<p>Hey,</p>
<p>For anyone who has taken Arabic at Princeton, how strong is the department? Were there course offering the the various dialects (Levantine, Egyptian, etc.)?</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>Here’s one ranking source for graduate programs. I can’t vouch for it but I can say that Princeton has a long history of excellence in this area of language and literature studies. In an area like this the undergraduate program quality probably closely tracks the graduate program quality since the departments are small and the same professors teach both graduate and undergraduate courses:</p>
<p>[Best</a> Arabic Language and Literature Degrees. Compare, reviews & ratings.](<a href=“http://colleges.findthebest.com/d/o/Arabic-Language-and-Literature]Best”>http://colleges.findthebest.com/d/o/Arabic-Language-and-Literature)</p>
<p>(Once on the website, click twice on the “Smart Ranking” to put universities in proper rank order starting with #1.)</p>
<p>Ranking of Arabic Language and Literature Programs</p>
<p>1—Princeton
2—Harvard
3—Yale
4—Stanford
5—Columbia
6—MIT
7—Caltech
8—Williams
9—Pomona
10—U. of Chicago</p>
<p>Here’s a link to Princeton’s Department of Near Eastern Studies:</p>
<p>[Department</a> of Near Eastern Studies](<a href=“http://www.princeton.edu/nes/]Department”>Department of Near Eastern Studies)</p>
<p>“The Department of Near Eastern Studies has been a leader in the study of the Middle East since 1927 when it was founded as the Department of Oriental Languages and Literatures. While traditionally the strength of the department has been in the medieval and pre-modern studies of the geographical area that includes the Arab lands, Iran, Israel, and Turkey, greater emphasis has been given more recently to the modern Muslim world in its entirety, including the Caucasus, Central Asia, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. This development recognizes the many interconnections of the Muslim ecumene and enables NES to offer its students an interdisciplinary program of studies that breaks out of the artificial constraints imposed by the traditional geographical focus.</p>
<p>For undergraduates, the Department of Near Eastern Studies offers both a liberal arts concentration (“major”) designed to give students competence in a Near Eastern language and a broad knowledge of the civilizations, history, and literatures of the ancient, medieval, and modern Near East and beyond, and the option of earning a Certificate in Language and Culture, thus documenting advanced language and cultural proficiency. For undergraduates who do not wish to major in NES but nonetheless would like to combine the study of the modern and contemporary Near East with a social science or other discipline, there is the option of enrolling in the Program in Near Eastern Studies for an NEP Certificate. . . (continued)”</p>
<p>I hope this helps.</p>
<p>Thanks! That is exactly what I was looking for.</p>
<p>It’s really good. Very challenging, but rewarding.</p>
<p>Aiwa.
10char</p>