. per semester)
• ALNG 2010 - Current Issues and Egyptian Society (3 cr. per semester)
• ALNG 2101-2102-2103 - Intermediate Arabic (3 cr. each per semester)
• ALNG 2104-2105 - Intermediate Modern Standard Arabic (3 cr. each per semester)
• ALNG 2131 - Arabic of the News Media (3 cr. per semester)
• ALNG 2301 - Intermediate Egyptian Colloquial Arabic (ECA) (3 cr. per semester)
• ALNG 2501-2502 - Accelerated Intermediate Modern Standard Arabic (6 cr. each per semester)
• ALNG 2991 - Selected Topics (3 cr. per semester)
• ALNG 3101-3102 - Advanced Modern Standard Arabic I (3 cr. each per semester)
• ALNG 3103-3104 - Advanced Modern Standard Arabic II (3 cr. each per semester)
• ALNG 3105 - Independent Study (3 cr. per semester)
• ALNG 3131 - Advanced Arabic of the News Media (3 cr. per semester)
• ALNG 3333 - Cairo, the City of the Thousand and One Faces (3 cr.)
• ALNG 3501-3502 - Accelerated Advanced Modern Standard Arabic (6 cr. each per semester)
• ALNG 3912 - Learning Arabic through Community Engagement (3 cr.)
• ALNG 3991 - Selected Topics (3 cr. per semester)
• ALNG 3993 - Introduction to Arabic for Career Purposes 3 cr.
• ALNG 3994 - Exploring Egyptian Cinema: Portraits of a Changing Nation (3 cr.)
• ALNG 4221 - Arabic Morphology (Sarf) and Prosody (‘Arud) (3 cr.)
• ALNG 4231-4232 - Arabic Syntax (Nahw) (3 cr. per semester)
• ALNG 4281 - Linguistics of Arabic (3 cr.)
• ALNG 4291 - The Phonetics of Arabic (3 cr.)

• ALIN 1101-1102-1103-1104 - Elementary Modern Standard Arabic (3 cr. each)
• ALIN 1151-1152 - Elementary Listening and Speaking (2-3 cr. each)
• ALIN 1231-1232 - Intermediate Grammar (2-3 cr. each)
• ALIN 2101-2102-2103-2104 - Intermediate Modern Standard Arabic (3 cr. each)
• ALIN 2141-2142 - Intermediate Spoken Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) (2-3 cr. each)
• ALIN 2151-2152 - Intermediate Listening and Speaking (2-3 cr. each)
• ALIN 2221 - Applied Morphology (2-3 cr. each)
• ALIN 2241-2242 - Political Texts (2-3 cr. each)
• ALIN 3101-3102 - Advanced Modern Standard Arabic (3 cr. each)
• ALIN 3141-3142 - Advanced Spoken Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) (2-3 cr. each)
• ALIN 3151-3152 - Advanced Listening and Speaking (2-3 cr. each)
• ALIN 3231-3232 - Advanced Arabic Grammar (2-3 cr. each)
• ALIN 3241-3242 - Political Texts (3 cr. each)

• ALIN 1301-1302-1303 - Elementary Colloquial Arabic (3-4 cr. each)
• ALIN 2301-2302 - Intermediate Colloquial Arabic (3-4 cr. each)
• ALIN 3301-3302 - Advanced Colloquial Arabic (3-4 cr. each)

• ALIN 2411 - Introduction to Egyptian Culture - Intermediate (2-3 cr.)
• ALIN 3411 - Introduction to Egyptian Culture - Advanced (2-3 cr.)

• ALIN 2251 - Readings in Modern Arabic Literature (2-3 cr.)
• ALIN 3251 - Readings in Modern Arabic Literature (3 cr.)
• ALIN 3252-3253 - Readings in the Modern Arabic Novel (3 cr. each)

• ALIN 1131-1132 - Elementary Printed Media (2-3 cr. each)
• ALIN 1133-1134 - Elementary Aural Media (2-3 cr. each)
• ALIN 2131-2132 - Intermediate Printed and Aural Media (3 cr.)
• ALIN 3131-3132 - Advanced Printed and Aural Media (3 cr.)

• ALIN 1211-1212 - Readings in the Qur’an (2-4 cr. each)
• ALIN 2211-2212 - Readings in the Qur’an (2-3 cr. each)
• ALIN 3211-3212 - Qur’anic Studies (3 cr. each)

• ALIN 1991-1992 - Selected Topics (1-4 cr. each)
• ALIN 2991-2992 - Selected Topics (1-4 cr. each)
• ALIN 3991-3992 - Selected Topics (1-4 cr. each)

• ALIN 2201-2202 - Intermediate Translation (2-3 cr. each)
• ALIN 3201-3202 - Advanced Translation (2-3 cr. each)

• ALIN 1111-1112 - Elementary Writing (2-3 cr. each)
• ALIN 2111-2112 - Intermediate Writing (2-3 cr. each)
• ALIN 2121-2122 - Intermediate Reading and Writing (3 cr. each)
• ALIN 3111-3112 - Advanced Writing (2-3 cr. each)
• ALIN 3121-3122 - Advanced Reading and Writing (3 cr. each)

• ALIS 1101-1102-1103-1104 - Elementary Modern Standard Arabic (2-3 cr. each)
• ALIS 1111-1112 - Elementary Writing (1-3 cr. each)
• ALIS 1131-1132 - Elementary Printed Media (1-3 cr. each)
• ALIS 1211-1212 - Readings in the Qur’an (1 cr. each)
• ALIS 1301-1302-1303 - Elementary Colloquial Arabic (2-4 cr. each)
• ALIS 1991-1992 - Supervised Studies (1-4 cr. each)
• ALIS 2101-2102-2103-2104 - Intermediate Modern Standard Arabic (2-3 cr. each)
• ALIS 2111-2112 - Intermediate Writing (1-3 cr. each)
• ALIS 2131-2132 - Intermediate Printed Media (1-3 cr. each)
• ALIS 2133-2134 - Intermediate Aural Media (1-3 cr. each)
• ALIS 2201-2202 - Intermediate Translation (1 cr. each)
• ALIS 2211-2212 - Readings in the Qur’an (1-3 cr. each)
• ALIS 2251 - Readings in Modern Arabic Literature (1 cr.)
• ALIS 2301-2302 - Intermediate Colloquial Arabic (2-4 cr. each)
• ALIS 2991-2992 - Supervised Studies (1-4 cr. each)
• ALIS 3101-3102 - Advanced Modern Standard Arabic (2-3 cr. each)
• ALIS 3111-3112 - Advanced Writing (1-3 cr. each)
• ALIS 3131-3132 - Advanced Printed Media (1-3 cr. each)
• ALIS 3133-3134 - Advanced Aural Media (1-3 cr. each)
• ALIS 3201-3202 - Advanced Translation (1 cr. each)
• ALIS 3251 - Readings in Modern Arabic Literature (1 cr.)
• ALIS 3301-3302 - Advanced Colloquial Arabic (2-3 cr. each)
• ALIS 3991-3992 - Supervised Studies (1-4 cr. each)

• ALWT 2271  -  From Reading to Writing: Intermediate Level (3 cr.)
• ALWT 3271 - The Traveler: Exploring the Arab World Today - High Intermediate Level (3 cr.)
• ALWT 3919 - El Ard Bititkallim ‘Arabi; Know Thy World in Arabic (3 cr.)
• ALWT 4201  -  Professional Translation in Business (3 cr.)
• ALWT 4202  -  Diplomatic Professional Translation (3 cr.)
• ALWT 4271  -  From Reading to Writing: Advanced Level (3 cr.)
• ALWT 4272  -  Arabic Language Proficiency for Media Writing (3 cr.)
• ALWT 4273  -  Professional Business Writing (3 cr.)
• ALWT 4274  -  Professional Diplomatic Writing (3 cr.)
• ALWT 5271  -  Professional Arabic TV Script Writing (3 cr.)

• AIAS 4101 - An Introduction to Cairo, MSA (4 cr.)
• AIAS 4301 - An Introduction to Cairo, ECA (4 cr.)

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