ARAB 525 A: Intensive Intermediate Arabic

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 and supporting details without using the dictionary.
• Narrate events in the past, present, and future.
• Share one’s point of view in discussion.
• Understand the major dialects of spoken Arabic.
• Use morphology, especially the ten forms, to deduce vocabulary from familiar roots.
• Monitor yourself when speaking and writing, and self-correct.
• Present information with detail and organization on familiar and some new concrete social, academic, and professional topics.
• Know and understand the Arabic-speaking world, cultures and literature.
• Respond appropriately to a variety of common situations in the Arabic culture.
• Develop awareness of language as a living product of culture and vice versa.

CLASS FORMAT

Class meets via Zoom for 3 hours  daily synchronously from 9:30am – 12:30pm. In addition, the students are required to complete 2 hours of asynchronous assignments daily, which include reading, watching videos, and completing online assignments.

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.

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.

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. There is no substitute or make-up for class participation.

Class starts at 9:30am; 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.

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

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 20.

PRESENTATION

Students will choose a topic related to the course material and prepare a ten-minute presentation to present, in Arabic, to the rest of the class.  You may use notes if needed, but you may not just read from a prepared text.  Please submit your PowerPoint via Canvas at least 14 hours prior to your presentation time. Failing to do so will result in a reduction of points.  Submitting the PowerPoint in the allotted time will help us to manage the class time effectively and allow for a smooth transition between presentations.

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 15-20 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.

MOVIES & CULTURE

Movies provide a source of authentic and varied language. They contain of a wealth of Arabic speaking and cultural situations. 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, you will be watching a movie every week outside of class. After watching the movie, you will write a summary of it and then there will a group discussion in class about the movie.

STUDY GROUPS & DICTIONARY SKILLS

Working collaboratively in class and outside class, learning from each other, is a very effective practice. It helps to retain vocabulary, and to enhance and optimize language learning. Thus, starting from the 2^nd week, you are required to form small study groups of 2, 3 or 4 students each. You will need to meet virtually for at least two hours every week to practice your Arabic and review the materials together. Keep a regular, up-to-date log of your meetings that includes the dates, duration, names of members, and the activities and exercises discussed. In general, you should focus on speaking skills and the exercises. Weekly reports are due each Monday at 11:59pm.

Since the Arabic language is based on a root system, using the Arabic dictionary effectively is a crucial skill that every serious student must learn. Using the Hans Wehr dictionary (not Google) during the class and outside class is required. If you do not have a hard copy, a link to the dictionary web page can be found on the “Useful Websites” page on Canvas. The dictionary skills grade will be based on 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 or during the study groups, and encourage each other to use it.

CALENDAR

The weekly calendar found on the "Calendar" page of the Canvas course for this class lists the preparatory homework required for each class period, written assignments to be handed in, and dates for tests and quizzes. If you are not able to make it to class for any reason, contact your classmates to see what you have missed. Be sure to follow the calendar and 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.

COURSE CONCERNS & ADDITIONAL NOTES

If you have any concerns about the course, please feel free to contact me during office hours or via e-mail. Alerting me to your concerns when they arise allows them to be addressed in a timely manner. Waiting until the quarter is nearly over leaves 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.

STUDENT CONDUCT

 The University of Washington Student Conduct Code (WAC 478-121) defines prohibited academic and behavioral conduct and describes how the University holds students accountable as they pursue their academic goals. Allegations of misconduct by students may be referred to the appropriate campus office for investigation and resolution. More information can be found online at https://www.washington.edu/studentconduct/

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

ACCESS AND ACCOMMODATIONS

Your experience in this class is important to me. If you have already established accommodations with Disability Resources for Students (DRS), please communicate your approved accommodations to me at your earliest convenience so we can discuss your needs in this course.

If you have not yet established services through DRS, but have a temporary health condition or permanent disability that requires accommodations (conditions include but not limited to; mental health, attention-related, learning, vision, hearing, physical or health impacts), you are welcome to contact DRS at 206-543-8924 or uwdrs@uw.edu or disability.uw.edu. (Links to an external site.) DRS offers resources and coordinates reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities and/or temporary health conditions. Reasonable accommodations are established through an interactive process between you, your instructor(s) and DRS. It is the policy and practice of the University of Washington to create inclusive and accessible learning environments consistent with federal and state law.

RELIGIOUS ACCOMMODATIONS

Washington state law requires that UW develop a policy for accommodation of student absences or significant hardship due to reasons of faith or conscience, or for organized religious activities. The UW’s policy, including more information about how to request an accommodation, is available at Religious Accommodations Policy (https://registrar.washington.edu/staffandfaculty/religious-accommodations-policy/) (Links to an external site.). Accommodations must be requested within the first two weeks of this course using the Religious Accommodations Request form (https://registrar.washington.edu/students/religious-accommodations-request/) (Links to an external site.).

TEXTBOOKS AND OTHER RESOURCES

Textbooks are not the sole resource for this class: movies, videos, 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. 

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

ARABIC PROGRAM GRADING SCALE

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.