The American Institute for Maghrib Studies is offering a special language and area studies program based in Tangier, Morocco. Taught by experienced bilingual American faculty and specially trained Moroccan professors, this intensive program comprises six weeks of language study, with a break for independant activities: 3 weeks instruction, 4 days off for independant travel or research, etc., 3 final weeks of instruction. There will be two tracks of Modern Standard Arabic, advanced and intermediate, depending on the student’s transcripts, a telephone interview and experience and performance on a placement test. A course in the fundamentals of the Moroccan Colloquial Arabic dialect will also be offered. Moroccan Colloquial Arabic is optional, although a working knowledge of the dialect is beneficial in actual communication with Moroccans. Students should have taken a year of Modern Standard Arabic before applying to the program. The program will use the Al-Kitaab series supplemented with materials prepared or collected by faculty. All classes are conducted in Arabic and the speaking of Arabic among students is encouraged even outside class. Students with questions in English are welcome to meet privately with the director.

Markets provide fresh food and excellent language practice opportunities

Students will have daily contact with the local cultures due to the program being housed in the heart of Tangier, Morocco at the American School of Tangier. The facilities at AST include large, well-lit rooms, a soccer field, and excellent food by one of the best cooks in Tangier.

There are also special lectures and programs in Arabic and more rarely in English dealing with various aspects of North African history, culture, and society. Activities from previous years include lectures on the role of Fez in Moroccan History and Art; the Moroccan political scene; the challenges of Arab filmmakers; the history of Tetouan; women’s musical performances at the shrine of Moulay Abdesslam; expatriate writing on North Africa. Students have also attended concerts of Andalousian and Sufi music, receptions, parties, weddings, and Sufi ceremonies, and previewed a Moroccan film. Miniclasses focusing on various aspects of the culture and society will be taught in Arabic, such as cooking, poetry, music, films, sports, and pilgrimage sites.

Although Arabic classroom discussion will focus on topics of interest to all students participating in the program, in previous years, a number of students participating in the Tangier Summer Intensive Arabic Program came from French departments. These were students focusing on Francophone literature who realized that at least some knowledge of Arabic coupled with first-hand familiarity with North African culture is essential to inform their research.

The program will focus on developing sound conversational and reading skills in Modern Standard Arabic. At the same time, all students will be in a position to better experience the full range of Moroccan cultural life, including experiencing French-Arabic code-switching in its native environment. This will be a good opportunity for students who are interested in understanding North African culture and Moroccan Arabic.

Students planning to do research will find the American Legation Museum in Tangier a priceless resourch. An extensive library is available to AIMS program students and the American director as well as the Moroccan staff are helpful and supportive. In addition, the museum and its exhibits are of historical interest; it is the only American historic site outside the United States.

Applications can be found on the AIMS website: http://www.la.utexas.edu/research/mena/aims/

For more information, contact the AIMS Executive Director, Becky Schulthies at the following:

Becky Schulthies

American Institute for Maghrib Studies

Center for Middle Eastern Studies

PO Box 210080

Franklin Bldg. Room 202

Tucson, AZ 85721

(520) 626-6498

beckys@u.arizona.edu

Eight college credits can be earned by successful completion of the program: six credits of MSA + 2 credits of Moroccan Colloquial Arabic or 2 credits of MSA extended. (the equivalent of two semesters, or 150 instruction hours). MSA extended consists of additional class time in MSA, concentrating on speaking skills.

Program cost is $2,400 for tuition and fees; about $1,250 for room and board (which covers breakfast and the day’s main meal served at lunch time; students are on their own to either cook dinner in the facilities or to explore Tangier’s multitude of international culinary opportunities); international airfare. Total $3,650 plus airfare, textbooks and incidentals.

Fellowship assistance is available and fellows must be U.S. nationals. Other fellowships, including FLAS, can be applied to this program.

The application deadline for this program is March 15, 2001.

The deadline for receipt of payment is June 1. Full-time affiliation in a degree program at an accredited university is required for all fellowship recipients. Fellowship recipients must submit documentation of affiliation to AIMS by June 1 (together with payment).