Lectures

Lecture 20 — Women in Palestine

المرأة في فلسطين

Jeannine Musarsaa' talks about life in Palestine as a woman.

Lecture 20 from the 2017 – 2018 series.

Lecture 19 — Life Under Occupation

الحياة تحت الاحتلال

Jeannine Musarsaa' talks about life in Palestine under the occupation.

Lecture 19 from the 2017 – 2018 series.

Lecture 18 — Reasons Why Couples Delay Marriage

أسباب التأخر في سن الزواج

Christina Keshek discusses dating issues and reasons for delaying the age of marriage in Jordanian society.

Lecture 18 from the 2017 – 2018 series.

Lecture 17 — My Experiences Learning Languages 

تجربتي في مرحلة تعليم اللغات

Makram Ibrahim has lived in Egypt, Europe, and the United States.  In this lecture he describes his experience learning various languages.

Lecture 17 from the 2017 – 2018 series.

Lecture 16 — My Story

قصتي

Hussam Qutob tells his story as a Palestinian who studied in the United States.

Lecture 16 from the 2017 — 2018 series.

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Lecture 15 — Understanding Wasta in Jordan

دور الواسطة والعشائر في المجتمع الأردنية

Wasta and tribalism play a role in attaining jobs and other social rewards in Jordan.  Talal Sisalem relates his experience working for the Jordanian government as a Palestinian refugee.

Lecture 15 from the 2017 – 2018 series.

Lecture 14 — Getting around Jordan

كيف تروح مشاوير بالأردن

Rachel Lott Williams discusses her experiences getting around Jordan while on study abroad.

Lecture 14 from the 2017 — 2018 series.

Lecture 13 — Christian Practices in Palestine

ممارسات مسيحية في فلسطين

Maysa Tannous describes Christian practices in Palestine.

Lecture 13 from the 2017 — 2018 series.

Lecture 12 — Dating and Relationships

المصاحبة والعلاقات بين الشباب والبنات

Mutaz Bawaneh talks about dating and relationships in Jordan.  Delivered on Valentine's Day.

Lecture 12 from the 2017 — 2018 series.

Lecture 11 — A Tour Around Jordan

جولة حول الأردن

Christina Keshek takes us on a a tour of Jordan, talking about places to go and things to do.

Lecture 11 from the 2017 — 2018 series.

Lecture 10 — Education in Syria and the Current State's Influence

التعليم وتأثير الوضع الحالي

Professor Ahmad Kharout talks about the current state of education in Syria and how the political situation there has influenced it.

Lecture 10 from the 2017 — 2018 series.

Lecture 9 — My Experience Studying Arabic Language and Cultures

رحلتي في الثقافات العربية ولغاتها

Professor Spencer Scoville recounts his time living in Egypt and Syria while studying Arabic.

Lecture 9 from the 2017 — 2018 series.

Lecture 8 — The Life of a Musician

 حياة موسيقي

Talal Sisalem talks about his life and experiences as a musician.

Lecture 8 from the 2017 — 2018 series.

Lecture 7 — My Mother is My Role Model

أمي هي ملهمتي

Rand Alhusban shares some of her mother's accomplishments.

Lecture 7 from the 2017 — 2018 series.

Lecture 6 — Qatar from the Perspective of a Palestinian

Maysa Tannous spoke about her experiences as a foreigner living in Qatar for 10 years.  She is a Palestinian Christian studying engineering.

Lecture 6 from the 2017 — 2018 series.

Lecture 5 — A Glimpse into the Daily Life of a Muslim

لمحة في الحياة اليومية لمسلم أردني

Mutaz talks about what it was like for him to grow up as a Muslim in Jordan.

Lecture 5 from the 2017 — 2018 series.

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Lecture 4 — My Life Story: From Egypt to America

سيرتي الذاتية: من مصر إلى أوروبا إلى أمريكا ودخولي إلى الديانة المورمونية

Makram Ibrahim describes his experience growing up in Egypt as a Coptic Christian, then moving to Europe and eventually America.

Lecture 4 from the 2017 — 2018 series.

Lecture 3 — Eating in Arab Countries 101

الأكل في بلاد عربية ١٠١

Laith Habahbeh talks about several Jordanian foods, including maqluuba, mansaf and shwarma.  He also discusses cultural practices and traditions related to eating.

Lecture 3 from the 2017 — 2018 series.

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Lecture 2 — My Life as a Jordanian Christian

أنا أردني مسيحي

Faris discusses his experiences growing up Christian in Amman, Jordan.  The celebration of Christmas in Amman, both public and private, is a major theme in this talk.

Lecture 2 from the 2017 — 2018 series.

الثقافة البدوية

Rand Alhusban tells stories about her Jordanian Bedouin heritage.   Stories include her father's changing cultural identity, her grandmother's Bedouin identity, and her own thoughts about passing her heritage on to her children.

Lecture 1 from the 2017 — 2018 series.

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2015's Series

Lecture 5 — Marriage

Dina Budeiri, a Palestinian attending college in the US, talks about marriage.

Lecture 5 from the 2015 — 2016 series.

Lecture 4 — Ramadan

Dina Budeiri, a Palestinian student attending college in the US, talks about Ramadan.

Lecture 4 from the 2015 — 2016 series.

Lecture 3 — The City of Amman, Jordan

Faris Naffa is a Jordanian studying in the US.  In this lecture, he describes the city of Amman, the capitol of Jordan.

Lecture 3 from the 2015 — 2016 series.

Lecture 2 — Arabic Dialects

Dina Budeiri, a Palestinian student attending college in the US, talks about the different dialects of Arabic from her perspective.

Lecture 2 from the 2015 — 2016 series.

Lecture 1 — Daily Life in Palestine

Dina Budeiri, a Palestinian student attending college in the US, talks about what daily life is like in Palestine.

Lecture 1 from the 2015 — 2016 series.

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We welcome your feedback on improving lecture comprehensibility and the notes on this website.  We're happy to add any learning materials you make for these lectures and will credit you for them.  We're especially interested in lecture transcripts, if you're willing to write them and share them.  Please email ArabicLectureSeries@gmail.com.

Last updated April 2023.