The Qasid Institute for Classical and Modern Standard Arabic is the partner for AMIDEAST’s Education Abroad Program in Amman.

The Qasid Institute has developed a reputation as one of the leading programs in the Middle East for Arabic language learning. Its comprehensive curriculum begins with the proper pronunciation of Arabic letters and continues through to a high degree of proficiency.

The word qasid is used to describe a path that is direct and smooth. This is the way the Qasid Institute believes the Arabic language should be taught. The term qasid is also used to describe an individual who strives forward with a direct, specific intention, and clearly defines the kind of student that Qasid attracts to its programs.

 Summer 2013: 

Arabic Courses on AMIDEAST Programs

Arabic is a diglossic language.  That is, there are two varieties of Arabic, one for reading and writing and another for speaking. The textbook series used in Arabic courses in all AMIDEAST Education Abroad Programs in the Arab World, Al Kitaab fii Taallum al Arabiyya, introduces both from the beginning to help students engage easily in their host country and learn the language as its native speakers learn it. However, in the AMIDEAST programs separate courses address two the different varieties of Arabic – Modern Standard Arabic and the local dialect.   

Amman, capital of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is an ancient city facing distinct modern challenges. Built on seven hills, Amman has expanded in size and population from a quaint sleepy town at the close of World War II, to the bustling, multicultural metropolis it is today. Jordan is deeply enmeshed in the international relations of the region, sharing land borders with Iraq, Israel, Palestine and Saudi Arabia. It is one of only two Arab countries to have open borders with Israel, thus it remains a key player in Arab-Israeli affairs. Over the past several decades it has absorbed refugees from Palestine, Kuwaitis who left Kuwait after the Iraqi invasion in 1990 and most recently, Iraqi refugees. These new inhabitants have transformed Amman and brought new life to its local culture.

Students enrolled in AMIDEAST’s Education Abroad Program study Arabic with some of the most respected language teachers in the region: those from the Qasid Institute for Classical and Modern Standard Arabic. Intensive coursework, combined with daily interactions with host families, helps students at all levels and to increase their Arabic proficiency in a short period of time.