Arabic Studies (BA)

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Offered by the Department of World Languages and Cultures , College of Arts and Sciences .

Admission to the Program

Students must be approved by the department for formal admission to the major. Language coursework may be waived if high school or other preparation warrants it. Placement will be made in consultation with a departmental advisor.

University Requirements

120 credit hours with minimum 2.00 cumulative GPA (Undergraduate Academic Regulation 2 )
Completion of all requirements for a major (Undergraduate Academic Regulation 9 )

AU Core Requirements

Completion of AU Core foundation requirements (Undergraduate Academic Regulation 8.2-8.6 )
Completion of AU Core Habits of Mind requirements (Undergraduate Academic Regulation 8.7 )
Completion of AU Core integrative course requirements (Undergraduate Academic Regulation 8.8-8.11 )

For additional information, see AU Core Curriculum .

Major Requirements

36 credit hours with grades of C or better, including at least 18 credit hours at or above 300-level
- Prerequisite: completion of intermediate language level (ARAB-203 Arabic Intermediate II (5) or ARAB-210 Intensive Intermediate Arabic (10) )
One of the following field concentrations:
- 12 credit hours in a second foreign language at any level
- 12 credit hours in area studies in the major field at or above 300-level
- Teacher education leading to certification to teach a foreign language at the secondary level
- An approved minor related to the major field: for example, another language (Chinese Language (Minor) , French Language (Minor) , German Language (Minor) , Japanese Language (Minor) , Russian Language (Minor) , Spanish Language (Minor) ), Anthropology (Minor) , Business Administration (Minor) , Communication (Minor) , Economics (Minor) , History (Minor) , International Studies (Minor) , Literature (Minor) , Political Science (Minor) , or Sociology (Minor)

Course Requirements

Required (22 credit hours)

Note: ARAB-302 Advanced Arabic I (4) and ARAB-303 Advanced Arabic II (4) I may be replaced by other courses at or above 300-level if warranted by language proficiency.

ARAB-302 Advanced Arabic I (4)
ARAB-303 Advanced Arabic II (4)
ARAB-304 Levantine Colloquial Arabic I (4)
ARAB-305 Levantine Colloquial Arabic II (4)
ARAB-425 Introduction to Arabic-Islamic Civilization (3)
3 credit hours of coursework with a significant classical Arabic component approved by advisor

Linguistics (3 credit hours)

Complete 3 credit hours from the following, or other TESL course at or above 400-level approved by advisor:

Capstone (3 credit hours)

Complete 3 credit hours from the following, or other approved course at or above 400-level:

ARAB-488 Capstone Project (3) (topics)

Electives (8 credit hours)

8 credit hours at or above 400-level in Arabic studies or study abroad courses approved by advisor

Combined Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees

American University offers students the opportunity to earn both undergraduate and graduate degrees through its combined bachelor’s/master’s programs. See Admission to a Combined Bachelor’s / Master’s Program and Combined Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees for more information.