BA Arabic Studies

This is a pre-intermediate level language course which provides students with the opportunity to continue and extend their knowledge and skills -as developed in the 1st year - and enable them to achieve competence in Arabic approximately equivalent to A2/B1 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 familiarise students with native speakers in their local environment, introducing listening and cultural aspects of the Arab world to prepare students for their year abroad.  Students will also be introduced to basic skills of typing in Arabic.  

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

This unit is compulsory and as such requires a pass mark of 40% or above at the first sitting in order to progress to the next level of language in semester 2.  Students who fail to meet this requirement will be able to discuss their options with their relevant Programme Director and may be able to move onto the non-language degree award of Middle Eastern Studies.

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

To consolidate the language skills acquired by students in MEST51022.  

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 this course, students will be able to:

- Construct more complex sentences using a wider range of grammatical structures, including conditional sentences and comparative forms.

- Participate in longer conversations on topics such as personal experiences, plans, and cultural traditions.

- Understand and summarise short texts, dialogues, and audio recordings in MSA.

- Express opinions, preferences, emotions, and basic arguments on familiar topics.

- Write cohesive paragraphs and short essays on everyday subjects, using appropriate connectors and descriptive language.

- Use polite expressions, requests, and formal language in professional and social contexts.  

- Gain further insight into the cultural and societal norms of various Arabic-speaking countries, including differences in dialects and regional expressions. 

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

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

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

An overall 40% pass mark of the total is required in order to progress to the next level.

Students who fail to meet this requirement will be able to discuss their options with their relevant Programme Director and may be able to move onto the non-language degree award of Middle Eastern Studies.

Students will have formative assessment during the semester to assess their progress and they 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 One (Washington: Georgetown University Press, 2004), this is the 2nd edition with DVD.  

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).  

Abboud, P.F. et al. (eds), Elementary Modern Standard Arabic (EMSA) (Cambridge: CUP, 3rd ed. 1983).  

This unit is compulsory and as such requires a pass mark of 40% or above at the first sitting in order to progress to the next level of language in semester 2.  Students who fail to meet this requirement will be able to discuss their options with their relevant Programme Director and may be able to move onto the non-language degree award of Middle Eastern Studies.  

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. Resources to extend on classroom work and for self-study will be made available. Work is classified according to skill, e.g. Reading, Listening, Grammar, etc. There will also be folders for work done weekly.