AY 2007-2008 Projects - Near East and North Africa

Country                       Syria
City                              Damascus countryside
Host Institution           Arab European University

Project Description
The EL Fellow will work in the English Section of Arab European University, approximately 40 miles south of Damascus. We expect the Fellow's activities to include some or all of the following: teaching one, or perhaps two, English classes; training the Section's English teachers, with class observation and feedback; curriculum planning; development of course materials; and preparation of exams. Actual duties will likely vary somewhat, depending on the particular skills and background the EL Fellow brings to the job, and the needs of the Section at the time.

About the Host Institution
Arab European University, now in its second academic year, is one of Syria's few private universities, which started receiving licenses only three years ago. Private universities are a welcome addition, as the country's public universities are enormous, poorly managed, inadequately staffed, and backward in outlook. Arab European University's present enrollment is 1,500, of whom over 1,000 are studying English, which is the intended language of instruction for all of the University's coursework. Its English language department is overwhelmed and poorly trained in the profession of teaching English as a foreign language.