As the Lebanese American University embarks on a new session at its Summer Institute for Intensive Arabic Language and Culture in 2008, I would like to extend a hearty welcome to you at LAU’s flagship Beirut campus.
In the past years SINARC has proved to be one of the best and most effective study abroad programs in the area of Arabic language and Middle Eastern culture, and we continue to forge ahead with this mission into the program’s eleventh year.
SINARC’s expertise and presence in the heart of the Lebanese capital city of Beirut are two valuable elements that blend to make the experience at the institute a memorable one. Previous international participants have included students from the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Belgium, England, France, Switzerland, Austria, Spain, Italy, Norway, Sweden, The Netherlands, Germany, Greece, Japan, Lebanon, Kuwait and Jordan, and have played a major role in facilitating a remarkable ambiance of cultural exchange in tune with Lebanese and Middle Eastern cultures.
The program has previously hosted many renowned visitors and well known authorities in various areas of expertise ranging from Arabic Language experts like among them was Dr. Mahmoud Al-Batal, author of the Al-Kitab fii Ta'allum al-'Arabiyya series; to Middle East Studies experts like Dr. Fawaz Trabulsi; on to the well known anchorman Dan Rather . This past summer we hosted a former SINARC student, who is now serving as the Cultural Attache’ at the US Embassy, for a special luncheon and an informative gathering. The Culture lecture by Tymour Guksel on the UN in South Lebanon was highly rated throughout the students’ evaluations.
Students attending this past session tended to look at the experience as a holistic one, where they enjoyed the learning of Modern Standard Arabic Language and the Lebanese dialect supplemented with sightseeing trips that extended from the hike to the highest peak in the Cedars of Lebanon, to the visits to various touristic attractions and special visits on the way with some of the local political figures making history in the country. A special trip did evolve after much hesitation was the trip to in Damascus, which concluded with an overnight and a tent and Bedouin evening in the beautiful ruins of Palmyra .
Sinarc staff and administration as well as the LAU family as a whole, were pleased to see sinarc 2007 conclude to its full potential, despite the regional and political tensions that existed in Region; and to see our students grow with their learning of the Language and the Culture.
Our faith in Lebanon remains strong, and we are always hopeful that we will go back to our former operation like in previous summers; when students representing some of the most renowned programs of Arabic language learning worldwide, have enjoyed unforgettable sessions. We will continue to offer classes of Standard Arabic along with daily Lebanese Dialect lessons, plus weekly lectures about Lebanese and Middle Eastern history and culture; adding to all this, the weekend visits to Lebanon’s touristic and recreational sites, which allows them to experience ancient history along with modern-day entertainment and fun!
We look forward to providing again a rich and diversified experience at SINARC in 2008 and to receiving your applications.
Mimi Milki Jeha, Ph.D.