Is this program right for you?

This program is designed for U.S study abroad students with an interest in studying Arabic and the Middle East region. This program is for students wishing to study intensive Arabic language at whatever level is appropriate (although beginning Arabic is offered only if there is enough student interest), for the equivalent of either one or two semesters of study.

Academics

The curriculum is based on AMIDEAST's Arabic Language and Culture Curriculum, which is functional and communicative in its approach.  The teachers are carefully selected native speakers with excellent language teaching experience and skills.

Language Courses

AMIDEAST partners with the Qasid Institute for Classical and Modern Standard Arabic to provide a high level of Arabic instruction.  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.

As the Qasid Institute's reputation has grown, its programs have made it the program of choice in Amman for embassies, international organizations, non-governmental organizations and U.S. colleges and universities seeking excellence in Arabic language instruction.  In 2008 it hosted the U.S. Department of State's Critical Language Summer Intensive Institute in Jordan; it will do so again in 2009.  Though its programs are designed mainly for university-level students and busy professionals, Qasid students range in age from 15 to 65. They include embassy and consular officers, Fulbright researchers, full-time mothers, medical doctors, Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowship recipients, and Ivy League graduates.

Classes meet 5 hours per day, 5 days per week.  Each student will receive 80 hours of instruction in Modern Standard Arabic in each session, covering the material usually covered in one semester on a U.S. campus.  In addition, students receive 20 hours of instruction per session in Jordanian Arabic.

Students are given placement tests on arrival and placed in the level appropriate for their Arabic language proficiency.  The following levels are offered: