To earn a minor in Arabic, students must take four units of Arabic language coursework and must take an approved elective. Students may choose to incorporate independent research into their academic program as well.
Many students choose to pair their study of Arabic with the study of another language or interdisciplinary study in international studies or a comparable major. The Arabic minor is organized in a four-semester sequence that fulfills the University’s COM-2 requirement. Additional independent study courses are available once a student has successfully passed the intermediate level. Advanced students can choose to become practice assistants or work in the Language Across the Curriculum program to hone their language skills.
Each fall, the department offers Arabic 101 and 201, and every spring Arabic 102 and 202 are offered. Most students, therefore, choose to begin their study of Arabic in the fall semester.
The Arabic Studies Minor
Five units, including:
ARAB 231 Arabic Comprehension
ARAB 301 Advanced Arabic
ARAB 302 Advanced Arabic II
ARAB 397 Selected Topics
One unit, chosen from:
ANTH 350 Sex and Gender in the Middle East
ARAB 401 Arabic in the Media
ARAB 402 Introduction to Arabic in Literature
ARAB 495 Independent Study in Arabic Studies
HIST 199 Harems and Veils
HIST 271 The Modern Middle East
HIST 272 The Ottoman Empire
HIST 370 Contending Visions of the Middle East
LAWE 685 Muslim Family Law (when cross-listed with Arabic)
LLC 346 Insiders and Outsiders: Arabic Encounters with the West
PLSC 355 International Relations of the Middle East
RELG 244 Sex and Family in the Greek and Roman Worlds
RELG 263 Religion and the Arts
RELG 268 Religion and Literature
RELG 281 Introduction to Islam
RELG 287 Ninety-nine Names of God
RELG 288 Saints and Sinners in Muslim Literature
RELG 385 Sufism: Introduction to Islamic Mysticism
