Eating is required in at least one IU Indy Arabic Studies course this fall: Syrian-Lebanese Food and Cooking. But we have other online, one-credit appetizer courses on offer as well, including an Introduction to the Qur’an and a course on Islamophobia, or anti-Muslim bias.
A feast for the mind can be had in the debut of a three-credit online course entitled “Arab Spain and Latin America from Sevilla to Shakira,” and there is plenty to chew on in our Beginning Arabic language course, especially if you have never uttered the sounds of Arabic letters such as ghayn and kha. You can also satisfy your intellectual hunger by watching television in our new Intro to Arab Media course.
Questions? Email the director, Prof. Edward Curtis, ecurtis4@iu.edu.
FALL 2025 COURSES
NELC-A 131: Beginning Arabic I (4 cr.) Course No. 26253 M/W 11-12:30 Arabic is a beautiful language. Let’s be honest. It’s not the easiest for English speakers to learn. We will be with you every step of the way. It’s fun. We promise.
NELC-N 177: Intro to Arab Media (3 cr.) Survey of media such as broadcast news and television from Morocco and Mauritania to Syria and Iraq. Examination of Al Jazeera, Lebanese Broadcasting, and Al-Arabiyya, among other outlets. Class is conducted in English.
NELC 309: Arab Spain and Latin America (3 cr.) Course No. 29566 Online Asynchronous Explore Arabic-speaking Jewish, Christian, and Muslim Spain from 711 to 1492 CE, its lasting legacy in the Americas, and contemporary Arab Latinx life.
NELC-N 316 / REL-R 317: The Qur’an (1 cr.) Course No. 29567 Online 8/25–9/26 Short course on the Qur’an as literature–not just what it says, but its literary qualities, its social impact, its cultural functions, and its meanings to Muslim people.
NELC-N 317: Syrian-Lebanese Food and Cooking (1 cr.) Course No. 29568 Online 9/29–10/31 Whet your Arabic studies appetite with this short course on Syrian-Lebanese food in the Eastern Mediterranean and in Indiana. Eating is required.
NELC-N 318 Islamophobia (1 cr.) Course No. 29569 Online 11/3–12/5 Analyze the roots of anti-Muslim prejudice, discrimination, and violence. Special focus on the media, including the news and entertainment.
Arabic Studies Program instructors Edward Curtis, Samia Alajlouni, and Hiba Alalami cook up an Arab feast for the Arab Indianapolis documentary.
