• Expand the knowledge of the students in the Arabic language and related fields.
  • Enable the students to understand various approaches of classical critics and modern researchers to the history of the Arabic language and grammar.
  • Provide the students with tools for analyzing various kinds of literary texts and literary phenomena.
  • Provide the students with the appropriate knowledge concerning different genres and schools known in the research of Arabic language and literature.
  • Introduce the students to the various fields of Islamic studies.

 Since some of the courses are conducted in Hebrew, students who are interested in registering to the department are required to have a basic knowledge in Hebrew.

BA Program Structure

In the BA Program students are required to accumulate 60 credits; 56 credits from the department (of Arabic Language and Literature) and 4-point ex-department credits from the faculty of Humanities' program called "Mindscapes" (These courses, dealing with cultural heritage, are designed to offer students a humanistic view of the world and develop their critical thinking ability and conceptual and linguistic skills).

The BA program is structured so that students should finish their studies within six semesters, i.e., three years. Each semester includes about 10 weekly hours. The entire three-year program comprises 60 weekly hours.

In first year, students take courses to develop their basic knowledge in Arabic. The classes include core introductory courses that lay the foundations for upper level classes and elective courses from the "Mindscapes" program. In second and third year, students take advanced courses, seminars, which demand focused investigation of the studied subject. Further, alongside their required courses, students take electives in the following fields: classical literature (prose and poetry); modern literature (prose and poetry); Islam; language (classical grammar and modern dialectology).

Courses Credits
First year courses  
Elective course from the "Mindscapes" Program 4
Writing skills (academic writing skills) 3
History of Classical Arabic Literature (Part A) 3
Arabic Grammar A and Vowelization 2
Introduction to the religion of Islam 3
Modern Prose 3
Classical Prose 3
Total 21
Second year courses  
History of Classical Arabic Literature (part B) 3
Arabic Grammar B and vowelization 2
Koran and Commentaries 3
Introduction to Arabic Linguistics 2
Elective courses from the Department 6
The Languages of the World (online course) 2
Introduction to emetic Languages 2
Total 20
Third year courses  
Grammatical theories of Arabic 2
Classical poetry 3
Elective courses from the department 4
Seminar (one in each semester) 10
Total 19

In order to move up to second year students must have an average of at least 60 in all first year courses. In order to move up to third year students must fulfill the following conditions:

  • Complete all level  courses (first year)
  • Achieve a grade of at least 51 in Arabic Grammar B
  • Complete at least 4 semesters in the Department.