Course Syllabus
National University Virtual High School
Prepared by the National University Lead and Faculty Advisor for Arabic Studies: Dr.
Mahmoud Al Dabbagh , College of Letters & Sciences
CREDITS: 5
Required Texts
Alif Baa’: An Introduction to Arabic Letters and Sounds: Kristen Brustad, Mahmoud Al-Batal & Abbas AlTonsi; Georgetown University Press, Second Edition 2004
Al-Kitaab fii Ta‘allum al-‘Arabiyya: A Textbook for Beginning Arabic, Part One, Kristen Brustad,
Mahmoud Al-Batal & Abbas Al-Tonsi; Georgetwon University Press, Second Edition 2004
Course Description
and Methodology
This course has been designed to develop basic language skills in Arabic: listening, speaking,
reading and writing, as well as a basic understanding and assimilation of the Arab culture in
general. Since Arabic has such diverse dialects: the Levantine Dialect (Syrian, Lebanese,
Palestinian, and Jordanian), the Iraqi D., the Arabian D., the Arabian peninsula D., the
Egyptian D. (Egypt and Sudan), and the North African D. (Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, and
Morocco); we will be using a variant of Arabic known as Modern Standard Arabic (MSA),
which strongly resembles Fushaa (meaning “The most beautiful, the most eloquent, and the
purest.”)
All students are required to learn the written and spoken Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) by
the ACTFL (the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages), which represents
an indispensable linguistic foundation for successful communication with speakers of any
colloquial variant (Colloquial Arabic or Dialects). It is worthwhile to mention that MSA is
used all over the world in classroom instruction, electronic and print media, scientific research
and many other formal situations. Moreover, a good foundation in MSA allows the learner not
only to have access to a vast heritage of ancient and modern literature, scholarly work and
various types of media, but also facilitates the learning process itself and the time devoted to
any Dialect the student may wish to acquire in the future. All of the ‘Aammiyyah (Dialect),
known collectively as colloquial Arabic (CA), contain base words, segments, expressions,
idioms, structures, and cultural references from Formal Standard Arabic. Therefore, learning
colloquial utterances involves applying deletion rather than augmentation rules as rightly
studied by numerous Dialectology linguists. Therefore, the instructor will incorporate some
elements of the Levantine and the Egyptian Dialects.
As this course in the Arabic Language and Culture is an elementary one, it will include an
introduction to the Arabic Alphabet, Numerals, and usage of basic vocabulary, phrases and
sentences. We will focus on oral comprehension, pronunciation, verb-building and usage,
sentence-formation, and vocabulary building. A good part of this elementary course will be
devoted to the recognition/writing of letters and to the formation process of simple
words/phrases/sentences in Arabic script. This represents the indispensable foundation for
successful oral and written communication. Emphasis will be then placed on the development
of language proficiency at the Elementary Level by the ACTFL. To this end, we will act out
short role-plays involving greetings, introductions and everyday situations such as ordering a
meal in a restaurant, asking for directions or finding a hotel... Explanations will be provided in
English whenever needed to clarify a grammar point, explain difficult vocabulary or cultural
issue. On the other hand, since no language course is ever accurately approached without a
profound study of the people who speak it, we will get to know famous people in light of their
Arab heritage and make the exotic familiar.
This class will cover Unit One through ten of the Alif Baa book and Unit One through four of
Al-Kitaab texts. We will accompany students- Maha in the U.S. and others- on their respective
cultural journeys. We have to point out that the structure of this course requires intensive
individual preparation at home and participation during lessons. Students must read the
chapters being covered in class in advance and come prepared to ask questions. This class is
intended for students who are completely new to the Arabic language or might be familiar
with isolated words or concepts oral and/or written. Bear in mind that YOU ALREADY
KNOW SOME ARABIC FROM YOUR EVERYDAY LIFE, AND IT'S NOT AS
DIFFICULT AS YOU MIGHT BE LED TO BELIEVE. The average recommended out-ofclass study time is 1 hour for each hour of class. We suggest partaking in Arab culture as well
by eating at ethnic restaurants, watching movies, documentaries with English subtitles, to
observe the dress, dwellings, cuisine and customs or even listening to music by such singers as
Fayrouz, Umm Kalthoum, Asmahan or Farid Al-Atrash (to take in the music of the language).
Therefore, this course represents an elementary section of the whole coherent learning
program, a program we carefully designed in order to take learners from the Beginning to the
Advanced level by the ACTFL. It is useful to mention the major outlines of the whole
program as follows:
• The program provides a wide variety of exercises, drills (in order to reinforce grammar
points),vocabulary, and communicative strategies
• Step-by-step guiding to understanding written and spoken texts in order to develop
reading and writing skills
• Grammatical terms also given in Arabic, enabling students to attend language courses
in Arabic countries
• Audio-video DVDs accompanying the books taught allow the learner to have his own
tutor all the time
• Developing conversational skills in real-time situations, by using fresh texts and
dialogues with up-to-date data on the Near East Culture (A.K.A. the Middle East)
• Lab work using the Rosetta Stone immersion technique allows the learner to practice
all aspects of the Language in an interactive and innovative way
• Learning how to develop cultural insights based upon the Arabic folklore, customs,
proverbs, cuisine, etc…
• Learning to create short essays on contemporary topics, ex: multiculturalism,
geopolitics, world religions, diversity, human rights, etc…
All this and much more will definitely teach you how to communicate with Arabic speakers in
a short amount of time and open a lot of doors for any potential position related to Arabic in
any way.
Course Policy
Course Grading
Grades in this course will be determined by a total of 100 points
Homework = 20%
Composition = 15%
Participation, attendance = 15%
Midterm exam = 15%
Oral evaluation = 15%
Final exam = 20%
________________________________________
The grade distribution is as follows:
A = 96-100%
A- = 90-95%
B+ = 87-89%
B = 83-86%
B- = 80-82%
C+ = 77-79%
Diversity Statement
Disability Statement
Academic Integrity
National University
Services
C = 73-76%
C- = 70-72%
D+ = 67-69%
D = 63-66%
D- = 60-62%
F = less than 60%
Grades Definition:
(A) Outstanding Achievement: Significantly exceeds standards
(B) Commendable Achievement: Exceeds standards
(C) Acceptable Achievement: Meets standards
(D) Unsatisfactory Achievement: Below standards
(F) Failing
Note: Final grades will reflect your attendance. Failure of the final examinations will result in
an F for the course. Students who are taking the course for the purpose of teaching
certification requirement must pass the course with a grade of C (Not C-) or better.
Learning to work with others and to value diversity is essential in every degree program.
Students are required to act respectfully towards each other and the instructor throughout the
course. Students are also expected to show respect for ethnic, religious, cultural and gender
diversity in the classroom. Discrimination of any kind will not be tolerated in any way, and
will be dealt with severely and accordingly. Please keep in mind that a language and culture
class requires you more than any other to develop leadership and judgment skills.
I would appreciate hearing from anyone in the class who has a special need which may be the
result of a disability. We are reasonably sure we can work out whatever arrangement is
necessary, be it special seating, testing or other accommodation. Please let us know as soon as
possible. See me after class, or during my office hours.
Students are required to cite the use of materials written by others in all written
communications for courses. Plagiarism is the presentation of someone else’s ideas or work as
one’s own. This includes using ideas, words, or phrases without proper attribution. Students
found Plagiarizing are subject to the penalties outlined in the Policies and Procedures section
of the University Catalog, which may include a failing grade for the working question or for
the entire course. Inadequately or improperly cited work receives no credit. In cases of
plagiarism, the burden of proof rests on the student, not the instructor. In other words, the
student will be required to prove that plagiarism has not occurred.
National University provides all students with facilities to assist them in the completion of
their course work. In particular the Writing Centers and NU Library provide access to
materials and services in the area of academic writing, research and information literacy.
Writing Center: Assistance in meeting the written requirements for the course is available
from the on-site and on-line Writing Centers. Students may submit drafts of papers and
outlines to the writing assistants and meet with them to discuss strategies for improving their
papers. More information is available from the NU Writing Center Web Page:
http://www.nu.edu/Academics/StudentServices/WritingCenter.html
Course Modules
Library: The NU Library System (NULS) supports academic rigor by providing access to
scholarly books, journals, e-books, and databases of all text articles from scholarly journals.
Library books and journal articles can be shipped to online students. Librarians are available
to assist student at the Spectrum Library in San Diego, at regional Library Information Center
(LIC), and online at: http://www.nu.edu/library/
All the units in this course contain a lecture explaining the grammar, a multimedia
presentation of interviews with native speakers or cultural information, a lecture on some
aspects of culture with links to pertinent websites, to discussion boards questions, and to sets
of exercises for practice. We will concentrate on the first six chapters of the text. In general,
the units cover the following area of study:
Module 1
Introduction to the course and to each other: Why are you here? What do you expect to learn
from this course? Why study Arabic? What are the benefits of studying Arabic? What do you
think of the Arab world? Do you already know some Arabic words?
Start with the Alif Baa’ Book:
UNIT ONE: the instructor will introduce students to the Alphabet (Arabic Letters and Sounds)
with the help of the book DVD’s, and will work afterwards on short and long vowels,
greetings, introducing yourself, saying goodbye
HOMEWORK: exercises Unit 1
Module 2
UNIT TWO AND THREE: Continue with the Alphabet, identifying one-way connectors in
Arabic, two-way connectors, the absence of vowel concept or sukuun, start learning to address
others (hadratuka/hadratuki), the position of the hamza above or underneath the alif, meeting
and greeting revisited: the morning greeting, asking about well-being and the al-hamdu lillaah expression
HOMEWORK: exercises Unit 2 and 3
Module 3
UNIT FOUR AND FIVE: continue with the Alphabet, the Shadda, grammar masculine and
feminine notion (taa’ marbuuta), introducing various forms of address
IN-CLASS EXERCISES: listening and identifying words, match learned words with pictures,
PP. 82-83
HOMEWORK: exercises Unit 4 and 5
Module 4
UNIT SIX AND SEVEN: continue with the Alphabet, more expressions with the word Allah,
more adjectives, PP. 98-99, expressions of courtesy, a second look to the whole Alphabet, P.
114, Arabic Numerals and Numbers PP. 115-116, “Turkish” or Arabic coffee as a cultural
insight
IN-CLASS EXERCISE: match learned words with pictures, PP. 99-101
HOMEWORK: exercises Unit 6 and 7
Review and MIDTERM EXAM
Module 5
UNIT EIGHT AND NINE: definite and indefinite articles with al and tanwiin, Moon and Sun
letters, the hamza revisited, dagger alif, few Demonstratives, Subject Pronouns, more sociolinguistic expressions, shortened alif, Madda, one letter particles, the development of the
Arabic Writing System, identifying letters in different positions in Arabic text
HOMEWORK: exercises Unit 8 and 9
Module 6
Start with the Al-Kitaab fii Ta’allum al-Arabiyya book:
UNIT ONE: in class listening using the book DVD, Maha is introducing herself, Masculine
and Feminine grammatical notion, al revisited, Arabic country names, how to create the Nisba
or adjective, introducing the interrogative form with few question words, the meaning of
Arabic first and last names, in-class exercises, in class listening using the book DVD
HOMEWORK: exercises Unit 1
Module 7
UNIT TWO and THREE: Maha is feeling lonely, more Subject Pronouns, Singular and Plural,
Nominal and Verbal Sentences, Subject and Predicate, in-class reading exercise, P. 31, inclass asking and answering questions, in class listening using the book DVD, Maha’s family,
the Idaafa Structure or “construct phrase”, Possessive Pronouns, the Arab family as a cultural
insight, in-class exercise with the Possessive pronouns, P. 44, compare the American
university system to the Arab one,
HOMEWORK: exercises Unit 2 and 3
Module 8
UNIT FOUR: introducing Maha’s relatives, the present tense, the Verbal Sentence revisited,
in-class exercise, P. 63, brief cultural insight about the family tree of the Prophet Muhammad,
P. 64
HOMEWORK: exercises Unit 4
General review before Final Exam
Combined 100/100A FINAL EXAM
Useful References
The Arabic Language, Kees Versteegh
The Arabic Language in America, Aleya Rouchdy
Arabic Language Handbook, (Georgetown Classics in Arabic Language and Linguistics), Mary Catherine
Bateson
Arabic a Language Map, (Language Map Series), Kristine K. Kershul & Michelle Poole
The Arabic Language Today, (Georgetown Classics in Arabic Language and Linguistics), A.F.L. Beeston &
Clive Holes
The Arabic Linguistic Tradition, (Georgetown Classics in Arabic Language and Linguistics), Georges Bohas,
Jean-Patrick Guillaume & Djamel Kouloughli
Arabic On the Move, Jane Wightwick
A Basic Course in Iraqi Arabic, (Georgetown Classics in Arabic Language and Linguistics), Wallace M.
Erwin
A Dictionary of Iraqi Arabic: English, Arabic/Arabic, English, (Georgetown Classics in Arabic Language and
Linguistics), Beverly E. Clarity, Karl Stowasser, Ronald G. Wolfe & D.R. Woodhead
Easy Arabic Grammar, Jane Wightwick & Mahmoud Gaafar
Encyclopedia of Arabic Language and Linguistics: A-Ed, Kees Versteegh
Grammar of the Classical Arabic Language in 7 Parts, M.S. Howell
A Grammar of the Arabic Language, W. Wright
Handbook for Arabic Language Teaching Professionals in the 21st Century, Kassem M. Wahba, Zeinab A.
Taha & Liz England
An Introduction to Koranic and Classical Arabic: An Elementary Grammar of the Language Key to
Exercise, Wheeler M. Thackston
Iraqi Phrasebook: The Complete Language Guide for Contemporary Iraq, Yasim M. Alkalesi & Yasin
Alkalesi
Key to a New Arabic Grammar: Of the Written Language, John A. Haywood & H.M Nahmad
Language Contact and Language Conflict in Arabic, (Curzon Arabic Linguistics Series), Aleya Rouchdy
Modern Arabic: Structures, Functions, and Varieties, (Georgetown Classics in Arabic Language and
Linguistics), Clive Holes
A Reference Grammar of Modern Standard Arabic, Karin C. Ryding
Self-Taught Arabic Book, Nisreen Beshqoy
A Short Reference Grammar of Iraqi Arabic, (Georgetown Classics in Arabic Language and Linguistics),
Wallace M. Erwin
The Teaching of Arabic As a Foreign Language: Issues and Directions, Mahmoud Al-Batal & American
Association of Teachers of Arabic
Themes in Arabic and Hebrew Syntax, (Studies in Natural Language and Linguistic Theory, Volume 53), J.
Ouhalla & U. Shlonsky