OPAL Arabic Vantage
Prerequisites, aims and outcomes:
The course is aimed at those who have successfully completed the Threshold OPAL course (for more information please see the Learning Outcomes for Threshold OPAL) and is designed to enable learners to communicate in Modern Standard Arabic using speaking, listening, reading and writing.
Although a diversity of dialects exists throughout the Arabic speaking world, Modern Standard
Arabic is considered the common denominator across the region in relation to formal spoken and written communication on official occasions, in education and in the media.
The course further develops learners’ understanding of and engagement with a variety of interconnected topics such as ancient and contemporary history of key Arab cities, Islam, Islamic and
Christian festivities in the MENA region, feminist writers, Arabic press and classical and contemporary literature in authentic settings. Grammar is therefore presented as an integral part of the abovementioned topics and not in isolation. By the end of the course learners will be able to read, write and present on a set of sophisticated topics in the target language. Participants are expected to prepare before each class, and to complete short assignments between sessions; preparation and coursework will amount to approximately two to three hours of extra-curricular work per week. A high level of commitment and regular attendance are therefore essential for the successful completion of this course.
Course material:
The course is taught primarily in Arabic, with explanations provided in English as necessary.
The sessions draw on a textbook: Al-Kitaab fii Ta’allum al-‘Arabiyya with DVDs: A Textbook for
Arabic , Part Two (2nd Edition) [Paperback] by Kristen Brustad, Abbas Al-Tonsi and Mahmoud Al-
Batal (Georgetown University Press) as well as contemporary printed and audio/video materials and exercises tailored by the tutor.
Course description:
Please note that OPAL tutors will provide a detailed 'week-by-week' course syllabus and a self-study guide at the beginning of each term.
Structural content:
Verb Forms, MaSdar , Active and Passive Participles
Tenses
Indicative, Subjunctive, Jussive and Imperative
Al-Tamyeez (adverbs of specification)
Disappearance of the “
Noon
” in the iDaafa
The Real and Adjective iDaafa
Kana and its Sisters
Inna and its Sisters
‘Verbs of Beginning’
The Passive Voice
Adverbs of Place and Time
Broken Plurals
Al-Ism AlmanqooS
Al-Mamnou’ mina Al-Sarf (Diptotes)
More on Comparatives and Superlatives
Al-Fi’l Al-Mithal (assimilated verbs)
Ma Al-Ta’ajobiyyah (exclamation)

Communicative content:
History of Damascus, Yemen, Gaza and the Arabian Peninsula
Muslim Travellers: Ibn Battuta as a Pioneering Figure
Muslim and Christian Festivities including Ramadan and Easter
Arabic Press: An Overview
Feminist Arab Writers
Women and the Hijab
Colonialism in the MENA Region: The French-Algerian Encounter
History of the Arab League
The Quran: Selected Chapters
Excerpts from the following ancient and contemporary texts and writers will also be examined during Michaelmas and Hilary:

The Thousand and One Nights (selected stories)

Mohammed ‘Abduh (vis-a-vis the “new” religious awakening)

Huda Al-Sha’arawi (Egypt), Nawal El-Sadaawi (Egypt), and Fatima Al-Mernissi (Morocco)
(feminist writings)

Mahmoud Darwish (Palestine), Adonis (Syria/Lebanon), Saadi Youssef (Iraq), Qassim
Haddad (Bahrain), and Paul Chaoul (Lebanon) (contemporary poetry)

Tawfiq Al-Hakim (Egypt) and Saadallah Wannous (Syria) (contemporary theatre)

Tayib Salih (Sudan), Mohamed Choukri (Morocco), Abdelrahman Munif (Saudi Arabia) and
Gamal Al-Ghitani (Egypt) (contemporary novel)
Arabic Vantage Assessment Framework:
Continuous Assessment [Participation and Coursework] 15%
Progress Test [week 8 in Michaelmas Term Test] 15%
Final Exam [Week 1 in Trinity Term]
Project Presentation
35%
35%
Final Mark and Recommended Grade:
50 – 59 Pass
60 – 69 Good Pass
70 – 79 Pass with Merit
80 + Distinction
Learning Outcomes :
ALTE LEVEL 3
- Can follow or give a talk on a familiar topic or keep up a conversation on a fairly wide range of topics such as personal and professional experience, and events currently in the news
- Can deliver a clear presentation on a familiar topic and answer predictable or factual questions
- Can read texts for relevant information and understand detailed instructions or advice
- Can take simple notes that will be of relevance for essays or revision purposes
- Can write a letter including non-standard requests