Arabic Studies Minor

The Minor in Arabic Studies is an excellent addition to your degree and resume. The minor in Arabic Studies allows students the opportunity to learn Arabic through different language courses and acquire a basic level of cultural competency by taking courses taught in English and offered across a range of disciplines, including but not limited to Religious Studies, Political Science, History, International Studies, and Languages and Culture Studies. In addition to fostering language skills, the broad base of knowledge about the Arab world and culture topics that students acquire in this minor positions them to work for U.S. federal and non-federal agencies. Career possibilities include:

• Banking and Finance
• Translation & Interpretation
• Foreign Service
• Consulting
• Education
• Intelligence
• Business
• Journalism

The Minor in Arabic Studies requires a total of 20 credit hours of coursework. 14 credit hours come from four Language Core Courses with their corresponding labs, two Advanced Language Courses and another 6 credit hours come from Elective Topics Courses in Arabic Language, Literature, and Culture.

For more information see the description of the Minor in Arabic Studies or contact your advisor, Professor Noha Ghali.

The faculty-led summer study abroad program in Morocco awards six undergraduate credit hours across two courses, which may be applied toward elective requirements or the minor in Arabic Studies. The program features an itinerary across three primary urban centers—Rabat, Casablanca, and Marrakech—combining institutional visits with cultural immersion. Students engage directly with local non-governmental organizations, historic sites via guided lectures, public and private universities, and the Moroccan Parliament. The curriculum also includes a field excursion to the Atlas Mountains, offering insight into indigenous Amazigh heritage and contemporary community structures in North Africa’s largest minority population. For more information on the faculty-led summer study abroad program to Morocco visit the summer program homepage.

Funding your study abroad experience is easier than you think. Financial aid can often be applied directly to the cost of a faculty-led program. In addition to the education abroad scholarships available to UNC Charlotte students, external scholarships  from national foundations, diversity initiatives, and study abroad organizations offer dedicated funding to help cover program fees, airfare, and daily expenses, drastically reducing your out-of-pocket costs and making global learning fully accessible.

The Arabic program works to provide support for cultural events that create a rich and inclusive learning environment. Cultural events foster a welcoming campus atmosphere that encourages learning about the history and culture of arab speaking countries.

Arabic Calligraphy Workshop

On October 6, Professor Muhammad Habib, an Assistant Teaching Professor at Georgetown University, led a workshop for more than 50 UNC Charlotte students and faculty. They explored the art of calligraphy as it appears in Arabic language and culture during a workshop. The workshop represented the first among other initiatives to promote Arabic language and culture throughout the UNC Charlotte community. More than 50 students, faculty, and staff attended the hands-on workshop during which Professor Habib explained the history and art of Arabic Calligraphy while also demonstrating his expertise. During the demonstration, he used chalk on a chalkboard to emphasize broad and narrow lines. In the latter segment of the workshop, participants practiced writing their names with calligraphy pens on paper. Students explained that the workshop presented a more artistic form of Arabic script not seen in everyday writing and they noted that the experience opened their thoughts about Arabic language and culture.

Arabic Representing at the Annual UNC Charlotte International Festival

The annual UNC Charlotte International Festival is centered around booths arranged in colorful marketplace style representing the cultures of over 50 nations. The booths are staffed by UNC Charlotte international students and members of Charlotte’s international community and feature art, crafts and costumes from each participating country. Many booths offer international food for sale. Throughout the day the music and dance of a variety of nations are presented on indoor and outdoor stages. In addition, the International Festival, which is family-oriented, offers a number of elements such as mimes and face painting designed especially for children. The Arabic world is well represented with booths for Syria, Egypt, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and many other Arabic countries.

Arabic Film Club

The Arabic Film Club meets once a week to watch films from various Arab countries. The club goals are to create a learning opportunity through entertainment, raise awareness of the different cultures in the Arab world, encourage students to develop a different perception of the Arab culture away from the stereotypes in mass media. Topics such as Arabness, Arab identity, citizenship, class, gender bias, and sense of belonging are discussed through the films presented. All the screened films are with English subtitles.

Arabic Conversation Club

The Arabic Conversation Club meets once a week to offer students an opportunity to polish their Arabic speaking skills around topics such as food, colors, traditions, and festivals. Both heritage speakers and Arabic learners meet to get engaged in conversations that would help both groups to achieve high levels of fluency. Students enjoy the advantage of learning Arabic in a friendly environment of small class size and individualized attention.

Arabic Calligraphy Club

The Arabic Calligraphy Club meets regularly to allow students to practice the art of calligraphy.

For a full list of Arabic Studies graduates, click here.

Featured Alumni

Sidra Marotti

Sidrah Marotti graduated in May 2020 with a double Major in International Studies and Political Science as well as Minors in Arabic and Urban Studies Marotti is part of the Arabic program at UNC Charlotte and she was also the head of the Arabic Film Club. She has a passion for foreign cultures, especially the Arab world. She worked with the Fruitful Friends program through Refugee Support Services; this program pairs refugee families from all over the world with an American friend in order to help them acclimate to American culture. Marotti was paired with a Syrian family, which served as an excellent exchange of language and culture. She had the opportunity to practice her Arabic and experience Syrian cuisine and customs, while also providing support to a community that faces a large amount of discrimination here in North Carolina. Marotti completed an year-long exchange program through ISEP (International Student Exchange Program), where she continued her studies of political science and international studies, as well as Arabic language and culture at Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane, Morocco. After graduating in May 2020, Marotti began work as a Field Organizer for the Human Rights Campaign.