Westmont in Jerusalem 2017

IS003: Introductory Colloquial Arabic 3 units General Education: Foreign Language Instructor: Nasra Dahdal IS003 Introductory Colloquial Arabic is a required course for Westmont in Jerusalem 2015. The instructor, Nasra Dahdal, is a veteran language instructor, recently of both Bethlehem University and the CCCU program based in Jerusalem. This course will be priority one during the first month of the program when we will be based in Bethlehem and Jerusalem. Complementing lectures and homework will be field work and tutorials throughout the rest of the semester led by a program assistant.

Course Description IS003 Introductory Colloquial Arabic is an introduction to conversational Arabic in the Jerusalem dialect. The course will introduce students to the spoken language of Palestinians and develop basic skills in speaking and understanding colloquial Levantine Arabic, the dialect used, more or less, throughout Palestine, Israel, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon. The course will focus on pronunciation, vocabulary, language structure, idioms, and basic grammar (e.g., grammatical agreement, conjugations, declensions, verb types, clause structure, genitive constructions). Students will also learn the basics of reading and writing Arabic in order to identify words and use phrase books. The class will include sixteen 2-hour sessions with instructor, supplemented by exercises, fieldwork and frequent tutorials while traveling in other parts of Israel/Palestine/Jordan/Egypt. Our study of spoken Arabic will follow the outline found in Moin Halloun, Spoken Arabic for Foreigners: An introduction to the Palestinian Dialect Volume I, supplemented by instructor handouts and assignments. Classes will include new material from Halloun, oral practice, quizzes, and a review of homework. In addition to lectures, exercises, discussion and quizzes, there will be opportunities to practice Arabic with home stay families and the community in the course of service projects, cultural activities and daily life. This introduction to spoken Arabic will lay the foundation for continued study in Arabic, provide a clear window into Palestinian culture, cultivate a greater appreciation for diversity, and challenge our ethnocentrism.

General Expectations See the document, Westmont in Jerusalem 2017 – Life in Community

Instructional Goals 1. Students will learn the rudiments of Arabic morphology and syntax, through textbook study, lectures,

homework and tests.

2. Students will build a basic Arabic vocabulary, through in-class review and frequent quizzes.

3. Students will begin to speak Arabic, through in-class practice and field exercises.

4. Students will begin to see the central role language plays in understanding culture.

5. Students will appreciate the value of foreign language study within the broader Liberal Arts curriculum.

Westmont General Education: Foreign Language IS003 Introductory Conversational Arabic meets the Foreign Language General Education requirement. Accordingly, successful students will be able to: Understand and interpret spoken language on a variety of topics. Evidenced by passing performance on

oral and written quizzes, and mid-term and final exams.

Demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between some of the practices and perspectives of the culture studied. Evidenced by passing grade on participation and the conversation journal.

Westmont in Jerusalem 2017

Demonstrate an understanding of the nature of language by comparing the language they study and their own. Evidenced by a passing grade on the conversation journal.

Use the language both within and beyond the classroom setting. Evidenced by a passing grade on participation and the conversation journal.

Articulate the importance of learning another language in order to engage people unlike them in terms that affirm others as persons created in God’s image. Evidenced by passing a grade on the conversation journal.

Accountability 25% Translation Exercises

Daily written translation exercises from Arabic (transliterated) to English. 25% Conversation journal

Notes and reflections on opportunities to speak Arabic with locals. In a journal students will describe at least three conversations per week. Entries should record length of encounter, location and basic subject area (e.g., home stay encounter, market negotiation), make note of personal challenges, include cultural observations, and offer comparisons between English and Arabic. This journal will be kept in a separate notebook or section (not interspersed with class notes and homework). Excerpts will be shared with the class. Assessment will consider thoroughness and thoughtfulness with respect to linguistic and culturaldynamics.

30% Exams: Mid-term (10%) and Final (20%) Details forthcoming.

20% Participation. Students are expected to attend and participate in all class meetings and events, offer evidence of preparation and engage the material, presenters, and classmates in thoughtful, energetic, respectful dialogue.

Textbook Moin Halloun, Spoken Arabic for Foreigners: An Introduction to the Palestinian Dialect. Volume 1. 2nd ed.

Jerusalem, 2003.

SCHEDULE (dates and times might change) 1-17 Orientation Alphabet; Survival Arabic 1-18 Units 1 & 2 Article, Interrogatives, Pronouns, 1-19 Units 3 & 4 Adjectives, Questions, Possessive Pronoun Suffixes, La 1-20 Units 5 & 6 Dual, Numbers, Present Simple, Verb with Object Pronouns 1-23 Units 7 & 8 Fi, Bagi, Telling time, Future tense, Subjunctive 1-24 Units 9 & 10 Basrab, Bakol 1-25 Units 11 & 12 New verbs, adjectives, adverbs 1-26 Mid-term Exam 1-27 Units 13 & 14 Bahki, iza, Bastgil, Comparatives 1-30 Units 15 & 16 Bafakkir, Bas’al, Bahibb, Batgawwaz 1-31 Units 17 & 18 Questions, Numbers followed by a noun 2-1 Units 19 & 20 Before & After, Each other 2-2 Units 21 & 22 Colors, “Inner” plurals 2-3 Units 23 & 24 Words requiring the subjunctive, To want 2-6 Unit 25 Miscellaneous Review 2-8 Final Exam