Arabic lessons big draw for foreign students

BEIRUT: A travel ban by the United States and the instability resulting from Israeli occupation kept many Americans away from Lebanon in the 1990s, but these days, the country is becoming a new spot on the map for westerners who want to learn the Arabic language. Both universities and private institutions have arisen to fill the growing demand for language learning, and the Anglo-American scene appears to be growing at a steady pace. 

The Summer Institute for Learning Arabic and Culture (SINARC) is the country’s biggest institutionalized Arabic learning program. 

The six-week long program consisting of 20 hours a week, offers lessons in both modern standard Arabic and colloquial at the Lebanese American University in Beirut. This summer, 115 students studied and lived together in university housing near LAU, with about 90 percent coming from the US, compared to a handful from Europe. 

Mainly undergraduates and graduates attend the program, with many even returning the following year. 

“I have a student who came four summers in a row,” says a confident Dr Mimi Jeha, the institute’s director. This year, SINARC had a pool of students from George Washington and Georgetown universities, along with the University of California in Berkeley, and Jeha hopes to maintain this standard. 

“The criteria are two-fold: students come from a reputable university and have good recommendation letters,” she says. 

SINARC advertises through study abroad programs and at all Middle Eastern departments in universities across the US. 

Class days are structured into three hours of standard Arabic and one hour of colloquial. 

Jeha insists that students have an intermediate level to take colloquial classes. In the afternoon, the common room is opened for students to use the computers and consult with teachers. Once a week, students attend a political science lecture about Lebanese and regional politics and weekends feature field trips, to the Cedars, Tripoli, Tyre, and even Palmyra in Syria. “We want students to get a feeling of what they are learning,” says Jeha. “Students learn Khalil Gebran’s poems in the classroom and then actually visit the Gebran museum in Bsharri.” 

It’s not inexpensive, with tuition costing $2,100, the dorm accommodations $750, and excursions $150, for a total of just over $3,000. However the program is self-supportive and does not offer scholarships. 

“The problem is that we are not hooked up to the federal funds system but we are trying to find a solution,” she says. 

Despite Lebanon’s polyglot urban culture, Jeha argues that the country is a great place to learn Arabic. She insists that SINARC is an immersion program, combining language and culture. “I am not here to form future State Department employees. I am here to expose students to Lebanese heritage,” she explains. 

SINARC has recently developed a fall program, which runs from September to December. The workload is doubled, with additional courses in Arabic writing skills and political science. Credits are transferable, and the tuition tops off at $6,000. 

A similar offering is found at the Center for Arab and Middle Eastern Studies (CAMES) at the American University of Beirut. CAMES is seen in the academic world as one of the most prestigious Arabic language programs, but also the most expensive. Many students choose CAMES over other options based on its academic rigor and focus on intellectual growth. 

It runs for six and a half weeks in the summer, with courses in both formal and colloquial Arabic. 

Now in its 11th year, CAMES is widely known as being academically stimulating and intellectually challenging; it’s also recognized for being one part of the ruling Arabic language triad, along with programs at Middlebury, Vermont and the American University of Cairo. 

The $3,700 price tag might be too heavy a cost for some students, but the quality of the education is next to none, argues Bilal Orfali, assistant professor of Arabic studies and coordinator of CAMES. 

The program is also financially independent, and if anything, serves as a cash cow for the university. 

While CAMES does not offer any scholarships for the language program, there are plans to create financial aid system. 

Why is the program so costly? “We offer a full package,” Orfali explains. All classes take place in smart classrooms, meaning they are fully equipped with a computer, LCD, DVD player, TV, and a computerized whiteboard, reflecting the belief that audiovisual materials are important for language learning. As an accelerated course, the six hours per day regimen of CAMES equals a 9 credit course, which may be transferred to one’s home university. 

The cost also covers the two scheduled field trips to places like Byblos, Jeita, Harissa, and the Bekaa Valley. There are also shorter excursions to the many mosques and churches of Beirut, as many students are fascinated by the religious life in Lebanon and how different sects coexist, for better or for worse. 

CAMES’ 14-member teaching team are all Ph.D. candidates from American universities, with extensive training in Arabic literature, linguistics, religious studies, and media studies. 

The widely-used language book al-Kitab is also used, complemented by home-grown educational material developed by CAMES instructors and upgraded over the years. 

On top of this, CAMES is one of the two programs in the world that offer a superior level (the other being Middlebury). This is the program’s first year offering this level, and the reasoning is simple: an increased demand for higher-level Arabic language courses. The terror attack of September 11, created a growing interest and demand for Arabic speakers in the Western world. 

To make up for the purely Arabic speaking environment that Beirut often lacks, the CAMES program has installed a strict Arabic-only policy where students take the language pledge to stick to Arabic from 8.30 a.m to 5.00 p.m with homework help. 

“What happens after five, I have no control over,” Orfali shrugs. 

Most students are from American universities, with a few from the UK. Around 50 percent of the students come for the reputation of AUB. It is the name that attracts, and students are drawn to CAMES for its affiliations with AUB that is highly regarded in the academic field. 

How does one apply? The application process has several elements, starting with a one-page statement describing one’s reason for wanting to study Arabic. This is to gauge the interest of students and to seek out the ones who are interested in the study of the Middle East at a higher level. The program hopes that this exercise will help identify Ph.D. candidates or mature undergraduates who are serious in their studies. The personal statement should be accompanied by two recommendations, and copies of the most recent transcript. The selection committee discards applications with GPAs below 3.4 (on a 4.0 scale). It also requests an Arabic writing sample to assess the language level of the applicant. 

The rigorous selection process produced 81 students this year from a pool of over 200 applicants. The ceiling of 60 was abandoned due to the many outstanding applications, Orfali explains. 

He adds that more than 150 could have easily made the cut. When asked how the 81 chosen students made the cut, he explains that CAMES tries to avoid “heritage students” – students with Arabic in their family background, whose main reason for wanting to learn the language is to engage with their family members. As such, they are more interested in acquiring colloquial language skills and not an academic focus for the program. 

The students begin their weekday at 8.30 p.m. and continue until 3.30 p.m. After an hour lunch break, an non-traditional class is offered, involving calligraphy, dabkeh, or a showing of a Lebanese film. A cooking class, for instance, demands that the students grocery shop in Arabic, buying the ingredients for fattoush and tabbouleh, and learning the Arabic names for all the produce and kitchen utensils needed in the process. The next two hours is a voluntary homework help session where students are able to get help from the tutors on pronunciation or grammar. Last but not least, four to six hours of daily homework. 

Any complaints? “Evaluations are mostly positive,” says Orfali, “But many complain that it is too intensive. They say that they did not have time to see their relatives, or see Lebanon. But that is exactly what I want to hear.” 

The Saifi Institute, on the other hand, offers flexible and customized group lessons for young professionals. 

The building is located in the Port area next to the Phalange Party headquarters, with Saifi Café on the ground floor. The small organization, composed of three classrooms, a common room and a kitchenette, was founded two years ago.

“We try to create a cozy yet professional atmosphere, we’re like a family,” says Rana Saifi, the institute’s director. 

She describes the organization’s goal as result-based, rather than profit-based: “what matters is the student’s progress.” 

Despite the institute’s small size, the lessons continues throughout the year, weekdays from 8 a.m until 8 p.m. Each term lasts five weeks, with the option of repeating terms. But group lessons do not exceed six people as “many students complained that university classes were too big and lacked a homogenous level,” explains Saifi. Class schedules depend on the student’s availability. A student may take 30 hours per term for the price of $240, or take an intensive 60-hour term for $480. Private tutoring is also offered for $20 per hour. 

The organization’s innovative methods emphasize colloquial Arabic, reflecting the institute’s objectives and the demands of clients. 

“The goal is to make students comfortable in their social environment. Additionally, colloquial Lebanese is understood by other Arabic speaking countries” argues Saifi. 

Ultimately, it depends on how long the student plans to stay in Lebanon or the Middle East. The average client are young foreigners aged 25 to 35 who recently moved to Lebanon. 

“I get many Americans working in journalism or the non profit sector,” says Saifi. 

Standard Arabic is taught using Al-Kitab but the Saifi Institute is publishing its own manual, “Urban Arabic.” The book, which consists of conversational Lebanese alongside explanatory illustrations, will be published soon in bookstores and available to all. 

Along with the usual grammar and syntax class, a media class is offered in which students decipher newspaper articles. Students are also encouraged to practice and write down their daily conversations in taxis and grocery stores. The institute may set up unconventional demands, such as arranging interested students to live with a host family in the Bekaa for a month. 

The key to learning Arabic is “patience, practice and regular study,” stresses Saifi. The application process takes into account an oral and written evaluation, but more importantly, the motivation and commitment of the potential student. 

“If you miss too many classes, we kick you out with your money back,” she scolds. There are no institutional credits offered, but quizzes throughout the term determine one’s progress. 

The Saifi Institute is currently overbooked, with only three teachers for 80 students, but it plans to expand in the near future. 

“I want to increase my staff and open in Hamra, but I will do it step by step and carefully,” she adds, noting that the institute’s ultimate goal is “to make Lebanon the center of Arabic studies.” 

The Academy of Language and Practical Skills (ALPS) also offers another option for foreigners who don’t want to be tied down to a university. ALPS is located at the very beginning of Hamra Street, near the American University Hospital. Founded by the Arab Baptist Theological Seminary, it is run by Joelle Giappesi, Rana Saifi’s sister. 

Founded out of the need to teach spoken Arabic, ALPS offers six levels of the Levantine dialect from beginner to upper advanced, using in-house booklets that are being revised after the 2003 edition. Alongside its regular curriculum, ALPS also offers specialized courses in tourism, cooking, business, and religious Arabic. All courses are taught in Arabic, and the cost can range from $7.50 for a three-four student class to a $17 an hour for a private lesson. 

“What’s unique about ALPS is that it rises to the challenges of students’ demands,” says Daniel Pugh, humanitarian coordinator and long time student at ALPS. The institute is open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., and the seven instructors – all Arabic literature or education graduates from Lebanese University and Haigazian University – cater for the students scheduling needs. 

“We don’t do much advertisement. It’s all through word of mouth,” explains Giappesi. One third of her students are American university students, while the other third are NGO workers taking courses to enrich their every-day interaction in the field. The other third are students of Islamic theology, who learn of ALPS through the seminary. However, the institute has recently seen an upswing of interest from among Diaspora and expatriate Lebanese. This has been encouraged by the relative political stability in the last year, says Giappesi. 

If Lebanon’s stability continues to make slow steps forward, despite the occasional step back, the Anglo-based Arabic-teaching scene might witness even further expansion, as its practitioners and others hope.