AUC's master's degree in Teaching Arabic as a Foreign Langauge (TAFL)  requires two years' residence and covers the following areas: linguistics, contrastive analysis in second-language teaching and learning, and methods of teaching foreign languages. In addition, practice teaching is required. The courses have been structured to promote research as well as to develop highly trained teachers. In addition, a number of issues related to the role of Arabic in modern society are freshly examined, such as current methods of teaching Arabic to children, reform of the writing system, grammar reform movements, and the problem of diglossia. The TAFL program seeks to inspire new approaches to these problems.