After completing this course students are able to:
- Understand the main points of clear standard speech on familiar matters regularly encountered in work, school, leisure in both MSA and one Arabic dialect.
- Understand texts that consist mainly of high frequency every day or job-related language in MSA.
- Deal with most situations likely to arise while traveling in an area where the language is spoken in one Arabic dialect.
- Write simple connected text on topics which are familiar or of personal interest in MSA.
- Describe and exemplify the phenomenon of diglossia and code-switching in the Arabic speaking world and having an understanding of when to use which language register.
- Demonstrate an understanding of the complexities of modern Arabic daily life and the history of a specific Arabic country, as well as an understanding of the life of those Arabs who live in exile.
Relationship between assessment and learning goals:
| Description of assignment |
Assesses which course aims? |
- Language Portfolio
- Final examination
- Cultural Portfolio
- Arabic country Project
- Online and class participation
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3-4
1-5
5, 6
5, 6
1-6 |
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This course works on furthering the students’ knowledge of Modern Standard Arabic, which they have acquired during the course of Introduction to Arabic Language and Culture. It aims to comprehensively covers the 5 Cs: communication, culture, connections, comparisons and communities. This course combines a progressive and rigorous grounding in Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) with an integration of the spoken variety used in everyday situations. In this way, the course efficiently prepares students for the practical realities of learning and "living" Arabic today. Authentic materials are used and analyzed throughout the course and students are working towards authentic communication with Arabic native speakers.
Apart from language, the course also focuses on the history, geography, artistic works, traditions and current events of the Arabic-speaking countries and their communities. Language learning constitutes the 50% of the course assignments, whereas culture assignments constitute 50% of the final grade. Tasks in various forms related to language and cultural topics will be performed individually and in groups. Students will analyze cultural (literary) readings in form of short stories, poems or essays and/or authentic audiovisual materials on its content, the historical context, the socio-cultural background and artistic style. Each student chooses a focus country, in combination with a focus dialect (either Moroccan, Egyptian or Syrian Arabic). Students will focus on this area in their weekly assignments on culture and language and share their knowledge with the class through presentations and a final portfolio.
Format
The course deepens knowledge on both language and culture by integrating these aspects on a weekly basis. An interdisciplinary format is proposed, in which language-focused classes are alternated with in-class seminars on various interdisciplinary topics. Towards the end of the course, students will prepare this type of seminars themselves. Culture, history and art are addressed via texts in Arabic, as well as translated texts. Tasks in various forms related to these topics will be performed individually and in groups. Students are challenged to actively apply and collect knowledge in society, by visiting cultural institutions and having contact with native speakers. The course will use a broad range of stimulating activities and exercises fostering active engagement with the course and the development of comprehension and communication skills.
The course follows the flipped classroom pedagogy, letting the students prepare the content at home, so that class time can be used for interactive activities in which the students use the language actively and critically discuss the cultural content. The course follows a communicative approach to language teaching, in which communicating in Arabic is the central goal. Towards the end of the course, Arabic will mainly be used as the language of instruction. Language skills are tested every biweekly through quizzes and portfolio assignments. The cultural component will be graded based on a cultural portfolio, cultural country project and class participation. The final exam consists of both a written and an oral section.
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Instructor Wessam Semida, email "w.sayedsemidamohamedabbas@uu.nl"
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