Program Overview

The CLS Program in Ibri, Oman is hosted by the Noor Majan Training Institute. The institute offers a high quality learning experience in an encouraging and interactive environment. Throughout the summer, students will experience a challenging academic program while gaining valuable insight into Oman’s unique culture.

Throughout the program, students will have opportunities to learn Arabic both inside the classroom and in an immersive cultural setting. 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 working on the Omani Dialect. Additionally, students will have the opportunity to work on media Arabic skills for several hours each week. Coursework will cover the equivalent of one year of Arabic instruction at a U.S. institution.

In addition to formal classwork, students will have scheduled hours each week with language partners in one-on-one sessions designed to give opportunities for additional speaking practice with their Omani peers. Omani language partners will give students greater access to the local Omani community in a way that offers insights into cultural norms and customs. Students will live in the Noor Majan Training Institute dormitories throughout the program, but they will visit with their language partner’s family and an Omani host family on three weekends. During the summer, students will participate in extracurricular activities and excursions to other parts of Oman. In the past, students have had the opportunity to participate in an Arabic language table with Ibri citizens and activists, visit an Omani date farm, learn Arabic calligraphy skills, as well as participate in cultural activities with members of the host community. All of the activities provided by NMTI will give students a basis for understanding the wide breadth of Omani culture.