The Language Centre at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies (DI) has received students of the Doha Residence Programme in Arabic and Social Studies which will be held during the fall semester after two years of the launch of its remote version. Students from Germany, China, the Netherlands, and Turkey will participate in an intensive language programme based on a language immersion approach in the advanced level of Arabic, along with a range of unique activities.
The students have a unique opportunity to experience cultural exchange with Arab students from DI who speak different dialects; cultural trips such as visiting the National Museum of Qatar, Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, Museum of Islamic Art, Qatar National Library, cooking classes and yoga. They will also have the opportunity to participate in student clubs, attend courses in Humanities and Social Sciences, and attend the events held by the DI and the Arab Centre for Research and Policy Studies.
On the occasion of the special orientation day of the Residence Programme, Prof Alaa Elgibali, director of the Language Centre, described it as a unique platform for academic and cultural exchange between the Institute’s Arabic-speaking students and professors -- who come from different Arab countries -- and their non-Arabic-speaking colleagues (and heritage peers) who specialise in Arabic or Islamic studies or the like.
"The Residence Programme is an important part of the DI's mission to establish, maintain, and nurture intellectual links and two-way dialogues between its students, faculty, and the international learning and research communities," he added. Student Shukhui Chen from Beijing University said that she chose the Residence Programme because it provides the opportunity for a joint study with graduate students from all Arab countries, and this is an advantage at Doha Institute that is not available in other language programmes.
Maxim Rosen, a student from the Free University of Berlin said that he joined the programme based on what his fellow former students said about the rich intellectual life at the institute, which stimulates the exchange of knowledge between those coming from Europe and Arab students, in addition to the intensive language lessons that help non-Arabic speaking learners to make significant progress in their language level during one semester.
Through the Residence Programme, the Language Centre is concerned with implementing DI's linguistic mission and contributing to strengthening communication with international academic institutions to enhance efficiency in using Arabic as a language of knowledge and implement the official policy of Qatar.
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