Department of Arabic Language Instruction

ALI Programs:
1) The Intensive Arabic Language Program (ALIN): offers up to 23 contact hours per week. It is offered in the fall and spring semesters. Curriculum includes both Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) and Egyptian Colloquial Arabic (ECA) at all levels, in addition to a number of electives offered according to the students’ levels. Upon successful completion of the program, students receive 12-15 transferable credit hours. A free cultural program is a strong component in both semesters.
2) Arabic Language Intensive Summer Program (ALIS): is offered from the first week of June until the last week of July. It meets 20-23 hours per week. As in ALIN, it offers Modern Standard Arabic, Egyptian Colloquial Arabic, Media Arabic, and other electives depending on students’ levels in all levels. Upon successful completion of the program, students receive 6-8 transferable credit hours. A free cultural program is also included in the summer session.

3) The Center for Arabic Study Abroad (CASA): provides intensive language, culture, and specialized area studies training, with 19 to 20 hours of classroom instruction per week, instruction which requires extensive homework. A mixture of ALI teachers and professors from national universities and professional content specialists teach all classes. A series of lectures, tours, and visits to places of historical interest, both in and outside of the city, are an integral part of the CASA program.

4) The Center for Advanced Arabic Study Abroad (CAASIC): offers full-year, advanced-level training in Arabic language and culture to graduate and undergraduate students at AUC. CAASIC welcomes applicants of all nationalities with a minimum of three years of formal instruction in Arabic. CAASIC offers a unique opportunity for advanced students of Arabic to study Arabic for a full year at a reduced tuition fee.
The program provides training in both Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) and the spoken dialect of Cairo. CAASIC is committed to providing quality instruction by staying at the forefront of teaching methodology and technology. Our language classes use a theme-based, content-based instruction curriculum that makes use of authentic materials, integrated skills activities and real-world tasks. Materials are chosen and developed by experienced instructors, all of whom are native speakers, to specifically meet the needs of advanced learners of Arabic.

5) The Arabic Language Program for Diplomats and Professionals (ALID): established in 2008, is a pioneering program specifically designed to address the Arabic linguistic needs of motivated diplomats and professionals stationed in Cairo. Students enrolled in this program must reach specific target proficiency levels in Arabic in a limited time frame. Therefore, the pace of classes is typically faster than that of other ALI programs. The program offers full-time and part-time study of Arabic for all levels in the fall and spring semesters.

6) Arabic Language (ALNG): is responsible for the Arabic courses offered as requirements and electives to international degree-seeking students as well as to non-degree study abroad students at AUC. The courses offer Modern Standard Arabic (MSA): elementary, intermediate and advanced. ALNG students join either MSA regular courses which meet 5 hours per week and receive 3 credits, or accelerated courses which meet 10 hours per week and receive 6 credits, thereby combining two consecutive courses in one semester. Arabic media courses, as well as selected topics in Modern Standard Arabic are also available for ALNG degree and non-degree students (3 credits each). In addition to MSA regular and accelerated courses, ALNG also offers regular courses in Egyptian Colloquial Arabic where international students meet 5 hours per week and receive 3 credits.