ARAB 256 Moroccan Society, Language and Culture
This course is one of two taught in the Moroccan Summer Institute. The class exposes students to Moroccan culture and society, situating key historical and current developments within an anthropological framework.
Students will become better acquainted with Morocco's past and present by completing assigned readings and participating in accompanying lectures and discussions (virtual and in-person); attending lectures by guest Moroccan scholars; learning "survival" Moroccan Arabic; participating in site visits in Rabat and weekend trips around the country; volunteering in service projects with local non-governmental organizations (NGOs); and interacting with students' host families. These activities are designed to help students authentically experience the sheer beauty, as well as the historical, geographic, architectural, linguistic, political, economic, and social complexity, of one of the Middle East's most accessible and accommodating countries.
The basics of "survivor" Moroccan dialect, also known as darija, are covered to teach students how to introduce themselves, ask for and provide directions, bargain for lower prices in the traditional souqs (markets), and more. To practice speaking Moroccan dialect outside of class in a supportive setting, each student is matched with a native Arabic-speaking "Language Partner" to meet with once a week.