Middlebury School in The Middle East
Language Requirements
Required: 4 semesters (6 quarters) of college-level Arabic
Program Requirements
3.0 GPA in major and language courses
Academic Specialties
Language courses, taught at the Teaching Arabic as a Foreign Language Center (TAFL) on the campus of Alexandria University’s Faculty of Arts, are the focus of the program. Students will also participate in content-oriented tutorials for 3 hours/week focusing on politics, history, religion, literature, geography, sociology/anthropology, or economics.In some semesters, advanced students (in their fourth year of Arabic) will be able to replace a class with another content course taught in Arabic, such as History of the Middle East. Highly advanced students may be able to direct-enroll in a class at Alexandria University during their second semester at the School in the Middle East, with the consent of the Director.
Course Type
Classes are taught in Arabic and are similar to seminar courses at Northwestern, with the exception of the tutorials, which will involve one-on-one study with a professor.
Middlebury requires that all participants enroll in the following courses:
• Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) – 4 units
• Egyptian Colloquial Arabic - 4 units
• Content-Oriented Tutorial – 4 units
• Two content courses – 8 units
Options include: Media Arabic, Translation, Middle East History, Islamist Politics, and Political Geography of the Middle East.
Additional Information
Students wishing to contribute their time and service to the community may choose to work as volunteers with organizations in the non-profit sector. The Director or Resident Coordinator in Egypt will help students find volunteer opportunities. Other options that facilitate student immersion include sports, cultural, and outdoor activities.Housing
- Students live in an Arabic-speaking environment, either with Egyptian student roommates/hallmates in a dormitory or with a host family.
- Host family placements are more likely for female students, given Egyptian attitudes regarding the segregations of genders.
- Students who stay for a year can find independent housing (apartments) with the program’s permission; they would also need to sign an Independent Housing Waiver for Northwestern.
Program Costs
TBAApproximate Program Size
15-25 studentsApplication Requirements
Prior to receiving an application, all Northwestern students must complete the following steps:- Complete the mandatory Study Abroad 101 Quiz on Blackboard. Call 847-467-6400 or e-mail studyabroad@northwestern.edu (include your name and netID) to register for this quiz.
- After recieving a score of 90% or above, students can pick up the Northwestern University Application for Permission to Study Abroad at the Study Abroad Office. This application it is not available online.
- Middlebury application, available on the Middlebury web site. It is generally due March 15th for fall semester/full year and October 1st for spring semester, but consult Middlebury's web site for the most recent deadlines.
- Northwestern University Application for Permission to Study Abroad.
