In addition to our extensive English program offerings, the CLC has a wonderful assortment of Arabic language programs and cultural immersion opportunities. We specialize in offering high-quality linguistic and cultural immersion programs that are tailor-made to the specific aims and parameters of our partner institutions. Possible focus areas that the CLC specializing in include:
The CLC has designed and run programs for the following partner organizations:
University of Georgia at Athens (UGA)
Cambridge Muslim College (UK)
Northeastern Univeristy (NEU)
French American International School of San Francisco
National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y) in partnership with American Councils
Fulbright-Hays Program in cooperation with University of California, Berkeley
To apply for any of these programs, you'll need to apply through the institution listed above. Feel free to send us an email if you need more information - info@clcmorocco.org
We also offer Arabic intensive courses in Modern Standard Arabic, which are open to all applicants. Go to 2022 Courses for more information.
Marrakesh is one of Morocco’s major cities, with a population of about one million people.
The city was founded around 1,000 years ago and boasts many historical sites including the iconic Koutoubia mosque and Jemaa el Fna square, a U.N. World Heritage site. A short walk away from this historical side of town is the Guéliz, the part of Marrakesh originally built by the French, complete with malls, restaurants, and supermarkets.
The new train station, 10 minutes by taxi from the CLC, links Marrakesh to the major cities of northern Morocco: Casablanca (2.5 hrs), Rabat (4 hrs), Fes (6.5 hrs), and Tangier (8 hrs).
Marrakesh has a state-of-the art international airport (about 15 minutes by taxi from the CLC) which is a hub for many flights from Europe and the Middle East.
From December through February temperatures can go below 40 degrees, especially after the Atlas Mountains, 40 km away, become blanketed with snow. From late June to mid- September, temperatures sometimes exceed 110 degrees, with fall and spring see days in the 70s and 80s.
City bus and yellow « petit taxi » in downtown Guéliz
Marrakesh is generally flat and so an easy city to walk around or ride a bicycle (daily rentals available).
Alternatively, there is no shortage of taxis (between 6 and 15 dirhams to get nearly anywhere in the city) and also fairly reliable bus system (ALSA) that reaches nearly every part of the city.
Since 2017, the city has added an electric buses (see below) which run silently and without pollution between downtown and Masira suburbs with six stops along the way. The fare per ride is 4 dirhams (about 50 cents in US currency).
"Of all the varied activities and experiences of our 5-week program in Morocco...the hospitality of the CLC staff and the homestay families stand out as the most enriching."
Peter Fraunholtz, professor of history, Northeastern University, Boston.
The Center for Language & Culture in Marrakesh, besides teaching English, offers Arabic courses for non-native speakers of Arabic, and hosts several study abroad programs in Moroccan culture.
The CLC has been working with educational institutions abroad for ten years. We handle all the logistics necessary for a successful program: pre-program planning by email and/or virtual meeting software, setting budgets, arranging living accommodations for students and faculty, scheduling outings and trips inside of Morocco, arranging guest speakers, and so forth. We are also on standby for all the little things that may arise during a program: doctor’s visits, special needs, and general advice and guidance to make the students’ stay in Marrakesh safe and memorable.
Our Arabic teachers are all highly trained and qualified in teaching Arabic to non-native speakers of the language. We follow a communicative approach which aims at helping students to start using the language from day one. Normally, only Arabic is spoken in the classroom, but our teachers know how to make it comprehensible even to beginners. The other very important element of our classes is to make them enjoyable. Using games, songs, poetry, and skits helps towards that goal.
The CLC is housed in four villas surrounded by a garden and a space for basketball and ping pong. Besides 25 classrooms, the CLC offers a small library and the Amal cafe. The whole CLC is covered by Wifi.
The CLC's location in the city of Marrakesh is midway between the old city and the new in a mostly residential neighborhood next to a large elementary and middle school, a clinic, and several cafes (see Google map on home page).
The CLC specializes in both Arabic & English language instruction. Our English students are mostly Moroccan, and are approximately 15 % children, 40 % young teens, and 45 % adult learners, including a large number of professionals. It is from this large pool of Moroccan students that we recruit most of our homestay hosts for visiting programs that wish to offer them.
Whenever possible, we try to promote interaction and exchange between our Moroccan students and students in visiting programs.
The CLC is offering two back-to-back intensive Arabic courses in late June and running through July, 2020. During each session, students can complete one semester's worth of university level Modern Standard Arabic (MSA).
Students can sign up for one or both sessions. Classes run Monday-Friday (Session 1) or Monday-Saturday (Session 2). Classes typically start at 9am and include a break in the middle.
Courses run five or six days a week, Monday through Friday/Saturday. There are 3-4 contact hours per day (depending on the level), with a 20-minute break in the middle. Typically, students then have lunch on their own and have the afternoons free. There will normally be 2-3 hours of homework per day. Students can also opt to participate in a language partner exchange program where they practice Arabic with a similar-aged Moroccan student in exchange for helping them with their English studies. The CLC also offers various learning opportunities such as guest lectures, intercultural discussions, activities, volunteer opportunities and excursions depending on students' interests.
For full course descriptions, click here.
Students should bring their own copies of the books. Currently, the CLC does not have any in stock.
(all by Kristin Brustad and Mahmoud Al-Batal)
* Please confirm with the program coordinator, Mr. Brahim Zoubairi zoubairi@clcmorocco.org, concerning the textbook you will be using for your level.
UNIVERSITY CREDIT: Students applying for these courses (for university credit hours) through the University of Georgia, Athens, should be familiar with the information provided here .
PAYMENT: Tuition may be paid in dollars, Euros, pounds, or dirhams by direct bank transfer. Please email info@clcmorocco.org for details on how to do this.
CLASS SIZE: Normal class size at the CLC is 3-8 students.
REIMBURSEMENT POLICY:
DEADLINE TO RECEIVE APPLICATIONS: There is no deadline, however note that classes can fill up and in other cases some classes can be canceled due to lack of registration.
APPLICATION: If you would like to apply for the Arabic program, please use the form provided through this link:
The CLC offers intensive courses in Modern Standard Arabic comprising forty-five or sixty contact hours, depending on level. Each course is equivalent to 4 credit hours of standard American university-level Arabic1. Courses generally take three weeks to complete, with 3-4 hours of class per day, 5 days a week. In addition to classroom work, students should expect daily homework and review to take 2-3 hours. For higher level courses, the CLC also organizes small discussion groups and speaking partners with native speakers.
This course begins with the phonology and alphabet of the Arabic language and gives students a foundation in both spoken and written Arabic. Even as they gain familiarity with the Arabic alphabet and sounds, students will begin acquiring some basic vocabulary and phrases to use in class and in everyday life using material prepared by the CLC staff. They will then move on to cover the first three units in the main textbook, al-Kitaab fii taallum al-arabiya, third edition,by Kristin Brustad and Mahmoud Al-Batal.
Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:
Students will also gain a working vocabulary of approximately 200 words in Arabic and some basic cultural knowledge of Morocco in particular and the Arabic-speaking world in general.
Pre-requisite: Although this course assumes no previous studies in Arabic, it is nonetheless recommended that students who plan to enter the course do some preparatory work with recognizing and writing the Arabic alphabet.
Textbook: Alif-Ba and al-Kitaab fii taallum al-arabiya, Part One (third edition), both by Kristin Brustad and Mahmoud Al-Batal
This course is a continuation of MSA 1001 and takes students to a high beginning level of proficiency in Standard Arabic and covers units 4 through 7 in the coursebook.
Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:
They will also increase their working vocabulary to approximately 350 words and broaden their cultural knowledge of Morocco in particular and the Arabic-speaking world
Pre-requisite: Arabic 1001 or the equivalent as determined by the instructor.
Textbook: Al-Kitaab fii ta‘allum al-‘arabiya by Kristin Brustad and Mahmoud Al-Batal, Part One (third edition), plus authentic material prepared by CLC staff.
This course is a continuation of MSA 1002 and takes students to a low intermediate level of proficiency in Standard Arabic and covers units 8 through 11 in the coursebook.
Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:
They will also increase their working Arabic vocabulary to approximately 600 words and gain understanding of certain aspects of the Islamic religion as it relates to language and culture.
Pre-requisite: Arabic 1002 or the equivalent as determined by the instructor.
Textbook: Al-Kitaab fii ta‘allum al-‘arabiya by Kristin Brustad and Mahmoud Al-Batal, Part One (third edition), plus authentic material prepared by CLC staff.
This course is a continuation of MSA 2003 and takes students to a mid-intermediate level of proficiency in Standard Arabic. This level consists of units 12-13 in Al-Kitaab Book 1 and units 1-2 of Al-Kitaab Book 2.
Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:
You will also have increased your working vocabulary to at least 1000 words.
Pre-requisite: Arabic 2003 or permission of instructor
Textbook: Al-Kitaab fii ta‘allum al-‘arabiya by Kristin Brustad and Mahmoud Al-Batal, Part One (third edition) AND Al-Kitaab fii ta‘allum al-‘arabiya by Kristin Brustad and Mahmoud Al-Batal, Part Two (third edition) , plus authentic material prepared by CLC staff.
This course is a continuation of MSA 2004 and takes students to a high intermediate level of proficiency in Standard Arabic.
In this course, students will continue in Book Two of al-Kitaab and will cover units 3-5. Courses will be augmented by an emphasis on conversational fus’ha, fully vocalized reading, task-oriented writing, and a careful review of i’rab and conjugation.
Pre-requisite: Arabic 2004 or permission of instructor
Textbook: Al-Kitaab fii ta‘allum al-‘arabiya by Kristin Brustad and Mahmoud Al-Batal, Part Two (third edition), plus authentic material prepared by CLC staff.
This course is a continuation of MSA 3005 and includes the same emphasis on conversation and discussion in fus’ha, reading, and task-oriented writing, and i’rab and conjugation. The course will cover units 6-9 of the textbook.
Pre-requisite: Arabic 3005 or permission of instructor
Textbook: Al-Kitaab fii ta‘allum al-‘arabiya by Kristin Brustad and Mahmoud Al-Batal, Part Two (third edition), plus authentic material prepared by CLC staff.
SUMMER 2022 COURSE OFFERINGS
1. RESIDENCE MOUNA: For CLC students who wish, they can choose to stay at the Residence Mouna, which offers one and two-bedroom apartments. The apartments are air-conditioned and each has a kitchenette. It's a 5-minute walk from the CLC and is very conveniently located in terms of restaurants, grocery shopping, catching taxis and so on. Prices range from 200-450dhs/night depending on whether a student chooses single, double or triple occupancy.*
See it in Tripadvisor : RESIDENCE MOUNA
2. HOMESTAYS: The CLC can arrange homestays with Moroccan families for students who would like this experience. There are CLC host families throughout Marrakesh, with average commute time of about 15-20 minutes using public transportation. Homestays may have air-conditioning, but it is not a requirement for the families. The families will provide breakfast and dinner to their guests during the week and lunches on the weekends. This option is not available for all visiting students and students must sign a CLC homestay agreement. The cost to stay with a host family is 210dhs/night.*
3. FIND YOUR OWN: All visiting students are welcome to find their own accommodation. The only thing we ask is that you provide us with your address and a scan of your receipt so that we will know where you are staying in case of emergency.
For more information on housing, contact info@clcmorocco.org
*For options 1 and 2, there is a one-time 1200dhs Accommodation Fee.