Students receive continuous feedback from instructors throughout the course. Evaluation is a reflection of the student’s proficiency, participation, engagement and progress. Feedback is based on oral participation in class, results in quizzes, tests, and final exam as well as oral presentations in class and homework completion. Students can meet their teachers individually whenever they wish to discuss their performance and progress.
Objective 1: Grammar, Text production, and Discussion
Writing: Be introduced to new grammatical features that are part of a higher level of expression. Students will learn to construct sentences and express more complex thoughts independently. Students will be asked to produce texts departing from the texts treated in class. These include summaries, descriptions, narrations, and argumentative pieces developing a personal standpoint according to their level.
Speaking: Students will discuss current topics in class or in debate groups using the studied grammar features. They will have awareness raised concerning typical mistakes in sentence structure and pronunciation. The course is completed by oral presentations in class.
Objective 2: Media Literacy
Listening: Students will develop the ability to comprehend utterances in the target language in recorded broadcast media, in both fusha (MSA) and commonly spoken Arabic as found in reports, interviews, and talk shows.
Reading: Students will be introduced to texts from print media and the internet using the grammatical structures under study. In this unit, students will read different genres of texts, learn and apply skimming techniques according to their level, understand in-depth the given texts, and analyze them grammatically and style-wise.
Noor Majan offers intensive Arabic language courses in two unique locations: our principal institute site in Muscat, and our affiliated Daaris Institute in Nizwa. Both locations represent a unique experience of the Sultanate and are equally rigorous in nature.
Classes meet for five teaching hours per day, five days a week, a total of 25 contact hours per week, meaning each program consists of 100 monthly contact hours. In addition to the formal instruction, Noor Majan offers two hours weekly of language partner practice at our Muscat campus.
Please click the buttons below for the two locations’ respective prices and program dates.
The intensive Arabic program is designed to rapidly develop a student’s language abilities by enabling them to engage with Arabic speakers confidently.
Noor Majan believes that successful language acquisition occurs when students are repeatedly challenged to develop their listening, speaking, reading, and writing abilities in a structured environment. Thus, Noor Majan’s intensive Arabic program reflects this idea by developing all four language skills with a focus on three distinct concentrations; foundational knowledge in Modern Standard Arabic (MSA), skills development, and application of knowledge through media literacy. The program will provide intensive reading, writing, speaking, and listening practice for 20 formal contact hours per week, lasting for a total of 4 weeks per term, a total of 100 formal contact hours per month. In addition to the 20 formal contact hours per week, Noor Majan’s intensive Arabic course strengthens students’ abilities with 2 hours of language partner sessions per week. During these language partner sessions, students will learn how to apply their classroom knowledge in a real-life setting, solidifying their knowledge.
Noor Majan uses authentic and genuine material from print and broadcast media from the internet. Students will acquire the competence to consume, understand and comment on news broadcasts, articles, excerpts, and forum contributions using the adequate language register. Throughout the course, students will build on existing knowledge in Arabic grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, and spoken and written skill sets. Finally, students will be introduced to various spoken dialects, enhancing their ability to understand the greater Arabic-speaking world.
For information on our program dates, please see below.
Geographic Diversity
The Sultanate of Oman is defined by its incredible geographical diversity. With an area comparable to New Mexico or Poland and a population of 4.5 million, Oman boasts a unique blend of pristine coastline, rugged mountains, lush oases, seasonal rainforests, colorful deserts, and modern cities. It’s no surprise that Oman was featured on the New York Times’s 52 Places to Visit in 2023 and ranked in the top ten of Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2022. Prepare to be captivated by Oman’s unparalleled natural wonders and vibrant urban landscapes.
Fortresses
Oman’s diverse landscape proudly showcases over 500 historic fortresses and towers, bearing witness to the nation’s illustrious past. These formidable structures served as guardians of trade routes, thwarted Persian and Portuguese invasions, and safeguarded Oman’s ruling families. Crafted from mud brick, stucco, and stone, these forts have withstood the test of time. Perched on hills, nestled among colossal boulders, or nestled beneath majestic mountains, each fortress holds a unique story. Among them, Bahla Fort stands tall as Oman’s largest fort, earning its designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Explore these mighty fortresses and unlock Oman’s rich historical legacy.
Rugged and Untouched Landscapes
Oman’s awe-inspiring landscapes stand as its most recognized feature. The majestic Hajar Mountain range, thrust into the sky by ancient tectonic forces, shaped the Sultanate’s distinct scenery. From the renowned deserts of the Empty Quarter and Sharqiyah Sands to the rugged valleys of Wadi Bani Khalid and Wadi Shab, and the captivating coastal areas of Musandam and Ras Al-Jinz, each location reveals a unique beauty. Jabal Akhdar and Jabal Shams showcase breathtaking mountain vistas, while central Oman’s flat deserts yield abundant oil and gas reserves.
To the west lies Dhofar, a region distinguished by bowl-shaped mountains that serve as a barrier between the sea and the Empty Quarter desert. During the summer months (late June to early September), Dhofar undergoes a remarkable transformation due to the Indian Ocean monsoon. Mist and rain veil Dhofar’s mountains, creating a lush seasonal rainforest that blankets the region in vibrant greenery. Below these verdant peaks lies Salalah, the country’s second-largest city. Salalah is home to one of the world’s oldest frankincense markets and boasts semi-tropical plantations, adding to the region’s allure.
A Humble People
Humility, kindness, and generosity resemble the core values which run through the veins of the people of Oman. These values derive from Oman’s deep tradition of multiculturalism and cosmopolitanism arising from the Sultanate’s seafaring empire, which spanned from the coasts of Pakistan and Iran to Zanzibar in East Africa. Regional trade and exposure to different beliefs, cultures, traditions, and languages built a culture of profound reverence of human relationships. This idea of mutual respect and tolerance for others is the foundation of Omani society today.
Omanis are known for their hospitality. An invitation to a home is more than a polite gesture; it is an opportunity to become part of the family. Upon entering an Omani home, the visitor is given a cup of coffee, dates, fruits, and frankincense; resembling the humble gifts to the honored guest. Thus, generosity portrayed through the act of hospitality is an inseparable characteristic of the Omani people.
A Diverse and Tolerant People
Centuries of regional trade set the stage for Oman to emerge as a united people with a pluralistic heritage and identity. Omanis can trace their diverse heritage and languages to modern day Baluchistan and Sindh in Pakistan, Zanzibar and Dar Es-Salaam in Tanzania, the coastlines of Iran, and the western cities of Yemen.
This diversity of heritage and culture led to a deep tradition of tolerance for different religious beliefs, which is seen in all mosques where Sunnis, Shia, and Ibadhis pray united in their faith. Uniting these diverse identities is a strong sense of national pride founded on the very idea of respect for diversity. Omanis are a proud people, a diverse people, and it is in the Sultanate that we believe students can experience the diversity of the Arab world.
Arabic is a diglossic language, meaning the language is divided between two varieties for formal/international and informal/regional contexts. Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) is typically used in the media and academia, while local dialects of Arabic dominate day-to-day life. Many dialects proliferate throughout the Arabic-speaking world, posing a unique challenge to students who desire to master the language.
However, the dialect widely spoken throughout the Sultanate is considered as the closest among Arabic dialects to MSA. This unique nature of Omani Arabic allows students to freely use a combination of MSA and dialect during their studies in Oman. Noor Majan develops and strengthens students’ understanding of various registers of Arabic by exposing them to several accents in the media skills component, with a focus on Omani Arabic.
What is it like to study Arabic in Oman?
Nestled in the picturesque southeast corner of the Arabian Peninsula, Oman is renowned for its remarkable diversity. A land where the colorful strands of history, traditions, languages, and landscapes are carefully woven into a vibrant tapestry rich in culture. The country is recognized by the World Economic Forum in 2017 as the 4th safest country in the world.
Before 1970 the Sultanate was among the least developed countries in the Arab world, with an average life expectancy of 49 years. Thanks to the leadership and wisdom of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Bin Said, the country experienced a period of rapid modernization and used its oil wealth to lift the nation out of poverty. Today, Oman has a highly-developed highway system, hundreds of schools, colleges, and universities, hundreds of modern hospitals, and a growing and innovative private sector. This period of modernization was met with reverence for the traditions of the Sultanate, leading to the preservation of the rich Omani heritage and harmonization between tradition and modernity.
