Intensive Arabic in Rabat (Summer)

  Rabat is one of Morocco’s “imperial cities,” and its modern capital.  It is home to the leading educational institutions in the country and offers students opportunities to move from the shops and cafes of the contemporary city to the winding alleys and exciting markets of the old “medina” in a few minutes’ walk.  The AMIDEAST Education Abroad Program in Rabat offers a Summer Intensive Arabic Program that focuses on Modern Standard Arabic at the beginning, intermediate and advanced levels.  Students in the program live with Arabic-speaking Moroccan families and attend classes at the AMIDEAST Center in the bustling Agdal area of the city.

Academic Program Information

The Summer Intensive Arabic Program in Rabat, Morocco offers Modern Standard Arabic in two 4-week sessions. Classes meet 5 hours per day, 5 days per week. Each student will receive 100 hours of Arabic language instruction in each session, including both Modern Standard Arabic and colloquial Arabic. One summer session covers the material usually presented in one semester on a U.S. campus. Students are given placement tests priot to arrival and placed in the level appropriate for their Arabic language proficiency. Students may enroll in one or two sessions.

  The following levels are offered:

ARAB 101: Modern Standard Arabic I (Arabic 101; 5 credits)*
ARAB 102: Modern Standard Arabic II (Arabic 102; 5 credits)
ARAB 201: Modern Standard Arabic III (Arabic 201; 5 credits)
ARAB 202:  Modern Standard Arabic IV (Arabic 202; 5 credits)
ARAB 301: Modern Standard Arabic V (Arabic 301; 5 credits)
ARAB 302: Modern Standard Arabic VI (Arabic 302; 5 credits)
ARAB 401: Directed Study in Arabic (Arabic 401; 5 credits)

ARAB 110: Colloquial Moroccan Arabic I (Arabic 110, 1 credit)
ARAB 210: Colloquial Moroccan Arabic II (Arabic 210, 1 credit)
ARAB 310: Colloquial Moroccan Arabic III (Arabic 310, 1 credit)
ARAB 370: Colloquial Moroccan Arabic IV (Arabic 370; 1 credit)

For students whose proficiency is beyond the advanced level, a tutorial program will be arranged to address their specific interests (Media Arabic; Arabic literature; Classical Arabic texts, etc.)

 *Note: Arabic 101 is only offered in summer sessions if there are a number of applicants who do not have any background in the Arabic language. We do not guarantee that this course will be available. Please indicate on your application if you are hoping to enroll in 101.

The program, offered in two 4-week sessions, allows a student to move through two levels in one summer. 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.

Housing

Students in the AMIDEAST Summer Intensive Arabic Program in Rabat live with Moroccan families that have been carefully screened by AMIDEAST/Morocco from a database of qualified applicants. Students usually are placed with families who have previous experience hosting American students through AMIDEAST. Few families speak English. Most host family members speak Arabic as a first language and also speak at least some French; a minority speak Spanish or Amazigh (Berber) as well. 

AMIDEAST matches students with host families using a variety of criteria. While all placement preferences may not be met in every case, AMIDEAST will strive to make the best match to ensure a rewarding and pleasant living experience. In the event of a problem, AMIDEAST Education Abroad Program staff members will be available either to mediate or to arrange a new host family placement. Students will be provided with all meals by their host families but may find that some days it is not possible to return to the family for lunch because of class schedules.

Partner Institution – Mohammed V University

The AMIDEAST Education Abroad Program in the Arab World partner in Rabat, Morocco is Mohammed V University.  Founded in 1917 in Rabat, Mohammed V University is Morocco's most prestigious public university. It has over 25,000 students in its various schools, and over 5,000 in its College of Letters and Humanities. Its faculty includes many of Morocco's pre-eminent scholars, while its students are among the most promising in the nation.

Mohammed V University is an international academic leader, and is committed to the global exchange of ideas and people. In particular, it participates in a wide variety of bi-lateral and multi-lateral research initiatives, hosts visiting scholars from throughout the world, and works cooperatively with several international organizations, most notably the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The University is also home to a growing number of international students, most of them from other African countries.

Orientation

Upon arrival in Rabat, AMIDEAST Education Abroad Program students participate in a one and a half day orientation designed to introduce them to Moroccan culture and daily life and familiarize them with the logistics of the program. The orientation combines structured informational sessions with organized activities. Topics such as safety and health, family life in Morocco, cultural adjustment, program regulations, participant responsibilities and other essential information are all discussed during orientation.

Excursions

AMIDEAST organizes one day trip each session to a different part of the country – usually to a beachside town either north or south of Rabat (in the past such trips have gone to Asilah to the north and El Jadida to the south).  In addition, students can travel independently on free weekends. There will be plenty of time and opportunity to explore your options once you arrive and Morocco and your session begins.

Transcripts
Upon successful completion of an AMIDEAST Education Abroad program, the on-site AMIDEAST Education Abroad staff sends final course grades to AMIDEAST Headquarters. Students are issued an AMIDEAST Education Abroad grade report. Alternatively, students in Morocco can request (for an additional fee) a transcript issued by AMIDEAST's Institution of Record, Northeastern University.