The University of Wisconsin announced the creation of a certificate in Arabic Language and Culture, according to a March 18 announcement from the Department of African Culture Studies. The University Academic Planning Council — a committee of faculty that advises the chancellor on academic program decisions — approved the proposal to establish the certificate, which will be available in fall 2024, according to the announcement.

The idea of creating an Arabic certificate came about when students were voicing their desires for such a program starting around four or five years ago, Director of African Studies Program Luís Madureira said. Faculty in the department noticed some students would take Arabic classes purely to fulfill their breadth requirements, rather than out of an interest to further their studies in the topic, Madureira said.

“We had internal discussions and it seemed to make a lot of sense to give students an incentive to continue studying Arabic beyond their third or fourth semester,” Madureira said.

The requirements were decided in order to create a balance between cultural and linguistic literacy, Madureira said.

Studies in Arabic culture and language can open doors for students who are studying political science or want to enter the government field, Madureira said. It can even encourage undergraduate students to pursue Arabic all the way to graduate school, he said.

While the certificate is a great incentive for students to pursue Arabic in a more formal way, there is inherent value in learning the language for enrichment, Madureira said.

“To us, it seemed like it was almost unnecessary to provide a justification for it because it’s one of the major languages of the world and [helpful] for students wanting to pursue different kinds of careers,” Madureira said.

Studying the Arabic language also allows heritage speakers, who may not have formal training in the language, to advance their grammatical studies, Madureira said. The certificate program creates concrete proof of their ability to communicate in Arabic, which heritage speakers may find valuable.

The Arabic Language and Culture certificate can also overlap with other concentrations such as Middle Eastern Studies or African Culture Studies, Madureira said. This encourages even further growth for students and it can inspire them to pursue the certificate.

“It’s not just about learning the language,” Madureira said. “It gives you enough flexibility to tailor it to your needs.”