BA Arabic and French / Course details

This is an intermediate level language course, which provides the student with the opportunity to continue and extend the knowledge and skills developed in Semester 1, and to enable them to achieve a competence in Arabic approximately equivalent to B1/B2 level of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).  This course underscores all four communication skills (reading, speaking, listening and writing) and uses audio and video material to take the learner to native speakers in their natural environment, introducing invaluable listening segments and various cultural aspects of the Arab world in order to prepare the students for their year abroad. Students will develop their typing skills in Arabic. 

Information about Arab culture will be introduced implicitly and/or explicitly within the topics covered.

Available to students taking Arabic Studies, MES with Arabic, and any joint degree with Arabic.

The aim is to consolidate the language skills acquired by the students in  MEST51031- Arabic Language 3.  The course also offers opportunities for students to increase their knowledge and appreciation of not only the language, in its Modern Standard form, but also the varieties of the Arabic dialects and cultural production in the Arabic-speaking world, in their many facets and diverse manifestations.

6 language classes weekly delivered through blended learning which integrates traditional face-to-face classroom instruction with online digital learning available via the university VLE platform and supplemented by extra online resources to aid students in their independent learning.

2 hours lectures are dedicated to formal teaching of Grammar  

2 hours seminars are dedicated to Language & Culture  

1 hour seminar is dedicated to Speaking and Listening  

1 hour workshop to consolidate knowledge  

Office Hours: 2 hours per week

• By the end of the course, students will be able to:
• Comprehend upper intermediate-level written and spoken texts in MSA with improved fluency.
• Engage in conversations on familiar and abstract topics using a range of complex structures.
• Write structured paragraphs and short essays with clarity and coherence.
• Demonstrate cultural awareness and adaptability in an Arabic-speaking environment. 

• Engage in problem solving activities, grammatical and textual analysis and translation activities 

• This course leads to further Arabic language learning to enable the students to graduate with the Arabic language skills demanded by different organisations including governmental, business and NGOs.

• develop their ability to improve their independent learning and performance by identifying strengths and weaknesses.
• develop their personal organization and time management skills.
• develop their interpersonal and communicative skill through group work inside and outside the class-room and preparing written and oral classroom presentations.
• begin to gain awareness of and responsiveness to cultural diversity and intercultural communication.

Students will have formative assessment during the semester to assess their progress and will receive written feedback. This will be spread over the weeks and will test all four language skills.    

Course Book (Subject to change with prior notice):  

At-Takallum: A Comprehensive Modern Arabic Course. Pre-Intermediate B1 Level by Ahmad Noor Al-Deen Sabir Al-Mashrafi  

Supplementary materilas will be provided by the tutors.

Recommended Reading :    

Brustad, Kirsten et al. (eds), Al-Kitaab fii ta’llum al-Arabiyya, Part Two (Washington: Georgetown University Press, 2005), this is the 2nd edition with DVD.

Doniach, N.S. et al., The Concise Oxford English-Arabic Dictionary (Oxford: OUP, 1984); Wehr, Hans, Arabic-English dictionary (Urbana, Illinois: Spoken Languages Services, 1994).  

Mace, J., Arabic Grammar (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 1998);

Wightwick, J. & Gaafar, M., Mastering Arabic (including CD pack) (London: Palgrave/Macmillan, 1990).

Gaafar, M & Wightwick, J., Easy Arabic Reader (London: McGraw-Hill, 2011). 

- This course also serves as a critical stepping stone for students preparing to undertake their Year Abroad in an Arabic-speaking country. Through structured learning and interactive practice, students will gain the necessary linguistic and cultural skills to:

Navigate daily life in an Arabic-speaking environment with greater ease and confidence.

Participate in conversations with native speakers on a variety of topics, from academic discussions to everyday interactions.

Adapt to different dialectal variations by building a solid foundation in MSA, which will enable students to learn with ease and adapt to the dialect of the country where they will spend their year abroad.  

During the Year Abroad, students will continue to focus on Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) as the primary form of instruction. While students will be exposed to regional dialects in everyday life, MSA will remain the foundation of their formal language studies in partner institutions.  

- Peer Assisted Study Sessions (PASS): All students are encouraged to take part in the PASS scheme to run sessions for 1st year students, in which attendees have a chance to actively discuss difficult course concepts with their peers.  Sessions focus on problem solving in groups in a tutor-free environment where students can raise key questions with each other and, in doing so, understand the material better themselves.  PASS is student-led, informal, friendly and hopefully fun.

- Middle Eastern Film Club, taking part in celebrations of Middle Eastern Festivals.

- This course and all its materials are available on the University VLE platform.  There will be resources to extend on classroom work and for self-study. Work will be classified according to skill, e.g. Reading, Listening, Grammar, etc. and there will also be folders for work done week by week.