The philosophy of the Arabic Language Instruction Flagship (ALIF) program at Michigan State University is to form a partnership between the university and a K-12 school district in order to develop a national model for foreign language instruction that flows smoothly across all grades and builds on previous learning. Michigan State University has partnered with the Dearborn Public School District in order to achieve this goal.
At the Arabic Language Instruction Flagship (ALIF) program at Michigan State University, students major in a subject of their choice while completing specialized coursework in Arabic language and culture. Our program goal is to develop advanced speakers of the language with the cultural and linguistic skills needed to function professionally in the Arabic language. Program highlights include:
Our program is open to incoming or current undergraduate students from a variety of disciplines. Applicants should have a strong academic record, a demonstrated interest in advancing their Arabic skills, and a desire to share their understanding of this language and culture within the larger community.
Contact: Dr. Susan Gass at gass@msu.edu
http://arabicflagship.msu.edu/
Michigan State University and Dearborn Public Schools are collaborating to enhance Dearborn’s Arabic world language program. Starting at the elementary level, students study Arabic language and have it incorporated into content area instruction under the direction of the Dearborn Foreign Language Assistance Program (DFLAP). The Arabic language instruction flagship (ALIF) program is ensuring excellence in K-12 instruction by partnering with DFLAP to strengthen elementary and middle school instruction and to create and implement a new curricular model of Arabic instruction for high school students.
At the high school level, the creation of innovative curriculum, assessments, and materials coupled with teacher professional development all contribute to the goal of increasing student competency in Modern Standard Arabic. The revised curriculum and newly developed materials will align curriculum to Michigan World Languages Standards. Extracurricular events provide students with a richer understanding of the culture as well as the language. This new curriculum creates a national model for K-12 language instruction. Students will graduate with excellent communication and intercultural skills, and will be ready to continue their Arabic studies in higher education.
Contact: Kathleen McBroom at mcbrook@dearborn.k12.mi.us
http://www.dearbornschools.org/staff/Leaders/worldlang/arabic/index.htm
The Arabic Flagship Program at the University of Maryland, College Park trains professionals to attain superior proficiency in Arabic, both Modern Standard and either Levantine or Egyptian dialects. Graduates earn either a graduate certificate or a master’s degree in Arabic Studies and are able to use Arabic in their respective fields at the ILR level 3 or beyond. As of spring 2008, the Flagship graduate program has successfully trained 37 users of Arabic who can speak, read, understand, and write Arabic at a professionally functional level.
This full-time intensive program simulates immersion and offers an innovative, modular, multi-strand curriculum, which may be customized for individual students' professional domains. In addition to offering courses in Arabic language and culture, focusing on the skills of reading, listening, speaking, writing, and translating, the Arabic Flagship Program at the University of Maryland offers content training in area study on a variety of topics, including the Role of Religion in the Middle East, Islamic Culture, the Arab-Iranian Relations, and the geopolitical situations in Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq. In its curriculum, the Arabic Flagship Program benefits from its location in the Washington DC area and incorporates distinguished guest speakers, language partners, cultural exchanges, and field trips.
Graduates of the Arabic Flagship Program report great success in finding high paying jobs both with the U.S. government and in the private sector. In many instances recruiters from all over the professional spectrum have contacted them well before they had finished the program.
The Arabic Flagship Program at the University of Maryland is in the process of admitting its first cohort of undergraduates in the fall of 2008. This is an exciting development, as it makes it possible for the undergraduates in the East coast to benefit from the Arabic Flagship experience.
Contact: Dr. Alaa Elgibali at elgibali@umd.edu
http://www.languages.umd.edu/AsianEastEuropean/arabic/
The Arabic Flagship Program (AFP) at the University of Texas at Austin offers a five- year training program in Arabic language and culture for undergraduates. Our Scholars get the resources and training to reach Superior level Arabic while pursuing an undergraduate major or their choice.
Scholars join the AFP after enrolling in Arabic, and developing a passion for the language. A typical UT AFP Scholar is a student with a GPA of 3.5 or above, who has taken Arabic for two semesters and excelled. S/he is committed to the language, and has career goals that can’t be truly fulfilled without it. Current Scholars plan to work for the government, in international business, education, international aid, advertising, etc.
The UT AFP requires three core years of Arabic that includes training in standard and colloquial Arabic. Intensive summer studies are available at UT at the Novice and Intermediate levels. After completing the core language program, scholars choose an Advanced dialect course in Egyptian or Levantine Arabic. They can also enroll in content-based courses offered in Arabic (e.g., Media Arabic, Lebanon between Formation & Transformation, Issues in Arab Cinema, Critiques of Language & Culture).
Scholars are encouraged to take courses in history, political science, literature, and religion, that are taught in English but have an Arabic Language Across the Curriculum (LAC) component. LAC students work with authentic Arabic texts and discuss them, in Arabic, in small groups. Examples of LAC courses include 1001 Arabian Nights, Modern Egypt: A History, and Shiite Political and Religious Ideologues.
AFP scholars benefit from two study abroad opportunities at the Arabic Flagship site in Alexandria, Egypt. After finishing second year, Scholars are eligible for a summer program in Egypt. After their fourth year at UT, they undertake a capstone year in Alexandria, where the final push from Advanced to Superior Arabic is made. These funded opportunities make our program unique and are part of the reason why our Scholars will be sought after for careers that need Arabic when they graduate.
Thanks to generous funding from the NSEP (National Security Education Program) and the Language Flagship, the UT AFP offers merit based funding for Scholars up to $10,000 per year. Many AFP Scholars are eligible for in-state tuition waivers and receive other merit based scholarships in addition to ours.
The AFP is open to talented undergraduate students of any major who meet the following criteria:
To apply for our program, please send in the following:
Application forms can be found on our website at: http://www.utexas.edu/cola/depts/mes/arabic_flagship/
Contact: Chelsea Sypher at utflagship@austin.utexas.edu
http://www.utexas.edu/cola/depts/mes/arabic_flagship/
The overseas portion of the Graduate Arabic Flagship Program administered by American Councils began in the fall of 2007. This program is designed to address the need for greater numbers of U.S. professionals in business, government, academia, and the third sector that are able to speak, read, understand, and write Arabic at the highest levels of functional proficiency. With guidance by the Arabic Overseas Flagship Academic Council, the eleven-month program consists of regular tutorials and small group instruction combined with formal and informal professional language utilization. Participants in the Graduate Arabic Overseas Flagship Program study Modern Standard and Syrian Colloquial Arabic at Damascus University in Damascus, Syria. Students attend lectures and seminars in their fields of specialization, reside with local host families, and work regularly with peer tutors. In the second semester, students also participate in an Arabic language internship with a local company or NGO, which provides an excellent opportunity both to use their language skills in a real-life setting, but also provide valuable work experience in their field of interest. The program is open to advanced-level learners of Arabic who are committed to attaining "professional" or "distinguished-level" language proficiency (ILR 3, 3+, 4/ACTFL "Superior" or “Distinguished”) through an intensive yearlong language training program tailored to their professional interests and academic specialization. Students receive academic credit for graduate-level courses through Bryn Mawr College or the University of Maryland. Support services include mandatory pre-departure orientation in Washington, D.C.; accident and illness insurance; a full-time resident director; and American Councils offices in Washington, D.C. and Syria.
The overseas portion of the Undergraduate Arabic Flagship Program, administered by American Councils, will begin in June, 2008 with both a summer and an academic year program in Alexandria, Egypt. Hosted by The University of Alexandria, the program consists of intensive classroom instruction in both Modern Standard and Colloquial Egyptian Arabic, cultural excursions and language practice with peer tutors. Classes will be taught by Alexandria University faculty on the university campus, and students will live in university dormitories for the summer. A full-time Resident Director with extensive experience in the Middle East will supervise the program and serve as advisor to participants. The program is currently open to undergraduate students enrolled at one of the designated Arabic Flagship Universities. While participants are not expected to be Arabic majors, they should have reached the intermediate level in their Arabic skills in order to qualify for the program. As with the graduate program, the undergraduate program is intended for students who are committed to using Arabic and a knowledge of the Middle East in careers that include business, science, education, and government, as well as many others. Support services include mandatory pre-departure orientation in Washington, D.C.; accident and illness insurance; a full-time U.S. resident director; and American Councils offices in Washington, D.C. and Egypt.
Contact: Flagship Programs at flagship@americancouncils.org
http://flagship.americancouncils.org/splash.php