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Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

An Arabic, tiled mural featuring a star in the centre, with concentric shapes spreading out.

Facts & figures

Modern Languages

#1 in NSW
2021 QS World University Rankings

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 coursework, postgraduate research and Honours: lucia.sorbera@sydney.edu.au
Exchange: ali.aldahesh@sydney.edu.au

Honorary Associate

Professor Larbi Sadiki, Qatar University

Visiting scholars

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

Events

See our school's calendar for a full listing of upcoming events.

AraBooks: Literature, politics, society and the arts from the Arab world, the Middle East and its diasporas

AraBooks is our seminar series of curated talks presented by scholars, writers and artists whose scholarship and artistic productions focus on the Arab World, the Middle East and its diasporas. Each semester we explore a thematic thread through the discussion of a series of books in conversation with their authors.

Semester 2, 2021

Gender and Politics in the Arab World

15 September | Sherine Hamdy – Lissa: A Story about Medical Promise, Friendship, and Revolution
23 September | Nicola Pratt – Embodying Geopolitics: Gender and Women’s Activism in Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon
21 October | Bahia Shehab – You Can Crush the Flowers: A Visual Memoir of the Egyptian Revolution
4 November | Liyana Kayali – Palestinian Women and Popular Resistance: Perceptions, Attitudes and Strategies

Semester 1, 2021

What is politics? Spaces, actors and bodies in the Middle East and its diasporas

Arabic Language and Cultures

Find out more about the major

Languages at Sydney event

Get a taste of Arabic with us

Department Chair

Dr Lucia Sorbera

Visit Dr Sorbera's academic profile

Contact

Phone

1800 SYD UNI (1800 793 864) (in Australia)
+61 2 8627 1444 (outside Australia)

Email

slc.enquiries@sydney.edu.au

Address

School of Languages and Cultures, Room 506, Brennan MacCallum Building A18, The University of Sydney NSW 2006

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Current students

Study information, prizes, scholarships and opportunities

Student portal (Canvas)

Featured news

Stained glass window of the Quadrangle

Celebrating student success in languages and cultures

The School of Languages and Cultures hosted its 2021 Awards Ceremony to recognise 136 students for their outstanding performance in the academic years of 2019 and 2020.

16 December 2020

Bird's eye view of the University's Quadrangle and surrounding buildings on campus

Recognising high-achieving students in language and culture studies

The School of Languages and Cultures congratulates 75 students who have received scholarships and prizes in 2020.

11 November 2020

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How languages help you stand out from the crowd

From law to tech, public health to environmental policy, catch up with some of our language graduates who are making an impact across various fields in Australia and beyond.

09 September 2020

Collage of eight language students from the University of Sydney

Learning languages at Sydney

At the University of Sydney, we teach languages through cultures. From extracurricular enrichment to scholarship support, our students share some highlights and key opportunities from their language learning experience.

Vice-Chancellor Dr Michael Spence and students in the University's Quadrangle

Learning languages opens our minds

Vice-Chancellor and Principal at the University of Sydney, Dr Michael Spence, recently graduated with a Diploma of Languages (Korean Studies) at the very university he leads.

Colourful assortment of world flags with poles stuck into a sun-lit concrete bluish-grey wall

How studying languages can expand your world

In this interconnected era, cross-cultural and multilingual skills are integral to navigating the world around us. We talk with two of our former students who are making their mark through languages.

Sandstone building of the University of Sydney's Quadrangle with purple Australian native flowers in the foreground

Five minutes with Yixu Lu

In the lead up to the University's first multilingual conference on world literature, we speak with Professor Yixu Lu, convenor of the World Literatures and Global South Conference, about the cultural and linguistic diversity of international literary works.

19 February 2019

Minister Ray Williams (far right) with the first graduating cohort of volunteer teachers from NSW community language schools.

Community languages institute celebrates first graduating cohort

The Sydney Institute for Community Languages Education (SICLE) - a partnership between the University of Sydney and New South Wales Department of Education - has celebrated its first graduating cohort.

18 September 2018

Celebrating the 40th anniversary of Edward Said's Orientalism

Four decades ago, Edward Said released Orientalism, a book that transformed the study of the non-West and pioneered entirely new fields of academic enquiry. Whether Said is considered a beacon or provocateur, academics from all over the world have been touched by his work and ideas.