This introductory course is designed for those students who want to study Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) for communication and academic purposes. It starts with an introduction to the Arabic phonology and script combined with oral basic communication practice. This is followed by short listening and reading passages supported by multimedia materials. The student will develop his/her ability to communicate satisfactorily in some basic everyday practical situations while acquiring the necessary skills for reading and writing. The main grammar points that will be covered in context throughout the course are: masculine/feminine; the article; personal, demonstrative and possessive pronouns; the plural (regular and broken); the nominal and the verbal (present tense) sentence; the idafa; noun-adjective phrases; the masdar.
Attendance policy:
Regular and timely attendance is required and essential for the successful completion of the course. The maximum number of unexcused absences allowed is two throughout the whole course; after the second unexcused absence his/her grade will be lowered one point (ex.: from A- to B+). The grade of those students who are late to class on a regular basis will also be penalized.
Method of presentation:
Oral communicative practice, listening, reading, and grammar lectures
Required work and form of assessment:
Attendance and participation in class 5%
Daily homework and other assignments 5%
Final Journal 5%
Vocabulary preparation/memorization 5%
4 Quizzes 30%
Midterm 15%
Final exam 25%
Final Journal (al-Majalah)
Throughout the course, students will create their own journal on different aspects of the Arabic language and culture (any aspect related to Arabic language, grammar or socio-culture). The objective of this project is to encourage students to interact with the Arab community, and to investigate the aspects of the Arab world that are most interesting to them. The subjects of the investigation/journal will be suggested by the instructor and the students. All students will be supervised by the professor during the course. At the end of the course, students will give a 10-minute oral presentation of their projects.
content:
The course content is divided into two parts. The first part (class 1-20) covers the book Alif Baa. Introduction to Arabic Sounds and Letters. The second part (classes 21- 35) covers the book Al-Kitab fii Ta`allum al-`Arabiyya. A Textbook for Beginning Arabic, Part One
Session 1: Arabic Sounds and Letters. Introduction to the Arabic language and alphabet. Greetings, vocabulary.
Session 2: Arabic Sounds and Letters. Unit 1 and 2. Class objects and demonstrative pronouns, vocabulary.
Session 3: Arabic Sounds and Letters. Unit 3 and 4. Arabic dialects. Forms of address, gender.
Quiz 1: Units 1-4
Session 4: Arabic Sounds and Letters. Unit 5 and 6. Courtesy: culture and vocabulary.
Session 5: Arabic Sounds and Letters. Unit 6 and 7. Culture of coffee and tea. Expressing feelings.
Quiz II: Units 5-7
Session 6: Arabic Sounds and Letters. Unit 8 and 9. Arabic numbers. Saying hello. Culture of visiting.
Session 7: Arabic Sounds and Letters. Unit 10. Handwriting. Arabic Calligraphy.
Midterm: Units 8-10
Session 8: A Textbook for Beginning Arabic. Al-Kitab. Unit 1. The definite article. The nisba adjective.
Sessions 9: A Textbook for Beginning Arabic. Al-Kitab. Unit 2. The subject pronouns. The plural (regular and broken). The noun sentence.
Quiz III: Units 1-2 Al-Kitab
Sessions 10: A Textbook for Beginning Arabic. Al-Kitab. Unit 3. The possessive pronouns. The idaafa
(the construct phrase).
Sessions 11: A Textbook for Beginning Arabic. Al-Kitab. Unit 4. The verb( present tense. The verbal sentence.
Quiz IIII: Unit 3 Al-Kitab
Final Quiz
Required readings:
Al-Batal, Mahmoud et al. Alif Baa with DVDs. Introduction to Arabic Sounds and Letters. Georgetown University Press, 2004.
---Al-Kitab fii Ta`allum al-`Arabiyya. A Textbook for Beginning Arabic, Part One (units 1-6). Georgetown
University Press, 2004.
Important note: Make sure you purchase the latest edition of these textbooks, in which DVDs are enclosed.
Brief Biography of Instructor:
Hala Jadid Alkash has a Bachelor´s in Library Science and Documentation from the University of Damascus. She is a member of the research group DILACAI (Teaching Arabic Language and Culture) at the Universidad de Granada (UGR), and has worked on projects such as “Development of the Arabic Language Syllabus in High Schools in Andalusia” and “Development of the Arabic Language and Culture in Spanish Primary Schools in Morocco”. She has taught Islamic Culture at the UGR, and has participated in conferences and scientific meetings on Arabic language teaching in Madrid, Málaga, Granada, Tangier and Damascus. Currently, Hala is working on her Ph.D., with a dissertation on teaching Arabic as a foreign language.
Beginning Arabic
This introductory course is designed for those students who want to study Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) for communication and academic purposes. It starts with an introduction to the Arabic phonology and script combined with oral basic communication practice. This is followed by short listening and reading passages supported by multimedia materials. The student will develop his/her ability to communicate satisfactorily in some basic everyday practical situations while acquiring the necessary skills for reading and writing. The main grammar points that will be covered in context throughout the course are: masculine/feminine; the article; personal, demonstrative and possessive pronouns; the plural (regular and broken); the nominal and the verbal (present tense) sentence; the idafa; noun-adjective phrases; the masdar.
Regular and timely attendance is required and essential for the successful completion of the course. The maximum number of unexcused absences allowed is two throughout the whole course; after the second unexcused absence his/her grade will be lowered one point (ex.: from A- to B+). The grade of those students who are late to class on a regular basis will also be penalized.
Oral communicative practice, listening, reading, and grammar lectures
Final Journal (al-Majalah)
Throughout the course, students will create their own journal on different aspects of the Arabic language and culture (any aspect related to Arabic language, grammar or socio-culture). The objective of this project is to encourage students to interact with the Arab community, and to investigate the aspects of the Arab world that are most interesting to them. The subjects of the investigation/journal will be suggested by the instructor and the students. All students will be supervised by the professor during the course. At the end of the course, students will give a 10-minute oral presentation of their projects.
The course content is divided into two parts. The first part (class 1-20) covers the book Alif Baa. Introduction to Arabic Sounds and Letters. The second part (classes 21- 35) covers the book Al-Kitab fii Ta`allum al-`Arabiyya. A Textbook for Beginning Arabic, Part One
Session 1: Arabic Sounds and Letters. Introduction to the Arabic language and alphabet. Greetings, vocabulary.
Session 2: Arabic Sounds and Letters. Unit 1 and 2. Class objects and demonstrative pronouns, vocabulary.
Session 3: Arabic Sounds and Letters. Unit 3 and 4. Arabic dialects. Forms of address, gender.
Quiz 1: Units 1-4
Session 4: Arabic Sounds and Letters. Unit 5 and 6. Courtesy: culture and vocabulary.
Session 5: Arabic Sounds and Letters. Unit 6 and 7. Culture of coffee and tea. Expressing feelings.
Quiz II: Units 5-7
Session 6: Arabic Sounds and Letters. Unit 8 and 9. Arabic numbers. Saying hello. Culture of visiting.
Session 7: Arabic Sounds and Letters. Unit 10. Handwriting. Arabic Calligraphy.
Midterm: Units 8-10
Session 8: A Textbook for Beginning Arabic. Al-Kitab. Unit 1. The definite article. The nisba adjective.
Sessions 9: A Textbook for Beginning Arabic. Al-Kitab. Unit 2. The subject pronouns. The plural (regular and broken). The noun sentence.
Quiz III: Units 1-2 Al-Kitab
Sessions 10: A Textbook for Beginning Arabic. Al-Kitab. Unit 3. The possessive pronouns. The idaafa
(the construct phrase).
Sessions 11: A Textbook for Beginning Arabic. Al-Kitab. Unit 4. The verb( present tense. The verbal sentence.
Quiz IIII: Unit 3 Al-Kitab
Final Quiz
Al-Batal, Mahmoud et al. Alif Baa with DVDs. Introduction to Arabic Sounds and Letters. Georgetown University Press, 2004.
---Al-Kitab fii Ta`allum al-`Arabiyya. A Textbook for Beginning Arabic, Part One (units 1-6). Georgetown
University Press, 2004.
Important note: Make sure you purchase the latest edition of these textbooks, in which DVDs are enclosed.
Hala Jadid Alkash has a Bachelor´s in Library Science and Documentation from the University of Damascus. She is a member of the research group DILACAI (Teaching Arabic Language and Culture) at the Universidad de Granada (UGR), and has worked on projects such as “Development of the Arabic Language Syllabus in High Schools in Andalusia” and “Development of the Arabic Language and Culture in Spanish Primary Schools in Morocco”. She has taught Islamic Culture at the UGR, and has participated in conferences and scientific meetings on Arabic language teaching in Madrid, Málaga, Granada, Tangier and Damascus. Currently, Hala is working on her Ph.D., with a dissertation on teaching Arabic as a foreign language.