Why Study Arabic
Demanding as it is, Arabic is a rewarding and enjoyable language once you begin to learn it. In addition to being a vital tool for un-media-ted understanding of global cultural dynamics and socio-political connections between the US, Europe, and the Arab-Islamic world, Arabic is indeed one of the five official languages of the United Nations. Not only is Arabic the language of pre-Islamic poetry, of the Qur’an, and of classical Islamic tradition and art, but Arabic is also spoken in 22 countries with different dialects by millions of people, both Muslims and non-Muslims, in many parts of the world including North Africa, the Middle East, and in Asia. San Francisco State’s commitment to Arabic not only meets our community needs, given the high percentage of Arab immigrants in the Bay Area and the pluralistic campus community where Arabic is spoken everywhere from Café Rosso to César Chavez, but learning Arabic today satisfies universal market and career demands and fills in a significant gap in educational institutes worldwide.