The importance of learning foreign languages in a world that is characterized by international and intercultural relations was the rationale behind the establishment of the Language Center at the University of Petra. The philosophy of the Center rests on the premise that academic excellence and mastering foreign languages enable students to compete in today's globalized world. To achieve this goal, the Center provides its students with quality teaching in a number of foreign languages whose countries have economic, political and cultural ties with Jordan. These languages are Spanish, Italian, German, Turkish, Hebrew, Chinese and Russian. They are currently all beginner level courses and prepare students for the more advanced ones that are to be offered in the near future. Classes meet three hours per week and students can enroll in one or more of the aforementioned courses.
To meet growing interest in studying Arabic in the US, Europe and the Far East, the Center offers an Arabic Language program (Arabic for Speakers of Other Languages-ASOL). The program caters for a diverse body of students and consists of a regular and a tailored module.
The Language Center also offers courses in foreign languages to meet the needs of Petra University employees and holds seminars and courses to introduce school teachers who teach English as a Foreign Language to the latest teaching strategies applied in this field.
The members of staff, who teach at the Center, are all qualified, experienced instructors who use authentic learning material in their classes and apply up-to-date foreign language teaching methodology. To facilitate and enrich the teaching process, the instructors use the following hi-tech audio-visual labs:
