Students of Arabic on the Arabic Overseas Flagship Capstone Program recently returned from a weekend excursion to Asilah, Tangier, and Tetouan on Morocco's Atlantic coast for the Eid El-Fitr holiday, which marks the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.
The Flagship Program has an ambitious goal for its students: professional proficiency in a critical language upon completion of the program. American Councils administers Overseas Flagship Programs for Arabic, Chinese, Russian, Swahili and Turkish. Flagship students go beyond what can be accomplished in the college classroom through intensive language study at a Flagship-designated university in the US, followed by an immersion year abroad called a capstone year. By the end of the capstone year, participants aim to achieve a level of Professional Working Proficiency (Level 3) on the US Interagency Language Roundtable Scale.
Excursions always relate to the Flagship program, enhancing the academic experience for participants. On a recent excursion to the North of Morocco, the Capstone students were split into three smaller groups, each one corresponding to a city on this excursion's itinerary. Each group then researched and presented to their peers on a specific topic such as modern history, demographics, or economics of their assigned city in Arabic, of course. The presentations not only allowed other students to learn more about these fascinating and historically important cities, but also provided another opportunity for polishing their presentation skills in Arabic.
In addition to language goals for the immersive year abroad, the Flagship Program emphasizes the importance of cultural competency so that graduates can truly become global professionals. Participating in cultural activities and excursions in addition to living with host families and speaking with language partners plays an important role in helping participants learn more about Moroccan history, society, and culture.
The inclusion of Arabic instructors, staff members, language partners, and Moroccan friends on excursions enables students to speak Arabic a key component in achieving their language goals.
About the Arabic Overseas Flagship Program
The Flagship Program helps learners of critical languages move beyond what can be accomplished in the classroom through intensive language study at a Flagship university in the US, followed by an immersive Capstone Year abroad.
For Arabic students, the Capstone Year in Morocco is open to advanced-level students who have completed the Flagship Program in the US While overseas, the students receive intensive small group language instruction, enroll directly at a Moroccan university, intern at local organizations, live with host families, and meet regularly with language partners. And, of course, their year abroad would not be complete without cultural activities and excursions to help participants truly experience the culture, further enabling students to reach Professional Working Proficiency by the end of their time abroad.
Learn more about the Arabic Overseas Flagship Program.