Date: Thu, 29 FEB 1996 01:52:21 -0500 From: Christopher Stone Newgroups: sci.lang, soc.culture.arabic, soc.culture.egyptian, rec.music.arabic, talk.politics.mideast Subject: Intensive summer Arabic program in Alexandria, Egypt Several readers of soc.culture.egyptian and soc.culture.arabic have inquired about summer Arabic language study programs in the Arab world. I would like to recommend an excellent intensive summer Arabic program in Alexandria, Egypt, run by Northwestern University in collaboration with the Center for Teaching Arabic as Foreign Language (TAFL) of the University of Alexandria. The Arabic language program runs from 14 June to 9 August 1996. The equivalent of first, second, and third year Arabic language instruction will be offered. The great majority of instruction is devoted to modern standard Arabic (fusHa), although approximately one hour a day is spent on colloquial Egyptian Arabic ('ammiyya). I studied third-year Arabic with this program last summer and give it my highest recommendation. Northwestern also has arranged field trips to Cairo, Sinai, and Upper Egypt. Students enjoy ample opportunity to meet Egyptians and practice their Arabic in everyday situations. Advanced Arabic students are encouraged to use Arabic to the fullest extent possible and often serve as translators on field trips and excursions. Last year, the program attracted a good mix of both graduate and undergraduate students; the courses carry a full year of university credit -- either undergraduate or graduate, depending on one's status -- through Northwestern University. Dr. Muhammad Eissa of Northwestern University, one of the most respected Arabic teachers in the United States and a graduate of Al-Azhar, runs this program. Joining him in Egypt will be Liston Buell, who lived in Egypt for more than ten years and now studies linguistics at UCLA, and Suhair al-Agroudy of the American University of Cairo. In my experience, all three are first-rate Arabic instructors. Accomodations are provided in St. Marc's College, a French boarding school ten minutes away from the University of Alexandria. Rooms at St. Marc's are basic but adequate. Decent internet access was available during last year's program, and I expect the same to be true this year as well. The Arabic language program costs $5,950. This cost includes round-trip airfare from Chicago to Alexandria, double-occupancy lodging, breakfast Monday through Friday, and three planned excursions: a three-day trip to Cairo, a three-day trip to Sinai, and a five-day trip between Luxor and Aswan. Single occupancy rooms are available for an additional $50 per week. For those who prefer to arrange their own transportation to Alexandria, the language program costs $5,020. Northwestern is also offering a six-week program in Arabic cultural anthropology at the TAFL, which I shall describe in a separate post. It is not possible to enroll in both the language and culture programs. Lastly, I should also note that the political situation in Alexandria, unlike in Upper Egypt, is quite stable; to my knowledge, no incidents of terrorism have occurred recently in Alexandria. The city is easily safer than any comparable American city. The group flies from Cairo to Luxor, thus bypassing the problem zone around Assyut in Middle Egypt, which in my mind is the only politically dangerous area in the country. Information about the political situation in Egypt can be obtained from the State Department web site at . If you have any further questions, please e-mail Dr. Muhammad Eissa . The Northwestern University Summer Session has a web page , but its link to the Alexandria program does not appear to be operating yet. You can also call (800) FINDS-NU and speak to David Schejbal, director of Northwestern's summer programs, for more information. The Summer Session office also has an e-mail address: . I recommend calling Dr. Eissa directly if you have detailed questions; he is very approachable. I have also posted some photos I took while participating in the Arabic language program to the World Wide Web. The URL is . The deadline for submitting applications is 1 April 1996. Followups set to poster. -Chris Stone