Modern Languages and Literatures

The Rising importance of Arabic

Why study Arabic?

Learning Arabic can benefit anyone majoring or minoring in International Relations, Political Science, Comparative Literature, Islamic Studies, Religion, History, Anthropology, Social Studies, African Studies, Women’s Studies, Linguistics, and many other fields. Knowledge of Arabic is in great demand and has helped recent college graduates get high-paying job opportunities. Also, numerous short and long-term scholarships in Arabic Studies are available through Federal agencies.

Beside:

1. Arabic is spoken in 28 countries in Africa and the Middle East.
2. Over 200 million people speak Arabic as their native tongue
3. In 1974, Arabic was made the sixth official language of the United Nation.
4. Arabic can enhance your travel abroad experience by being able to get around and talk to people in their own language.
5. Arabic is the language of the Qur’an, Islam’s holy book, and is the religious language of Muslims, who belong to many diverse nationalities and ethnic groups. Not all Muslims speak Arabic, but learning Arabic for any Muslim facilitates performance of religious rites such as daily prayers and the reading of the Qur’an.
6. The Arabic alphabet is the second most widely used alphabet in the world, because it has been adopted by numerous languages such as Persian, Kurdish, Urdu, Malay, Ottoman Turkish and other Turkic languages.

Arabic courses at SLU

For more information, contact Professor Gisele El Khoury, or the Modern Languages Department at 315-229-5154