Bowdoin College Catalogue and Academic Handbook

Arabic

Arabic Minor

Students interested in Arabic should contact Batool Khattab, lecturer in Arabic, or Marybeth Bergquist, academic department coordinator.

Requirements for the Minor in Arabic

Arabic minors attain a basic level of proficiency in one of the world’s most difficult languages and also learn how important Arabic is for a deeper understanding of the history, politics, society, and culture of most Middle Eastern and North African countries. Arabic minors enhance their awareness of global diversity by learning more about how important foreign languages are to imagining and understanding other perspectives.

The minor consists of five courses.

Required courses:

  • Four courses in Arabic instruction (two years, beginning at the level into which the student is placed)
  • A fifth course focusing on any aspect of the cultures of the Middle East or North Africa (such as a course in philosophy, religion, literature, history, or politics) at the 2000 or 3000 level.a

Additional Information

  • No more than one independent study may be counted toward the minor.
  • Courses that count toward the minor must be taken for regular letter grades, not Credit/D/Fail, and students must earn grades of C- or better in these courses.
  • Up to two courses taken at another college or university can count toward the minor with prior approval by the Middle Eastern and North African Studies Committee.
  • First-year writing seminars do not count toward the minor.
  • No courses applied to the minor may be double-counted toward the student’s major.