The Department of Arabic and Near Eastern Languages is steeped in the Arabic philological and literary tradition. Its faculty is also experienced in the use of contemporary western methods of teaching and approaches to language and literature. For this reason, the department is well positioned to train future leaders in the field. Academic governance of the department complies with the practices and procedures currently applied by the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. The department seeks to augment its faculty as needed, mainly through exchange and visiting programs as well as through highly selective and articulately defined recruitment.