Courses in Arabic

This is the first half of a yearlong course for students who are beginning the study of Arabic and have minimal or no prior exposure to the language. The first semester introduces students to the Arabic language and culture in all four modalities: speaking, reading, listening and writing across the three communicative modes: interpretive, interpersonal and presentational. Part of the first semester concentrates on the Arabic alphabetic writing system, pronunciation, basic conversation and an introduction to basic Arabic grammar. Classwork includes dictation, group conversations, listening exercises and activities focused on developing reading and writing skills. There is increased focus on vocabulary and grammar during the second half of the semester. Online audio and visual materials are used to reinforce communication and vocabulary building, to expose students to authentic language resources and to help them practice inside and outside of the class. Students are also expected to complete assignments outside of class. Instruction includes an introduction to the customs and cultures of the Arabic-speaking world. This course follows the integrated approach teaching model (Modern Standard Arabic and the Levantine dialect) and includes required practice sessions with a teaching assistant. Students enrolled in this course are automatically enrolled in ARBC 112Y for the spring semester. No prerequisite. Offered every fall semester.

This is the second half of a yearlong course, a continuation of ARBC 111Y. As in the first semester, the work includes practice of the Arabic language in all four modalities: speaking, writing, reading and listening across the three communicative modes: interpretive, interpersonal and presentational. This course develops students’ communicative competence in the Arabic language and their understanding of the Arabic culture. Classwork includes reading comprehension activities, vocabulary building activities, giving presentations in Arabic, listening to authentic audio, and guided class discussion in the target language. As in the first-half course, this class follows the integrated approach teaching model (Modern Standard Arabic and the Levantine dialect). Students are expected to use online and extracurricular resources (some provided by the instructor) to help improve their skills and complete assignments outside of class. This course includes required practice sessions with a teaching assistant. Prerequisite: ARBC 111Y or equivalent with permission of instructor. Offered every spring semester.

The main objective of the course is to develop speaking, listening, reading and writing skills at the intermediate-novice level. Classwork includes reading comprehension activities, vocabulary building activities, giving presentations in Arabic, listening to authentic texts and guided class discussion in the target language. Students are expected to use online and extracurricular resources (some provided by the instructor) to help improve their skills and complete assignments outside of class. This course follows the integrated approach teaching model (MSA and the Levantine dialect) and includes required practice sessions with a teaching assistant. Prerequisite: ARBC 112Y or equivalent. Students enrolled in this course are automatically enrolled in ARBC 214Y for the spring semester. Offered every fall semester.

The second half of a yearlong course is a continuation of ARBC 213Y. The second semester continues to build a solid foundation in the Arabic language while developing communication skills in Arabic. By the end of the course, students will have learned all the basic grammar of Modern Standard Arabic and the cumulative of about 400 words. Classwork includes reading authentic texts, vocabulary building, presenting research in Arabic, listening to authentic media (such as news, films and television programs) and class discussion in the target language. Students are expected to use online and extracurricular resources to improve their skills and complete assignments outside of class. The class follows the integrated approach of teaching model (MSA and the Levantine dialect) and includes required practice sessions with a teaching assistant. Prerequisite: ARBC 213Y or equivalent with the permission of instructor. Offered every spring semester.

This course explores the broad and diverse cultures of the Arabic-speaking world through the lens of Arabic literature and modern Arab cinema. Students examine selections of literature and films from all over the Arabic-speaking world across North Africa into the Arabian Gulf. Additionally, they critique films primarily made in the Arabic-speaking world or about the Arabic-speaking world. By exploring multiple perspectives from inside and outside the cultures, students can begin to research the diversity and richness of this "othered" culture as well as examine its similarities with their own. This course is taught in English. Open to students with an interest in literature, translation, film, religion, art, politics, history, political science, economics, sociology and the Arabic language. No prerequisite. Generally offered every other year.

This seminar introduces students to the modern Arabic novel. Students read major works of the modern Arabic canon that have been translated into English, paying particular attention to the social and political contexts in which they were written. We investigate the emergence and development of the modern novel in the Arab world, a vast geographic region that is religiously and culturally diverse yet connected by a common language and history. The course covers how the Arabic novel interacted with the emergence of modernity, the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, the colonial era and the post-independence era to see how contemporary history and politics have affected the aesthetics and form of the novel and, conversely, how writers have attempted (successfully or unsuccessfully) to keep literariness at the forefront of their writings. Students read works from Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine, Saudi Arabia and Sudan. Class discussion is in English; all readings are in English translation. No prerequisite.

This course continues language study from advanced-intermediate level Arabic through advanced levels. The main objective of the course is to develop speaking, listening, reading and writing skills at the advanced-intermediate to advanced level. Classwork includes reading authentic texts, building vocabulary, presenting research in Arabic, listening to authentic media (such as news, films and television programs) and class discussion in the target language. Students conduct research using authentic Arabic texts and online materials. Students are expected to use online and extracurricular resources to help improve their skills and complete assignments outside of class. By the end of the course, students are able to communicate at the advanced level as well as to recognize different genres of literature, read newspapers with the use of a dictionary, and comprehend basic information from media resources without the use of a dictionary. The class follows the integrated approach of teaching model (MSA and the Levantine dialect). Prerequisite: ARBC 214Y or equivalent. Offered every fall semester.

The course is an upper-level course for students who wish to further develop their communicative competence in the Arabic language and their understanding of the Arabic culture. Throughout the course students develop their listening, speaking, reading and writing skills across the three communicative models: interpretive, interpersonal and presentational. The course is taught entirely in Arabic. Classwork includes reading authentic texts, building vocabulary, presenting research in Arabic, listening to authentic media such as songs, movies, podcasts, tv programs and class discussion in the target language. This course is recommended for students wishing to specialize in any field related to the MENA region. Prerequisite: ARBC321 or equivalent. Offered in spring.

Media Arabic introduces the language of print and internet news media in Arabic to students seeking to reach the advanced level. It makes it possible for those students to master core vocabulary and structures typical of front-page news stories, recognize various modes of coverage, distinguish facts from opinion, detect bias and critically read news in Arabic. News articles, online and printed (in the assigned book), in addition to media reporting in audio and video formats focusing on political, economic, security and current daily issues will be discussed in this class. This course addresses all five communication modes (reading, presentational speaking and interpersonal communication, listening, writing and culture). We work on the expansion of communication skills in increasingly complex and varied situations, with emphasis on conversational speaking, presentational writing and speaking and understanding culturally specific texts and the ways in which they are being discussed and reported in Arabic media. Occasionally, we review or introduce some grammar rules relevant to the texts and topics being discussed. Time in class is devoted to reinforcing the five skills mentioned above through reinforcing vocabulary, reading and analyzing media texts, listening to various media broadcasts, engaging in interactive drills and activities conducted Solely in Arabic. The course embraces the diglossic nature of Arabic by explicitly integrating and welcoming use of materials that include Modern Standard Arabic as well as the various Arabic dialects. Moreover, the course builds students’ digital literacy by providing them opportunities for research as well as oral and written production in Arabic using technology. This is also intended to support student autonomy, learning inside and outside the classroom and their ability to continue using these skills beyond this course. In fact, it is expected that students will start using Arabic news sources as venues where they will get their news especially if they are interested in getting multiple perspectives on the same story. Prerequisite: ARBC 321 or equivalent.

This course introduces students to the theory and practice of translation. It is inspired by the Language Across the Curriculum approach and aims to allow the students of the discipline to extend their knowledge of Arabic, and study and research translation as both a field of study and a venue for practicing and improving their language skills. Sessions are designed primarily as practice workshops. Class is conducted in Arabic, and advanced knowledge of Arabic is required. Prerequisite: ARBC 321.

This course offers an opportunity to study on an individual basis an area of special interest — literary, cultural or linguistic — under the regular supervision of a faculty member. It is offered primarily to candidates for honors, to majors and, under special circumstances, to potential majors and minors. Individual study is intended to supplement, not to take the place of, regular courses in the curriculum of each language program. Staff limitations restrict this offering to a very few students. To enroll in an individual study, a student must identify a member of the MLL department willing to direct the project and, in consultation with him or her, write a one-page proposal for the IS. It must be approved by the department chair before the individual study can go forward. The proposal should specify the schedule of reading and/or writing assignments and the schedule of meeting periods. The amount of work in an IS should approximate that required on average in regular courses of corresponding levels. Typically, an IS will earn the student 0.25 or 0.5 units of credit. At a minimum, the department expects the student to meet with the instructor one hour per week. Because students must enroll for individual studies by the end of the seventh class day of each semester, they should begin discussion of the proposed individual study by the semester before, so that there is time to devise the proposal and seek departmental approval.