SYLLABUS ARABIC 2003 (LING 2930)

Academic Year: Fall 2007

Arabic 2003 (LING 2930) : Fall, 2007. Prof. Ben Rhit

E-mail : benrhit@uga.edu

Class time & Place : 9:05-9:55 MWF

Peabody rm. Peabody Hall Room 201

Office: Peabody Hall 22 (in the basement)

Office hours: to be announced

Text: Required: Al-Kitaab fii Ta’allum al-‘Arabiyya: A Textbook for Beginning Arabic by Kristen Brustad Part One Lessons 10 – 20. The Audio Compact Disks for each book are in integral part of the cirriculum and should be used on a daily basis to review and develop listening skills. You will also need the Arabic-English Dictionary by Hans Wehr. Other material, such as songs and poems will be included and considered a part of the basic curriculum. Each student should acquire a Haywood’s Grammar and key, available at the UGA Bookstore or on line.

Goals of the class: Continue towards fluency in Arabic using all previously learned structures, vocabulary and the verbs in both the past and present, including the derived forms II through X. There will also be increased efforts towards the acquisition of speaking and writing skills as well as reading and understanding Arabic texts. An accent will also be placed upon listening comprehension that will include in-class and take home dictation exercises.

There will be a major accent in this course on learning the rules of Arabic grammar. This will include the cases, plurals and use of particles.

Method: Memorization of the verb conjugation tables, grammar rules, vocabulary, basic sentences and poetry and songs. Reading from texts provided in class and general grammar exercises from the Haywood’s grammar will be essential to your learning experience. Translation: Arabic/English – English/Arabic. General communication practice in class. Weekly dictation drills will count as quiz grades.

Listening Assignments, Homework, Quizzes, and Examinations:

CD work: It is required that you use the CDs that are sold with the textbooks at least an hour a day.

Homework: All homework will be on a “done/not done basis.” Late homework will not be accepted.

Vocabulary Quizzes: There will be quizzes on a weekly basis that cover the new vocabulary from the vocabulary lists in each lesson, and any other vocabulary used in the reading or dictation texts.

Pop-Quizzes: There will be regular surprise dictation quizzes (graded over 20 points)

General Quizzes: Every two weeks a 20-25 min. quiz on the grammar and vocabulary of the previous lessons. As learning any language is a cumulative procedure, these quizzes will also cover all points of grammar and vocabulary dealt with in previous lessons.

Midterm: Monday. October 15, 2007.

Final: See finals schedules for the se of December. No other arrangements can be made. The final will be cumulative, but will emphasize material introduced since the mid-term. The final will cover all vocabulary and grammar discussed in class, in the book and in the reading and dictation texts used during the course.

NOTE: Quiz and exam grading is on a curve.

COMPOSITION OF GRADE:

Midterm = 25 %; Final = 25%; Quizzes, weekly exams and dictations = 25%, and Homework and take home quizzes = 25%.

Note: As the homework and dictations are on a done/not done basis, you will be able to calculate this part of your grade from your quiz grades. This can help you after the mid-term to know where you stand towards the final grade.

NOTE! FIVE EXTRA POINTS WILL BE AWARDED FOR EACH STUDENT THAT SHOWS ME THAT THEY HAVE MADE FLASH CARDS FOR THE UNIT BEING TESTED. TO BE SHOWN AT THE BEGINNING OF THE QUIZ OR EXAMINATION.

Make-up quizzes and tests: Make-up quizzes or exams are only possible with a “reasonable” excuse. NOTE: the professor will have the final word whether the excuse is “reasonable” or not.

This course will abide strictly by the standards of academic honesty set forth in the University of Georgia publication “A Culture of Honesty”