Coronavirus Information
Until further notice, the University of Arizona, in accordance with the guidelines recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, encourages all employees to work remotely. Our office in 440 Marshall Building is closed to the public, but you can reach the School of Middle Eastern & North African Studies, Monday–Friday 8am-5pm:
- Director: Ben Fortna bcfortna@arizona.edu 520-873-7008
- Program Coordinator: Sergio Cañez canez@arizona.edu 520-260-0837
- Administrative Assistant: Randa Abdu randaabdu@arizona.edu 520-561-2098
Get COVID-19 updates and information for the University of Arizona community. Also, see SBS resources for continuing instruction and learning.
Linguistics of Middle Eastern Languages Track
The track provides training in research methods and analysis, and features discussions on current debates on Middle Eastern languages and their varieties within regional and national contexts.
About the Track
The Ph.D. program in the linguistics of Middle Eastern languages accommodates students interested in Ph.D. research and students with primary interest in language pedagogy. The track is designed for students interested in the following specializations:
- Empirical analysis of the phonology, morphology, or syntax of Middle Eastern languages
- Regional and social varieties of Middle Eastern languages
- Middle Eastern languages in social and political contexts
- Historical and contemporary study of Middle Eastern languages
Required Courses
You will complete the core Ph.D. major requirements, and the following requirements:
Cultural Component (6 units)
Choose two of the following (One three-unit course may serve to satisfy the gender/society requirement above):
- Sociolinguistics- Language & Society of the Middle East
- Cultural Anthropology
- Survey-of-Middle-Eastern-Languages
Basic/Theoretical linguistics component (15 units)
- Linguistics 503: Syntax I
- Linguistics 510: Phonology I
- Linguistics 535: Morphology
- Structure Courses - Choose two of the following structure courses:
- New course: Structure of Near Eastern Languages
- Courses in Arabic, Hebrew, Persian and Turkish Linguistics
- TAFL: Teaching Arabic as a Foreign Language, to be cross-listed with SLAT and Linguistics
- A teaching methods course with emphasis on Less Commonly Taught Languages
Research Component (6 units)
- Prelim course (3 units)
- Qualifying paper credits (3 units)
Seminars (6 units)
Take 2 seminar courses:
- Structure of Iranian languages
- Structure of Hebrew
- Arabic dialects
- Diglossia
- Jewish languages
- Issues in language politics (possibly Language Planning and Policy LRC 795)
- Language and Gender
- Gender across disciplines (MENA 640)
- Philosophy of language
Minor (9 units)
Can be in Linguistics, MENA, SLAT, Anthropology, LRC, or any related field approved by the Graduate Committee.
Questions?
Contact Professor Samira Farwaneh (farwaneh@email.arizona.edu) for more information.