Overview

Arabic is the first language of more than 350 million people globally, the sixth most widely spoken language in the world, and one of the six official languages of the United Nations. Knowledge of Arabic provides access to the rich intellectual heritage of Islam, along with the history, societies, and cultures of the Middle East and many African countries.

The IOU’s Master of Arts in Arabic Language Studies – MA (ALS) has been designed to give you a thorough grounding in Arabic, including classical and modern Arabic. It enables you to access a variety of original material, from pre-Islamic poetry and Islamic religious texts to contemporary sources and Arabic literature.

The MA (ALS) is a two-year Arabic language pathway (on a full-time basis) and is directed at students who want to engage with the Arab Middle East and Africa in a professional as well as academic way, as the intensive pathway will enable them to develop advanced competency in Arabic and achieve heightened professional levels.

Access to MA (ALS) is currently available for students with intermediate or advanced levels of Arabic proficiency.

The language of teaching and learning in this program is Arabic. Students must have near-native competence in the language with an advanced application of written Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) to engage in this program. The mini-thesis must be completed and submitted in Arabic.

This program adopts an approach that exposes students to a careful selection of taught modules exploring rich Arabic language studies, and a research component fulfilled via the mini-thesis.

The taught modules will explore both Arabic language and Islamic Studies. The mini-thesis will be supervised by one of IOU’s committed and experienced academics in the Department of Arabic Language and Linguistics. The mini-thesis must demonstrate sound scholarship and contribute to the existing body of knowledge in the field.

The MA (ALS) program is based on world-renowned texts and curricula approaches of leading international universities in Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Palestine.

Upon completion of the program, the student will be awarded the Master of Arts degree in Arabic Language Studies.

Career paths for graduates of this program include Arabic language lecturer/professor, researcher, writer, interpreter, and translator (advanced level).

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Upon completion of the MA (ALS), students should be able to

• PLO1     conduct research competently and responsibly on advanced levels
• PLO2     produce a research report/manuscript/dissertation in the medium of Arabic and contribute to the field of Arabic Language Studies
• PLO3     demonstrate advanced familiarity with Arabic literature
• PLO4     demonstrate advanced familiarity with specialized fields in Islamic Studies
• PLO5     demonstrate mastery of Arabic Language Studies
• PLO6     demonstrate professional and effective oral and written communication skills

ALIGNMENT WITH IOU’s VISION

The MA in Arabic Language Studies program aligns with the vision and mission of IOU by:

• providing facilitated access to quality higher education to all students around the world, particularly in the field of Arabic Language Studies
• promoting the Islamic values of peace, harmony, and tolerance embedded in the curriculum, pedagogical practices, and teaching approaches of this program
• contributing to the establishment and strengthening of knowledge-based communities globally through the teaching and learning activities of the program
• committing to creating diverse, scholarly communities where students are encouraged to engage in intellectual rigor, high ethical standards, and critical evaluation 

Semesters