Arabic Level 3

On successful completion of this module, you will be able to:

• Respond to the main points of standard speech on familiar topics relating to personal or work-related matters
• Read and demonstrate comprehension of factual texts, consisting of standard and mainly high-frequency everyday or job-related language
• Interact on topics that are familiar, of personal interest or pertinent to everyday life
• Produce simple texts on familiar topics using Arabic script to narrate events, describe feelings, and express opinions
• Demonstrate intercultural awareness and understanding of differences in social and everyday practices between own and target culture
• Engage with a range of digital language-learning resources to support language development

In this module, you will cover the following linguistic structures:

• The negative particle ‘laysa’
• Interrogatives and question words
• ‘Amma’ and ‘fa’ (as for ….)
• Ordinal numbers
• The prepositions ‘ilaa’ and ‘3ala’ + pronouns
• Object pronouns
• The subjunctive
• Quantifiers (e.g. all, several, no one, each, every)
• The adjectival sentence
• The comparative and superlative: ‘af3al’ form
• Conjugation of verbs with a vowel letter: (initial, medial, final)
• Negation of the future: ‘lan’
• ‘Kaana’ and its sisters
• ‘Inna’ and its sisters
• The jussive mood: ‘lam’
• Verbs with doubled ending
• Conjugation of ‘maa zaala’

Topics:

• Daily activities and living with the extended family
• The ‘family house’
• Social clubs: ‘al-nadi’
• Media Arabic
• The weekend
• Friendships and relationships
• Personalities and lifestyles
• A hotel guide
• Life-changing decisions
• Biographies
• Working and studying abroad
• Edward Said immigration and nostalgic feelings

In line with MFL communicative and active learning methodology, in-class activities cover all four skills (reading, writing, listening and speaking) and include: Pair work (dialogue practice, information gap exercises, discussion and collection of key terms/ideas followed by report to plenum); group work (discussion, creation of posters); individual tasks (presentations [with PowerPoint, as well as video uploaded to Blackboard]; discovery and formulation of rules; critical evaluation of texts, audio and video material. Homework tasks give you the opportunity to revise and consolidate knowledge and skills. This approach not only ensures you engage with a wide range of tasks, but also supports different learning styles.

All pieces of coursework are marked and returned within two weeks. Marking criteria and revision guidance (how-to guides) are included as needed with each coursework, to ensure learners are supported to complete their work and aware of assessment expectations. Detailed feedback is provided for each individual section of the coursework, giving the correct answer(s) along with suggestions for improvement. In addition to the number of points out of a maximum total, an overall percentage grade is given. Generic feedback on each individual piece of coursework is also provided in class.

The module includes formative as well as summative assessment.

FORMATIVE: Homework tasks relating to grammar and syntactic knowledge and the skills of listening, reading, and/or writing are set every week on the VLE. Students are encouraged to complete the tasks to get feedback from the course teacher and familiarise themselves with the assessment expectations. Additional self-study materials and guidance are also available on the VLE to reinforce learning and allow students to develop at their own pace.

SUMMATIVE: You need to complete two pieces of coursework (one per term); two 1-hour timed assessments (tests scheduled at the end of autumn term and at the end of spring term); and one practical, i.e. oral examination (at the end of spring term or at the beginning of the summer term). Coursework and written/oral examination all contribute to the final grade.

• Coursework (10%): Set mid-autumn term on the virtual learning environment, it consists of listening/grammar and writing (full task: approx. 200 words). Submission timeframe: 1 week.
• Examination (20%): In-class test (hard copies will be distributed, and answers to be handwritten). This 1-hour test will take place at the end of autumn term. It will include reading, grammar task(s), and writing (full task approx. 300 words).
• Coursework (10%): Set mid-spring term on the virtual learning environment, it consists of an in-class listening and speaking task on Microsoft Teams (7 minutes each).
• Examination (20%): In-class test (hard copies to be distributed, and answers to be handwritten). This 1-hour test will take place at the end of spring term. It will include reading, grammar control, and writing (full task approx. 300 words).
• Practical (40%): End-of-module Oral Exam (20 minutes).

• 7.5 ECTS points awarded on successful completion of the module.
• Available to take for credit towards your degree where your department allows. Also available for extra-credit.
• You must be prepared to attend all classes and and undertake approximately 3 hours of private study each week in addition to the assessment.

Coursebook: Brustad, K. et al. 2004. Al-Kitaab fi Ta ‘allum al-‘Arabiyya (Part I, with DVDs). Georgetown University Press, supported by additonal materials

Dictionary: Cowan, J.M. 1999. The Hans Wehr Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic. Fourth Edition. Spoken Language Services.

Relevant websites:

http://www.arabicpod.net/

http://readarabic.nflc.org

http://arabic-media.com/iraq-rtv.htm