Kiswahili has been taught at Stanford University for over twenty years now. Initially, the teaching of Kiswahili was administered by the Special Language Program in the department of linguistics. It was taught by part time lecturers depending on students’ demand. Upon the establishment of the Language Center in 1995, Kiswahili and other African languages, as well as Arabic and Hebrew became the African and Middle Eastern Languages and Literatures, a new program housed in the Language Center, which is under the newly established Division of Cultures, Literatures and Languages.

Since the late 80s when a lectureship position was established, three levels of Kiswahili have been offered consistently at Stanford University in a three quarter sequence, namely:

 AMELANG 106: Beginning Swahili
AMELANG 107: Intermediate Swahili
AMELANG 108: Advanced Swahili

There is also a Directed Reading in African and Middle Eastern Languages (AMELANG 297) and Graduate Studies in African and Middle Eastern Languages (AMELANG 395) offered on students’ demand.

Kiswahili students at Stanford have an opportunity to pursue the undergraduate minor in Middle Eastern Languages, Literatures, and Cultures. To be able to declare the minor, students will be required to have two years of Kiswahili language studies, and 3 other non-language courses on Africa. For more information about the minor visit the African and Middle Eastern Languages, Literatures, and Cultures page of the Stanford Language Center’s website
(https://www.stanford.edu/dept/lc/language/).