Course Objectives:
This course is a continuation of ARBC202 (Intermediate Arabic) and will follow the same educational methodologies and learning trajectory established by your previous courses in the Arabic sequence at Middlebury College. In ARBC301, you will work to towards an ACTFL proficiency rating of Intermediate-High/Advanced-Low in the four areas of language performance. In practical terms, this means:
- Speaking – You will be able to participate in most formal and some informal exchanges on concrete topics relating to work, school, home, and leisure activities, as well as to events of current, public, and personal interest. You should be able to narrate and describe in all major time frames (past, present, and future).
- Writing – You will able to meet immediate work and/or academic writing needs with good organization and cohesiveness. You will be able to write straightforward summaries and write about familiar topics that relate to your interests and events of current, public, and personal relevance. You will be able to narrate and describe with detail in all major time frames.
- Reading – You will be able to read somewhat longer prose of several paragraphs in length. Even if you miss some details, you will get the main ideas and facts. Texts at this level include descriptions and narratives such as simple short stories, news items, bibliographical information, social notices, personal correspondence, routine business letters and simple technical material written for the general reader.
- Listening – You will be able to understand main ideas of connected discourse on a variety of topics beyond the immediacy of the situation. Listening comprehension will extend to descriptive and narrative texts in different time frames or aspects, such as present, non-past, habitual, or imperfective. Texts may include interviews, short lectures on familiar topics, and news items and reports primarily dealing with factual information.
(adapted from ACTFl Proficiency Guidelines, 1985)
Towards these goals, we will cover through Unit 1 in al-Kitaab Part 3 (beginning with a review of Unit 7 in al-Kitaab Part 2). In addition to the general goals of language proficiency, we will place emphasis on three tasks in particular:
a) developing your utilization of level-appropriate vocabulary when writing in Modern Standard Arabic;
b) improving oral articulation, prosody and fluidity of speech through recorded exercises;
c) developing an acquaintance with Arabic-language social media.