Despite Lebanon’s increasingly unstable political situation, students from around the globe seek its universities, eager to immerse themselves in Arab culture and the Arabic language.

The American University of Beirut and the Lebanese American University are among the schools that offer intensive Arabic language programs throughout the summer. Upon acceptance, students take an entrance exam that places them into appropriate levels of fous-ha (written, formal Arabic) and ammiyya (colloquial, spoken Arabic). AUB offers its seven-week summer intensive program through its Center for Arab and Middle Eastern Studies. Since its establishment in 1999, the CAMES summer intensive has evolved substantially.

According to Dr. Bilal Orfali, associate professor of Arabic Studies and director of the program, ammiyya courses were not initially part of the curriculumstudents could opt out of them completely. [Link]