The Arabic and Islamic studies program has been a part of the Department of Russian & Eastern Studies at the University of Kentucky since the early '80s and the Department of Modern and Classical Languages, Literatures and Cultures for over 10 years. The growing interest in understanding the worldwide development of Islam since the mid-'90s, the rapid increase of student enrollment and the support of the Muslim community encouraged the efforts to further develop course offerings. With the financial sponsorship of the local Muslim community, two endowments of Islamic books at the UK Libraries were created.

Why should you learn Arabic?
 

Spoken in 22 Arab countries and beyond, including the UAE, Qatar, and Kuwait, Arabic is one of the most spoken languages around the world and one of the official languages of the United Nations. It is considered one of the richest languages in the world due to its vocabulary, depth, history, dialects and literary devices. Because the U.S. government classifies Arabic as a critical-need language, high-paying positions are often available for cleared personnel and language analyst. Knowing Arabic in the United States opens doors to careers in national security, government, translation, healthcare and international business.

Why should you study Arabic at UK?

• AIS gives you the language and cultural tools needed to communicate with Arabic speakers in the United States and beyond successfully. 
• We offer a minor and a major in Arabic and Islamic studies, general language courses (AIS 101-AIS 302) and specialized language courses (Business and Media Arabic I & II and Arabic Reading I & II). In the latter courses, students engage in rich literary texts in Arabic. 
• We also offer various courses in Arab and Muslim culture and history, such as Women and Islam, Introduction to the Qur’an, Islamic Mysticism, Islam in America, Intro to Modern Arab Culture, Arab Literature and Film in Translation, etc. 
• Students also engage in various language and culture emersion events and activities, such as:

1. A free two-day language and culture immersion trip to Dearborn, Michigan, which has the largest Arab community outside the Middle East.
2. An annual speech contest.
3. Speaking tables.
4. A monthly culture coffee hour where students have hands-on cultural activities such as cooking lessons, dabkeh dance lessons, calligraphy workshops, etc.
5. A summer language program in Amman, Jordan.
6. Join the Arabic Club and participate in its activities and efforts to promote Arabic language and culture on campus. To join, please contact the faculty club advisor Prof. Ghadir Zannoun: ghadir.zannoun@uky.edu.
    

General Goals:

1. Develop basic understanding of Arab and Islamic culture.
2. Cultivate a sense of multi-cultural environment and diversity in the light of the growing Muslim community in the USA.
3. Enable students to acquire international perspectives prepared to make wise decisions in light of the increasing political and economic ties with the Muslim nations around the world.
4. Develop an informed appreciation of the contributions of the Islamic civilization to the accumulation of knowledge in the history of humankind.
5. Develop skills in accessing worldwide resources in different fields of interest.

Students interested in Arabic or Islamic Studies may contact the director of undergraduate studies for additional information.

Officers of the Department of Modern & Classical Languages, Literatures and Cultures are:

• MCLLC chair Jeff Rogers (nelsjrogers@uky.edu).
• MCLLC Associate Chair Harald Höbusch (hhoebu@uky.edu).
• MCLLC Director of Undergraduate Studies Julie Human (julie.human@uky.edu).
• MCLLC Director of Graduate Studies Milena Minkova (mmink2@uky.edu).

Contact:
1053 Patterson Office Tower
University of Kentucky
Lexington KY 40506-0027
ph: 859-257-3761
fax: 859-257-3743