Grading System

Please note:  You must receive a grade of C or better in order to continue with Arabic 2311.

Online Assignments                            15%                

2 Tests (20% each)                              40%    

Oral Exam                                           15%                

Comprehensive Final Exam               30%    

Grade                        Scale

90 – 100                      A

80 – 89                        B

70 – 79                        C

60 – 69                        D

0 – 59                          F                                                                                                                                 

Required Texts/Materials

1. Al-Kitaab fii Ta’allum al-‘Arabiyya : A Textbook for Beginning Arabic with website (Part One) by Kristen Brustad, Mahmoud Al-Batal and Abbas  Al-Tonsi , 3nd Edition, Georgetown University Press, 2011.

2. Companion website PB (Lingco): Registration Instructions provided by Instructor.

3. Handouts as provided by the instructor.          

Schedule

Assignments and dates may be modified as required during the course

January 16                               Intro

January 18                               Lesson 1

January 23                               Lesson 1

January 25                               Lesson 1

January 30                               Conversational Dialogue

February 01                             Lesson 2

February 06                             Lesson 2

February 08                             Lesson 2

February 13                             Conversational Dialogue/Review for Test 1

February 15                             Test 1// Online Assignments for Lesson 1&2 due

February 20                             Lesson 3

February 22                             Lesson 3

February 27                             Lesson 3

February 29                             Conversational Dialogue

March 05                                 Lesson 4

March 07                                 Lesson 4

March 12                                 Spring Break

March 14                                 Spring Break

March 19                                 Lesson 4

March 21                                 Conversational Dialogue/ Review for Test 2

March 26                                 Test 2/ Online Assignments for Lessons 3&4 due            

March 28                                 Lesson 5

April 02                                  

April 04                                   Lesson 5

April 09                                   Lesson 5

April 11                                    Conversational Dialogue

April 16                                   Cultural Activity

April 18                                   Listening Comprehension Activity

April 23                                   Reading Comprehension Activity

April 25                                   Review for Final

April 30                                   Oral Assessment

May 02                                    Oral Assessment

May 07                                    Final

May 09                                    Final make-up/ Online Assignments for Lesson 5 due

Learning Outcomes

General Education Student Learning Outcomes:

Students will demonstrate competence in:

—    Critical Thinking

Gather, analyze, synthesize, evaluate and apply information for the purposes of innovation, inquiry, and creative thinking.

—    Teamwork

Consider different points of view to work collaboratively and effectively in pursuit of a shared purpose or goal.

—    Social Responsibility

Analyze differences and commonalities among peoples, ideas, aesthetic traditions, and cultural practices to include intercultural competence, knowledge of civic responsibility, and the ability to engage effectively in regional, national, and global communities

.—    Personal Responsibility

Identify and apply ethical principles and practices to decision-making by connecting choices, actions and consequences

—    Communication Skills

Develop, interpret, and express ideas and information through written, oral and visual communication that is adapted to purpose, structure, audience, and medium.

Course Outcomes:  The main objective of this course is to develop competencies that align with the general education goals of critical thinking, interpersonal skills, civic and cultural awareness, personal responsibility, and written, oral and visual communication, in the Arabic language, at an appropriate level. The ability to understand and communicate and comprehend Arabic will develop along with the knowledge of the vocabulary, grammatical structures of the language, and exploration of how culture shapes communication. Two to three hours a day should be dedicated for the study of Arabic (at least two hours outside of class for each hour in class).

At the end of Arabic 1412, students should be able to do the following:

CRITICAL THINKING:

-          use a variety of comprehension strategies to understand written or spoken Arabic

-          answer questions and draw inferences about passages

-          synopsize and synthesize the information from passages heard or read

-          make comparisons and find contrasts among the different Arab cultures and your own 

-          reflect on what was read or heard and mention some of its implications and applications

-          evaluate the information

TEAMWORK (Interpersonal Skills):

-     complete a variety of language-based activities working in pairs and small groups.

-     demonstrate the ability to negotiate meaning to complete language-based activities

-     demonstrate the ability to work in groups to achieve a common goal

-     demonstrate the ability to consider different points of view and work effectively with others to support a shared purpose or goal

SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY (Civic and Cultural Awareness):

-     compare and contrast different perspectives on cultural issues, customs, and traditions of different Arab cultures and your own

-     demonstrate some intercultural competence by correctly using formal and informal speech, changing registers as needed, and using gestures

-     mention some differences among the Arabic-speaking countries

- develop awareness of current events in Arabic-speaking regions and analyze their implications

PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY:

-   show time management skills by successfully completing tasks on time

-   acquire effective study habits for language learning

COMMUNICATION (Written, Oral and Visual Communication):

-   show effective written and spoken communication in Arabic at the appropriate level using a variety of strategies and adopting the appropriate type of speech.

-   use listening strategies such as listening for the main idea and for specific details and asking for clarification.

-   exhibit conceptual understanding and control of courtesy expressions and appropriate kinesics when speaking in Arabic

-   interpret and express ideas through written, oral, and visual communication

Discipline Learning Outcomes

After four semesters of Arabic, students should be able to:

• apply a variety of reading strategies to read a range of styles in Arabic from formal to informal and with economical and intelligent use of a dictionary;
• understand texts of general interest;
• use a variety of listening strategies in order to comprehend and understand oral speech and state the main idea and some detail when listening to a passage on familiar material or authentic selections.
• initiate and sustain conversations about self, life, and environment with native speakers who are accustomed to conversing with learners of Arabic as a foreign language and to paraphrase if necessary while demonstrating accuracy in the basic sentence structures and being aware of the sequence of tenses and use of prepositions and articles;
• write informal notes, essays, and opinion pieces on familiar topics;
• be familiar with the differences in sounds and basic structures between formal and spoken Arabic;
• understand aspects of Arab culture