Arabic is the mother language of over 250 million people in the Middle East (West Asia and North Africa), and one of the six official languages of the United Nations. Arabic is also the language of the Qur’an with special importance to all Muslims.  Arabic is the language of an ancient civilization, which contributed greatly to human knowledge. Its influence is strongly felt on such languages as Persian, Turkish, Urdu, Indonesian and Malay, among others. Arabic is also the living medium of a contemporary dynamic literature and culture. Its rich and magnificent poetry, classical and modern, is especially captivating.

The minor is designed to develop the four skills of listening, speaking reading and writing in an integrated way. Courses use Modern Standard Arabic as the language of teaching. 

Learning outcomes

Students will have the skills and knowledge to:

• write texts in Arabic in the appropriate genre, with correct grammatical structures and thematic vocabulary relevant to the level of the student.

• read, comprehend and infer authors’ meanings in newspapers, magazines, literary and critical texts written in Arabic.

• engage with authentic media such as Arabic news, movies or music by analysing and evaluating their content.

• communicate verbally in a variety of settings with proficient Arabic speakers.

• identify and differentiate aspects and issues of the cultures and societies associated with the Arabic language.