MEST 361 High Elementary Arabic (Intensive) (9 cr.)
This course is designed for students who have had the equivalent of one semester of Arabic instruction. It is also appropriate 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 received some tutoring in Arabic. Students who enroll at this level are expected to know the Arabic alphabet and have limited reading, writing and conversational skills. The course utilizes an integrated approach that teaches both Standard and Lebanese Arabic based on communicative tasks and contexts and will use Al-Kitaab fii Ta'allum al-'Arabiyya: Part One (3rd Edition). By the end of the course, students are expected to reach Intermediate-Mid proficiency in Arabic following the ACTFL scale.
MEST 362 Intermediate Arabic (Intensive) (9 cr.)
This course is designed for students who have completed at least two semesters of Arabic in an academic setting but whose placement results require that they go at a slower pace than the intermediate class. The course is also appropriate for students who have been away from the language for some time. The objectives of this course, in general, are to further develop the students' skills and strategies, expand active vocabulary in a wide variety of topics and settings, enhance knowledge of basic Arabic grammar, and further develop intercultural competence. The course utilizes an integrated approach that teaches both Standard and Lebanese Arabic based on communicative tasks and contexts and will use Al-Kitaab fii Ta'allum al-'Arabiyya: Part One (3rd Edition) and a part of Al-Kitaab fii Ta'allum al-'Arabiyya: Part Two (3rd Edition). By the end of the course, students are expected to reach Intermediate-Mid to Intermediate-High proficiency in Arabic following the ACTFL scale.
MEST 363 Intermediate Mid Arabic (Intensive) (9 cr.)
This course is designed for students who have had the equivalent of two to three semesters of Arabic instruction. The course aims to further enhance students' proficiency in the various skills, expand their cultural knowledge, expand their vocabulary, and enhance their control of grammatical structures and pronunciation. All communications between instructors and students are carried out strictly in Arabic. Part of the students' activities at this level involves giving oral presentations and doing a lengthy writing project. The course utilizes an integrated approach that teaches both Standard and Lebanese Arabic based on communicative tasks and contexts and will use Al-Kitaab fii Ta'allum al-'Arabiyya: Part Two (3rd Edition) and parts of Al-Kitaab fii Ta'allum al-'Arabiyya: Part Two (2nd Edition). By the end of the course, students are expected to reach Intermediate-High proficiency in Arabic following the ACTFL scale.
MEST 364 Intermediate High Arabic (Intensive) (9 cr.)
This course is designed for students who have already had the equivalent of four to five semesters of Arabic instruction. The objective of the course is to further enhance students' proficiency in the various skills, expand their cultural knowledge, expand their vocabulary, and enhance their control of complex grammatical structures and pronunciation. The course utilizes an integrated approach that teaches both Standard and Lebanese Arabic based on communicative tasks and contexts. By the end of the class, students are expected 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 will use part of Al-Kitaab fii Ta'allum al-'Arabiyya: Part Two (2nd Edition) and part of Al-Kitaab fii Ta'allum al-'Arabiyya: Part Three. By the end of the course, students are expected to reach Advanced-Low to Advanced-Mid proficiency in Arabic following the ACTFL scale.
MEST 365 Advanced Arabic (Intensive) (9 cr.)
This course is designed for students who have already had the equivalent of six semesters of Arabic instruction. It aims to enable students to reach higher levels of advanced proficiency in all skills. Students are required to do extensive readings on a variety of topics and genres, such as literature, language and the social sciences. They are also expected to engage in debates, give oral presentations and write short research papers. The course utilizes an integrated approach that teaches both Standard and Lebanese Arabic based on communicative tasks and contexts and will use Al-Kitaab fii Ta'allum al-'Arabiyya: Part Three, to be supplemented by extra material as needed. By the end of the course, students are expected to reach Advanced-Mid to Advanced-High proficiency in Arabic following the ACTFL scale.
MEST 366 Advanced High Arabic (Intensive) (9 cr.)
This course is designed for students who are placed at the Advanced-Mid level of proficiency of Arabic upon entering the program and it aims to take them to the Advanced-High level in the various language skills. Readings at this level are extensive and span a variety of genres; readings will cover at least one novel, short stories, academic articles, lengthy newspaper articles, and selections from medieval texts. Listening skills are sharpened through extensive work with news broadcasts, documentaries, and television shows in both Standard and Lebanese Arabic. 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 extended oral presentations in class where students demonstrate the oral skills of an educated native or near native speaker of Arabic. The course will use Al-Kitaab fii Ta'allum al-'Arabiyya: Part Three in addition to other readings assigned by the teachers. By the end of the course, students are expected to reach Advanced-High proficiency in Arabic following the ACTFL scale.
MEST 367 Superior Arabic (Intensive) (9 cr.)
Students entering this level are expected to have Advanced-High proficiency in Arabic and are expected to make progress towards Superior proficiency. This level features extensive readings that cover a wide variety of genres including novels, short stories, academic articles, lengthy newspaper articles, and selections from medieval texts. Listening skills are enhanced through extensive work with news broadcasts, documentaries, and television shows in both Standard and Lebanese Arabic. 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 extended oral presentations in class where students demonstrate the oral skills of an educated native or near native speaker of Arabic. The course will use Al-Kitaab fii Ta'allum al-'Arabiyya: Part Three in addition to other readings assigned by the teachers in a variety of genres.