ARAB 101
Elementary Arabic I
1. Catalog Entry
ARAB 101
Elementary Arabic I
Credit hours (4)
Introduction to Modern Standard Arabic, including the Arabic alphabet and calligraphy, basic grammar, and vocabulary. Students will develop skills in reading, writing, listening, and speaking. This class is not for native or heritage speakers of Arabic. Approved for Core Curriculum credit in College Core B in Humanities.
2. Detailed Description of Course
Four hours lecture and language practice. An introduction to written and oral communication in Arabic with emphasis upon the alphabet, greetings and present tense. This is the first course in Elementary Arabic. Arabic is a Semitic language used throughout the Arab World which extends from Morocco in North Africa to Oman in the Gulf area. In this class, students learn Modern Standard Arabic (MSA), as it is used in media and books throughout the Arabic-speaking world. Introduces the essential elements of Arabic structure and vocabulary (limited to basic objects, common measures, numbers 1-99, name of immediate family members) and cultural aspects of the Arab world. Aural comprehension, speaking, reading, and writing are stressed in that order. Independent laboratory practice required.
3. Detailed Description of Conduct of Course
Class instruction targets communication practice using the situations, intentions, vocabulary, culture, and grammar introduced in a given chapter. Other activities include: singing songs; performing skits; explaining grammar and vocabulary; practicing pronunciation, listening comprehension exercises; translating, writing, and grammar drills. Class is conducted primarily in the target language.
4. Goals and Objectives of the Course
Students will be able to demonstrate language skills appropriate to the level of study. They will be able to communicate minimally with learned material and produce oral speech using isolated words and learned phrases with predictable areas of need. Students will only be minimally able to recombine learned oral elements and to pronounce most Arabic sounds accurately (if not in rapid speech). In regards to listening skills, students will be able to recognize learned material and isolated words and phrases when strongly supported by context. Students will be able to comprehend some words and phrases from simple questions, statements, high frequency commands, and courtesy formulations about topics that refer to basic personal information or the immediate physical setting. Reading and writing goals (standardized ACTFL proficiency criteria): Students will be able to identify learned material without assistance and to understand some new material when strongly reinforced by cognates, context, or dictionary assistance. In writing, students will be able to meet limited practical needs (e.g., write short messages, postcards, and take down simple notes). By the end of the semester, students will be able to create statements or questions within the scope of limited language experience.
Students will be able to analyze similarities and differences between their own and the target cultures.
Students will be able to explain contemporary international issues from the perspectives of their own and the target cultures.
5. Assessment Measures
Speaking progress is evaluated in class and in oral interviews. Written homework assignments provide a foundation for the evaluation of writing progress. Listening and reading comprehension and grammatical accuracy are tested in quizzes, chapter tests, and on the final exam. In most of these testing situations, students will also either demonstrate or further expand (in the case of new linguistic excerpts containing new cultural topics) their familiarity with cultural topics and current global issues. Student's success in using Arabic will therefore demonstrate not only their linguistic abilities but also their cultural competence to anticipate, identify, and to simulate the use of different cultural perceptions and behaviors through the new language.
6. Other Course Information
To supplement linguistics and cultural encounters in class, students are expected to participate in some extracurricular activities such as conversations with native speakers, watching Arabic language movies and inquiring about Arab cultures by means of the multitude of media available as informational resources. This course can help students fulfill the B.A. foreign language requirement. ARAB101 is for beginners and students who have had no more than one year of Arabic in high school. If students have taken ARAB 100, they are not eligible to take ARAB 101.
Review and Approval
June 20, 2015