Arabic

This course is an introduction to Modern Standard Arabic, the formal language employed in books, newspapers, scripted news broadcasts, and formal speeches across the Arab world. The classes and activities facilitate the acquisition of a basic proficiency in the language and the basic linguistic skills, analytical abilities, and cultural knowledge required to read, write, and speak Arabic at a basic level. The program is based on the principle of immersion, the comprehensive and active use of the language of study, both inside and outside the classroom. Arabic is therefore taught in Arabic, though certain subjects may be taught in English at the beginning of the program, with a gradual move to Arabic as the program progresses. Participants interact with the Arabic speaking community in various field trips and special activities. The course runs for 11 weeks. At the end of the course, a workshop is held in an Arabic speaking environment and students engage in activities with native speakers.

This elementary intensive Arabic language program is designed for students with little or no prior background in Literary Arabic. Learning objectives include mastering the Arabic alphabet and distinguishing and pronouncing all Arabic sounds; reading and comprehension of a variety of basic texts in Modern Standard Arabic; composing paragraphs using a basic level of Modern Standard Arabic; understanding the phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics of the Arabic language; becoming familiar with Arabic culture; and responding in culturally appropriate ways to daily interactions in Arab culture and society.

This advanced level course provides a high level of proficiency in quick reading and translation (with the help of a dictionary that can be applied to most available texts in the standard literary language. It is intended for students with sound knowledge of Modern Standard Arabic. The course focuses on listening comprehension, oral expression, and writing in Modern Standard Arabic, based on the learned vocabulary. It deals with advanced grammatical and morphological topics, including additional adverbial accusatives, complex sentences, and the conjugation of double, hamzate and weak verbs, including double weak verbs. By the end of the course students will be able to read a broad range of texts.

This course is designed for students who are able to communicate at a basic level and have completed at least 120 hours of prior study of the Arabic language. It further develops vocabulary and continuously introduces students to more complex sentence structure and higher level grammatical skills throughout the semester. Simultaneously, it introduces various aspects of Arab culture and history. All class exercises and activities are either task-based or student centered. Aside from the primary textbook, students are exposed to other materials such as magazine articles, daily newspapers and short stories. Course highlights include using words and expressions to handle successfully uncomplicated tasks in straightforward social situations; an in-depth knowledge of various aspects of Arab culture (social customs, religious traditions, family life) with particular focus on Morocco; expressing personal meaning; communicating information and expressing thoughts about familiar topics; reading with proper pronunciation and comprehending themes and topics; creating statements and formulating questions based on familiar material; and identifying information in basic personal and social contexts.