Modern Languages

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Faculties and schools_

Department of Arabic Language and Cultures

Exploring Arabic language and cultures

Understanding and appreciating Arabic language, Arab cultures and heritage. We open doors to a wealth of cultural, artistic and social enquiry.

We combine the study of Arabic language with subjects and research into the diverse cultures of the Arab world. With an emphasis on real-life language use, we enable students of all skill levels to communicate effectively with native speakers.

Our advanced cultural units equip students with a nuanced understanding of contemporary Arab societies in light of their history and the political and economic role they play on the global stage today.

Our study offering

Arabic Language and Cultures

Arabic is the fifth most widely spoken language in the world. It is one of the official languages of the United Nations and the religious language of 1.5 billion Muslims, as well as millions of Christians and Jewish people. Political and economic developments in the Arab world and parts of the Middle East have made understanding, speaking, reading and writing Arabic an increasingly valuable skill.

Undergraduate

*Available as a major and minor within the Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Economics and Bachelor of Visual Arts, as well as all combined Bachelor of Advanced Studies  degrees. 

Research

Our research

We conduct research in these key areas:

Arabic language and literature
Middle East Studies
Pedagogy
Translation from and into Arabic: translation theory and practice; the Qur'an translation; applied linguistics; contrastive analysis; comparative linguistics
Cross-cultural studies: Arab diasporas; orientalism; Arab-European encounters; Arab postcolonial identities
Gender and sexuality in Arab and Muslim societies
Muslim women and veiling; gender and women's history
Franco-Arab dialogues; medieval Arabic and French literature.

Learn more: Languages and cultures research

Our people

Academic staff

Key academic contacts

Undergraduate Coordinator: lucia.sorbera@sydney.edu.au
Honours and Postgraduate Research Coordinator: ali.aldahesh@sydney.edu.au 
Exchange Coordinator: nesrine.basheer@sydney.edu.au

Honorary Associate

Professor Larbi Sadiki, Qatar University

Visiting scholars

Dr Mark Ayyash, Mount Royal University
Dr Nicola Pratt, Warwick University

Events

UPDATE: In light of COVID-19 developments, please be advised this University event will no longer take place in the short term. Some of our events are transitioning to online, and these will be advertised accordingly. Let us know what event you're interested in via our online form, and we'll update you as the situation changes.

Learn more about the University’s advice regarding COVID-19 here.

Visit the School's Events calendar to see our full listing of upcoming events.

World Literatures and the Global South Conference

The third international congress of the World Literature Association on 'World Literatures and the Global South' was proudly hosted by the School of Languages and Cultures at the University of Sydney from 23–25 August 2019.

Co-convened with the Peking University Australian Studies Centre and the World Literature Association, this international conference engaged with literary production on and from the Global South in their own languages as well as in translation.

Learn more