The Department of English Language and Literature sees its role as part of the greater mission of the United Arab Emirates University, which is to develop a graduate with the knowledge, skills, and values essential to a citizen of the twenty-first century. The graduate of the Department will possess the cultural knowledge and language skills necessary to understand others, especially those in English- and French-speaking cultures. The knowledge and skills the Department provides will enable the graduate to translate and interpret his or her own culture for others and to translate and interpret the culture, knowledge, and values of other nations, while the overall distribution of courses in the curriculum promotes a strong national, Arab, and Islamic character.

The Department follows international standards in its work to develop the student’s skills in language, rhetoric, reasoning, and research, and to provide the student with specialized theoretical and applied training in disciplines of linguistics and literature. The Department, employing accomplished U.A.E. national, regional, and international scholars, instructs the student in a course of study that begins with language skills and that continues with introductory, intermediate, and advanced courses in linguistics and literature. From the beginning, the goal has been to develop the student’s ability to research and to think critically.

In teaching as well as research and administration, the Department uses up-to-date computer hardware and software, language laboratory equipment, and other resources to encourage self-education in the various skills.

The Department’s objectives are to train students in specialties needed by today’s society, especially in translation and in various other fields requiring knowledge of English. To this end, the Department

a. Provides students with theoretical knowledge and practical training in translation from English into Arabic and from Arabic into English so that they may become qualified translators;

b. Enables students to master various English language skills in order to be able to fill suitable positions in the government.

c. Provides the Ministry of Education with the necessary teachers of English, both male and female, in cooperation with the Faculty of Education.

d. Acquaints students with the most up-to-date methods in language learning and teaching, particularly in Arabic and English.

e. Prepares students to do post-graduate work in literature and linguistics through specialization available in the Department.