Humanities Department New Course Proposal
INTERMEDIATE ARABIC II
ARB 2202, 3 hours, 3 credits
Prepared by Hamid Bahri.
Prerequisites: ARB 2201 (Intermediate Arabic II), or foreign language placement test.
Catalogue description: This course is designed for students who have taken
Intermediate Arabic 1 or have permission from the Humanities Department. Through the
four essential language skills: listening, speaking, reading, (both oral and
comprehension), and writing in Modern Standard Arabic (MSA), this course will
introduce students to more complex grammatical forms and structures, expand their
knowledge of Arabic words, idiomatic expressions. Students will begin to learn the
variation in register through the use of authentic texts (journalistic, poetic, Qur’anic), and
also learn about Islam, literature, Arab history and the diverse cultures of the Arab world.
Course Materials:
1)
Al-Kitaab fii Ta‘allum al-‘Arabiyya with DVDs: A Textbook for Arabic: Part II,
Second Edition.
2)
The Hans Wehr Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic, Ed. By
J.M. Cowan, 4th Edition.
Assessment:
Assessment of students’ progress will be conducted on a daily basis, according to the
following system: completed homework assignments, weekly official quizzes and
unofficial daily quizzes, daily oral presentations, and exams. Homework represents the
most important measure of evaluation for the instructor since it highlights the strengths
and identifies the weaknesses of students. Homework is viewed as a process. In each
class session, students will submit their written assignments on the lesson of the day and
receive graded homework with commentary. If “correct” is marked on the homework, the
student is required to submit corrections in the following class session. For each lesson,
students are also quizzed twice, a quiz on the vocabulary and a quiz on grammar. In the
last three weeks of the term, each student will make an oral presentation in Arabic about
a topic that would have been previously discussed and agreed upon with the instructor.
Each student is personally assessed through a required one-on-one meeting with the
instructor during the course of the semester.
Course Objectives:
By the end of the academic year students will, using Modern Standard Arabic:
be able to understand grammatical complexities with less difficulty, through the use of
patterns, roots and case endings, complex sentences, and the passive voice for instance,
be able to write coherent paragraphs in Arabic, and read with ease,
be able to sustain understanding over stretches of connected discourse on a number of
topics pertaining to different times and places, such as (family, hobbies, work, travel and
current events),
be able to learn about a number of key figures, such as Gamal Abdul-Nasser, Umm
Khulthum, and Abdel Halim Hafez, Nizar Qabbani, and Ibn Battouta among others, as
well as religious movements, such as Sufism, Shi’a, that have impacted the Arab/Muslim
world,
be able to develop autonomy and build confidence in their ability to guess the meaning
on a number of topics, and
be exposed to more aspects of Arabic culture, including literature, art and cinema.
College Attendance Policy:
Attendance is mandatory. No more than three absences or 10%
of classes will be allowed during the regular semester.
Students with absences beyond this limit may receive a WU
grade. Three latenesses equals one absence.
Academic Integrity Policy Statement.
Students and all others who work with information, ideas,
texts, images, music, inventions, and other intellectual
property owe their audience and sources accuracy and
honesty in using, crediting, and editing sources. As a
community of intellectual and professional workers, the
College recognizes its responsibility for providing
instruction in information literacy and academic integrity,
offering models of good practice, and responding vigilantly
and appropriately to infractions of academic integrity.
Accordingly, academic dishonesty is prohibited in The
University of New York and at New York City College of
Technology and is punishable by penalties, including
failing grades, suspension, and expulsion. The complete
text of the College policy on Academic Integrity may be
found in the catalog.
Course Requirements and Grade:
1. Participation (25%):
Class will begin on time. Students will be expected to attend classes regularly. Students
will receive a detailed bi-weekly syllabus.
Students will bring their books to every class. Arabic will be the only language used in
the classroom, and English will be used minimally, such as in cases to explain abstract
concepts. There will be very little grammar explanation given during class time. Class
time will be spent doing activities to help students internalize and learn to actively use the
vocabulary and grammatical structures they studied.
2. Homework Assignments, Preparation and Oral Presentation (25%):
Homework is an essential part of the course. The majority of class time will be devoted
to practice and communication.
There will be written assignments due at the beginning of each class on the day
designated in the bi-weekly syllabus. Assignments, written or oral, should be turned in or
performed on the due date. Students will be encouraged to study and work on homework
assignments together, with the stipulation that everyone must submit her/his own
individual paper.
3. Quizzes (20%):
Students will have four short quizzes (15-20 minutes each).
4. Midterm Exam 25%
5. Final Presentation (5%)
Each student will give a 6-8 minute final oral presentation in Arabic.
6. Final Examination (25%):
The final examination will be comprehensive and will test all the skills: reading, writing,
speaking, and listening.
Course Outline:
Week 1: Greetings. Introductions. Discussion of the syllabus and review of Lessons 14
and 15: tenses, questions, negation, conditionals, verbal sentence, noun/pronoun
sentence.
Week 2: Continued review: Lesson 15, culture: Tunisia. Lesson 16: vocabulary, new
verbs (to arrive, to buy), Questions, the Story, Quiz on Review.
Week 3: Lesson 16: Drills, culture: different calendar years (Gregorian and Hijri
calendars), grammar: the comparative, writing, conversation, grammar: the nominative,
the accusative, and the genitive. Quiz on Lesson 16 (vocabulary).
Week 4: Lesson 16: Reading and writing, listening, Culture: Nizar Qabbani, the Arab
Poet of love, Art, Cairo market. Reviewing drills. Lesson 17: Vocabulary, Ramadan, new
verbs, their patterns and roots.
Week 5: Lesson 17: The Story, Questions, Culture: Middle Easterners, Arab Christians.
Grammar: reflexive verbs, intransitive verbs. Quiz on Lesson 16: (grammar).
Week 6: Lessons 17: Grammar: the function of the nominative, the accusative, and the
genitive. Culture: Islam, the Qur’an, the Hadith. Review exercises. Quiz: Lesson 17
(vocabulary).
Week 7: Lesson 1 8: Vocabulary, questions, grammar: roots and patterns. The Story,
conversation, culture: Gamal Abdul-Nasser, Umm Khulthum, and Abdel Halim Hafez,
three Egyptian cultural and political icons, colors, grammar: the dual.
Week 8: Lesson 18: Grammar: verbs and patterns, reading, conversation, listening: Taha
Hussein (the Dean of Arabic literature), grammar: nominal sentence, review exercises.
Quiz: Lesson 18 (vocabulary).
Week 9: Lesson 19: Vocabulary, questions, the Story, grammar: similarity, feminine
human plural markers, listening: sports clubs. Quiz: Lesson 18 (grammar).
Week 10: Lesson 19: Reading: feminist movements in Egypt, culture: nicknames, Naguib
Mahfouz, Review drills. Quiz: Lesson 19 (vocabulary).
Week 11: Lesson 20: Vocabulary, questions, the Story, grammar: infinitive verbs,
general review of Al-Kitaab, Part I. Exam: Lesson 19 (grammar) and L esson 20.
Week 12: Al-Kitaab, Part II. Introduction, reading: the Preface. Lesson 1: vocabulary,
writing a story. Grammar: roots, patterns and verbs, culture: Yemen, Morocco, new
expressions, translation.
Week 13: Students’ presentations. Lesson 1: Culture: Islamic Heritage, Sufism, reading
and comprehension: “Ibn Battouta.” Grammar: the perfect and imperfect tenses, double
or geminate verbs. Quiz: lesson 1 (vocabulary).
Week 14: Students’ presentations, grammar: specification, writing, listening: Yemen,
reading: the history of Damascus city, culture: Islamic heritage. Quiz: lesson 1
(grammar).
Week 15: Review, Final Exam.
Bibliography:
Allen, Roger. An introduction to Arabic literature. New York: Cambridge University
Press, (2000).
Ghali, Naglaa, Write it in Arabic, Quini Books (2005).
Shultz, Eckhard and Krahl, Gunther, Standard Arabic – An Elementary/Intermediate
Course. Harper/Collins(2003)
Wightwick, Jane and Gaafar, Mahmoud, Read and Speak Arabic. Barnes Texts (2002)