Language Programs

The Center for African Studies provides FLAS Fellowships for the study of African languages and works closely with the Department of World Languages and Cultures, which provides African language instruction.

African language instruction at Howard University is done in the Department of World Languages and Cultures, which offers courses in Amharic, Arabic, Somali, Swahili, Wolof, Yoruba and Zulu, at the university and abroad. The Center for African Studies offers fellowships to graduate and undergraduate students who wish to study these languages. Below find a list of the African Languages courses offered a Howard.

Foreign Language & Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowships  support students taking African languages (Amharic, Arabic, Somali, Swahili, Wolof, Yoruba and Zulu) and area studies coursework. The Fellowships are supported through a grant from the U.S. Department of Education Title XI Program.  Find out more about FLAS fellowships.

Below see the African languages study abroad programs at Howard University that include Swahili, Yoruba and Zulu. There are also opportunities for study abroad in the Amharic and Wolof languages. For more information, please contact Dr. Leonard Muaka, Chair of the Department of World Languages and Cultures at leonard.muaka@howard.edu.

The Howard African Language Summer Institute is an annual program dedicated to increasing students’ proficiency in the 7 African languages that Howard offers at the Department of World Languages and Cultures. 

African Language Summer Study Abroad Programs

More Info

Africa Languages Translation Initiative

In anticipation of the Biden Administration’s US-Africa Leaders Summit, Africa Languages Translation Initiative (ALTI) has produced translations of the Biden Administration’s U.S. Strategy toward Sub-Saharan Africa into Amharic, Swahili, Yoruba and Zulu with the goal of facilitating engagement with diverse audiences around the important issues strategic to US-Africa relations.

Learn more
U.S. Strategy toward Sub-Saharan Africa image

African Languages Courses at Howard

Amharic

Amharic 001 - Elementary I

Amharic 002 - Elementary II

Amharic 003 - Intermediate I

Amharic 004 - Intermediate II

Amharic 190 - Independent Study

Arabic

Arabic 001 - Elementary I

Arabic 002 - Elementary II

Arabic 003 - Intermediate I

Arabic 004 - Intermediate II

Arabic 040 - Intensive Grammar Review

Arabic 050 - Oral Expression I

Arabic 051 - Oral Expression II

Arabic 190 - Independent Study

Arabic 191 - Independent Study

Somali

Somali 001 - Elementary I

Somali 002 - Intermediate I

Somali 003 - Intermediate II

Swahili

Swahili 001 - Elementary I

Swahili 002 - Elementary II

Swahili 003 - Intermediate I

Swahili 004 - Intermediate II

Swahili 040 - Intensive Grammar Review

Swahili 050 - Oral Expression I

Swahili 052 - Reading and Writing Workshop

Swahili 100 - Contemporary Swahili Literature in Translation

Swahili 190 - Independent Study I

Swahili 191 - Independent Study II

Twi (Akan Twi)

Akan 001 - Elementary I

Wolof

Wolof 001 - Elementary I

Wolof 002 - Elementary II

Wolof 003 - Intermediate I

Wolof 004 - Intermediate II

Wolof 190 - Independent Study

Yoruba

Yoruba 001 - Elementary I

Yoruba 002 - Elementary II

Yoruba 003 - Intermediate I

Yoruba 004 - Intermediate II

Zulu

Zulu 001 - Elementary I

Zulu 002 - Elementary II

Zulu 004 - Intermediate II

Student Experiences

Venturing Through Kumase - Reflection from Twi Immersion Program

Category: News, Student Highlights, African Languages, Twi, Study Abroad, Africa Travel Experiences

Akwaaba: Welcome to Ghana - Reflection from Twi Immersion Program

Category: News, Student Highlights, African Languages, Twi, Study Abroad, Africa Travel Experiences

Howard University students delve into Zulu language and life on the Expresso Show in South Africa

Howard University students delve into Zulu language and life on the Expresso Show in South Africa!

Expresso Show in South Africa speaks with Howard University's Zulu lecturer, Dr.

Category: News, Alumni-Faculty-Student Highlights, Faculty/Staff Highlights, Student Highlights, FLAS, African Languages, Zulu HUZISA, Study Abroad, Africa Travel Experiences

HU Ghana 2025

Center for African Studies awards record number of summer FLAS fellowships

The Center for African Studies has awarde

Category: News, Student Highlights, FLAS, African Languages, Study Abroad, Africa Travel Experiences

Nia Assata Muhammad HUZISA FLAS

Becoming with The People of the Sky: Nia Assata’s Journey in South Africa

Category: News, Student Highlights, FLAS, African Languages, Zulu HUZISA, Study Abroad, Africa Travel Experiences

Latrese Johnson Yoruba GPA 2024

Latrese's Yoruba Study Abroad Experience: Linking the past, present, and future

Category: News, Student Highlights, African Languages, Yoruba Fulbright GPA, Study Abroad, Africa Travel Experiences

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Ameerah discovers herself in Nigeria

Category: News, Student Highlights, African Languages, Yoruba Fulbright GPA, Study Abroad, Africa Travel Experiences

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Yoruba Fulbright-Hays Project Abroad Reflections from Amina

Category: News, Student Highlights, African Languages, Yoruba Fulbright GPA, Study Abroad, Africa Travel Experiences

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Da’Riah's Unforgettable Study Abroad Experience in Kenya

Category: News, Student Highlights, FLAS, African Languages, Swahili, HUSSA, Study Abroad, Africa Travel Experiences

Newzroom Afrika features Howard University's Zulu lecturer and students

Newzroom Afrika features Howard University's Zulu lecturer and students

Newzroom Afrika, a South African news channel, features Howard University's Zulu lecturer, Dr.

Category: News, Alumni-Faculty-Student Highlights, Faculty/Staff Highlights, Student Highlights, African Languages, Zulu HUZISA, Study Abroad, Africa Travel Experiences

Kareema Ayesha Bangura in Kenya

Kareema's Study Abroad in Kenya

By Kareema Ayesha Bangura, Journalism Undergraduate Student with Swah

Category: News, Student Highlights, FLAS, African Languages, HUSSA, Study Abroad, Africa Travel Experiences, Howard on Africa in Brief

Brock Boyd in South Africa

Brock's Adventures studying Zulu in South Africa

By Brock Boyd, Marketing Undergraduate Student

Category: News, Student Highlights, FLAS, African Languages, Zulu HUZISA, Study Abroad, Africa Travel Experiences

Nephraterie Smith in Kenya

Nephraterie's Travel, Studying Swahili in Kenya

By Nephraterie Smith, Undergraduate Student

Category: News, Student Highlights, FLAS, African Languages, Study Abroad, Africa Travel Experiences

Diandra Blake Swahili Study Abroad 2023

Diandra's Life Changing Experiences in Kenya

By Diandra Blake, African Studies with Swahili Minor Undergraduate Student

Category: News, Student Highlights, FLAS, African Languages, HUSSA, Study Abroad, Africa Travel Experiences

Alexa Baker Swahili Study Abroad

Alexa's Swahili Study Abroad Comparisons

By Alexa Baker, International Affairs Undergraduate Student

Category: News, Student Highlights, FLAS, African Languages, Swahili, Swahili Fulbright GPA, HUSSA, Study Abroad, Africa Travel Experiences

Evita Taneng Yoruba Study Abroad

Evita's Yoruba Study Abroad in Ìbàdàn

By Evita “Èyítáyọ̀” Taneng, Undergraduate Student

Category: News, Student Highlights, African Languages, Yoruba Fulbright GPA, Study Abroad, Africa Travel Experiences

Eboni-at-waterfall-in-Machame

Eboni's Swahili Study Abroad in Tanzania

By Eboni Brown, International Affairs Undergraduate Student

Category: News, Student Highlights, African Languages, Study Abroad, Africa Travel Experiences

Kayla-Manani-Rose-Yoruba2023-p1.jpg

Kayla's Yoruba Study Abroad Adventure

By Kayla Manani Rose, Psychology Undergraduate Student

Category: News, Student Highlights, African Languages, Yoruba Fulbright GPA, Study Abroad, Africa Travel Experiences

HU Zulu in SA

Students of the first ever HU Zulu Study Abroad Program land in South Africa

Last week marked the beginning of the first ever Howard University Zulu in South Africa Study Abroad

Category: News, Alumni-Faculty-Student Highlights, Faculty/Staff Highlights, Student Highlights, African Languages, Zulu HUZISA, Study Abroad, Africa Travel Experiences

swahili 2022

Reflections from Swahili Study Abroad Program 2022

Written by Interdisciplinary Studies/International Affairs student, Alexa Baker

Category: News, Alumni-Faculty-Student Highlights, Student Highlights, African Languages, Swahili, Swahili Fulbright GPA, Study Abroad, Africa Travel Experiences

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Mary Kamau on the Swahili Summer Abroad Program

See a video of student, Mary Kamau, sharing her experiences from the Howard University Swahili Summer Abroad (HU

Category: FLAS, African Languages, Swahili, HUSSA, Study Abroad, Africa Travel Experiences

Siera-in-Lalibela Amharic Study Abroad Program Summer 2018

Experiences from the Amharic Study Abroad Program

FLAS Fellows share their experiences from Ethiopia during the Amharic Study Abroad Program of Summer 2018.

Category: FLAS, African Languages, Study Abroad, Africa Travel Experiences

Minister-Counselor,-Tesfaye-W-Hussen,-Zipporah-D-McCoy,-and-Ambassador-Girma-Birru

Zipporah McCoy's FLAS Fellowship Journey

By Zipporah McCoy, Ph.D. Student, Howard University

Category: FLAS, African Languages

Ngozi's Jordan Blog

Check out this exciting blog "Onyx and Sand" by Ngozi Burre

Category: FLAS, African Languages, Study Abroad, Africa Travel Experiences

African Language Summer Institute at Howard

The African Language Summer Institute is hosted by the Department of World Languages & Cultures and the Center for African Studies at Howard University. The program is available to Howard and non-Howard students. 

Learn more about the Institute.
African Language Summer Institute 2022