Language Learning Support

MEI believes strongly in the importance of language education to build bridges and increase understanding across regions. The Institute is dedicated to creating opportunities for students to improve and use their language skills in Arabic, Hebrew, Persian, or Turkish.

In addition to making the FLAS and de Bary fellowships available for intensive language study, MEI also offers the following opportunities:

Weekly Language Circles

Weekly language circles for Arabic and Persian provide extra practice for language students in a conversational setting. The circles create weekly opportunities for language students of all levels to meet and interact with each other, instructors, TAs, and native speakers from the local community. Learners of all levels are welcome so long as they have some proficiency, however basic. The subject of conversation is entirely free and determined by the participants, their skill levels and their interests. The conversation is often broken up into smaller groups when practicing with learners of a similar level is more beneficial. Refreshments are served.

Upcoming and past Language Circle events can be seen here.

*MEI also supports a Persian language film series throughout the school year.

natakallam conversation practice

MEI offers students fully-funded Language Conversation Practice online in collaboration with NaTakallam. NaTakallam connects language learners with refugees and displaced people who provide conversation practice in their native Arabic, Persian, and Kurdish via Skype. MEI offers scholarships that cover 10 fully-funded sessions with a NaTakallam Conversation Partner. Applications are open on a rolling basis, while funding is available.

Apply here!