Department of Asian & Middle Eastern StudiesThe Duke Arabic program develops skills in speaking, reading, writing, and listening through the use of multi-media materials, innovative textbooks, and authentic texts. The program guides you from Arabic's beginning levels through its advanced upper levels, offering fourth and fifth year courses to students interested in exploring political, literary, religious, historical, archival, and media sources in their original language. The program acts as a bridge promoting oral communication, cultural comprehension, and academic study, through rigorous and thorough acquisition of written and spoken Arabic.
Placement in an Arabic language class follows the AMES department placement policy.
The following scenarios will help you identify the appropriate placement level for your academic journey with the Arabic language. Simply review the list, then follow the suggestion provided with each scenario. Feel free to contact the director of the Arabic program if you need help or have to take a placement test.
You must take the placement test if...
- You have studied Arabic for a number of years
- You were born in an Arabic speaking country and left the country after the age of 8
- You studied Arabic in high school for some time
- You spent some time doing Study Abroad in an Arabic speaking country
You must consult with the Program Director if...
- You are a native Arabic speaker
- You speak an Arabic dialect at home
- You attended secondary school in an Arabic speaking country
You should enroll in Arabic 101 (Elementary Arabic) and talk to the Program Director if...
- You are fluent in an Arabic dialect but cannot read or write in Arabic
- You studied Arabic at a community mosque for some time
None of the above applies to me.
- First-Years can enroll in any of the elementary level classes. However, if the schedule permits, we encourage freshmen to enroll in ARABIC 101—Elementary Arabic: Section 001.
Study abroad experience is a crucial component of the Duke Arabic program. Students can obtain this type of experience through some existing options (or they are welcome to look into programs sponsored by other universities and approved by Duke. The Middlebury School in Aman Jordan is a Duke approved program where students can spend a semester long studying Arabic and other subjects.
Duke in the Arab World
Duke in the Arab World is a 6-week, 2 course summer program that is based in Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt. It is built on a partnership between Duke University, ALIF in Fez, Qalam wa Lawh in Rabat, The University of Carthage in Tunis, the American University in Cairo and the Arab Academy in Cairo. It provides students with intensive cultural and language immersion in these institutions.
Reflections from 2019 students on the program: https://sites.duke.edu/ames326a_01_2ss2019/
The Arabic program has created extensive series of cultural events that foster cultural awareness and civic engagement with the Arabic speaking world and communities beyond Duke.
- The program organizes language table meetings on a regular basis, where speakers and student presenters are welcome.
- Regular Arabic Halaqa dinner nights are organized by the program, featuring a variety of Middle Eastern intellectual activities and speakers and food as well. Email Ustaadh Saad El-Hadi, the coordinator if you are interested in presenting or attending (saad.vall@duke.edu).
- Since 2007, The Arabic Program works closely with the Hebrew Program to organize a fall semester event called Arabic-Hebrew Night where students of the two programs share their learning experiences, showcase their language and cultural skills. Visit the Arabic-Hebrew Night website to see previous celebrations.
- At the end of the Spring Semester, Arabic students of all levels get to gather in an event called Duke Arabic Night where they celebrate cultures of the region and the beauty of the Arabic language. They often share and publish these videos online. Here is one of the videos.
- The Duke Arabic program runs a summer studies abroad where students spent 6 weeks in two of the three countries Morocco, Tunisia or Egypt. Read Brian Rusch's experience in Tunisia in 2019 entitled, The President is Dead, Long Live Democracy.
- There are currently two Duke Engage programs that Duke students may apply for: Duke Engage in Jordan and Duke Engage in Oman.
Arabic Language Program Coordinator
Arabic Program Faculty
- Badr Abdelfatta Badr, Instructor
- Fadi A. Bardawil, Assistant Professor
- Elabbas Benmamoun, Professor
- Amal Boumaaza, Arabic Lecturing Fellow
- miriam cooke, Professor Emerita
- Maha Houssami, Arabic Lecturer
- Mbaye B. Lo, Associate Professor of the Practice and 2008-2009 Recipient of the Alumni Distinguished Undergraduate Teaching Award
- Ellen A. McLarney, Andrew W. Mellon Associate Professor of Arabic Literature and Culture
- Saad Cheikh Abdi Vall, Instructor
Video Created by AMES Students
With the support of Duke's Office of Service Learning, advanced Arabic students (Spring 2023) created the following two videos highlighting social justice themes from a variety of angles.
"Comics and Conflict Resolution"
The theme for our final project was "Comics and Conflict Resolution." Our group chose to focus on the issue of migrant workers' rights in the Gulf, specifically sharing the stories of workers who built the stadium for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Through our video, we hope to raise awareness about this issue and suggest solutions to solve this problem while also providing cultural context for viewers.
These four videos are from students' class projects on a variety of socio-cultural issues:
Below is a project created by elementary Arabic students:
The following video was a student project for Arabic/Hebrew Night:
Duke Students in a tribute to the Egyptian revolution:
Video of a play (Maha Love Story) created by elementary students:
A music show by elementary students:
The Lover's Visit: