Fall 2006

ARA 380C • Fourth Year Arabic I

Course Description

This is the first of a two-course sequel. It aims at training students in the skills of Reading Comprehension and Speaking at the Advanced to Advanced Plus levels on the ACTFL scale in Modern Standard Arabic and helping them acquire a broad understanding of Arab culture through texts. Following a review of vocabulary and grammatical structures learned in Arabic Readings and Grammar I and II and the completion of the last five lessons in Intermediate Modern Standard Arabic, readings in this course will consist exclusively of authentic materials on various contemporary topics in the humanities and social sciences and various genres including commentaries, essays, short stories, biographies, journal and magazine articles etc., and reflect narrative, expository, descriptive and argumentative modes. Students are expected to present and discuss orally the materials read, using cohesive paragraph-length discourse, to write outlines, paraphrases, summaries, and compositions, based on the materials read, and to demonstrate an Advanced/Advanced Plus levcomprehension of texts of increasing levels of complexity and sophistication, including making inferences.

Grading Policy

Homework and Class participation 50% Tests and take home exams 50%

Texts

Abboud et al, Modern Standard Arabic. Intermediate Level. Revised Edition, 2002. (University of Chicago Publication Distribution Service) Abboud, Peter, Abbas al-Tonsi, and Aman Attieh, Come Let's Read with the Arabs. Advanced Level (obtained from Abel's in Austin

back