Program Details
- Location:
- Amman, Jordan
- Program Type:
- Study Abroad
- Degree Level:
- Undergraduate
- Term:
- Academic Year, Fall Semester, Spring Semester, Summer
Program Overview
- Program Description:
- Sijal Institute is an Arabic Language Center located in Amman, Jordan. The institute provides first-rate language instruction for students of Arabic at all levels. Modern Standard Arabic is offered at Elementary, Intermediate, and Advanced levels as well as Colloquial Levantine Arabic. The Institute also acts as a hub of intellectual and cultural events, bringing together scholars, artists, and specialists across a broad range of expertise and disciplines, for seminars, workshops, exhibitions, and informal conversation.
Modern Standard Arabic/MSA (al-fuS-Haa) is taught as well as colloquial Levantine Arabic (al-3arabiyya al-mashriqiyya). This is the dialect spoken in Jordan, where Sijal is located, but also in Palestine, Syria, and Lebanon. Students with proficiency in colloquial Levantine Arabic are able to communicate across the Arab world. The curriculum is based on the best-selling series from Georgetown University Press, Al-Kitaab fii Tacallum al-cArabiyya (Brustad, Al-Batal, Al-Tonsi), the most widely used Arabic language textbooks in schools and universities in North America. These include online activities as well as extensive video and listening passages available on DVD and as audio files. The texts in the Al-Kitaab series are supplemented by colloquial passages and resources, as well as selections from Arabic language media and the internet, academia, literature, and the arts. Sijal offers courses over four terms: Spring, Intensive Summer I, Intensive Summer II, and Fall. Our Intensive Summer courses cover the same content as our Spring and Fall courses in a five-week period. The term dates for 2015: Spring: January 31 – May 21 Intensive Summer I: June 6 – July 9 Intensive Summer II: July 11 – August 20 Fall: September 5 – December 21
All our courses are taught by experienced and knowledgeable instructors. Our curriculum was carefully designed and closely overseen by advisors with extensive experience in Arabic instruction at New York University, Harvard University, and Dartmouth College. Qualified and approachable, our instructors craft personalized supervision in a friendly, open, and rigorous intellectual environment.
- Setting Description:
- The Institute is housed in a historic villa and gardens lying in the heart of the Rainbow Street cultural district of Amman. Immersion is reinforced by our location in a pedestrian neighborhood packed with local galleries, restaurants, and cafés, and with residents of all ages and walks of life. Architecturally, the house is a rare gem, built in the style characteristic of the earliest Ammani homes, with distinctive Jerusalemite and Damascene influences. It is made of thick, local limestone with large, sunlit windows. Its layout is archetypical of the era – rooms of equal size on each side that spill into the reception hall in the center of the house. The building now houses state-of-the-art facilities: seminar rooms fitted with purpose-designed classroom furniture, carefully allocated study areas, a well-stocked small library, and a comfortable common room whose membership is open to students and visiting scholars. The entire space is covered by the highest speed Wi-Fi connection avai
- Cost:
- The tuition fee for individual students is USD 2,000 per term. Special rates for universities, embassies and other organizations can be discussed directly with Sijal.
Program Reviews
Overall Rating
Based on 3 Reviews
- Excellent Coursework in a Beautiful Setting03/12/18
My favorite part of the Sijal Program is the amount of support you receive from every staff member and teacher at the Insitute. While the courses are intensive and require students to work hard, the small class sizes and focused personal attention means
that I got better every single day during my semester studying with Sijal. I highly recommend the program for students and professionals at all Arabic proficiency levels. Also, the institute is located in a beautiful old house in historic downtown - a great place to study and soak up the constant Amman sunshine.
read moreBottom Line:Yes, I would recommend this to a friend - The best Arabic language instruction I've received03/04/18
I have been studying Arabic for a little under three years. Over these five semesters, I've had the opportunity to study at a collegiate level in the United States, in an immersive program in Morocco and now here at Sijal Institute in Jordan. I can say,
with full confidence, that my studies at Sijal have been the best Arabic language experience I've ever had. From my acceptance to the institute I felt full support from Sijal's administrative team for my move to Jordan and that support has now extended into my time as a resident here. Both my Fusha and Ammiya classes are well organized and rigorous while also leaving room for course flexibility as per the pace and needs of the students (Al-Kitaab is used as a supporting text rather than the bulk of the teaching - hurrah!). I have been more than impressed by the instructors at Sijal who are professionally equipped with teaching, facilitation and advising capabilities both in and out of the classroom. If you are seeking Arabic learning instruction as a supplement to a work or intern experience I would also highly recommend Sijal. I am interning in a predominantly Arabic speaking office, which comes with a variety of linguistic challenges but the open door policies of Sijal's staff and instructors has allowed me to ask quick question and receive valuable advice bolstering my internship experience. No matter the level or circumstances in which you are in Jordan, I would highly recommend Sijal Institute to any Arabic learner.
read moreBottom Line:Yes, I would recommend this to a friend - Best language institute in Amman03/02/18
I highly recommend studying Arabic at Sijal. Their teachers are super competent, and the learning environment is really comfortable and engaging. But Sijal is also so much more than just a language center. They have managed to build a warm and inclusive
community around the institute, and their selection of eye-opening lectures and cultural activities offer an insight into the cultural and creative life of Amman. On top of all this, they have an incredibly friendly and helpful administration who is always there if you have any concerns or need any kind of advice related to your learning process.
read moreBottom Line:Yes, I would recommend this to a friend