Arabic Studies

The demand and interest in Arabic has increased over the past decade. Arabic is the language spoken by over 300 million people but is also the canonical language of Islam. Knowledge of Arabic is an asset to anyone who wants to understand the world today. It is important for those who study politics, business, and culture. With a major or a minor in Arabic studies, you will be at an advantage in a job market that values global awareness, communication skills, and the capacity to perform on an increasingly transnational stage. Arabic studies achieves this through an emphasis on critical thinking, a cross-cultural perspective, and more in-depth knowledge of the cultural and social patterns that have emerged from an area that has been at the crossroad between East and West. The program in Arabic studies at the University of Richmond not only provides you with opportunities to acquire advanced Arabic language skills, it also introduces you to Arab culture and history through courses on literature, film, and history of ideas.

Arabic studies majors complete nine units of coursework distributed between language and area studies; minors must complete five courses.

When students choose an interdisciplinary course taught in English, they are encouraged to add a Cultures and Languages Across the Curriculum component to the course.

All students must have satisfied their COM2 general education language requirements before beginning 300 level coursework.