MINOR IN ARABIC
The MENA Languages Program is excited to announce that we are now offering a Minor in Arabic, to students who wish to gain a high level of proficiency in Arabic.  Arabic is a very important language: with more than 300 million speakers word-wide, it is the fifth most-spoken language globally. It is also one of the six official languages of the United Nations and the United States government has deemed knowing Arabic as strategically important for the country.

The course work leading to the Minor in Arabic is carefully scaffolded along a set of overarching goals that inform the pedagogical tasks employed in each class:

• Goal one: to understand and interact with communities of different ethnicities and cultures 
• Goal two: to embrace diversity, equity, and inclusion
• Goal three: to speak Arabic at the advanced low level on the ACTFL Proficiency Scale
  

The Minor in Arabic requires 6 Arabic courses at the 200- and/or 300- level chosen from the various courses offered in the MENA Languages Program.

Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistants (FLTAs)
The Fulbright FLTA Program enhances the teaching of global languages and exposes their students to a true understanding of people of different nations. Sponsored by the United States Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA), the Fulbright FLTA Program supports teaching assistantships in more than 35 languages. Northwestern is hosting five FLTAs this year and the MENA languages program is proud to welcome three of them: Heba Khaldi in Arabic, Margo Oganezov in Hebrew, and Ecem Hermes in Turkish.

 FLTA Welcome Lunch (September 2024)
From left to right: Margo Oganezov (Hebrew), Ecem Hermes (Turkish),  Inês Silva de Almeida (Portuguese), Kathleen Hrdinka (Departmental Assistant, MENA Languages Program), Meagan Keefe (Departmental Assistant, Program of African Studies), Heba Khaldi (Arabic), Staicy Toms (Swahili).