Middle Eastern Languages Summer Institute (MELSI)

The Department of Linguistics has been hosting the Middle Eastern Languages Summer Institute (MELSI) during Summer Sessions since 2018. 

MELSI addresses a dire need in higher education in this country: instruction in understudied languages which include some of the most commonly spoken languages in the world today (for example, Arabic is the 5th most common). The languages of the Middle East are typologically diverse, belonging to two different language families (Semitic and Indo-European), and they represent some of the most ancient and fascinating cultures. These are also languages deemed “critical” by the US government, spoken in an area of vital importance in the world today. However, very few universities offer instruction in these languages.

More information on MELSI can be found here: https://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/melsi/