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MENA LANGUAGES PROGRAM

Welcome to our Program

 

Learn Arabic, Hebrew, Turkish, or Persian

Our students collage

Our students and our faculty welcome new and current students to our unique language and culture program. We hope you will choose to begin or continue studying with us. In addition to scheduling an array of interesting language and culture courses in Arabic, Hebrew, Turkish, and Persian every quarter,  we offer tutoring services to help you advance your language skills and regular cultural programming such as language tables, movie nights, and guest speakers (we regularly collaborate with the MENA Student Association and the MENA Studies Program).  If you study with us, you will acquire important language skills and a fresh perspective on the cultures and people of the MENA region.  The MENA region stretches from Morocco to Iran, and it is one of the most diverse regions with more than sixty languages being spoken throughout.

Noteworthy

 
Arabic Minor

MINOR IN ARABIC
The MENA Languages Program is excited to announce that we are now offering a Minor in Arabic, to students who wish to gain a high level of proficiency in Arabic.  Arabic is a very important language: with more than 300 million speakers word-wide, it is the fifth most-spoken language globally. It is also one of the six official languages of the United Nations and the United States government has deemed knowing Arabic as strategically important for the country.

The course work leading to the Minor in Arabic is carefully scaffolded along a set of overarching goals that inform the pedagogical tasks employed in each class:

  • Goal one: to understand and interact with communities of different ethnicities and cultures 
  • Goal two: to embrace diversity, equity, and inclusion
  • Goal three: to speak Arabic at the advanced low level on the ACTFL Proficiency Scale

The Minor in Arabic requires 6 Arabic courses at the 200- and/or 300- level chosen from the various courses offered in the MENA Languages Program.

Find out more about our Arabic Minor

New Spring Courses
We are offering two new courses (taught in English) for students wanting to join our learning community:

  • MENA 290-6-1
    Women in Turkish Popular Culture
     In this course, students will examine representations of women in Turkish popular culture and how popular culture generates and articulates understandings of gender and sexuality in contemporary Turkey and beyond. Through critical readings and discussions, we will explore how women interact with these representations and create their own representations and counter narratives in response.  Find out more here ...
  • Jewish Studies 279-0-1
    Yiddish, Our Setting Sun: Yiddish Literature and Culture in the 20th Century
    In this class, students will learn about the origins of Yiddish and its development into becoming the most widespread Jewish language in Europe. Jewish immigrants in the United States sought connections to Yiddish and clinged to it as a remnant of their old world. The course will examine texts of major Yiddish writers from the beginning of the 20th century in the literary centers of Yiddish at the time; Eastern Europe, United States, and Palestine.  Find out more here ...
Explore schedule and course descriptions

We have a unique program

 

PROGRESSIVE LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS

Our program recognizes that students are diverse learners from racially, ethnically, culturally, and linguistically diverse backgrounds. To encourage students to excel, we offer a variety of learning situations and scenarios including the frequent use of new technologies and opportunities to practice with native speakers of the target culture. The goal is for students to acquire the new language efficiently and thoroughly while being engaged.

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ENGAGING STUDY-ABROAD OPPORTUNITIES

Many of our students take advantage of the various study abroad opportunities the University offers and all come back with engaging stories to tell.  Mara Kelly spent her summer in Jordan learning Arabic: "During my time in Amman, Jordan, I lived with a Jordanian host family, which was the highlight of my experience. My host family helped me feel at home and was incredibly welcoming."

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AWARD WINNING INSTRUCTORS

Our program has exceptional teaching faculty who regularly receive awards and accolades for teaching. Every faculty member makes a concerted effort to offer classes that are engaging, motivating, intellectually fulfilling, and have an interactive learning environment.  

 

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News and Events

 

HIGHLIGHTS

 
MENA Languages Welcomes Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistants

Northwestern University was chosen to host four Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistants for the 2023-24 Academic Year.  MENA Languages is excited to welcome two of them: Akrem Karoui, who will work closely with the instructors and students in the Arabic Language program; and Selin Tanis, who will work in the Turkish Language program.  Read more about Akrem and Selin here.  

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Upcoming Events

 

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Latest MENA Languages News

 
Sayed Kashua visits Hebrew Class
Isabela Lisco, Asiyah Arastu, and Lucas Kritz won ULGs
Partnership with the Institute for the study of Islamic Thought in Africa
Language Learning in Action
Fadia Antabli publishes a poem: Congratulations.

All News