Arabic
LANGUAGES, LITERATURE, AND CULTURE
Why Minor in Arabic at Allegheny College
As an Arabic minor, you will engage with Arabic-speaking cultures from day one and keep improving your language skills until graduation and beyond. Arabic is one of the fastest-growing languages in the U.S. and the fifth most-spoken language in the world — and Arabic speakers are in high-demand in a wide range of career fields.
Unusual Combinations
Students often combine Arabic with:
Division
- Language, Literature, and Culture
Program Type
- Minor
Number of Credits
24 for minorWhere Arabic Alumni Work Today
Web Content Writer
Honest Digital
Grant Marthinsen ’17
Residential Behavior Therapist
Soar Autism Center
Kahdra Jeylani ’22
Economic and Housing Advocacy Coordinator
Elizabeth Freeman Center, Inc
Erin Hartwiger ’21
I enrolled in [Beginning Arabic] during my first semester as a Gator and quickly fell in love with the language, thanks in no small part to the enthusiasm and excellence of the Arabic instructors. … If not for the Allegheny Arabic program, then I would not be where I am today.
I look back over my experience studying Arabic with the utmost gratitude. Learning a new language – especially one so structurally different than my primary language – rewired thinking patterns in my brain. Arabic writing and speech began as this beautiful enigma, and then, in bursts of clarity, I connected the letters and sounds to create meaning. It is truly a spectacular feeling to see meaning where you didn’t before.
Your Four-Year Journey
Year 1: Understanding
Understand the basics of language and culture. You can start from the very beginning if Arabic is new to you or if you’ve studied Arabic before. We’ll ensure you start in a suitable class to make the most of what you already know while building a solid foundation for the coming years.
Featured Courses:
Year 2: New Approaches
Your second year is a great time to reach out to the Arabic-speaking community on campus. If you haven’t already, apply to live in the Arabic house in the Max Kade Wing, where you’ll speak Arabic all the time and have a native speaker for a roommate. Don’t forget to declare your Arabic minor before the end of the year!
Featured courses:
Year 3: Delving Deeper
By now, you’ll be advancing your language skills and gaining rich knowledge of its culture. Nothing helps you do that more than studying in an Arab-speaking country. Most Arab minors go abroad in their third year. Visit the Global Education Office about your options and talk with your advisor to ensure you don’t miss out on this once-in-a-lifetime immersion opportunity!
Featured Courses
Year 4: The Comp
By now, you’ve had an unforgettable time abroad, speaking Arab comes easy to you, and you might even have a bit of reverse culture shock when you return home to Allegheny! For most students, the Senior Comp is the defining feature of their major in the fourth year. You’ll start by choosing a topic and relating it to an Arab-speaking culture. Then, a professor will work with you to refine, research, and develop it.
Research and Internships
World Language & Cultures students get immersed into a culture by:
- Living in the Max Kade International Wing, promoting cross-cultural exploration:
- Writing for Gator International in a different language
- Joining a student, cultural organization
Special-interest housing is open to any student who has a strong interest in world cultures or who wants to live in the language they’re studying.
Student Organizations:
- African Students Association
- International Club
- Islamic Culture Association (ICA)
- Queer People of Color (QPOC)
Write creative work in a foreign language for Gator International, a magazine established in 1993 and managed by the language honor society, Phi Sigma Iota.
Get involved with a student organization! Often, they host awareness and cultural events to share with the College community. Here are some to consider:
- African Students Association
- Association for the Advancement of Black Culture (ABC)
- Black Girl Magic (BGM)
- International Club
- Islamic Culture Association (ICA)
- Men of Color Advancement Association (MOCAA)
- Phi Sigma Iota language Honor Society
- Queer People of Color (QPOC)
Students interested in studying away from campus during their junior year often spend a semester in Amman, Jordan or Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane, Morocco.
Faculty and Staff
Assistant Professor
Ph.D., M.A., University of Wisconsin; M.A., Jordan University of Science and Technology; B.A., Yarmouk University
Email: salkyam@allegheny.edu
Phone: 814-332-2318
Email: rhilal@allegheny.edu
Phone: 814-332-3310
Featured News
Program Contact
Sami Alkyam
Assistant Professor of Arabic; Chair of International Studies
Related Programs
Our Spanish program will engage you with Spanish-speaking culture from day one and will keep improving your language skills until graduation and beyond. Along the way, you'll learn to solve problems by reflecting on and analyzing the deep connection between language and culture.
We’ll equip you with analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills that you'll apply in internships and other career-building opportunities.
We prepare globally-minded graduates for international-facing careers. Explore global issues and how nations and regions interact around the world. Examine the influence of history, international politics, economy and development, and culture. Study a language and study abroad. Do it through an interdisciplinary lens.
Address:
520 North Main Street
Meadville, PA 16335
Contact:
814-332-4351
info@allegheny.edu
admissions@allegheny.edu
