Academic Information Language Courses Middle East/North African Studies Courses Academic Staff Academic Calendar Partner Institution – Arab Academy Other Program Information Program Management Apply Now Costs

Egyptians refer to Cairo as “Um al-Dunya,” or “Mother of the World.”  Culturally and politically, it is at the heart of the Arab world.  AMIDEAST’s Modern Middle East/North African Studies Program in Cairo offers students an opportunity to study in the center of Cairo, to learn both Modern Standard Arabic and Egyptian Arabic and to study with some of Egypt’s top young faculty.  Classes are held at AMIDEAST’s facilities in Dokki on the west bank of the Nile and students are housed in shared apartments in Dokki and neighboring districts of the Egyptian capital.

Academic Information

Students in the AMIDEAST Education Abroad Program in Cairo enroll in one of two programs:

• Modern Middle East/North African Studies
  
• Egyptology (the study of Ancient Egypt)

Students in the Modern Middle East/North African (MENA) Studies Program carry a 16 credit hour load per semester.  All students enroll in Modern Standard Arabic, Egyptian Arabic, “Contemporary Issues in Egypt and the Arab World,” and two electives from offerings in Modern MENA Studies in a variety of disciplines.

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Language Courses

Arabic (Modern Standard, 4 credits; Egyptian, 3 credits)

All students enroll in Modern Standard Arabic (4 credits) at a level appropriate to their proficiency.  The following levels are offered:

• Beginning (Arabic 101, 102)
• Intermediate (Arabic 201, 202)
• Advanced (Arabic 301, 302)

Special tutorial arrangements are made for students whose proficiency is beyond the advanced level (Arabic 401); depending on student interests, various emphases can be offered in Arabic 401.

Egyptian Arabic instruction begins during on-site Orientation and continues throughout the semester.  Students are placed in classes appropriate to their previous knowledge of Arabic (Arabic 121, 221 or 321).

Modern Standard Arabic I (Arabic 101; 4 credits)
This course introduces the Arabic alphabet and sound system forms. Students will be given ample opportunity to practice and produce both the alphabet and the sound system; they will start developing their vocabulary via specific structures presented in the textbook. They will learn simple grammatical structures and gradually listen to authentic and instructional materials that come with the textbook. Most of the exercises and the activities are task-based and student-centered.  By the end of this course, students will be able to

• Distinguish and produce the elements of the sound and writing systems of Arabic, successfully use formulaic and functional phrases.                          
• Follow and extract the gist of short written and spoken texts in the news.
• Learn more aspects of Arabic culture useful in daily life.
• Produce basic formulaic speech in conversations in appropriate contexts.

Modern Standard Arabic II (Arabic 102; 4 credits)
This course consolidates material learned in Arabic 101, and introduces students to more advanced and more challenging linguistic and cultural material from Al-Kitaab Part One as well as locally produced authentic materials.  By the end of this course, students will be able to

• Successfully manage in Arabic, using basic sentence patterns, a number of basic conversational tasks in different social situations. 
• Describe physical entities such as houses, rooms, and buildings in simple sentences.
• Use skimming and scanning techniques to extract essential information on familiar topics from simple texts.

Primary textbooks for Arabic 101 and Arabic 102:

• Alif Baa Introduction to Arabic Letters and Sounds by Kristin Brustad, Mahmoud Al-Batal and Abbas Al-Tonsi
• Al-Kitaab fi Ta’allum Al Arabiya with DVDs, A Textbook for Beginning Arabic: Part One, second edition by Kristin Brustad, Mahmoud Al-Batal and Abbas Al-Tonsi.
• Hans Wehr Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic edited by J.M. Cowan
• Locally produced materials, selected by program faculty.

Modern Standard Arabic III (Arabic 201; 4 credits)
This course is designed to reinforce all the linguistic skills at both the reception and production levels. Students will also get a wide exposure to many aspects of Arabic culture through integrated outings designed for them to practice Arabic language in genuine contexts. By the end of this course, students will be able to

• Use basic conversational tasks successfully in different social situations.
• Understand and use basic grammatical rules.
• Read mid-size texts.
• Extract the main ideas of non-technical texts.

• Extract the main points in video materials and be able to discuss important ideas.
• Develop conversational skills using a variety of language functions (e.g., description, comparison, cause and effect, arguing for/against, etc.)
• Engage in a variety of daily conversations.
• Give short presentations on topics of interest.

Modern Standard Arabic IV (Arabic 202; 4 credits)
This course is a continuation of Arabic 201. Course objectives are seen in terms of students performing linguistic tasks successfully, gaining self-confidence, and expanding their risk-taking in real-life communicative situations. By the end of this course, students will be able to

• Guess the meaning of new words from contexts.
• Use skimming and scanning techniques.
• Write short paragraphs correctly.

• Read authentic material from Arabic advertisements, short narratives, descriptions of people and places, simple contemporary poetry, topics on Arab culture, etc.
• Write both informal and formal letters.
• Write medium length compositions on familiar topics, including descriptions and short narratives.

Primary textbooks for Arabic 201 and Arabic 202:

• Al-Kitaab fi Ta’allum Al Arabiya with DVDs Part One, second edition by Kristin Brustad, Mahmoud Al-Batal and Abbas Al-Tonsi.
• Hans Wehr Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic edited by J.M. Cowan
• Audio-visual materials, texts selected by faculty from Arabic newspapers and magazines, etc. 

Modern Standard Arabic V (Arabic 301; 4 credits)
This course is designed to move learners from a stage where they have achieved the basic grammatical skills, to being able to use language in a wider cultural context. At this stage, learners will be widely exposed to the main issues related to the Arab world and Egyptian culture. This course adopts a skill-based approach in which learners gain mastery of the language through the use of authentic materials taken from various sources. Teaching techniques are student-centered, with the instructor as the facilitator, and the goal of teaching to make students independent users of Arabic. Encounters with Arab professionals and visits to relevant institutions will be integrated in the syllabus. Evaluation will be based on both achievement of syllabus materials and success in out of the classroom tasks.  By the end of this course, students will be able to:

• Understand more complex grammatical structures
• Listen to daily news, lectures, take notes, and make comments.
• Describe elaborately things that are close to them.
• Compare issues and show their preferences.
• Express their own viewpoints and defend them.
• Linguistically behave appropriately in various situations

Modern Standard Arabic VI (Arabic 302; 4 credits)
This course provides additional practice at the advanced level to help students attain a higher level of skill development (e.g., listening, speaking, reading and writing) and linguistic accuracy. By the end of this course, students will be able to:

• Expand more essential vocabulary that helps them to cope with topics of professional interest.
• Obtain information, to understand the ideas presented in a text, to discover the author’s point of view and to seek evidence for their point of view.
• Enrich their grammatical knowledge and apply it as one of the analytical tools in comprehending reading texts.
• Produce lengthy descriptive and argumentative discourse in speaking.
• Summarize texts and express their point of views in writing and speaking.
• Interact with native speakers and engage in discussions of contemporary issues.

Primary textbooks for Arabic 301 and Arabic 302:

• Al-Kitaab fi Ta’allum Al Arabiya with DVDs Part Two, second edition by Kristin Brustad, Mahmoud Al-Batal and Abbas Al-Tonsi.
• Hans Wehr Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic edited by J.M. Cowan
• Audio-visual materials, texts selected by faculty from Arabic newspapers and magazines, etc.   

Directed Studies in Arabic (Arabic 401; 3 credits)
In this course, students use authentic material from literature, academic research and both print and electronic media to develop their abilities to extract essential information and identity linguistic nuances. Students are expected to produce reaction papers where they express their own assessment of the content, the form of the text and the position and the arguments of the author.  Students also are expected to be able to identify figures of style and produce texts demonstrating near native competence.  

Teaching Materials will consist of Al-Kitaab III by Brustad et. al and faculty selected materials from Egypt and other parts of the Arab world.

Egyptian Arabic I (Arabic 121; 3 credits)
Students are introduced to words, expressions, and structures used frequently in everyday life. Students practice them in class before they are given assignments to    carry out with native speakers in real situations. Evaluation combines performance in class and successful interaction with Egyptians. By the end of the course, students are able to ask essential questions and understand the responses, express basic facts and opinions in simple sentences, and engage in basic conversations in Egyptian Arabic with native speakers. Living in Cairo will provide daily opportunity for practice.

Egyptian Arabic II (Arabic 221; 3 credits)
Students who have already studied Modern Standard Arabic are introduced to words, expressions, and structures used frequently in everyday life in Egypt. Students practice them in class before they are given assignments to carry out with native speakers in real situations. Evaluation combines performance in class and successful interaction with Egyptians. By the end of the course, students are able to ask essential questions and understand the responses, express facts and opinions in simple as well as complex sentences, and engage in conversations in Egyptian Arabic with native speakers about non-academic topics.  Living in Cairo will provide daily opportunity for practice.

Egyptian Arabic III (Arabic 321; 3 credits)
Students with a strong background in Modern Standard Arabic are introduced to vocabulary, expressions, and structures used frequently in Egyptian everyday life. Students practice them in class before they are given assignments to carry out with native speakers in real situations. Evaluation combines performance in class and successful interaction with Egyptians. By the end of the course, students are able to ask questions and understand the responses, express facts and opinions in complex sentences, and engage in conversations in Egyptian Arabic with native speakers about a wide range of topics, both academic and non-academic.  Living in Cairo will provide daily opportunity for practice.

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Middle East/North African Studies Courses

Required

Contemporary Issues in Egypt and the Arab World (MENA 310; 3 credits; required of all students in their first semester; 3 credits)

This course will introduce students to various social, political and cultural issues in the Arab world with a particular focus on Egypt. Beginning with the era of independence from the colonial power, the course reviews major developments in Egyptian society from 1952 to the present. The course will begin with an overview of the Arab world geographically, linguistically and ideologically. The course will then examine and analyze some of the social, political, economic and cultural phenomena characterizing Egypt today. The course will deal in particular with the following issues: nationalism and Arab identity, population and demography, religious fanaticism, gender and family, changes in Egypt’s social and political structure, changes in social values, youth, minorities in Egypt, the democratization process, the role of civil society, and music and identity.

Electives
Students choose 2 in their first semester; full year students choose 3 in their second semester.

The City of Cairo (MENA Studies 301; required of all students in their first semester; 3 credits)

Political Economy of the Middle East and North Africa (Political Science 350)

Introduction to Ancient Egypt (Egyptology 301; 3 credits)

International Relations in the Middle East and North Africa:  Hard and Soft Threats (Political Science 320; 3 credits)

Modern Arab Literature (Literature 310; 3 credits)

Contemporary Issues in Egypt and the Arab World (MENA Studies 310; required of all students in their first semester; 3 credits)

Women and Gender in Islam (Women’s Studies 310; 3 credits)

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Academic Staff

Dr. Jere L. Bacharach, Academic Coordinator
Dr. Jere L. Bacharach, Golub Professor Emeritus of History and former Director of the Middle East Center and the Jackson School of International Studies at the University of Washington in Seattle serves as Academic Coordinator for AMIDEAST’s Education Abroad Programs in Cairo.  Dr. Bacharach is a distinguished and widely published scholar of medieval Islamic history who earned his Ph.D. at the University of Michigan.  He is former Acting Director of the American Research Center in Egypt and a Past President of the Middle East Studies Association of North America (MESA) and of the Association of Professional Schools of International Affairs (APSIA).  MESA has named its Distinguished Service Award in his honor.

Dr. Randa Baligh, Deputy Academic Coordinator
Dr. Randa Baligh is a well known Egyptian scholar specializing in Ancient Egypt.  She earned her Ph.D. in Egyptology from Yale University where she also taught for three years before returning to Egypt to become a faculty member at Mansoura University and American University of Cairo.  She also lectures at the Egyptian Diplomatic Academy and trains licensed guides in Egyptology.  She serves as the principal faculty member and coordinator of the Egyptology program for AMIDEAST Education Abroad Programs in Cairo.

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Academic Calendar

Fall 2009 Semester Dates:

Spring 2010 Academic Semester Calendar

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Partner Institution – Arab Academy

The AMIDEAST Education Abroad Program in the Arab World partner in Cairo, Egypt is the Arab Academy.  

Arab Academy is the world’s leading provider of online Arabic language courses. It also boasts one of the most successful Arabic Language immersion programs in the Middle East serving individuals and institutions from the United States, Europe, Africa, and Asia. It also hosts students from African countries sponsored by the Islamic Development Bank in Jeddah.

Arab Academy was founded in 1997 by Sanaa Ghanem, a professional teacher of Arabic who has taught at the American University in Cairo, and the University of Abidjan, Cote D'Ivoire.  The academy has developed over 150 online courses and workbooks and continues to add more Arabic courses each year. It has 2 branches, one in Garden City and the other in Mohandissin, and it is licensed as a language center by the Ministry of Labor, Arab Republic of Egypt.

AMIDEAST Education Abroad Program courses in Cairo are taught by a select group of Egyptian professors from a variety of academic institutions in and around Cairo.  All have both fluency in English and experience teaching in English. All of the participating faculty received post-graduate degrees from universities in North America and Europe or have spent extended periods of time at English-medium institutions as students, faculty members, visiting faculty or visiting researchers.

More information about Arab Academy can be found on its website:  http://www.arabacademy.com.

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Other Program Information

Orientation

Upon arrival in Cairo, AMIDEAST Education Abroad Program students participate in an in-depth, week-long orientation designed to introduce them to Egyptian culture and daily life and familiarize them with the logistics of the program. Students stay in a hotel in central Cairo for the first few days of the on-site orientation and then move to their accommodation for the semester. The orientation combines structured informational sessions with organized activities and free time to familiarize participants with Cairo. Topics such as safety and health, cultural adjustment, program regulations, participant responsibilities and other essential information are all discussed during orientation. During the on-site orientation students also meet their professors, take language placement tests, and become familiar with the program’s IT environment.

Accommodation and Meals

Students enrolled in the AMIDEAST Education Abroad Program in Cairo, Egypt live in shared apartments. The apartments are carefully selected by AMIDEAST to be safe, comfortable and convenient to program facilities and public transportation.

Activities

In addition to the academic program, the AMIDEAST Education Abroad Program in Cairo offers a variety of additional learning opportunities to enhance participants' study abroad experience.

• Civil Society:  Students will encounter a variety of Egyptian civil society organizations ranging from local NGOS in a variety of fields to women’s organizations to sports clubs.  AMIDEAST will organize special activities to facilitate student connections to these organizations.
• Service-learning: AMIDEAST coordinates organized service-learning projects either for individual students or for larger groups. With many connections to a wide range of organizations in Egypt, AMIDEAST can adapt projects to individual student interests to ensure a unique and satisfying service-learning experience.
• Cross-cultural learning: AMIDEAST and Arab Academy organize a variety of cross-cultural learning opportunities. Ranging from meet-and-greets to formal presentations, these events give participants the chance to interact with Egyptian students, to learn more about Egypt, and to introduce others to American culture.

Internships

Students may apply for part-time, non-credit internships with businesses, international institutions, and non-governmental organizations in Cairo.  Student internships in Egypt are not as common as in the U.S., and therefore students are encouraged to make note of their interest in an internship early in the application process and in as much detail as possible.  AMIDEAST will endeavor to match students to relevant organizations according to their skills and interests, coordinate the application process, and monitor the progress of the internship. (Note: internship placements are at the discretion of the host organization; placement is not guaranteed)

Excursions

AMIDEAST students participate in program-organized excursions both in and outside of Cairo to visit major attractions and historical sites in Egypt. The excursions are coordinated by AMIDEAST/Egypt in conjunction with the program’s academic staff and are led by a member of the faculty. Organized activities are combined with free time, allowing students to explore independently within a safe and structured framework.  Excursions will include visits to:

• Pyramids, Egyptian Museum, Citadel, Old Cairo and other major sites in and around Cairo
• Alexandria
• Upper Egypt

In addition, other optional excursions (at additional cost) will be organized based upon student interest and demand.

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Program Management

The program is managed by AMIDEAST/EGYPT in conjunction with AMIDEAST headquarters in Washington, D.C. AMIDEAST works collaboratively with Arab Academy to oversee the academic curriculum and implementation of the program. It also manages all logistical elements of the program, including the on-site orientation, student accommodations, arrangements for excursions, and the planning of special events and extra-curricular activities. Finally, AMIDEAST provides comprehensive support to both participants and administrators in the event of any problems or unusual circumstances.

America-Mideast Educational and Training Services, Inc. (AMIDEAST) was founded in 1951.  It has field offices in 23 cities in 12 countries in the region, giving it a well-developed infrastructure, capacity, and institutional record of successful exchange programs rooted in more than five decades of in-region experience administering scholarships and exchanges on behalf of U.S. and Arab governments, private companies, and individuals.

Since 1957, AMIDEAST has been providing quality educational services in Egypt. With offices in Cairo and Alexandria, AMIDEAST reaches thousands of students and professionals annually through English and Arabic language courses, academic advising, standardized testing, and cultural exchange programs. AMIDEAST/Egypt has designed and administered numerous programs for youth, undergraduates, and educators, and has arranged accommodation, transportation, excursions, community service, language training, professional meetings, and lectures for groups of American students.

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Apply Now

Eligible applicants:

• Are enrolled at an accredited college or university and have completed one year of post-secondary study
• Have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale); however, applications will be considered holistically
• Are physically and emotionally prepared to spend four months in Egypt.
• Are willing to adapt to a new, potentially challenging environment

Application Deadline: The application deadline for the Fall 2009 and Academic Year 2009-10 Middle East and North African Studies program in Cairo is April 12, 2009.  Applicants will be notified of admission decisions by the AMIDEAST Education Abroad Programs in the Arab World Admissions Committee no later than April 26, 2009.

Applications for Spring 2010 will be accepted beginning May 1, 2009.  The deadline for Spring 2010 is October 15, 2009.  Applicants will be notified of admission decisions by the AMIDEAST Education Abroad Programs in the Arab World Admissions Committee no later than October 30, 2009.

for the AMIDEAST Education Abroad Programs in the
Arab World on-line application.

For more information contact:

AMIDEAST Education Abroad Program in Cairo
1730 M Street, NW, Suite 1100
Washington, DC 20036
Phone: (202) 776-9629
Fax: (202) 776-7029
Email: EgyptStudy@amideast.org

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Costs

Fall 2009 and Spring 2010 Fees (per semester):

Estimated Personal Expenses:

Tuition and fees include:

• Courses totaling 16 credits and coursepacks
• All-inclusive one-week orientation
• Housing in shared apartments
• Program-organized excursions
• Supplementary lectures and special events
• Medical insurance, including medical evacuation and repatriation, and political and security evacuation coverage

Tuition and fees are subject to change.

Tuition and Fees do NOT cover:

• International airfare
• Meals (approximate cost is $1,500 - $2,000 per semester)
• Local personal transportation
• Communication and other personal expenses

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