Colloquial Lebanese Arabic
MEST 382 Intermediate Lebanese Colloquial Arabic (Intensive) (6 cr. ) This course is designed for students who already have some knowledge of Lebanese colloquial Arabic and want to reach a higher level. They will do so through engaging in the following tasks: narrating in the present and the past in details, dealing more effectively with complicated situations, listening to authentic programs, and discussing topics of personal and public interest. Students will also gain a higher awareness of the different aspects of Lebanese culture. The course consists of 120 contact hours and will use teaching materials developed by CAMES. Lebanese films, songs, and other audiovisual materials will also be used. Students who wish to apply for this course should have already studied Modern Standard Arabic for at least two semesters .
Modern Standard Arabic
MEST 360 Introductory Arabic (Intensive) (9 cr. )
This course is designed to introduce students who have no previous knowledge of Arabic to the Arabic language. By the end of the course, students are expected to be able to read and comprehend Arabic at the basic level. They are also expected to be able to speak about themselves, their families and their environment, and to compose several paragraphs concerning their daily life. During the course, students become familiar with Arab culture and many traditions related to family life and society in general. All basic grammar and sentence structures are introduced, as well as the common nominal and verbal derivation patterns. Lebanese colloquial Arabic is also integrated in the course. The course consists of 186 contact hours and will use Alif Baa: Introduction to Arabic Letters and Sounds as well as part of Al-Kitaab fii Ta'allum al-'Arabiyya: Part One.
MEST 361 High Introductory Arabic (Intensive) (9 cr.)
This course is designed for students who have had the equivalent of one semester of Arabic instruction. It is also suitable for students who have already had some limited exposure to the Arabic language, for instance, those who have lived in an Arab country or an Arabic-speaking environment, as well as those who have had some tutoring in Arabic. Students who enter at this level are expected to already know the Arabic alphabet and to have limited knowledge of reading, writing and conversational skills. Students will be exposed to Lebanese colloquial Arabic, which will be integrated in the course. By the end of the course, students are expected to improve their reading and writing ability and to be able to carry out a simple conversation. The course consists of 186 contact hours and will use Al-Kitaab fii Ta'allum al-'Arabiyya: Part One.
MEST 362: Low Intermediate Arabic (Intensive) (9 cr.)
This course is designed for students who have completed at least two semesters of Arabic in an academic setting and whose language proficiency requires that they go at a slower pace than the intermediate class or for students who have been away from the language for some time. Students should have knowledge of the basic grammatical and lexical features of Arabic. The objectives of this course, in general, is to solidify knowledge of the basic rules of Arabic grammar, to expand vocabulary in terms of complexity, and to increase the acquisition of words for active use in a wide variety of topics and settings. Also, students will be exposed to Lebanese colloquial Arabic, which will be integrated in the course. By the end of the course, students are expected to gain solid background of Arabic grammar, to be able to give a short oral presentation, and carry out a short writing project. The course consists of 186 contact hours and will use Al-Kitaab fii Ta'allum al-'Arabiyya: Parts One and Two.
MEST 363: Intermediate Arabic (Intensive) (9 cr.)
This course is designed for students who have had the equivalent of two to three semesters of Arabic instruction. In this course, students are taught extensive vocabulary, sentence structure, grammar and pronunciation. The course aims to develop students' reading, writing, listening and comprehension skills by using authentic Arabic texts. All instruction and communication between instructors and students is done strictly in Arabic, which greatly advances the students' communication proficiency. Also, students will be exposed to Lebanese colloquial Arabic, which will be integrated in the course. By the end of the course, students are expected to be able to give an oral presentation, as well as carry out a lengthy writing project. The course consists of 186 contact hours and will use Al-Kitaab fii Ta'allum al-'Arabiyya: Part Two.
MEST 364: High Intermediate Arabic (Intensive) (9 cr.)
This course is designed for students who have already had the equivalent of four semesters of Arabic instruction. The objective of the course is to expand the students' vocabulary and introduce them to more advanced grammar and complex sentence structures. Emphasis is placed on communication skills in both the oral and written forms. Also, students will be exposed to Lebanese colloquial Arabic, which will be integrated in the course. By the end of the class, students are expected to be able to comprehend lengthy authentic listening material and to give long oral presentations with facility. They are also expected to be able to write extensive compositions and to read authentic Arabic texts for research purposes. The course consists of 186 contact hours and will use part of Al-Kitaab fii Ta'allum al-'Arabiyya: Parts Two and Three, and will be supplemented by extra material as needed.
MEST 365: Advanced Arabic (Intensive) (9 cr.)
This course is designed for students who have already had the equivalent of five to six semesters of Arabic instruction. It aims to enable students to attain an advanced level of proficiency in all Arabic language skills. Students are required to do extensive readings on a variety of topics and genres, such as literature, language and the social sciences. Also, students will be exposed to Lebanese colloquial Arabic, which will be integrated in the course. By the end of the course, students are expected to be able to engage in debates, give oral presentations, write short research papers and understand and interact in Arabic at the level of educated native speakers of the language. The course consists of 186 contact hours and will use Al-Kitaab fii Ta'allum al-'Arabiyya: Part Three, and will be supplemented by extra material as needed.
MEST 366: Superior Arabic (Level 4) (9 cr.)
Students accepted at this level are expected to have mastered language mechanics and possess at least a high intermediate level of proficiency in Modern Standard Arabic. The course is designed to enable students to attain a solid superior level proficiency or higher in the various language skills. Readings at this level are extensive and span a variety of genres. The readings will cover at least one novel, short stories, academic articles, lengthy newspaper articles, and selections from medieval texts. Listening skills are sharpened through the use of audio-visual material produced for native speakers of the language. For example, news broadcasts, documentaries, and television shows in both colloquial and modern standard Arabic will be shown regularly and followed by discussions and debates. Special emphasis is placed on understanding the nuances of the language and the use of idiomatic expressions and rhetorical devices in all the language skills. The course also features a special emphasis on oral presentations in class where students need to attain the oral skill of an educated native or near native speaker of Arabic. The course consists of 186 contact hours and will Al-Kitaab fii Ta'allum al-'Arabiyya: Part Three in addition to other readings assigned by the teachers.