A language immersion program steeps the students in the language on a constant basis during the course of the program. Unlike intense language learning programs, immersion programs request that participants agree to use Arabic exclusively to communicate. Middlebury Language Schools, for example, offers Arabic immersion programs in Vermont and California during the summer for beginners and more advanced students. Besides the daily class work, students learn to apply the language in a live setting by watching movies in Arabic, taking cooking classes or by reading Arabic literature and participating in journalistic activities. Students can also study the art of calligraphy, learn Middle Eastern traditional dance or study the Qur'an.
Several colleges and universities in the United States offer summer immersion programs in Arabic, including the University of Wisconsin and San Jose State College in San Jose, California. The University of Wisconsin offers its Arabic immersion program in Madison on its main campus. Students sign contracts with the teachers agreeing to speak nothing but Arabic during the program. The program at Madison also teaches participants about the language in the context of Middle Eastern culture and history. Students attend classes four to five hours a day and practice language skills in different social events and field trips.
San Jose's summer program includes learning Modern Standard Arabic as well as colloquial Arabic, so that students can master speaking in formal and informal situations. This program incorporates a study of the cuisine and art of the Arab culture, including politics and current events.
Going abroad to study a language can be an effective way to learn it quickly. Amerispan, located in Philadelphia, offers Arabic immersion programs in Cairo, Egypt. Students spend 25 hours in classes each week learning colloquial and Modern Arabic. Students live in a residence setting close to the school.
The University of Texas has an immersion program for advanced students of the Arabic language in cooperation with the Center for Arabic Study Abroad (CASA). Students in this program attend the American University in either Cairo or University of Damascus in Syria for at least a year. The programs schedule 12 to 20 hours of intense classroom study each week along with lectures and tours outside Cairo or within Syria. The University of Texas offers fellowships for qualified applicants. Students or participants must have at least three years of formal training in Arabic to apply for the program.
Languages Abroad offers programs where students over 10 years old can live with a certified teacher and the family in Egypt to receive one-on-one classes each week. The student chooses the length of the program and the amount of hours that he wants to study with the teacher each week. Students who participate in the Live and Learn programs that Languages Abroad operates receive nearly constant supervision. Students receive all their meals and at least one tour each week to a local place of interest.