Arabic Flagship Program

Arabic Language Training at UT

The UT AFP requires three core years of Arabic that include training in standard and colloquial Arabic. Intensive summer studies are available at UT at the Novice and Intermediate levels. After completing the core language program, scholars choose an Advanced dialect course in Egyptian or Levantine Arabic. They can also enroll in content-based courses offered in Arabic (e.g., Media Arabic, Lebanon between Formation & Transformation, Issues in Arab Cinema, Critiques of Language & Culture).

Scholars are encouraged to take courses in history, political science, literature, and religion, that are taught in English but have an Arabic Language Across the Curriculum (LAC) component. LAC students work with authentic Arabic texts and discuss them, in Arabic, in small groups. Examples of LAC courses include 1001 Arabian Nights, Modern Egypt: A History, and Shiite Political and Religious Ideologues.

AFP scholars benefit from two study abroad opportunities at the Arabic Flagship site in Alexandria, Egypt. After finishing second year, Scholars are eligible for a summer program in Egypt. After their fourth year at UT, they undertake a capstone year in Alexandria, where the final push from Advanced to Superior Arabic is made. These funded opportunities make our program unique and are part of the reason why our Scholars will be sought after for careers that need Arabic when they graduate.

ARA 506: First-Year Arabic
This course introduces students to the sounds, letters, and basic grammar of Arabic while building listening, speaking, reading, writing, and cultural skills in the language. The course stresses communicative skills in formal (standard) Arabic with an introduction to Egyptian or Levantine through basic greetings and courtesy expressions, and students learn basic differences between spoken and written Arabic. At the end of the semester, students should expect to reach the threshold of Intermediate proficiency and to be able to form accurately simple sentences in Arabic, to initiate basic conversations, to read simple passages with general comprehension, and to have an active vocabulary of approximately 300 words.

ARA 412K: Second-Year Arabic
This course aims to push students towards upper Intermediate proficiency in reading, speaking, writing, listening, and culture. Communicative skills continue to remain a priority, and emphasis is also placed on reading, expanding vocabulary, developing listening skills, and expanding students' understanding of Arab culture, including exposure to colloquial Arabic. Students move from listening to composed texts to listening to authentic materials for native speakers. We continue to develop reading strategies that enable students to comprehend main ideas in authentic reading passages. Grammatical work centers on developing the accuracy necessary to reach advanced proficiency and on the Arabic root and pattern system.

ARA 320K: Third-Year Arabic
This course aims to push students toward advanced proficiency in Arabic through language and content work focused on Arab history, literature, and thought. We continue to expand vocabulary and aim to accumulate approximately 1200 words total active vocabulary by the end of the semester. Grammatical work focuses on complex grammatical constructions and demands increased accuracy in understanding and producing complex structures in paragraph-length discourse.

ARA 330K: Fourth-Year Arabic
This course introduces students to issues in contemporary Arab thought through writings by and interviews with prominent Arab thinkers and writers. We will read, listen to, discuss, and write about issues in contemporary Arab society as presented by writers such as Abd al-Rahman Munif, Layla Abouzeid, Yusuf Idris, and Hisham Sharabi. In addition, we will read and discuss important poetry and prose texts from the Arabic literary tradition. Class time will be devoted to discussion and analysis of texts prepared beforehand.

Other Examples of funded courses

Egyptian Arabic
This is an elementary course of the Egyptian Arabic dialect and builds on the work completed in First Year Arabic. It introduces students to new grammatical structures and vocabulary of Egyptian Arabic. Students will learn how to conduct conversations in different everyday situations and will be able to read and comprehend materials written in Egyptian Arabic. They will also develop sensitivity with regard to the culturally appropriate ways of using the language in different situations. The students will be able to listen to and comprehend interactions between native speakers of Egyptian Arabic on familiar topics.

Levantine Arabic
This course is appropriate to students who are interested in speaking to and interacting with average Arabs and understanding Arab media. Levantine Arabic, spoken across a wide area and encompassing different political boundaries, has several dialects: 1) Lebanese, 2) Syrian, 3) Palestinian and 4) Jordanian Arabic. The objective of this course is to help serious students interested in the Levant gain a deep understanding of its cultures and dialects. This course is a must for any student interested in Syria, Lebanon, Palestine/Israel, and/or Jordan or interested in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict