Arabic

The Arabic Language: A Global Gateway

Ahlan w sahlan - welcome to Arabic at Swarthmore! With a rich history that spans over 1500 recorded years, the Arabic language holds profound cultural, religious, and intellectual significance for countless people around the world today. Learning Arabic - the fifth most spoken language worldwide and the seventh most common non-English language spoken at home in the United States - opens the door to communities from across the regions of the Arab Gulf, the Middle East, and the African continent.

Why study Arabic in modern contexts? Arabic is a vibrant, diverse, and ever-changing language where formal registers - such as the Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) used in formal settings, news broadcasts, literature, and education - are intertwined with the numerous evolving dialects of Arabic spoken across different regions. At Swarthmore, studying MSA followed by an Arabic dialect will grant you deeper engagement with global contemporary issues, cultures, and media, as well as the ability to connect with Arabic speakers worldwide whether in international business and trade, diplomacy and politics, journalism and academia, or simply love and friendship.

Omar Offendum: Hip-Hop, Poetry, & Peace

Offendum, a Syrian American hip-hop artist, performed and met with students in Fall 2014.

Cultivating Seeds of Hope

Read about lecturer Brahim El Guabli's efforts to bring literacy to villages, like the one where he grew up, in Morocco's High Atlas Mountains.

Faculty watch as Khaled al-Saai provides calligraphy demo

Professor Brian Meunier practices calligraphy

Student receiving aid with her calligraphy stroke

Khaled al-Saai providing a calligraphy demo

Students and faculty gather for calligraphy demo

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Culture Context of Arabic Music

Watch a video of acclaimed Lebanese composer Marcel Khalife performing with a dozen students who are learning both singing and percussion in the Arabic Studies course "Culture Context of Arabic Music."

Language Media Lab

The Language Media Lab provides resources to enhance the study of foreign language, literature, and culture at Swarthmore College. Students have access to audio/video materials required for foreign language classes. The lab's resources include 12 Macbook Pros, 8 iMacs, an extensive library of foreign films, video cameras, and audio recorders. The space is a unique, adaptable, multimedia-friendly place to study, practice and develop language skills.

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