Welcome

Welcome

Since its establishment in 1841, the Arabic and Islamic studies at Yale—the oldest such program in the United States—have focused on the study of all aspects of the history and culture of Islamic societies. Arabic is the language of the Qur’an and Muslim practice; it is the universal language of medieval scholarship, philosophy, and science; in modern times, it is one of the six international languages of the United Nations and the living medium of a vibrant and constantly developing modern literature. Arabic is spoken by more than two hundred sixty million people throughout the world and is the main language of most of the Middle East. Arabic is becoming an important language when it comes to operating an international business that is trying to break into foreign markets. One of the many features of learning Arabic is that it opens up many employment possibilities in a number of different industries such as oil, travel, finance, international policy, business, and translation to name a few. Arabic speakers have been in very high demand by many governments around the world including the U.S.A. Our courses at Yale University can help you get there.

Modern Standard Arabic

The Arabic program at Yale University is a solid and rigorous program for academic and professional purposes. The aim is to equip students with a high level of language proficiency according to the guidelines of the American Council for the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL). It offers courses in Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) at three levels; each level covers two semesters.

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Classical Arabic

Classical Arabic is offered for students wishing to pursue rigorous study of the language of the Qur’an and exegesis, the Hadith, and classical and medieval poetry and prose, including, history philosophy, theology and scientific texts.  Students may begin Classical Arabic after one full of year of Modern Standard Arabic and may thereby fulfil  the L3–L5 requirement.  

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Contact Us

Language Program Director for Modern Arabic
Sarab Al Ani
Senior Lector II of Modern Arabic 
607 Humanities Quadrangle
320 York Street
sarab.alani@yale.edu

Coordinator for Classical Arabic
Shawkat M. Toorawa
Professor of Arabic Literature
603 Humanities Quadrangle
320 York Street
 
Director of Arabic Summer Abroad
Jonas Elbousty
Senior Lector I of Modern Arabic
608 Humanities Quadrangle
320 York Street