the essential terminology of Egyptian Colloquial Arabic as use in daily Cairene life, and a lecture on the differences between the varieties of spoken Arabic dialects spoken throughout the Middle East and North Africa.

Following each class, students are taken out for excursions into areas of cultural

or historical importance in Egypt. Each trip highlights one of these elements as they relate to Egyptian culture in addition to their application to the context of the day’s Arabic lesson. Naturally, some of these excursions include such historic landmarks as the pyramids, the Sphinx, and Al –Azhar mosque; however, the program also exposes students to other, less well-known landmarks, such as Islamic Cairo, the Coptic neighborhood, the Resala orphanage, and many other areas of interest in Egypt, off the beaten path yet still of great cultural and historical significance.

Under the motto “Mutual Understanding through Mutual Educational Exchanges,” the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at Harvard University hopes to broaden the knowledge and exchange ideas betweens other cultures, and we at the Arabeya Association are proud to continue our role as hosts of this wonderful exchange!