Program Overview

The CLS Program in Amman, Jordan is hosted by the Jordan Language Academy (JLA). JLA is a private independent institution that aims at teaching Arabic language and culture to promote international and intercultural understanding. During the program, students will broaden their linguistic knowledge of Arabic while learning about Jordanian culture.

In the classroom, students will have an average of sixteen hours per week of instruction in Modern Standard Arabic (MSA), which will be supplemented with an average of four hours per week learning and mastering the Jordanian dialect. Students will also have the opportunity to learn linguistic skills in media Arabic and practice listening skills in the language learning lab. Coursework will cover the equivalent of one year of Arabic instruction at a U.S. institution.

Throughout the summer students will meet with Jordanian language partners in one-on-one meetings to practice their conversational Arabic skills. Students will have the opportunity to meet with a new language partner each week to challenge their speaking and listening skills. A majority of language partners at JLA are college level students who have graduated or who are in their final year. JLA also recruits their language partners from the local community, so students have a chance to speak with Jordanians who have worked in a variety of public and private sectors. Students will stay with local host families in Amman for the duration of the summer. Host families give students an opportunity to experience Jordanian culture while allowing them time to practice their Arabic skills outside the classroom. Host families will provide all meals to students during the week and on weekends. On class days students will pack their lunch at home and take it to the institute.