As in the past, Arabic language instruction was intensive. The students spent 5 hours each day in the Arabic-only environment of the classroom, as well as working on their newly acquired skills outside class. The program's dedicated and experienced language teachers were available to students outside class time as well as in class. All of the students made significant progress in both standard Arabic and Moroccan dialect.
Besides the classes, the Language Program features lectures, in either
English or Arabic. During the summer program of 2004, the lecture program
included:
• Moroccan songs and musical context
• A talk on becoming a translator and experiences as a European woman
working in the Arab world
• History and demonstration of the Kanoun
• Occidental painters in Morocco from the 18-20th centuries
• The history of the American Legation Museum, presented by its director
Thor Kuniholm.
Other cultural activities included in the program were extremely varied and
included all of the following:
• Attendance of a public concert by a very popular
Moroccan music group
• Demonstration and lecture on traditional crafts in Morocco
• A traditional Moroccan musician
demonstrated various musical styles
• A “hannaya” who applied the traditional henna designs to the
hands and ankles of the women students.
• Two different professional calligraphers who came several times to
demonstrate the different calligraphic styles of Arabic script, and to help
the students learn to letter in the style of their choice
• Shopping expeditions as a group to the old city of Tangier, and dinner
in a simple workingman's restaurant there
• Weekly Arabic films
• Several informal outings to eat or take refreshment in the Medina
• Cultural show including Berber
musicians, Andalusian musicians, demonstration of Berber wedding
ceremony, and traditional dancers.
• The American Legation Museum and its director had a warm welcome for
the AIMS students, who were invited not only to use the museum's extensive
research facilities, but also to enjoy the view and refreshments on the
museum's roof terrace.
The summer Arabic program included one long and two short organized trips in 2004. The first trip was a day trip to Chefchaoun, a historic village that is part of UNESCO's world heritage program. Transportation was by chartered bus. A guide showed the students the village and explained its history.
The second organized trip was to Fez, where the students dined in a traditional “palace” restaurant and saw a cultural show, after an extensive tour of historical architecture not open to the public.
The third organized trip was again by train, to the art center of Asila. This historic port, formally Portuguese, features distinctive architecture and is small enough to visit in one day. The city was preparing for its annual international art festival, and the students could see artists working on the famous murals in the Medina that change every year for this event. In addition, the students enjoyed the clean and uncrowded beaches before returning to Tangier late in the day.
In addition to the trips outside Tangier, the program included several outings within the city itself. One was to a very beautiful isolated private beach, formerly owned by friends of Paul Bowles. Another outing was to show the students around the Casbah, the Medina and the main part of downtown Tangier. A third outing was to introduce the students to the challenges of shopping by bargaining in the Medina.
In 2005, we hope to have even more students.The program will continue to offer excellent language instruction by experienced professors, a strong cultural component and an interesting travel itinerary.
Driss Cherkaoui, Ph.D.
Director, AIMS summer language program 2004
http://faculty.wm.edu/dxcher
For information on applying to study at the 2004 Tangier Summer Arabic Language Program, see the AIMS website at http://www.la.utexas.edu/research/mena/aims