Program Structure

The Madaba Arabic institute covers approximately one academic year of university-level Arabic coursework during the eight-week program. It is designed to meet the needs of students from a variety of language levels and backgrounds, from first year students to advanced learners.

Formal classroom language instruction is provided for an average of four hours per day, five days per week, with a minimum of 20 hours per week of classroom instruction. The instruction will be balanced between Modern Standard Arabic (16-hours a week) and the Jordanian dialect (4-hours a week). Students will also have regular one-on-one meetings with language partners for conversational practice, as well as cultural activities and excursions designed to expand students’ understanding of Jordanian life and culture within the broader tapestry of the Arab world.

Madaba, the City of Mosaics, is 40 minutes south of Amman. It is a pleasant, relaxed, tolerant and easy-going town well known for its Byzantine Mosaics. The city is a perfect location for exploring the many neighboring cities and towns nearby, and Jordan as a whole, with many of the great sites of the country within easy reach.

Students will stay with host families for the duration of the summer. All meals will be provided by the host family.

The CLS Madaba Institute will be hosted by the Jordan Language Academy. Jordan Language Academy is an institution based in Amman, Jordan that strives for excellence and has a high standard of education.

The program provided by JLA includes both language and culture. Language programs include developing the four basic skills of reading, writing, speaking and listening. Additionally, JLA is a private independent institution that aims at teaching Arabic language and culture to promote international and intercultural understanding. The goal of the curriculum will be to provide students with all the available resources of knowledge to deepen their cultural and linguistic knowledge.

Language Levels Offered:

• Advanced Beginning: Minimum requirement: completion of one year of college-level Arabic, or its equivalent, prior to the start of the program.
• Intermediate: Minimum requirement: completion of two years of college-level Arabic, or its equivalent, prior to the start of the program.
• Advanced: Minimum requirement: completion of three years of college-level Arabic, or its equivalent, prior to the start of the program.