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: 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

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 1, 2021 – Online seminar series

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

22 April | Paola Rivetti – Political Participation in Iran from Khatami to the Green Movement
6 May | Mariam Farida – Religion and Hezbollah: Political Ideology and Legitimacy
13 May | Maria Frederika Malmström – The Streets Are Talking to Me: Affective Fragments in Sisi’s Egypt
20 May | Safdar Ahmed – Still Alive: Notes from Australia’s Immigration Detention System
27 May | Samuli Schielke – Migrant Dreams: Egyptian Workers in the Gulf States