Visiting Scholars Series
The Visiting Scholars Series offers students additional workshops and presentations by highly respected, nationally recognized guest scholars. The series provides a historical and sociocultural context for the Arabic language and inspires students to deepen their appreciation of the rich history and enduring culture of Arabic. Along with these lectures, Zaytuna ensures that extended question-and-answer sessions give students an unparalleled opportunity to benefit from these established scholars.
Below, please learn more about our Visiting Scholars Series from previous years; visiting scholars for Summer 2011 will be announced before the program begins.
Past Visiting Scholars

Hina Azam
Textual Examples from Arabic Literature
Sample Lecture Clip
Hina Azam received her Ph.D. in Religion from Duke University and currently teaches Islamic Studies at the University of Texas at Austin. Her research interests include Islamic law and jurisprudence, women in Islam, and patriarchy in Muslim societies.

Hatem Bazian
The Arabic Roots of al-Quds (Jerusalem)
Sample Lecture Clip
Hatem Bazian teaches courses on Islamic law and society, Islam in America, religious studies, and Arabic language at the University of California–Berkeley, where he also received his Ph.D. He is a co-founder of Zaytuna College and chairs its Academic Affairs Committee.

Aishah Elinor Holland
The History of Arabic Calligraphy
Aishah Elinor Holland has been a student of both Arabic and English calligraphy for more than 20 years. She is a long-time student of master calligrapher Mohamed Zakariya, and she has been teaching Arabic calligraphy to students of all ages at schools, museums, and other learning institutions since 1994.

Kenneth Honerkamp
The Arabic Roots of Islamic Ethical Discourse
Sample Lecture Clip
Kenneth Honerkamp is a graduate of Al-Qarawiyyin University in Fes, Morocco. He completed his Ph.D. from the University of Aix-en-Provence in France and was the director of the Arabic Letters in Fes program for several years. He is currently a Professor of Arabic and Islamic Law at the University of Georgia at Athens.

Zaid Shakir
The Spiritual Metaphors of Arabic Grammar
Sample Lecture Clip
Zaid Shakir is an American Muslim who came of age during his country's civil rights struggles, and he brings sensitivity about race and poverty as well as scholarly discipline to his faith-based work. He is a co-founder of Zaytuna College and has studied the traditional Islamic sciences for several years in the Muslim world.

Hamza Yusuf
Hans Wehr and the Arabic Language
Sample Lecture Clip
Hamza Yusuf is an American convert to Islam who studied for several years under leading scholars in the Muslim world. He is the co-founder of Zaytuna College in California and has translated into modern English several classical Arabic texts and poems.
Program at a Glance
- 8 Week Program in Berkeley, California
- Program Dates: June 18 to August 11, 2012
- 5 Hours of Arabic a Day, 5 Days a Week
- Experienced Instructors
- Beginning and Intermediate Levels
- Affordable Tuition
- Deluxe Accommodations
- Activities and Events to Enhance Learning Outside of Class
- Modeled on a University-Level
1 Year Arabic Course
(Equivalent to 10 Credits)
Contact Details
Feel free to contact us via our online contact form or give us a ring using the contact details below:
Zaytuna College Academics
ph (510) 356.4760

