The programme of Arabic in the Department of Arabic and Near Eastern Studies (formerly the Department of Arabic) within the Faculty of Arts is being given a new impetus within the context of Arabic culture and language.

Prospective candidates of this department are now also being offered a new degree in Near Eastern Studies. Courses in the respective languages and civilisations are offered in both degree programmes, with the main emphasis on the former.

The language courses purport to bring students into direct contact with the languages concerned via training in grammar, general philology and literary works in the original version.

On the other hand, the civilisation courses are aimed at providing the students with an overview of various cultural aspects, such as archaeology, history, religion and literature, of Semitic and other Near Eastern societies.

Students are expected to boost the courses on civilization with a good amount of personal background reading.

The three main courses included under this department are: Arabic, Near Eastern Studies and the Arabic and Hebrew languages. The undergraduate degree programmes in Arabic [BA and BA (Hons)] consist of courses in Arabic language and literature, as well as on Islamic history and civilization.

Students will be offered the opportunity to deal with various types of Arabic, including Classical Arabic and various Arabic dialects. However, the main emphasis lies on Modern Standard Arabic, and students are expected to be proficient in this type of Arabic by the end of their course.

The undergraduate degrees [BA and BA (Hons)] in Near Eastern Studies are based on a core component of Arabic and North-West Semitic (for example, Classical Hebrew, Phoenician and Punic), together with archaeology and general cultural courses on the Near East (mainly the Ancient Near East), and the Islamic world.

The language courses in these degree programmes are shared mainly between Arabic and Hebrew: the former will be largely Modern Standard Arabic, whereas the latter will be mainly Classical Hebrew and postgraduate degrees.

Students can pursue postgraduate research both in Arabic and in Near Eastern Studies leading to an MA, M.Phil. and Ph.D., provided the available staff have the necessary expertise in the proposed research topic.

Students from the fields of Maltese, archaeology, history, theology, linguistics and communications would find both Arabic and Near Eastern Studies a very congenial other area of study or a source of several study units that would enhance their main field of study.

The two tracks of degrees offered in this department could be profitable for future careers in the academic, diplomatic and business spheres.

The department also organises a two-year part-time day course. For more information contact Professor Anthony J. Frendo on 2340-2300 or e-mail: anthony.frendo@um.edu.mt and Dr Martin Zammit on 2340-3081 or e-mail: martin.zammit@um.edu.mt. Website: http://home.um.edu.mt/arnes/.

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