Attention!
This is a representative syllabus.
The syllabus for the course you are
enrolled in will likely be different.
Please refer to your instructor’s
syllabus for more information on
specific requirements for a given
semester.
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ARAB 1102, Spring 2017
Elementary Modern Standard Arabic II
Instructor:
Office hours:
Email:
Class time:
Final Exam:
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Our objectives this semester are to continue developing your speaking, reading, writing, and listening in
Arabic at the novice-mid to intermediate level. To this end, we will use a wide variety of authentic
materials and real-world tasks, including classroom discussions, Arabic media, video- and audio-
materials, etc.
EXPECTED OUTCOMES
By the end of this course, you should have achieved solid intermediate proficiency in Arabic and
you should:
Be able to read texts on familiar topics and understand the main ideas.
Have confidence in your ability to guess the meaning of new words from context.
Be able to speak about yourself, your life, and your environment, and initiate and sustain
conversations on a number of daily life topics.
Understand native speakers accustomed to dealing with foreign learners of Arabic.
Be able to write paragraphs on familiar topics.
Be able to understand all basic sentence structure of Arabic.
Be aware of aspects of Arabic culture connected to everyday life.
TEXTBOOKS AND RESOURCES
REQUIRED TEXTS
1
2
1. Al-Kitaab Part One, Third Edition. Brustad, al-Batal, and al-Tonsi, Georgetown University Press.
2. Al-Kitaab Part One Companion Website, http://www.alkitaabtextbook.com/books/
Please note that you need to buy access to the companion site – that is an additional $24.95 to the price
of the textbook. If you have already bought access (for example, if you used the website last semester),
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your code should still be valid and you can use that to log into the website. Detailed instructions on how
to join this course on the Al-Kitaab Companion Website are posted on Canvas, in Module “Week 1”.
ONLINE RESOURCES
1. Aswaat Arabiyya, http://www.laits.utexas.edu/aswaat/
2. CLEAR Language Learning Applications, http://clear.msu.edu/teaching/online/ria/
3. GLOSS: The Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center Online Collection,
https://gloss.dliflc.edu/
GRADING
GRADE COMPONENTS
15%
Attendance & Participation
(includes active presence and engagement with all classroom activities)
25%
Homework
- Daily homework assignments (15%)
- Weekly homework assignments (10%)
16%
Chapter tests (4)
4%
Short quizzes (unlimited)
(In-class 5-minute quizzes on grammar or vocabulary points)
20%
Midterm
- Midterm oral presentation (5%)
- Written midterm (15%)
20%
Final Exam
- Final oral presentation (5%)
- Written final (15%)
GRADING SCALE
A
93-100
C+
76-79
D+
67-69
A-
90-92
C
73-76
D
60-66
B+
87-89
C-
70-72
E
59 and below
B
83-86
B-
80-82
You will be able to track your grade on Canvas.
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POLICIES
GENERAL
Electronics
The use of any kind of electronic communication devices is prohibited in the classroom, unless explicitly
allowed by the instructor. The use of any recording device, including your phones, to record your
classmates during class, is expressly prohibited. If you need to use a laptop or any other device because
of a documented disability, you must discuss this with me prior to class and obtain my permission. Use
of phones is not allowed in the classroom for any reason.
Visitors
Visitors are not permitted in the classroom without advanced permission from the instructor.
ATTENDANCE AND PARTICIPATION
Attendance to all class meetings is expected. You are allowed THREE absences for whatever reason.
Beyond that, any absence, excused or unexcused, will result in the lowering of your participation grade.
If you know you will miss a class, please notify me as soon as possible and schedule an appointment with
me to plan how to make up the material you have missed. It is your responsibility to inform me why you
were not in class, to find out what material was covered and to seek help in case of difficulties. If you
come to class after an absence and find yourself behind, I will be happy to help you catch up in my office
hours – not during class. Please note that having an excuse for your absence does not mean you do not
lose points for the missed class. It only means that you will be allowed to make up some of the work
or assessments that you missed.
MAKE-UPS
Make-ups for tests, the midterm, and the final, will be allowed only with official, written excuse for
your absence. Chapter tests can only be made-up before I have returned the graded tests to the class.
You are allowed to schedule ONE make-up per test (including midterm or final). If you miss your make-
up appointment, any further rescheduling will be entirely at my discretion. NO MAKE-UPS are allowed
for the 5-minute quizzes, for ANY reason.
PUNCTUALITY
Punctuality is just as important as attendance. Announcements, feedback on homework, and short
quizzes will be given at the beginning of class. It is important that you are present and ready to begin on
time. If you miss a quiz or any other graded activity because you were late, you will not be allowed to
make it up. Exceptions will only be made for documented emergencies.
HOMEWORK
You should plan for approximately two hours of homework and independent preparation for every hour
of class time. This means that in a typical week, you should expect to spend at least eight hours doing
your Arabic homework.
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Homework will generally be due at the beginning of the next class meeting. All written homework is to
be handwritten on a separate sheet of paper, with your name clearly marked on each page. Online
homework will have a separate set of rules for submission, which are explained on the AlKitaab website
– you do not need to hand in any portion of your online homework, unless otherwise instructed.
Homework will be corrected by the next class meeting, and graded on a pass/fail basis.
There will be two types of homework assignments this semester: daily and weekly.
Daily assignments will include preparation for class, vocabulary and grammar exercises from the
textbook, and online quizzes on Canvas. These will be due by or at the following class meeting and will
be graded on a pass/fail basis.
Weekly assignments will include listening and reading assignments, and online conversations. These will
receive a percentage grade and will generally be due a week from the date they are assigned.
LISTENING ASSIGNMENTS
Listening assignments, using the online source collections Aswaat Arabiyya, DLIFLC, and anything else I
come across, will be given every week. Typically, you will watch a short video or listen to a short audio
recording, and respond to questions in an online format.
CONVERSATIONS
To give you more speaking practice, I will be using an online application called “Conversations” this
semester http://clear.msu.edu/teaching/online/ria/conversations2/. Each week, you will be assigned a
conversation, based on the material we have covered and the topics we have been discussing. The
conversations will consist of a set of pre-recorded questions which you will access online and respond to
in Arabic.
Opportunities to re-do failed homework assignments may be given at my discretion. Please note that
any external help with assignments, including from classmates, tutors, or family members, will be
considered academic misconduct and reported accordingly. If you are having trouble with an
assignment, come to my office hours.
RESPECTFUL CONDUCT
I expect all students in my classes to interact with each other and with me with respect, tolerance, and
genuine effort at understanding. We will be discussing cultural, religious and historical perspectives and
practices that may seem strange or even unacceptable to you – you should understand that in learning
about foreign languages and cultures going outside of your comfort zone is par for the course.
Respectful behavior towards everyone is a fundamental prerequisite for this important part of the
learning process.
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DISABILITY SERVICES
Students with disabilities that have been certified by the Office for
Disability Services will be appropriately accommodated, and should
inform the instructor as soon as possible of their needs. The office for
Disability Services is located in 150 Pomerene Hall, 1760 Neil Ave;
telephone (614) 292-3307, TDD (614) 292-0901. http://ods.osu.edu/
ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT
It is the responsibility of the student to abide by the Ohio State University’s Code of Student Conduct.
The term “academic misconduct” includes all forms of student misconduct wherever committed,
illustrated by, but not limited to, cases of plagiarism and dishonest practices in connection with
examinations, homework assignments and projects. Instructors shall report all instances of alleged
academic misconduct to “The Committee on Academic Misconduct” that has the responsibility to
investigate all reported cases. For more information: http://studentaffairs.osu.edu/pdfs/csc_7-13-
06.pdf
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COURSE OUTLINE
(Tentative: Changes will be announced in class and on Carmen. Please check Carmen regularly for
announcements and updates.)
Weeks
Lessons
Quizzes/ Exams/Presentations
Week 1
Jan 10-Jan 13
Introduction & Review
Lessons 1- 4
Diagnostic Test
Week 2
Jan 17-Jan 20
Al-Kitaab 1 Lesson 5
Week 3
Jan 24-Jan 27
Al-Kitaab 1 Lesson 5
Test 1
Week 4
Jan 31-Feb 3
Al-Kitaab 1 Lesson 6
Week 5
Feb 7-Feb 10
Al-Kitaab 1 Lesson 6
Week 6
Feb 14-Feb 17
Al-Kitaab 1 Lesson 7
Test 2
Week 7
Feb 21-Feb 24
Al-Kitaab 1 Lesson 7
Week 8
Feb 28-Mar 3
Al-Kitaab1 Lesson 8
Review
Week 9
Mar 7-Mar 10
Al-Kitaab 1 Lesson 8
Midterm & Oral Presentation I
Week 10
Mar 13-Mar 17
SPRING BREAK
Week 11
Mar 21-Mar 24
Al-Kitaab 1 Lesson 8/9
Week 12
Mar 28-Mar 31
Al-Kitaab 1 Lesson 9
Test 3
Week 13
Apr 4-Apr 7
Al-Kitaab 1 Lesson 9/10
Week 14
Apr 11-Apr 14
Al-Kitaab 1 Lesson 10
Test 4
Week 15
Apr 18-Apr 21
Al-Kitaab 1 Lesson 10
Review & Oral Presentation II
Exam Week
Tuesday May 2
10:00am -11:45am
Final Exam
