Summer Intensive Program in Arabic Islamic Texts (SIPAIT) 

University of Georgia (UGA)

This Summer intensive program will be an advanced reading course.  The Arabic texts will be drawn from Qur'an, tafsir, hadith, grammar, classical Sufism, and modern political tracts (including fatawa by Bin Laden and al-Qa'ida documents).  The goal of the class is to give students experience in the reading, comprehension, and translation into English of Islamic texts.  This will help to prepare students for doing research in Islamic texts as well as for becoming professional translators.
  • Time: Maymester 2003 (May 14--June 4, final exam on June 5), Monday--Friday 3:30-6:15 pm.  (five days a week, two and one-half hours per day)
  • Place: University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA (Athens is about one and one-half hours east of Atlanta)
  • Credit: ARABIC 6000, 3 semester units
  • Prerequisites: 3 years of Arabic or permission of instructor. (corrected Nov. 2, 2002)
  • Cost: tentatively $1000 (does not include cost of room and board) for undergraduates and non-UGA graduate students; UGA graduate students tentatively $1750 (partial scholarships may be available for UGA graduate students taking less than 9 semester hours)
  • Scholarships will NOT be available (except possibly for UGA grad. students).  
  • Accomodation in dormitory (optional, tentatively $12 per day, more information will be forthcoming)
  • Meals (optional, yet to be determined, more information will be forthcoming)
  • Deadline for application: tentatively February 1. 
  • Applications:  tentatively available online, here, by December 1 or earlier, pending final approval of the course. 
  • Notification of acceptance:  students will be notified tentatively by February 14 whether or not they have been accepted and if in fact the course will be taught. (A minimum of eight students will be necessary.)
  • Enrollment:  15 students maximum
  • Orientation to UGA and Athens (optional, no cost, May 13, 6 to 8 pm.)

  •  
  • Instructor: Dr. Kenneth Honerkamp ---After studying Islamic texts for 10 years in traditional madrasas in the Northwest Frontier region of Pakistan, Dr. Honerkamp studied Arabic in Morocco, taking a degree in Arabic literature from Qayrawan University in Marrakech.  After teaching and continuing his study in Morocco with numerous 'ulama' for 10 years, he returned to the United States, obtaining his MA in Islamic Studies at UGA in 1995 with a thesis on Abu 'Abd al-Rahman al-Sulami.  He returned to Morocco to direct the Arabic program at ALIF in Fes and to work on his Ph.D., which he obtained in 1999, writing a dissertation on the letters of Ibn 'Abbad al-Rundi.  Since 1999 he has been an Assistant Professor of Religion at UGA, where he specializes in Arabic and Islamic Studies instruction.   His books on al-Sulami and Ibn 'Abbad are currently in press.
  • For further information about the content of the Summer Intensive Program in Arabic Islamic Texts (SIPAIT), contact Dr. Kenneth Honerkamp by email hnrkmp@arches.uga.edu .

  •  
  • If you are seriously interested in this class, email Ms. A. Bramblett, the program's administrative assistant, at allisonbramblett@hotmail.com , and she will put your name on a preliminary waiting list. 
  • Whenever the cost of the program, accomodation, and meals as well as the availability of applications and their deadline are determined, that information will be posted on this webpage.  So check back frequently for updates. Please do NOT email Dr. Honerkamp or Ms. Bramblett about these particular details.
  • Return to Islam, Islamic Studies, Arabic, and Religion