Academics
- Program type:
Arabic Language & Culture in Morocco is a study abroad center program. Take area studies classes at a study center with instruction in English and Arabic language courses by Moroccan faculty.
- Level:
1,000–3,000 level courses.
- Term:
- Fall semester
- Spring semester
- Academic year
- Summer session
- Prerequisites:
- 2.5 GPA, sophomores and above
- Courseload:
The courses on this program are designed for rapid Arabic language acquisition and development in small class size settings. Language courses typically carry 20 classroom hours per week (120 hours per six-week term). Topics courses provide insight into culture and societies in Morocco and the Arabic-speaking world.
Arabic courses are offered in six-week terms. You select one language class for each six-week term. Advanced Arabic students have the option of substituting a topics course taught entirely in Arabic in place of their second Arabic language course. Due to the intensive nature of the language courses, students typically earn the equivalent of a year’s worth of language credit in one semester.
Faculty
All courses are taught by Moroccan faculty members from local universities. ALIF's instructors hail from prestigious modern state universities in Morocco, like Mohammed V in Rabat, and traditional institutions such as the Qarawiyyin University, an Islamic institution of higher learning in Fez.
How to Apply
Click the button below to visit this program's web page for more information about the application process for this program.
About This Program
Learn Modern Standard Arabic in the classroom and Darija on the labyrinthine streets of Fez. Enroll in courses that provide insights into Moroccan life and culture. Live in the bustling Medieval medina or the modern Ville Nouvelle, behold the historic kasbah of imperial Meknes, and spend a weekend with the Berber people in the Sahara Desert.
Fez's medina, declared an UNESCO world heritage site in 1981, is one of the largest and most enduring Medieval Islamic settlements in the world. Experience the complexity of modern and ancient Morocco in the cultural and spiritual city of Fez. All classes are held in a large villa, surrounded by a lush garden and patio, in the modern Ville Nouvelle neighborhood.
The University of Minnesota partners with the Arabic Language Institute in Fez, a language institute which has an excellent reputation as the preeminent institution in the Maghreb for the teaching of Arabic as a foreign language.
Homestays are an integral component of the Arabic Language & Culture in Morocco program learning experience. All students live and share most meals with Moroccan families. Choose to live either in the old medina or the modern part of Fez.
Excursions include a visit to Volubilis, the site of early Roman civilization, a tour of the imperial city of Meknes, and a weekend experience in the Sahara desert. Additional program activities include a cooking demonstration, drumming, dancing, and a variety of concerts and performances.
About Learning Abroad Center
The Learning Abroad Center in the Global Programs and Strategy Alliance is the University of Minnesota's comprehensive resource for study, service-learning, work, intern, volunteer, and travel experiences worldwide.
The Learning Abroad Center is a leader in providing innovative international learning experiences that expand and redefine the world for a diverse population of students, colleagues, and staff. The Learning Abroad Center staff and University of Minnesota faculty and staff participate in numerous leadership opportunities and serve on the advisory boards of organizations who provide and/or support education abroad programs. Through collaboration and individual attention, the Learning Abroad Center continues to promote empowerment, development, understanding, and responsibility in the global community.
A variety of program options--300 programs in over 80 countries--have been developed to address the diverse needs of students. Programs vary in length, level, academic focus, teaching format, language requirements, cost, and degree of independence demanded of the participant.
