Arabic Courses
Arabic-I (Beginners - two semesters):
Arabic-II (Intermediate - two semesters):
Arabic-III (Advanced - two semesters):
Reading Arabic Prose (Content-based Course):
Level: Superior Arabic
Arabic-III (Advanced - two semesters):
Reading Arabic Prose (Content-based Course):
Level: Superior Arabic
Arabic Courses
Arabic-I (Beginners - two semesters):
Arabic-I (Beginners - two semesters):
Learners taking Arabic I will be able to fundamentally understand sentence structures in FusHa (MSA), expand on vocabulary, and further practice basic skills acquired in learning the alphabets. During this course work, learners will master the Arabic alphabet and sound system, be able to distinguish and pronounce all Arabic sounds, and write accurately from dictation, initiate social interactions, ask for basic information, and be aware of basic cultural aspects of social interaction in the Arab world, conduct short conversations with native speakers of Arabic about themselves, their education and family, likes-dislikes, favorite hobbies;
Arabic-II (Intermediate - two semesters):
Arabic-II (Intermediate - two semesters):
After completing the work on Al-Kitaab Part One, learners advancing to Arabic II move towards acquiring intermediate level of proficiency in Modern Standard Arabic (MSA). They will be able to acquire vocabulary actively, read a range of styles in Arabic, from formal to informal and journalistic to expository. They will also be able to read, write, and speak with increased grammatical accuracy and fluency.
Arabic II provides learners with advanced exposure to Levantine spoken variety, work on more sophisticated written expression and reading abilities for higher level and more abstract types of texts in MSA. Class time will be devoted to conversation, reading, translation and structure
Arabic-III (Advanced - two semesters):
Arabic-III (Advanced - two semesters):
This is a high intermediate level course in Modern Standard Arabic in which learners will continue to advance their proficiency in the Arabic language and learn more about the culture and the people of the Middle East. The course will enhance learners’ ability to read and understand authentic text, write and reflect on authentic Arabic text from different sources. Advanced challenging grammar discussions in class will lead to a more nuanced understanding of the Arabic language. Learners completing the sequence of Arabic III, will be able to easily comprehend texts on more familiar topics and recognize main ideas from different authentic material. They will also have learned enough vocabulary and idioms in MSA to hold conversations with native Arabic speakers on familiar topics and discuss basic cultural ideas. Improved clarity and intonation will be clearly noticeable in students’ pronunciation.
Reading Arabic Prose (Content-based Course): Level: Superior Arabic
Reading Arabic Prose (Content-based Course): Level: Superior Arabic
This course offers a valuable chance to learners who want to explore Arabic literary prose in depth, and advance their knowledge in Arabic literature or Middle Eastern Studies. The course will survey excerpts and selections of Arabic literary prose with emphasis on 20th century to the present. Learners will study different writing styles such as essays, notions, reflections, short stories, biographies, and literary articles. The linguistic textual analysis will focus on: (1) understanding advanced grammatical structures, syntax and style; (2) rapid acquisition of vocabulary and popular idioms (e.g. gender manifestations). Special exercises will be developed to improve understanding and use of essential elements of rhetorical analysis of literary works (الاستعارة، الرمز، التشبيه و الطباق و المقابلة) and applying them to the texts we read in class.
Through in-class discussions and oral presentations, written literary analysis that reflect learners’ abilities to understand and assimilate the texts, learners will be able to improve reading-for-comprehension skills, composition, listening and speaking.
Reading Arabic Poetry and Novel (Content-based Course – I Am an Arab): Level: Superior Arabic
Reading Arabic Poetry and Novel (Content-based Course – I Am an Arab): Level: Superior Arabic
Under the theme of “I am an Arab”, this course offers an invaluable opportunity for learners to explore contemporary Arabic poetry and novel, and how the literary work has become a tool for forming national identities (roughly spanning the period from 1920-1980). Learners will cohesively be examining the power of the written word within the historical, political, and cultural breadth of the region. The readings represent the region’s prominent writers; novelists and poets who are bound together not by the borders and nationalities that separate them, but by a common experience of colonial domination and Western imperialism.
Student engaged in this course will learn foundational analytic skills such as the study of elements and imagery, sounds, forms, and writing styles, characteristics and development over time, which form the bases for analyzing novels and poems in their historical and political framework. We will read two short novels for “Ghassan Kanfani” and “Ghada Al-Samman”, and we will work on several poems for greatest poets of the time; “Darweesh”, “Arrar”, “Mahmud”, “Abu Salma”, “Adonis”, Al-Nawwab”, and last but not least “Qabbani”.
Learners will also refine their linguistic abilities in Arabic: in-depth analysis of each reading will improve the understanding of syntax and style; in-class discussions, reflections and oral presentations will enhance the acquisition of vocabulary and idioms; and short and longer guided reflection assignments will help learners assimilate how meaning emerges through rhythm, word choice, style, and context. This class will be highly interactive. Readings and class discussions will be in Arabic; we will continue to analyze material that improves understanding of the elements of Arabic rhetoric:
البلاغه العربيه وعلم البيان – الاستعاره، التشبيه، المقابله، الجناس، الطباق.
Levantine Colloquial Arabic & Culture (Conversation)
Levantine Colloquial Arabic & Culture (Conversation)
The course provides learners with an in-depth introduction to conversation and culture in the Arab World with concentration on developing speaking and communication skills in spoken Levantine colloquial Arabic. Speaking, listening and reading through multiple media selections, workbook pages, and films on various topics drawn from different sources will be used to develop conversational skills. Samples of authentic material in colloquial Arabic are brought in for cultural enrichment. This includes contemporary Arabic writing (newspapers, literature) which supports building strong communicative skills. Course include Class discussions, participation in role-play scenarios, reinforced in-class dialogues and listening to audio/video selections.