Arabic Studies

Ahlan wa Sahlan to the Arabic Program at Bucknell University

Why Study Arabic?

Arabic, one of the world's most widely spoken languages as well as one of the official languages of the United Nations, is of great importance these days (more than ever before!). Arabic is named as a "critical language" by the U.S. State Department and thus offers several scholarships for language study in the U.S. and abroad. Arabic speakers are in such great demand and there are many career paths to follow with Arabic in national and international government positions.

Students of International Relations and Political Science are some of many who would benefit from additional knowledge of Arabic language and culture. Bucknellians feel that knowing Arabic will give them a career edge in such fields as diplomacy, intelligence, engineering, business and international developments.

The Arabic Studies Program at Bucknell University

The Arabic program at Bucknell University emphasizes all four language skills (speaking, listening, reading and writing) and covers both Modern Standard Arabic as well as Spoken Arabic (colloquial Levantine dialects). We use the most widely taught textbook series, Al-Kitaab, along with an online companion site to make the learning process more interesting and individual. We also use a variety of supplementary authentic materials such as newspapers and magazines, songs, videos, Middle Eastern cuisine, Skype with native speakers of Arabic, etc to make the cultural context come alive. The program is developed to get students speaking in Arabic as quickly as possible; by the end of the first year, classes are conducted primarily in Arabic.

Faculty

Martin Isleem, Assistant Professor of Arabic and Director, Arabic Studies Program (martin.isleem@bucknell.edu)
B.A Haifa University, Israel
M.A The Open University of Israel, Israel
Ph.D. The University of Texas at Austin

Course Descriptions