Study Abroad in Syria: Intensive Arabic Language & Culture Studies in Aleppo – Academics

Syria Curriculum: How the Academics Fit Together

Learning a language is about learning context. It’s not enough to know how to say something. You need to know when to say it, why to say it and to whom to say it.

CET Syria embraces Arabic language learning as multi-dimensional. Students learn to use Arabic in different contexts, with different people, for different purposes. Students learn:

• Modern Standard Arabic: This is what Syrian peers are taught in school, and what you’ll read in Arabic language newspapers.
• Levantine Dialect: Yes, this is useful when bargaining in the markets. Or when chatting with Syrian friends. But dialect is also the language of choice for cultural outlets—television sitcoms, films, even newscasts on occasion.

Every facet of CET Syria focuses on not just Arabic, but its diglossia. Classes teach code-switching: when to use MSA and when to use dialect. Language partners take you through spoken exercises. Hallmates are more than happy to help you navigate the dialect (and the local markets, too!), and a language pledge keeps everyone practicing. Because practice, and only practice, makes perfect.

Finally, CET Syria students learn about the world that uses Arabic—the context beyond the language. Middle Eastern Studies courses shed light on the region’s history and politics, on what literature tells us about culture, on the art of Arabic/English translation.

Students return home having flown through one year of Arabic in a few months. And if that’s not enough, they have newly minted communicative competence to boot.

Syria Fall & Spring Academic Requirements

All students enroll in a program track. Track 1 is for intermediate students: electives are taught in English. Track 2 is for advanced students: electives are taught in Arabic.

All students take a Modern Standard Arabic course. This course includes some instruction of Media Arabic. 112 total hours. 6 recommended credits.

All students take a Levantine Dialect course. This course targets the everyday language, essential for living in Syria. 84 total hours. 4 recommended credits.

All students take two electives in Middle Eastern studies. Academic disciplines include literature, history, economics, translation and politics. Track 1 English electives offer social science credit. Track 2 Arabic electives offer language credit. 45 total hours each. 3 recommended credits each.

Click here to view all course options and download syllabi.

Syria Summer Academic Requirements

All students take a Modern Standard Arabic course. This course includes some instruction of Media Arabic. With this course and the Levantine Dialect course (below), students complete one year of university-level Arabic language in eight weeks. 84 total hours. 5 recommended credits.

All students take a Levantine Dialect course. This course targets the everyday language, essential for living in Syria. With this course and the Modern Standard Arabic course (above), students complete one year of university-level Arabic language in eight weeks. 56 total hours. 3 recommended credits.

Click here to view all course options and download syllabi.

Classroom Matters

Prerequisites

CET Syria is open to students who have completed at least two semesters of previous Arabic language study.

Language Class Placement

Arabic language class placement is determined by:

• The results of a written placement exam taken upon arrival in Aleppo.
• The results of an oral interview conducted on site.
• The student’s transcripts.
• The student’s Arabic language ability as demonstrated in the Arabic language application essay.

Adjustments to placements are made during the first week of classes.

Language Class Levels

The program offers four levels of Modern Standard Arabic and three levels of Levantine Dialect. Special accommodation can be made for students who do not place into one of these levels. The program might arrange special one-on-one classes for some students. Other students might attend classes with other international students enrolled at the University of Aleppo. Bottom line: CET’s curriculum is flexible and can be tailored to meet the needs of every student.

Oral Proficiency Interview

CET Syria students take an unofficial version of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages Oral Proficiency Interview (ACTFL OPI) upon arrival. At the end of the term, they take an official ACTFL OPI.

The results of the two tests give students an accurate indication of their progress during their term in Syria. Official OPI results can also serve as an excellent résumé builder for students who plan to use Arabic in their careers.

Language Pledge

Practice makes perfect! All CET Syria students uphold a full-time language pledge.

Summer students and Track 2 semester students speak Arabic at all times. Track 1 semester students speak English during their elective courses only. They speak Arabic at all other times.

Students tell us that the pledge is challenging and frustrating at first, but ultimately well worth the struggle. Because the language pledge depends on the commitment of the students, CET accepts only those who are excited for the challenge.

Academic Rigor

Students take 20 class hours per week. They can expect to spend at least one hour preparing for every hour spent in class. This curriculum, coupled with the program’s Arabic language pledge, results in an intense academic experience.

How do students survive? First, they mentally prepare themselves before departure for this challenge. Second, they soon discover language learners’ fuel: the thrill of discovering that you can suddenly express in Arabic an idea that, just last week, was out of reach.

Outside the Classroom

One-Day Excursions

Aleppo and its region are chock full of historic sites waiting to be seen, and cultural experiences waiting to be had. CET Syria encourages students to explore every alley in Aleppo. To help get them started, the program arranges excursions and lectures for students and their hallmates. Past students have:

• Toured the Dead Cities, ruins from the 5th century BCE.
• Listened to archeologists discuss the Aleppo citadel.
• Met with the Governor of Aleppo.
• Explored the city’s maze of souqs (markets).

Overnight Excursions

Each term, CET Syria students venture out of the city to explore the Syria beyond Aleppo. Past students have gone to:

• Damascus, Syria’s capital, where students tour the Umayyad Mosque, the Apostle Paul’s Straight Street and Azm Palace.
• Quneitra, a disputed city in the Golan Heights’ demilitarized zone.
• Palmyra, a former caravan city for travelers crossing the Syrian desert.
• Krak Des Chevaliers, described by T.E. Lawrence as “the finest castle in the world.”

Activities

Aleppo is a vibrant city—it boasts a rich heritage of original music, and many modern art galleries and theater houses. Try a free nightly concert at the Aleppo Cultural Center. Or roam an art exhibition with your language partner.

The CET Syria program arranges activities that help students find their cultural niche. Spice up your cooking with the CET Syria cooking club! Give belly-dancing a try. Or attend the program’s lecture series to hear about Middle Eastern current events from the experts.

Community Service

CET Syria encourages students to give back. Students can engage in group community service projects at sites around Aleppo. They might plant trees for a local environmental organization or assist at a food distribution program.