Community for Students

Join our “Arabic Family” at the U of A and have fun learning the language while preparing for an extraordinary career. Read about us in this recent article in the UA Traveler (November 2021). “UA Arabic Program: A Tightly-Bonded Community.” Check out this video told through the eyes of our amazing UA Arabic students.

 

Innovative Courses

• Intensive language courses for rapid learning & close-knit relationships.
• 18 hours of Honors sections available (ARAB 2016H, ARAB 3016H, ARAB 4016H). Check out some samples of student work on our YouTube channel.
• Levantine Dialect & Egyptian Dialect. Iraqi Dialect coming soon! Learn to communicate in Colloquial Arabic with native speakers from around the Arab world.
• Arab Culture & Civilization – 4000-level for upperclassmen – plus a new One-Credit 8 Week 2 1000-level course for any level “Around the Arab World in 8 Days.”
• Online Elementary Arabic I
• New courses developed annually

 

BA Program

• Major and Minor programs and Additional Major in Arabic for non-Arts & Sciences Students available. Check out this video salute to our first ARABBA graduates.
• Co-Major in Middle East Studies to access exciting events, cultural activities, and generous MEST Undergraduate (up to $10,000/year) and Study Abroad ($1,500/summer) scholarships.

 

Cultural & Professional Opportunities on Campus and Beyond

• Salaam wa Kalaam (Arabic Conversation Table), Nadi Cinema, Arab Culture Nights and other activities run by the newly formed Arab Student Association (RSO).
• Exciting Study Abroad opportunities. With so many opportunities available through MEST and the Honors College, virtually every Arabic student has the chance to enhance their Arabic studies with a summer, semester, or year-long study abroad experience, with full funding. Studying abroad can be transformative for your language abilities and personal growth.
• Professional & Academic Opportunities for Arabic Speakers

 

Current Students & Alumni – Featured on Instagram

• Caroline Adkins & Sam Mosher – Arabic-MEST co-majors with MEST Scholarships
• Sarah Falknor – Arabic-Spanish double-major; on a year-long study abroad program in Granada studying Spanish and Arabic; (link to social media post) 
• Jessi Amason – BA Arabic & Anthropology (2021) studied abroad in Jordan; is currently putting her amazing language skills to use teaching English in Spain. 
• Zac Smith – BA Arabic & Business (2020) earned two prestigious Critical Language Scholarships as an undergrad. During his time in our program, Zac was able to gain proficiency in THREE dialects – Levantine, Egyptian, and Moroccan, before being offered a consulting job in Dubai.

Contact: Dr. Paula Haydar (phaydar@uark.edu)

Arabic Program Page

Cherokee is a new language offering at the University of Arkansas.  We are completing our second semester this Spring of 2022 and hope to expand our offerings of this great language beginning in Fall 2022.  Currently courses are taught by Mr. Lawrence Panther, a member of Cherokee Nation and a fluent speaker of Cherokee.  As this program grows, we hope to expand our opportunities to interact with Cherokee Nation and also expand our offerings within our Indigenous Studies Program and Minor. 

 

Contact: Dr. Linda C. Jones (lcjones@uark.edu)

Degree Programs

The University of Arkansas offers a Chinese minor.

Courses

Fall:

• CHIN 1003 - Elementary Chinese I
• CHIN 2003 - Intermediate Chinese I
• CHIN 3003 - Advanced Chinese
• CHIN 3103 - Chinese Culture and Films
• CHIN 4333 - Business Chinese Language: Speaking & Writing

Spring:

• CHIN 1013 - Elementary Chinese II
• CHIN 2013 - Intermediate Chinese II
• CHIN 3033 - Conversational Chinese
• CHIN 3983 - Advanced Modern Chinese: Modern Literature & Newspaper Readings
• CHIN 4313 - China Society and Culture

 

Innovative Courses taught in English with no requirement of Chinese language skills:

• CHIN 3103 Chinese Culture through Film
• CHIN 4313: Culture and Society in China

 

Minor in Chinese with a Business Orientation

In order to fulfill the requirements of Chinese Minor with a Business Orientation, students who have completed two years of Chinese basic language courses (CHIN1003 to CHIN2013) must complete extra five upper-level Chinese courses (15 credit hours) listed below with a minimum grade of “C” for each course to earn a Chinese Minor.

Requirements (12 credit hours):

• CHIN 3003 Advanced Chinese (Fall)  
• CHIN 3033 Chinese Conversation       (Spring)
• CHIN 3103 Chinese Culture through Film (taught in English)   (Fall)
• CHIN 4333 Business Chinese Language   (Fall)

Electives (3 credit hours):

• CHIN 3983 Special Studies: Chinese Modern Literature & Newspaper Readings
  (Chinese Language Course)    (Spring)
• CHIN 4313 Culture and Society in China (taught in English) (Spring)

In some cases, elective courses may be adjusted to the individual needs of the candidate with the permission of the Chinese adviser. Contact: Jenny Xu, Head of the Chinese Program, 575-2949, KH 421, xu@uark.edu

 

Free Assisted Learning Services for the Students of the Chinese Program

Chinese Language Lab (Free Homework & Speaking & Listening & Reading & Writing Tutoring Service): This is a free assisted learning service that provides various help for all-level students of the Chinese Program. The lab schedules are on Tuesdays and Thursdays in each semester. Students who often used the service agreed that the environment was study-oriented, their questions were answered, their grades were improved, and their motivation to learn Chinese increased.

 

Faculty-Led Study Abroad Program (may continue offering in 2023)

U of A faculty-led: intensive Mandarin study in summer at Nanjing University of the Arts in China.

 

Scholarships & Fellowships

• Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) 
• Blakemore Fellowships
• Boren Scholarship for Study Abroad
• Critical Language Scholarship Program
• Freeman Award for Study in Asia

 

Contact: Jenny Xu (xu@uark.edu)

Chinese Program Page

Contact: Dr. Daniel Levine (dlevine@uark.edu)

Classics Program Page

Community

Join la Table Française, the French conversation club, every week to meet new friends and practice your French skills over snacks and coffee! Click here for more information.

 

Degree Programs

The University of Arkansas offers a French major and minor.

At the graduate level, we also offer a Master of Arts in French. Qualified graduate students are eligible for teaching assistantships. For more information, visit our website or contact graduate advisor Dr. Hope Christiansen (hopec@uark.edu).

 

Why Study French?

Our students come from diverse backgrounds and contribute their own unique experiences to the enrichment of our program.

Hear in their own words why they chose to study French:

 

Innovative Courses

We strongly promote the study of Francophone literature, language, and culture, emphasizing proficiency in listening, speaking, writing, and reading. Our courses focus on communicative precision (such as in our Phonetics course), on real-world applicability of the French language (Business French), as well as on the diversity of French-language voices around the world (Studies in Francophone Literature, Cultural Readings, and a course on Francophone Jewish writers). In addition to communication skills, our students also learn transferable skills such as critical thinking, problem solving, analysis, and writing, which they can apply to their other classes and to life beyond the university.

 

Study Abroad

We are pleased to offer a summer study abroad program in Perpignan, France, for intermediate and advanced students of French. Immerse yourself in French culture and language as you discover the sandy beaches and rugged mountains of the Languedoc-Roussillon region of southern France! For more information, visit our website.

 

Professional Opportunities

Students in STEM will be interested in French+Sciences, an immersion program offered through Campus France. For more information, click here.

Interested in teaching? Some of our alumni have received assistantships through TAPIF, the Teaching Assistant Program in France, where, after graduating from the U of A, they taught English in metropolitan France as well as France d’outre-mer.

 

Contact: Dr. Kathy Comfort (kcomfort@uark.edu)

French Program Page

Study Abroad: Exchanges

Direct exchanges allow students to trade places with students at institutions abroad, thereby significantly reducing study abroad costs. Students take real university courses with native speakers and live in dormitories. The U of A offers three direct exchanges in German-speaking countries: Regensburg, Graz, and Darmstadt.  You can read more about each here.

 

Study Abroad: Special Programs

The DAAD (German Academic Exchange Program) offers over 200 courses each summer on special topics in every major.  A few examples are: Modern Methods in Infection Biology, Animals in German Literature/Culture/Society, Architecture in Berlin, and Automation and Simulation.  There are also scholarships available to pay for these courses.  

 

Work/Research Abroad

RISE lets students get paid to research in a doctoral lab in Germany over the summer. Students double majoring or minoring in German have completed a number of internships over the years at companies like Mercedes and BMW and in positions like marketing at a Berlin startup or hospitality management at a medieval hotel/restaurant.  Talk to Dr. Condray about how you can find these jobs and earn co-op and language credit.

 

Careers in Germany

Watch for the annual Careers in German meeting, held every fall in which we discuss possible career paths and ways to make your resume more competitive; you can also take GERM 4333 (Professional German) that includes projects like mock interviews and exploring working culture in Germany.  The German government has created a whole website that explains all the steps to getting a job in Germany from finding openings to applying for a visa to securing housing, and it has interviews with professionals from around the world who have moved to Germany.  

 

Graduate School in Germany

The DAAD has resources about graduate programs abroad: a database that lets you find all the regular subjects and some unusual fields (like 3D Animation for Films and Games, Brewing and Beverage Technology, Accordion), scholarship opportunities, and a step-by-step guide.  

 

Contact: Dr. Kathleen Condray (condray@uark.edu)

German Program Page

Study Abroad: Italian Classes at The Rome Center

The Rome Center offers Italian classes at all levels and gives students the opportunity to fulfill internships or researchships in many fields. You can read more about these opportunities here: https://romecenter.uark.edu/.

 

Internship Opportunities in the US

The Italian Program offers students the opportunity to experience in-person internships with Italian organization in the US, as well as virtual internships with institutions and organizations in Italy. Opportunities are open to everyone, but students enrolled in the course ITAL 4333 Italian for Business will be better prepared.

 

Job Opportunities Abroad: SITE Program

The Site Program offers recent graduates from the University of Arkansas the opportunity to become teaching assistants in secondary schools in the Lombardy region, in the north of Italy, for one school year. You can read more about this opportunity here: https://siteprogram.wixsite.com/site.

 

Innovative Teaching: Virtual Reality and International Business

Students will have the opportunity to engage with Virtual Reality in intermediate levels of instruction of the Italian language (ITAL 2003-2013). Italian for International Business (ITAL 4333) offers students the opportunity to engage with specialized vocabulary and practices in the business world.

 

Italian for Romance Language Speakers

Starting Fall 2022, speakers of romance languages could take two accelerated courses of Italian (6 credits) covering the beginning and intermediate levels of instruction (ITAL 1113-2113). This way, students will be able to fulfill four language courses in two semesters.

 

Contact: Dr. Ryan Calabretta-Sajder (calabret@uark.edu)

Italian Program Page

 

Contact: Dr. Tatsuya Fukushima (tatsuya@uark.edu)

Japanese Program Page

Study Abroad

Portuguese students can study abroad in Brazil with USAC or Portugal with CIEE. Information about these programs can be found in the Office of Study Abroad website. Students should also consider applying for study abroad programs run by other US universities. For more information, contact the Portuguese Program director.

 

Education

• The Organization of American States (OAS) offers scholarships to students from its 40 member countries to complete a master’s and/or doctoral program in a Brazilian federal university. More info at http://www.oas.org/en/scholarships/brazil.asp
• Peace Corps. Students can take Portuguese classes to fulfill the language requirements of their Peace Corps Prep Program, which is a certificate offered by the Office of Study Abroad.

 

Jobs and Internships

• Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship. This is a great opportunity for students from any major to gain professional experience and to learn more about Portuguese-speaking cultures in Brazil, Portugal, and Mozambique. Speaking Portuguese adds a great deal to the applicant’s profile. More information at https://us.fulbrightonline.org/about/fulbright-us-student-program
• Boren Awards for International study. This program offers scholarships for up to 12 months to American students who want to enhance their Portuguese language skills abroad. More information at http://www.borenawards.org/
• Kathryn Davis fellowships at Middlebury College. This fellowship provides funds for studying Portuguese at Middlebury College over the summer. For more information, go to http://www.middlebury.edu/ls/finaid/fellowships/kwd
• Brazil Institute at the Woodrow Wilson Center for Scholars in Washington, DC. Internships can be done in the spring, fall, and summer. For more information, go to https://www.wilsoncenter.org/opportunity/internships-the-brazil-institute-0
• Jobs and internship opportunities at international organizations. Speaking Portuguese can be of great advantage when applying for jobs and/or internships with the US Government (Foreign Service, State Department, etc.), World Bank, Organization of American States - OAS, International Monetary Fund – IMF, Inter-American Development Bank – AIDB, United Nations – UN, EU – European Union, and so on.

 

Contact: Dr. Edvan Brito (brito@uark.edu)

Portuguese Program Page

Study Abroad

In the current political situation, it is better to go to Central Asia or to the Baltics (Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania) to study Russian:

• SRAS offers very affordable language programs in Russia, Georgia, Poland, Ukraine, and Central Asia: https://sras.heiapply.com/search.php?filter=level&search=&level_id=106
• In the past, students went to St. Petersburg with the A.I.F.S. (American Institute for Foreign Study). The program was suspended because of the pandemic: https://english.spbstu.ru/ and to Moscow with CIEE: https://www.ciee.org/go-abroad/college-study-abroad
• Daugavpils, Lithuania: https://www.learnrussianineu.com/semester-abroad-programs

 

Intensive Summer Language Programs in the U.S.

• The University of Pittsburgh’s Summer Language Institute offers partial scholarships. Several students have attended it: https://www.sli.pitt.edu/content/welcome-summer-language-institute
• The Indiana University Summer Language Program offers the FLAS scholarship: https://www.sli.pitt.edu/content/welcome-summer-language-institute
• The University of Wisconsin-Madison: https://wisli.wisc.edu/
• The Arizona State University: https://melikian.asu.edu/cli/russian

 

Education

• Two former students pursued a Master’s Degree in Economics from the Higher School of Economics in Moscow: https://www.hse.ru/en/
• Russian Alumni

 

Teach English Abroad

• One student taught English in Georgia (the Caucasus Mountain region): http://www.tlg.gov.ge/
• Fulbright English Teaching Assistant. You have to apply when you are a senior: https://us.fulbrightonline.org/about/fulbright-us-student-program

 

Scholarships

• The Critical Language Scholarship requires two semesters of Russian: https://clscholarship.org/ 
• The Boren Scholarship: http://www.borenawards.org/
• Gilman: https://www.gilmanscholarship.org/program/critical-need-languages/ 

Contact: Dr. Nadja Berkovich (nadezdab@uark.edu)

Russian Program Page

Contact: Dr. Luis Restrepo (lrestr@uark.edu)

Spanish Program Page