Summer in Alexandria, Egypt: Arabic Language and Culture

  Egypt

Alexandria

Term: Summer 
Dates: June - August 2010

Description: The program takes place at The Center for Teaching Arabic as a Foreign Language (TAFL) in Alexandria, Egypt. The program offers intensive Arabic language study at the beginning and intermediate levels. Classes are taught in small groups and are conducted by instructors with extensive experience teaching Arabic to Westerners. The TAFL Center is located in the same compound as Alexandria University's Faculty of Arts and is within walking distance to the city center. Students are able to participate in cultural clubs with other TAFL students, as well as with native speakers. There is an obligatory cultural activity every day where students speak only Arabic with one another.

Curriculum:

Students receive a total of twelve (12) credits for this seven-week program. Classes are conducted for five hours per day and the total number of instruction hours equals 175. Credit is provided as Georgetown Arabic-language credit.

Students take a diagnostic placement test at the beginning of the program to determine their proficiency level. Textbooks and other materials are available at the institute's library. Classrooms are equipped with audio-visual aids and the TAFL Center offers two active-mode language laboratories.

Students enroll in two of the following six-credit courses, depending on language level:

ARAB-011-62 Intensive 1st Level Modern Standard Arabic I (6 credits)
ARAB-012-62 Intensive 1st Level Modern Standard Arabic II (6 credits)

ARAB-111-62 Intensive 2nd Level Modern Standard Arabic I (6 credits)
ARAB-112-62 Intensive 2nd Level Modern Standard Arabic II (6 credits)

ARAB-215-62 Intensive 3rd Level Modern Standard Arabic I (6 credits)
ARAB-216-62 Intensive 3rd Level Modern Standard Arabic II (6 credits)

The language classes are broken down into five sections. The first hour consists of video, listening, and vocabulary tasks; the second hour consists of grammar and speaking tasks; the third hour consists of reading tasks; the fourth hour consists of writing tasks; and the fifth hour consists of speaking tasks. The speaking class is designed specifically to enable program participants to communicate with Egyptian students in genuine communicative contexts.

Final grades reflect attendance, participation, and scores on quizzes, tests, and exams.

Highlights: Every student is able to visit an Egyptian family (with whom only Arabic is spoken) at least four times during the program. Students take tours of many sites in Alexandria, including the market place, the library, the Citadel, the Montaza Gardens, and the Alexandria Museum. The program also includes excursions to Cairo and to the North Coast of Egypt.

Degree Level: Bachelors Degree (Undergraduate)

Cost in US$: Inquire for more information.

Experience Required: no

This Program is open to Worldwide Participants.

Participants Travel to Egypt Independently

Typically Participants Work in Groups

Application Process Involves:

• Disciplinary Clearance Form
• Essay
• Letters of Reference
• Online Application plus Application Assessment
• Other
• Transcript

Post-Program Services Include:

• Exit Debriefing Abroad

Georgetown University Office of International Programs's Mission Statement: The mission of Overseas Studies at Georgetown University is to promote, support, and develop international and intercultural educational opportunities for students, and in so doing, help to define the international character of Georgetown. These programs are developed and evaluated in collaboration with the wider Georgetown community to ensure that they are academically rigorous, linguistically appropriate, and complementary to the Georgetown curriculum. In keeping with the Jesuit philosophy of education and service, these overseas opportunities invite participants to reflect on the values that form their own identities, and encourage them to assume their roles as responsible world citizens. The Office of International Programs offers more than 120 programs in 39 countries.