- Middle East Studies Major
- Middle East Studies Minor
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- Arabic Studies Minor
- Arabic Studies Minor
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Note: While students may begin working on requirements towards the completing the minor, it can not be officially declared until Winter 2024.
The Arabic 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:
Note: While students may begin working on requirements towards the completing the minor, it can not be officially declared until Winter 2024.
- 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)
- 3-credits of an elective language course taught in Arabic (See list below)
- 6-credits in two elective Arabic content courses taught in English* (See list below)
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.
*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.
All courses must be approved by MES academic advisor and/or the Arabic Language Director.
Students must have earned a C- or better in a course for it to be used for the minor. At least six of the credits must be elected at UM-Ann Arbor or through an overseas program associated with the university.
Elective Language Course Work taught in Arabic (3 Credits)- Choose one of the following courses:
- Arabic 425, Levantine Arabic I (3 credits)
- Arabic 426, Levantine Arabic II (3 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 511, Contemporary Arab Cinema (3 credits)
- Arabic 530, Arabic Poetry and Discourses of Empire (3 credits)
Elective Arabic content coursework taught in English (6 credits) - Choose two of the following courses:
- 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 513, Arabic-English Translation: Theory and Practice (3 credits)
