While living in the vibrant city of Amman, students are able to study at the first institute in the Arab world entirely dedicated to teaching and the preservation of traditional arts and architecture of Islam: The Institute of Traditional Islamic Arts in Amman. Through classroom and hands on learning, students focus on the production of a variety of traditional Middle Eastern art forms.

Academic Information

This is a 3-week course focusing on production of traditional Islamic art forms in calligraphy, illumination, wood, gypsum plaster carving, zillij tile mosaics and miniature painting. The course introduces students of all diciplines to the study of traditional Islamic art in two interlocking modules. The first focuses on the basic concepts of the sacred geometry that is the basis of traditional Islamic art. The second consists of a project in one of six media –calligraphy, illumination, Persian miniature painting, gypsum carving, zillij (mosaic tile work), or wood working.

In the first module students study the underlying principles of sacred geometry and practice the production of those geometric patterns that recur in traditional Islamic art forms through the repeated drawing of circles from which the traditional Islamic geometric patterns emerge.

In the second module, more complex patterns will be used to create a work combining all three representations of Islamic art – geometry, calligraphy and biomorphic motifs. By the end of the course students will understand that the language of pattern represents the “breath of the compassionate” in both visual and metaphysical manifestations.

Arabic Language Extension

In addition to the 3-week Traditional Islamic Arts course, students can also choose to continue their experience in Jordan by participating in the 4-week Intensive Arabic Summer Session II which begins two days following the close of the Arts course.

Classes meet 5 hours per day, 5 days per week. Each student will receive 100 hours of Arabic language instruction in each session, including both Modern Standard Arabic and colloquial Arabic. One summer session covers the material usually presented in one semester on a U.S. campus.

Students are given placement tests on arrival and placed in the level appropriate for their Arabic language proficiency. The following levels are offered:

Arabic I (Arabic 101; 6 credits)*
Arabic II (Arabic 102; 6 credits)
Arabic III (Arabic 201; 6 credits)
Arabic IV (Arabic 202; 6 credits)
Arabic V (Arabic 301; 6 credits)
Arabic VI (Arabic 302; 6 credits)

Full course descriptions will be posted by February 1, 2012. All courses will be taught using the Al Kitaab series. Arabic I, II, III, and IV will use the third edition; Arabic V and VI will use the second edition.

For students whose proficiency is beyond the advanced level, a tutorial program will be arranged to address their specific interests (Media Arabic; Arabic literature; Classical Arabic texts, etc.)

*Note: Arabic 101 is only offered in summer sessions if there are a number of applicants who do not have any background in the Arabic language. We do not guarantee that this course will be available. Please indicate on your application if you are hoping to enroll in 101.