- Middle East Studies Major
- Middle East Studies Minor
- Arabic Studies Minor
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The Arabic Studies minor offers students the opportunity to gain an Advanced-level proficiency in Arabic, both Modern Standard and a spoken Arabic variety, as well as familiarity with Arab cultures through coursework in topics like Arabic media, film, literature, and linguistics. Arabic is the sixth most commonly spoken language in the world. It is the language of Islamic scripture and an important liturgical language for Muslims and Arab Christians. It is also spoken by Jews and people of other faith traditions of the Middle East. Southeastern Michigan is home to a vibrant Arabic-speaking community: the largest and oldest Arab-American communities in the US. The Arabic minor is useful for students interested in fields like business, social work, economics, politics, international relations, medicine, law, communications, and education. It provides a vital opportunity to gain a thorough knowledge of a major world language and one of the fastest growing languages spoken in the US. In contrast to the concentration in Middle East Studies, the minor does not require broad knowledge of the Middle East. Rather, it focuses on cultural competence and command of the language.
Academic Minor Program (19 credits)
Prerequisites: To declare the minor, students must satisfy completion of one of three requirements:
- Completion of Arabic 202, Intermediate Arabic II (5 credits)
- Completion of Arabic 203, Intensive Intermediate Arabic I &II (10 credits)
- Placement in Arabic 401 via the Arabic placement test.
Requirements: To complete the program, students must take a minimum of 19 credits that fulfill the following requirements:
- Arabic 401, Advanced Arabic I (5 credits) & Arabic 402, Advanced Arabic II (5 credits)
- At least 3 credits of an elective language course taught in Arabic (List A)
- At least 6 credits of elective Arabic content courses taught in English (List B)
List A. Elective Language Course Work taught in Arabic (3 Credits)
- Arabic 425, Levantine Arabic I (4 credits)
- Arabic 426, Levantine Arabic II (4 credits)
- Arabic 410, Topics in Arabic Language (3 credits)
- Arabic 501, Advanced Arabic Conversation and Composition (3 credits)
- Arabic 504, Advanced Arabic Media I (3 credits)
- Arabic 510, Topics in Arabic Language (3 credits)
- Arabic 511, Contemporary Arab Cinema (3 credits)
- Arabic 530, Arabic Poetry and Discourses of Empire (3 credits)
List B. Elective Arabic content coursework taught in English (6 credits) -
- MIDEAST 315, Introduction to Arab Culture, (4 credits)
- MIDEAST 325, Introduction to Arab Literature in Translation (3 credits)
- MIDEAST 330, The Arabian Nights (3 credits)
- Arabic 503, Classical Arabic Grammar (3 credits)
- Arabic 506, Arabic Phonology and Morphology (3 credits)
- Arabic 507, Arabic Syntax and Semantics (3 credits)
- Arabic 508, Arabic Historical Linguistics and Dialectology (3 credits)
- Arabic 509, Arabic Second Language Acquisition (3 credits)
- Arabic 510, Topics in Arabic Language (3 credits)
- Arabic 513, Arabic-English Translation: Theory and Practice (3 credits)
Additional elective Arabic content courses taught in English:
Students may take an elective 3-credits course that focuses on Arabic-speaking societies, either in the department of Middle East Studies or in other departments. The course must be approved by MES academic advisor and/or the Arabic Language Director. Otherwise, they may simply continue to take courses from the lists A or B until they have reached the required 19 credits.
Policies:
- Students must meet with an MES academic advisor and/or the Arabic Language Director prior to taking courses for the minor.
- Students who test into Arabic beyond the 401 level must still fulfill 19 credits of coursework to complete the minor. They may do so by taking courses in Lists A and Band up to 1 course outside those lists that focuses on Arabic-speaking societies.
- ARABIC 221: Qur'anic and Classical Arabic III and ARABIC 222: Classical Arabic IV may also be elected to satisfy the "6-credits in an elective Arabic content course taught in English" requirement.
- Students may use study abroad credit to complete a portion of the minor requirements. Please speak with the Arabic Language Director to receive information on preferred programs. If wanting to use language credit from study abroad, students must take the Arabic Placement Exam upon return.
- Students must have earned a C- or better in a course for it to be used for the minor.
- Any courses not mentioned in List A and List B must be approved by MES academic advisor and/or the Arabic Language Director to be included into the minor.
