The Arabic School places great importance on the cultural component of language learning. The Arabic School clubs are co-curricular and each student participates in one of the clubs. Each week, class time is dedicated for clubs to supplement the academic program. Students learn vocabulary specific to the club to supplement their larger language experience. Many of the groups perform at the Arabic School talent show. Clubs for 2004 include Dance, Music, Cinema, Qur'an, Bible, Cooking, Literature, Journalism, and Calligraphy. Below are descriptions of each club:
(1) Music: Students in the music club learn a variety of classical and popular songs that have become cultural treasures throughout the Arab world. In this way, students are provided a cultural context for using the Arabic language that simultaneously serves as a means of artistic expression. The music club includes students ranging from beginning to advanced skill levels in terms of both language skills and musicianship. Students play traditional instruments from the Arab world as well as other instruments that are adaptable to Arab music traditions. The pieces performed represent classical music forms, folksongs, and popular songs that have become classics.
(2) Dance: Students in the dance club learn traditional and popular dances from various Arab countries, such as the dabka, which is a popular folkdance throughout the Levantine region.
(3) Cinema: Students watch an Arabic film every week and discuss its cultural and artistic content. The cinema club views films from various genres from Northern Africa, the Levant, Egypt, and the Gulf.
(4) Qur'an: Students read the Qur'anic suras, discuss their interpretations, learn the rules of recitation, and discuss the hadith. Discussions may include the history of the Qur'an, the role of women in Islam, the four pillars of Islam, and other contemporary issues in the Muslim world.
(5) Bible: Students in the Bible club read passages in Arabic from the Old and New testaments and discuss their meaning and interpretation. They also discuss on cultural aspects of Christianity in the Arab world (e.g., Copts, Chaldeans, Ayssrians, Syriacs, Greek Orthodox, Syrian Orthodox, Roman Catholics, and Maronites). They also receive introductions to Eastern-Rite rituals and learn scriptural verses through songs and hymns.
(6) Journalism: Students learn different tools to understand various Arabic media, such as television, magazines, and newspapers. The instructors introduce vocabulary essential to understanding Arabic media before reviewing the texts and discussing the content. The students also put together their own newspaper for the Arabic School. They write articles and stories about events in the Middlebury Arabic School and about news in the world at large.
(7) Cooking: Students learn the art of Arabic cooking from several different countries in the Arab world. Each week the students learn how to prepare traditional dishes from an Arab country and serve it to the Arabic School.
(8) Literature: Students read literature and poetry from the Arab world. They survey the major genres and themes of Arabic literature from the pre-Islamic Jahili period, to the early and middle Islamic periods, to the contemporary literary scene. Students discuss examples of Arabic classical and modern poetry as well as short excerpts of prose.
(9) Calligraphy: Students practice the art and various techniques of calligraphy in Arabic. Students prepare an exhibition of their work, which is presented to the college at the end of the summer.