graduate programme

ARABIC STUDIES

Note: A number of graduate courses in Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations normally demand ability to handle primary sources in the original language or languages. Some of the courses listed below may require reading knowledge of a second European language.

 

NMC 2100Y INTRODUCTORY ARABIC (=NML110Y)

This course is an introduction to the formal variety of Arabic used throughout the Arab world.  It is designed for students with no prior knowledge of Arabic language and it follows a teaching approach that places equal emphasis on the development of all language skills:  reading, writing, listening, and speaking.  The fundamental learning philosophy underlying this approach is that proficiency in a foreign language is best achieved through consistent, deliberate, and systematic practice.  From the outset, students are strongly encouraged to develop the habit of consistently and continuously practicing learned material.  This is achieved through a wide range of activities conducted both inside and outside the classroom.  By the end of the course, students are expected to achieve basic intermediate proficiency in Arabic.  This means that students will:

  1. Be able to form and understand basic sentence structures of Arabic,
  2. Be able to read original texts on familiar topics and understand the main ideas without using the dictionary,
  3. Be able to write short paragraphs on familiar topics and daily life activities,
  4. Be able to initiate and sustain conversations on familiar topics,
  5. Be able to communicate with native speakers of Arabic on familiar topics,
  6. Develop awareness of some aspects of Arab culture connected to everyday life.


Workload:  This course assumes university level study skills.  Students should expect to devote 2-3 hours outside of class for every hour of classroom instruction.

Evaluation:  The evaluation components consist of weekly assignments, quizzes, term tests, classroom participation, and one final exam.  The dates and relative weights of these components will be announced in the first week of classes.
Required Texts:
K. Brustad, M. Al-Batal, & A. Al-Tonsi (2010) Alif Baa: Introduction to Arabic Letters and Sounds, Third Edition. Georgetown University Press.
K. Brustad, M. Al-Batal, & A. Al-Tonsi (2011) Al-Kitaab fi Ta'allum Al-'Arabiyya: A Textbook for Beginning Arabic. Part One, Third Edition. Georgetown University Press.

Exclusion:  Native speakers of Arabic, LGGA40H3/LGG41H3, NML210Y/NMC210Y

A-K Ali


NMC 2101Y INERMEDIATE ARABIC I (=NML 211Y)

Students enrolled in this course are assumed to have active knowledge of the grammar and vocabulary covered in the introductory level.  After a brief review, the course continues from where NMC2100Y leaves off.  Following the same teaching approach and learning philosophy, emphasis is placed on balanced development of all language skills.  As the course progresses, students are introduced to the fundamentals of Arabic morphology and syntax.  This is achieved through analysis of texts covering a wide range of topics.  By the end of the course, students are expected to achieve upper intermediate level of proficiency.  They should be able to:

  1. Understand the main ideas in non-technical texts,
  2. Use context and knowledge of grammar to identify the form and guess the meaning of unfamiliar words,
  3. Understand texts of general interest with efficient use of the dictionary,
  4. Write short coherent paragraphs on familiar topics,
  5. Initiate and sustain discussion on topics of general interest,
  6. Present information and basic narratives in formal and semiformal language,
  7. Develop familiarity with some of the systematic differences between formal and spoken Arabic varieties,


Workload:  This course assumes university level study skills.  Students should expect to devote 2-3 hours outside of class for every hour of classroom instruction.

Evaluation:  The evaluation components consist of weekly assignments, quizzes, term tests, and classroom participation.  The dates and relative weights of these components will be announced in the first week of classes.  There is no Faculty Final Examination.
Required Texts:
K. Brustad, M. Al-Batal, & A. Al-Tonsi (2004) Al-Kitaab fii Tacallum Al-cArabiyya with DVDs:  A Textbook for Beginning Arabic.  Part One, Second Edition.  Georgetown University Press.
K. Brustad, M. Al-Batal, & A. Al-Tonsi (2004) Al-Kitaab fii Tacallum Al-cArabiyya with DVDs:  A Textbook for Arabic.  Part Two, Second Edition.  Georgetown University Press.
Recommended Texts:
Wehr, H. A Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic.

Prerequisite: NMC2100Y or permission of the instructor
Exclusion:  Native speakers of Arabic; NML210Y/NMC210Y

A.-K. Ali

NMC 2102Y INTERMEDIATE ARABIC I I (=NML310Y )

Students enrolled in this course are assumed to have active knowledge of the grammar and vocabulary covered in previous two levels.  After a brief review, the course continues from where NMC2101Y leaves off.  Following the same teaching approach and learning philosophy, emphasis is placed on balanced development of all language skills.  Throughout the course, students are introduced to increasingly complex morphological and syntactic patterns of Arabic.  This is achieved through analysis of texts covering a wide range of genres.  By the end of the course, students are expected to achieve advanced level of proficiency.  They should be able to:

  1. Read texts covering a wide range of styles in Arabic
  2. Understand main points of lectures and media programmes on familiar topics
  3. Carry out basic research on topics of interest
  4. Write coherent essays on topics previously studied
  5. Read, write, and speak with increasing grammatical accuracy
  6. Identify a range of important figures and ideas in Arabic literature and cultural history.


Workload:  This course assumes university level study skills.  Students should expect to devote 3 hours outside of class for every hour of classroom instruction.

Evaluation:  The evaluation components consist of weekly assignments, quizzes, term tests, and classroom participation.  The dates and relative weights of these components will be announced in the first week of classes.  There is no Faculty Final Examination.

Required Texts:
K. Brustad, M. Al-Batal, & A. Al-Tonsi (2004) Al-Kitaab fii Tacallum Al-cArabiyya with DVDs:  A Textbook for Arabic.  Part Two, Second Edition.  Georgetown University Press.
K. Brustad, M. Al-Batal, & A. Al-Tonsi (2004) Al-Kitaab fii Tacallum Al-cArabiyya with DVD and MP3 CD:  A Textbook for Arabic.  Part Three.  Georgetown University Press.
Recommended Texts:
Wehr, H. A Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic.

Prerequisite: NMC2101Y or permission of the instructor
Exclusion:  Native speakers of Arabic; NML210Y/NMC210Y

A-K Ali


NMC 2103Y ADVANCED STANDARD ARABIC (=NML 410Y)

Students enrolled in this course are assumed to have active knowledge of the grammar and vocabulary covered in previous levels.  After a brief review, the course continues from where NMC2102Y leaves off.  Following the same teaching approach and learning philosophy, the goal of this course is to enable the students to reach a superior level of proficiency in Arabic.  To this end, the materials covered are designed to strengthen the students’ reading and writing skills, refine and expand their knowledge of sentence structure, morphological patterns, verb system, and enrich their cultural background.  The primary method is analysis of sophisticated authentic texts covering a wide range of genres and drawn from different parts of the Arabic speaking world.  Although the main focus remains to be on Modern Standard Arabic, texts from the Classical Arabic literary tradition will be introduced incrementally throughout the course.

Workload
This course assumes university level study skills.  Students should expect to devote 3 hours outside of class for every hour of classroom instruction.

Evaluation
The evaluation components consist of weekly assignments, quizzes, term tests, and classroom participation.  The dates and relative weights of these components will be announced in the first week of classes.  There is no Faculty Final Examination.

Required Textbooks:
K. Brustad, M. Al-Batal, & A. Al-Tonsi (2004) Al-Kitaab fii Tacallum Al-cArabiyya with DVD and MP3 CD:  A Textbook for Arabic.  Part Three.  Georgetown University Press.
Recommended Textbooks:
Wehr, H. A Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic.

Prerequisite: NMC2102Y or permission of the instructor
Exclusion:  Native speakers of Arabic

A-K Ali

NMC 2117H            Readings in Mediaeval Arabic Chronicle

The seminar will provide an introduction to medieval Arabic historical texts, especially chronicles and annalistic literature of the Ayyubid and Mamluk periods. The seminar will be organized around readings from selected texts and discussions concerning the nature and organization of these histories and problems encountered in using them. Students will also be introduced to modern scholarship on the historiography of the period and to the ways in which chronicles and annalistic literature of this period have been used as historical sources.
Prerequisite: Adequate knowledge of Arabic and permission of the instructor.
L.S. Northrup


NMC 2118H READINGS IN MEDIAEVAL ARABIC BIOGRAPHICAL LITERATURE

This course provides an introduction to mediaeval Arabic historical sources and historiography. The seminar will survey the variety of textual sources available (including narrative accounts such as chronicles, biographical literature, scribal manuals, etc.) for the study of the history of Arab Islamic world, especially Egypt and Syria, in the Middle Ages. Excerpts from these works will be analyzed and problems encountered in the use of these sources will be discussed in relation to selected themes or issues.
L.S. Northrup


NMC 2119H READINGS IN MEDIAEVAL ARABIC LEGAL DOCUMENTS

This course provides an introduction to the use of mediaeval Arabic administrative and legal documents as historical sources. Copies of original specimens of a variety of types of documentary evidence, preserved in collections in Jerusalem and in Cairo, and others preserved in texts such as chronicles, scribal and shurut manuals and including petitions (qissa), decrees (marsum), endowment deeds (waqfiyya), deeds of sale and purchase, estate inventories, etc. will be sampled. Documents will be read and prepared at home and analyzed in seminar with regard to palaeography, structural elements and content with a view to their use as a rich source of information for the history of the Arab Islamic world, especially Egypt and Syria, in the Middle Ages.
L.S. Northrup


NMC 2120Y READINGS FROM MUSLIM CHRONICLES OF THE CRUSADES

L.S. Northrup