Why Study Arabic?

Arabic is a Semitic Language spoken in the Middle East and North Africa. It is also the language of prayer and Islamic rituals for a billion of Muslims around the world. It is one of the fastest growing languages. Because Arabic is the medium of a great civilization and the language of a large number of speakers in the US and outside, it has become an important asset for doing advanced research in various disciplines. Arabic is indispensable for anyone interested in Islamic studies, comparative theology, middle eastern studies, international law, political science, or international business.

Some of the major goals of the KU Arabic Studies program have been to produce highly proficient non-native speakers of Arabic through its intensive proficiency-based teaching of Arabic language, to raise American students' consciousness of the Arab and Muslim world and to create a more profound understanding and teaching of Arab culture at the undergraduate level. A successful study abroad program, established in 2002, is available to students of Arabic for a four- or eight-week summer session.

This web site was originally developed at the Ermal Garinger Academic Resource Center of the University of Kansas with support from a U. S. Department of Education Title VI grant for "Enhancing Less Commonly Taught Languages and Cultures" (Award #P016A990036). All rights reserved. No portion of these pages may be copied or reproduced without the expressed written permission of the Academic Resource Center.