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Arabic Courses:
Language courses
- Beginning Arabic 1 and 2 (ARB 101-102)
4 credits -- 4 hours
The goal of this course is to begin developing reading, speaking, listening, writing, and cultural skills in Arabic. The course stresses communication using both formal Arabic and some Egyptian dialect. Emphasis is also placed on reading authentic texts from Arabic media, listening to and watching audio and video materials, and developing students' understanding of Arab culture. Preparation for class is an essential component of course, allowing us to devote in-class time to communicating in the language rather than talking "about" the language. Students will be evaluated on attendance and class participation, daily homework assignments, quizzes and tests and a final examination. (Stone, Elinson, Staff)
- Intermediate Arabic 1 and 2 (ARB 201-202)
3 credits --
3 hours
This course is continuation of Beginning Arabic 2 (ARB 102). Emphasis is placed on reading authentic materials from Arabic media, expanding students' vocabulary and grammar skills, listening to and watching audio and video materials, and developing students' understanding of Arab culture and communicative competence. Course will be conducted primarily in Arabic. (Stone, Elinson, Staff)
- Advanced Arabic 1 and 2 (ARB 301-302)
3 credits --
3 hours
This course is a continuation of Intermediate Arabic 2 (ARB 202). It aims to help students reach an advanced level of proficiency in reading, speaking, and writing Arabic, as well as develop an understanding of Arab culture. Readings focus on modern Arab literary output. Course will be conducted entirely in Arabic. (Stone, Elinson, Staff)
Culture Courses
- Literatures from the Islamic World (ARB 249)
3 credits -- 3 hours
Study of a wide range of literary genres and themes from a place usually defined as the Islamic world. The texts we will be engaging with are part of the Arabo-Islamic tradition, but are limited neither to the Arabic language nor the Muslim religion. We will be reading, in English translation, texts originally written in Arabic, Hebrew, Persian, and other languages. One of the main goals of the course is to understand the wide array of influences making up the remarkably rich and diverse cultures of the Middle East. The course will cover the time period beginning with the pre-Islamic period (6th century C.E.) to the 15th century.
(Elinson)
- The Arab Novel in Translation (ARB 250)
3 credits -- 3 hours
This course explores the relationship between the development of the Arab novel and the challenges faced by the Arab World in the twentieth century. The Arab novel is a rich site to explore how writers in the region have grappled with issues such as urbanization, war, imperialism, nationalism, gender, and the politics of translation. We will explore these questions through the reading of novels by writers such as Sonallah Ibrahim (Egypt), Ghassan Kanafani (Palestine), Hanan al-Shaykh (Lebanon), al-Tayyib Salih (The Sudan), Assia Djebar (Algeria) and others. In addition to novels, we will read a variety of secondary texts and watch at least one feature film from the region. All readings are in English. Format: discussion with some lecturing. The final grade will be based on class participation, short weekly reaction papers, a final presentation and a final paper of 10 to 12 pages.(Stone)
- Topics in Arabic Literature and Culture (ARB 200)
3 credits -- 3 hours
This course will generally be broken down upon generic lines, such as poetry, drama or, in the case of the sample course, cinema. One goal of this course will be to compare works of the same genre over the wide geographic and cultural span of the Arab World and then to compare the development of these genres to similar developments in the West. Another possible configuration is for this course to be a broad survey of Arabic literature and culture spanning both the pre-modern and modern periods.
(Stone, Elinson, Staff)
- Advanced Topics in Arabic Literature and Culture
3 credits -- 3 hours
This course will generally focus in on the works of one artist, sub-genre, country, or text. This course is designed for students who have taken at least one course in Middle East studies and who are ready to move from a survey type culture course to a more focused series of texts, such at The Arabian Nights, the novels of Naguib Mahfouz, or depictions of Cairo or Baghdad in artistic texts.
(Stone, Elinson, Staff)
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