ARAB 496 A: Special Studies in Arabic

COURSE DESCRIPTION

The prerequisites for this course are the successful completion of ARAB 203 and/or approval of the instructor.

This course is designed to develop and strengthen Arabic oral language skills in different communicative situations, while acquiring a more profound understanding of Arabic cultures through films, songs, and media outlets. Learn how to engage in Arabic conversations in formal and informal settings, speaking about a variety of topics related to social life, literature, politics, entertainment, music, and history.

Watching, listening and reading activities in this course deal exclusively with authentic material on various contemporary topics. Gain a high degree of competence in reading, discussing, and writing about a variety of cultural and intellectual subjects. The ultimate objective of this course is to enable the learner to use, comprehend, and discuss a wide variety of Arabic materials.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Upon completion of this Advanced Arabic Conversation and Culture course, you will be able to:

• Express opinions and support them with examples and facts.
• Agree and disagree with others using appropriate techniques.
• Discuss opinions about current events, short stories, movies, television, and radio broadcasts.
• Participate in group discussions by using appropriate discussion strategies; such as asking for clarification or confirmation, paraphrasing, keeping the discussion on topic, and trying to reach a consensus.
• Demonstrate understanding of central themes and relevant details in various contexts.
• Communicate in both formal and informal contexts, with emphasis on precise, grammatically accurate language.
• Talk about plans and ideas about daily life and everyday situations.
• Narrate events in all tenses using a paragraph length discourse with accuracy and a good degree of fluency.
• Describe individuals, places, and situations with substantial detail.
• Discuss a wide range of subjects with a high degree of competency.
• Develop a broader and deeper understanding of various aspects of Arabic culture.
• Gain a better understanding of Arabic culture and recognize the differences and similarities among the diverse regions.
• Compare and contrast the regional differences.
• Engage in conversations on issues related to contemporary life in Arabic-speaking countries.

CLASS FORMAT

Success in this course depends upon the combined efforts of the learner and the instructor/facilitator. Your responsibility is to prepare thoroughly for class at home, and then participate actively. 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 assignments and research done.

Lessons will be based on listening to/watching authentic media outlets. Examples are films, songs, short videos on various aspects of the Arabic society and culture, etc. Short readings will provide insight into the culture. The watching / listening and reading are mainly conducted outside the classroom, while the majority of the class time will be spent in discussions, conversation and language activation. The class activities include group discussions, role plays, debates, skits and reports through discussion of contemporary issues in the Arabic-speaking world.

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.

HOMEWORK & PREPARATION

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 be absent, 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 0-5, where 5 is the highest possible grade.

There are 2 components to homework completion. The first is the preparatory homework that requires you to prepare the material that we will study in class. The second is the written assignments you submit.  Please, return hard copies of your homework on the dates they are due, late submissions will not be accepted. If you have to miss class for any reason, please submit your homework on Canvas on its due date.

If the homework assignments require additional reading or watching videos, you will find these materials on the course website.

ORAL PROFICIENCY INTERVIEW

As part of the final assessment for the course, you will have a 15-20 minute oral interview in Arabic in which you will be asked to talk about material similar to what is studied in class.

PARTICIPATION

Active participation in class is essential, because success in the study of Arabic depends largely on daily exposure to the language. This portion of the final grade will be measured according to the following criteria: a) participation, b) preparation, c) use of Arabic exclusively.

PORTFOLIO

Students will turn in one paper at the end of the term. The paper covers a topic pertinent to the course and must be a minimum of five (5) pages (font: Traditional Arabic, font size: 18, double space).  Paper must be your own writing. Excessive quoting is not accepted. You may use pictures in an appendix but not as part of the actual paper.  The portfolio you write for this class will be used to evaluate your performance across various language skills. It is intended to be a demonstration 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 by the assigned date. The instructor will assess and give feedback according to wealth of material, presentation of material, and language accuracy. Please read the portfolio guidelines posted on Canvas for more details. Please submit your topic and your portfolio on their due dates to avoid a reduction of points or rejection of your portfolio.

PRESENTATIONS

Towards the end the quarter students will prepare a ten-minute presentation to present, in Arabic, to the rest of the class, discussing their portfolio topic, explaining their reasoning for choosing that topic and answering questions raised by their classmates. This will give the students the chance to demonstrate the vocabulary and grammar that they used in their paper in an oral mode. It will provide evidence of their ability to speak about and discuss more diverse topics.  When preparing your slides and during your presentation, please take the following into account:

1. The allotted time for the presentation is 10 minutes. Please prepare your slides accordingly.

2. The presentation has to reflect the portfolio subject.

3. Since this is an oral presentation, reading from a prepared text will result in a reduction of points.

4. Keep track of your presentation date and time.

5. Prepare a list of the 10 most unfamiliar vocabulary along with your slides. The list should be either on the first slide or at the margins of each page. If you have them translated on the slide, you don't need to read the translation just read them in Arabic.

6. Submit your presentation slides (Google Slides) via Canvas or by email at least 14 hours prior to your presentation time. Submitting the presentation slides in the allotted time will help us to manage the class time effectively and allow for a smooth transition between presentations. Late submission will result in a 1-point reduction.

7. Keep the text on the slides to a minimum (only a few bullets, no long sentences or paragraphs). Long sentences on the slides will result in a 2-point reduction.

8. Video clips, if needed, cannot exceed 30 seconds, they have to be in Arabic, and no more than three can be used.

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 might be announced in class or by emails.

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.

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.

Discussions

There will be a total of 4 discussion forums, in which you will discuss topics related to Arab culture. Your initial forum posting must be in Arabic, with a minimum of 100 words. At least one response of at least 80 words, in Arabic, to another post is required. Linking to a relevant article or video is fine. All posts must be done within the designated times and dates to receive full credit.

Interview With Native Speakers

Find an Arabic native speaker and conduct a short interview with him/her. The entire interview has to be in Arabic and it has to include an Arabic culture aspect. Make sure it is a voice only recording; no video is accepted. The recording along with a summary of the interview of at least 60 words in Arabic are to be to submitted by the due date.

Learning Material

Authentic watching and listening materials and handouts.

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.

The Connectors in Modern Standard Arabic, Nariman Naili Al-Warraki & Ahmed Taher Hassanein: The American University in Cairo Press, 1994.

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 and consistent 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.

Use of cell phones is not allowed during class, this means no texting, no calling, etc.

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/.

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. 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/).

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/).

The UW Food Pantry

A student should never have to make the choice between buying food or textbooks. The UW Food Pantry helps mitigate the social and academic effects of campus food insecurity. We aim to lessen the financial burden of purchasing food by providing students with access to food and hygiene products at no-cost. Students can expect to receive 4 to 5 days’ worth of supplemental food support when they visit the Pantry. For information including operating hours, location, and additional food support resources visit uw.edu/anyhungryhusky

We can be found on the North side of West Campus’ Poplar Hall at the corner of Brooklyn Ave NE and 41st.

ARABIC PROGRAM GRADING SCALE

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