Course Syllabus

COURSE DESCRIPTION AND OBJECTIVES

This is an intensive course covering the entire Intermediate Arabic sequence (ARAB 201, 202, 203). It explores aspects of Arab culture and emphasizes all skills of language acquisition: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. You will also learn more about Arab society and culture in general. The main focus will be on developing communication skills, and the ultimate goal of this course is to enable you to apply Arabic to the many purposes for which you have decided to learn the language. The prerequisites for this course are the successful completion of Arabic 103 or approval of the instructor.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

• By the end of this course, you should be able to:
• Initiate and sustain conversations and interactions in Arabic on a wide range of general and daily-life topics, while having a familiarity of the social norms and issues affecting Arabic speakers.
• Read authentic Arabic texts on general topics and understand the main idea without using the dictionary.
• Read authentic Arabic texts with a good understanding by reading and using context skills, knowledge of grammar, background knowledge, and the dictionary.
• Narrate events in the past, present, and future.
• Use morphology, especially the ten forms, to deduce vocabulary from familiar roots.
• Choose formal or informal varieties of Arabic according to context.
• Monitor yourself when speaking and writing and self-correct.

CLASS FORMAT

Success in this course depends upon the combined efforts of the learner and the facilitator (that’s my role). Your responsibility is to prepare thoroughly for class at home, and then participate actively in class. My primary role is to facilitate real communication in Arabic. Classroom time is planned accordingly, thus, lack of preparation will significantly reduce the benefits you gain from the classroom experience. There will be very little lecturing in this class. Rather, you are expected to come to class with your own assignments and research done.

Groups of 2 or more will be assigned in class. Please change groups every day.

It is very important that you attend every class and participate in classroom activities. Studies have shown that regular participation in class is the most influential factor in learning course material. The nature of the course provides the opportunity for students to share their experiences and to learn from one another.  This is why working with different people each day in the groups is very important.  Participation is a very useful learning experience and is considered in the calculation of the final grade.

Preparation for class is an essential component of the course, allowing us to devote in-class time to communicating in the language, rather than talking about the language.

ASSESSMENT FEATURES

All assessment features are designed to emphasize multiple skill building, and progressive fluency and accuracy, incorporating context with linguistic mastery.

Assignment	Weight
Class Participation	15%
Homework	15%
Tests (3)	15%
Quizzes (5)	10%
Presentation	5%
Portfolio	5%
Dictionary Skills	5%
Oral Proficiency Interview	5%
Movies & Culture	5%
Final Exam	20%
Total	100%

Please, note that no incompletes will be given under any circumstances.

PARTICIPATION

Active participation in class is essential, because success in the study of Arabic depends largely on daily exposure to the language. Students cannot participate if they are not in class. There is no substitute or make-up for class participation. If you miss class (for any reason), you will not receive participation credit for that day.

Class starts at 9:10am; please be there on time. Arriving late to class is disruptive to the others, and important aspects of the first activity of the class might be missed. Please be advised that tardiness is calculated as half absent.

HOMEWORK

Homework, beyond what is specified in the calendar, may be assigned at the instructor’s discretion. Homework assignments must be completed and turned in when due. Assignments will not be accepted after the due date. If you know you are going to miss class, you may turn your homework in early for full credit, but late homework will not be accepted, corrected, nor given partial credit. Homework will be graded on a scale from 0-4, where 4 is the highest possible grade:

4 = Excellent work

3 = Good work, but could be better

2 = Mediocre

1 = Poor

0 = No submission or very poor

All exercises marked as “Online” must be completed on the Al-Kitaab Companion website. The assignments marked as “Written” are open-ended assignments, and they should be done on a sheet of paper and submitted in class to be corrected by the instructor.

Homework correction: Errors on homework are quite natural and constitute a necessary part of the learning process, but for assignments to fulfill their role you must go back over them.

TESTS & QUIZZES

Tests and quizzes must be taken as scheduled. No make-up tests or quizzes will be given unless arrangements are made PRIOR to the scheduled test time, and under exceptional hardship circumstance. In that case, the test will be given before the scheduled time.

Note that language learning is cumulative and all tests may include material from previous chapters.

A total of 5 quizzes will be held in class on dates noted below. A quiz will take 10 minutes and will focus on 1 to 2 skills.

Listening, vocabulary, grammar, reading and writing are the five sections of the final exam. Each section will be worth 20 points for a total of 100 points.

The final exam will take place on Friday, August 23^rd in the regular class room.

PRESENTATION

Students will choose a topic and prepare a 10 minute presentation to present in Arabic to the rest of the class.  You can present it singly, or groups of two are allowed.  Keep in mind this is a presentation, and each student (if in a group of two) will have to present. You may use notes if needed, but you may not just read from a prepared text.  It is the responsibility of the student groups to arrange times on their own, according to their schedules, in which they can work on preparing their presentations.  Please see “Important Dates” section for when to submit your topic choice and for when presentation is due.

PORTFOLIO

Students will turn in one paper at the end of the term. Portfolios cover topics pertinent to the course and should be 5 pages (font: Traditional Arabic, font size: 18, double space).  The paper must be your own writing. Excessive quoting is not acceptable. You may use pictures in an appendix, but not as part of the actual paper.  The portfolio you create for this class will describe and evaluate your performance across various language skills. It is intended to be a description of your work and will offer an additional perspective that tests do not provide. In your portfolio, you will have an opportunity to select evidence of what you have learned, reflect on it, and make it part of the assessment of your learning. The students will submit a topic for approval for the paper by the assigned time.

ORAL PROFICIENCY INTERVIEW

As part of the final assessment for the course, you will have a 10-20 minutes oral interview in Arabic in which you will be asked to talk about aspects of your academic and social life using the vocabulary and structures you’ve learned up to this point. Interviews will be conducted outside of class time in week 8 (August 12 and 13)

Movies & Culture

Movies provide a source of authentic and varied language. They contain of a wealth of Arabic speaking and cultural situations outside the classroom. Since they resemble the real life in the societies in which the Arabic language is spoken, they can be a vital tool of learning the language and culture. Starting week 2 of the summer quarter, we will be watching a movie every Wednesday during our regular class time.

Dictionary skills

Since the Arabic language is based on root system, using the Arabic dictionary effectively is a crucial skill that every serious student must learn. Bringing a dictionary and using it during the class is mandatory. The dictionary skills grade will be based on bringing and using the dictionary each day in class, as well as completing the dictionary skills assignments. Also be sure to utilize the dictionary when studying at home rather than Google as this will improve your dictionary skills.

CALENDAR

The weekly calendar you receive with this syllabus lists preparatory homework required for each class period, written assignments to be handed in, and dates for tests and quizzes. Please, follow the calendar and be prepared for any changes. If you are not able to make it to class for any reason, please contact your classmates to see what you have missed. Also, please remember that the schedule is subject to last minute changes that will be announced in class or on Canvas.

CANVAS LMS

You are required to check Canvas LMS regularly.  On the course website, you will find all information about the course, calendars, handouts, important dates, grades, and other content.

For more information about Canvas LMS, please visit https://canvas.uw.edu/courses/1303088

COURSE CONCERNS & ADDITIONAL NOTES

If you have any concerns about course material, procedures, or personnel, please feel free to contact your instructor during office hours or via e-mail. If you are not comfortable talking with your instructor, or are not satisfied with the response that you receive, you may contact the Director of the Arabic Program, Dr. Hussein Elkhafaifi (206) 543-9596, DEN M220C. If you are still not satisfied with the response you receive, you may contact Dr. Selim Kuru, Chair of the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilization (206) 543-6928, DEN 220F. Alerting us to your concerns when they arise allows us to address them; waiting until the quarter is nearly over leaves us little room to try to accommodate your needs.

By enrolling in this class, you make a commitment to regular attendance and class participation. Continued enrollment signifies that you have received a copy of this syllabus and that you have been notified of the requirements, examination schedule, and grading policies for the course, and you agree to be filmed for educational purposes.

The instructor reserves the right to revise this syllabus at any time during the quarter. Students will be informed of the changes.

ACADEMIC HONESTY

In case of academic misconduct, such as copying someone’s homework or cheating on quizzes or exams or plagiarizing, the student will be penalized in accordance with the policy of the College of Arts & Sciences. For more details you can click on this link.

https://depts.washington.edu/grading/pdf/AcademicResponsibility.pdf

ACADEMIC ACCOMMODATIONS

If you would like to request academic accommodations due to a disability, please contact Disability Resources for Students (DRS), 011 Mary Gates, (206) 543-8924. If you have a letter from DRS indicating you have a disability that requires academic accommodations, please present the letter to the professor so we can discuss the accommodations you might need for the class. Their website is found here. http://depts.washington.edu/uwdrs/

TEXTBOOKS AND OTHER RESOURCES

Textbooks are not the sole resource for this class: videotapes, authentic materials and other activities designed to introduce the culture as well as the language will be employed.

Textbooks

Al-Kitaab fii Ta^callum  al- ^cArabiyya: A Textbook for Intermediate Arabic, Part Two 3rd edition. Kristen Brustad, Mahmoud al-Batal and Abbas Al-Tonsi: Georgetown University Press, Washington D.C., 2013. (Required)

Dictionaries

The Hans Wehr Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic (Arabic-English), Ed. J.M. Cowan, Spoken Language Services, Inc., Urbana, IL, 1994. (Required)

Concise Oxford English-Arabic Dictionary (English/Arabic), Ed. N.S. Doniach, Oxford University Press, Inc., New York, 1982.

Companion Website

In addition to purchasing the Al-Kitaab fii Ta’allum al-‘Arabiyya: A Textbook for Intermediate Arabic, you must enroll in your instructor's course at the companion website for an additional charge of $24.95.  Please refer to the class Canvas site for detailed instructions on how to do this.

If you do not already have the book, you can now purchase the book and the companion website registration key as a bundle from the UW book store.

IMPORTANT DATES

 

Quiz 1:                                                                     Monday, July 1

Quiz 2:                                                                     Monday, July 8

Portfolio Topic Submission:                        Monday, July 8

Quiz 3:                                                                     Monday, July 15

Test 1:                                                                       Monday, July 22

Quiz 4:                                                                      Monday, July 29

Quiz 5:                                                                      Monday, Aug 5

Portfolio Due:                                                       Friday, Aug 9

Test 2:                                                                        Monday, Aug 12

Oral Proficiency Interviews:                        Monday, Aug 12 & Tuesday, Aug 13

Test 3:                                                                         Monday, Aug 19

Final Exam:                                                             Friday, Aug 23                      

أتمنّى لكم التوفيق والنجاح

 

ARABIC PROGRAM GRADING SCALE

%	GRADE	%	GRADE	%	GRADE
≥ 95	4.0	84	2.9	73	1.8
94	3.9	83	2.8	72	1.7
93	3.8	82	2.7	71	1.6
92	3.7	81	2.6	70	1.5
91	3.6	80	2.5	69	1.4
90	3.5	79	2.4	68	1.3
89	3.4	78	2.3	67	1.2
88	3.3	77	2.2	66	1.1
87	3.2	76	2.1	65	1.0
86	3.1	75	2.0	64	.9
85	3.0	74	1.9	63	.8
				62	.7

Students must achieve a MINIMUM of 2.0 to continue to the next level

Per FERPA, I cannot discuss grades via email. Please make an appointment to talk in my office if you have questions or concerns.