Center Sidi Bou Said’s Blue Doors Program is a creative and interactive approach to language learning. The program centers upon the core teaching staff of the center travelling to your university and for two or more weeks holding an intensive Modern Standard Arabic course. The classes are tailored for beginner, intermediate, and advanced students. Throughout the two weeks, each student will be challenged to think and speak in Arabic as they learn the Arabic language and Arab culture.

The teaching staff are native Arabic speakers coming from Syria, Saudi Arabia, and Tunisia. They will provide the alphabet basics, foundational grammar principles, and pronunciation guidance for beginners. Intermediate and advanced students will increase their vocabulary and conversation skills through contextual dialogue sessions such as learning how to give a news interview, how to ask questions and how to give one’s opinion in culturally appropriate ways. They will also engage in faster paced dialogue sessions that focus upon listening, thinking, and speaking in Arabic and recognizing and communicating using different dialects.

The methodology of the course centers upon learning the language – how to speak the language – and engage in dialogue as one learns about the language – the grammatical nuances and paradigms. The goal of both levels is to foster a natural verbal interaction where students can appreciate the Arabic language and culture.

Our Program’s name derives from the famous blue doors of Sidi Bou Said, Tunisia.  Around every corner of the cozy seaside city of Sidi Bou Said one can find a bright blue door.  Some are large, others small.  Some are new while others are old.  Some have tight porter’s openings while others remain open to reveal a fleeting glimpse of the traditional Mediterranean Arab style home.  As one leaves one space, one transitions into another, much like the nature of language acquisition.  As one learns, one moves from one place of understanding to another, transitioning symbolically into another space.  We hope that our Blue Doors Program allows every student to experience a transition in their linguistic and cultural knowledge and understanding.

If you are considering hosting the Blue Doors Program at your institution please feel free to contact us today.  You can also click  here to download our program for more information.