Arabic

HU 3910: Practicum in Humanities and Arts

The practicum serves as the culmination for a student’s Humanities and Arts Requirement. The practicum provides opportunities for sustained critical inquiry into a focused thematic area. The practicum seeks to help students learn to communicate effectively, to think critically, and to appreciate diverse perspectives in a spirit of openness and cooperation through research, creativity, and investigation. The specific theme of each practicum will vary and will be defined by the instructor. Prior to enrolling in the practicum, a student must have completed five courses in Humanities and Arts, at least two of which must be thematically related and at least one of which must be at the 2000-level or above. Consent of the instructor is required for enrollment. Units: 1/3 Category: Category I

HU—AAS-50: American Antiquarian Seminar

Each fall the American Antiquarian Society and five Worcester colleges sponsor a research seminar at the Antiquarian Society library. The seminar is conducted by a scholar familiar with the Society’s holdings in early American history, and the seminar topic is related to his or her field of research. Selection is highly competitive. The ten participating students are chosen by a screening committee made up of representatives of the five participating colleges: Assumption College, Clark University, College of the Holy Cross, WPI, and Worcester State College. The seminar topic and research methods combine several disciplines, and students from a wide variety of majors have participated successfully in this unique undergraduate opportunity. Units: 1/3

AB 1531: Elementary Arabic I

This course introduces students with no prior Arabic experience to Modern Standard Arabic and Darija, the Arabic dialect spoken in Morocco. The course sets the foundation for subsequent courses; it introduces students to pivotal aspects of Arabic, including the Arabic script and sound system. Along the way, students learn common vocabulary used in formal contexts, common phrases and greetings as well as aspects of Arab cultures. This course is open to students with no Arabic language background; this course is closed to native speakers of Arabic and heritage speakers except with written permission from the instructor.

Units: 1/3 Category: Category I

Recommended Background:

None.

AB 1532: Elementary Arabic II

This course continues students’ exposure to and development of Modern Standard Arabic and Darija, the Arabic dialect spoken in Morocco; it is for students who can read and write using the Arabic script but have very basic understanding of vocabulary and syntax. New language structures, vocabulary and cultural concepts will be presented in communicative activities/materials in class and homework assignments; these activities will focus on receptive (reading & listening) and productive (writing & speaking) skills in Arabic.

Units: 1/3 Category: Category I

Recommended Background:

AB 1531 or instructor approval; this course is closed to native speakers of Arabic and heritage speakers except with written permission from the instructor.

AB 1533: Elementary Arabic III

This course is a continuation of AB 1532. Emphasis will be on building and strengthening receptive and productive skills in both Modern Standard Arabic and Darija, the Arabic dialect spoken in Morocco. Grammatical structures covered in the previous courses along with new structures will be part of class activities as well as homework assignments. Cultural aspects of Arabic-speaking countries will be introduced through course materials including commonly used vocabulary and expressions. Units: 1/3 Category: Category I

Recommended Background:

AB 1531 & AB 1532 or instructor approval; this course is closed to native speakers of Arabic and heritage speakers except with written permission from the instructor.

AB 2531: Intermediate Arabic I

This course builds on the knowledge and skills that students learn in the elementary level courses (AB 1531, AB 1532 and AB 1533). Students continue learning Modern Standard Arabic with moderate exposure to phrases and expressions in Darija, Moroccan colloquial Arabic. The course employs a student-centered approach that focuses on receptive language skills (reading and listening) and productive language skills (speaking and writing); it also integrates culture and authentic materials in order to create real-life opportunities for language practice/ use and to develop students’ cultural competency. By the end of this course, students should be able to use tense appropriately to describe actions and events, describe their daily routines, describe personal and professional relations and report bibliographical and general information. Course assignments include daily homework, short quizzes, skits, presentations and/or an oral exam. Students cannot receive credit for both AB 210X and AB 2531. Units: 1/3 Category: Category I

Recommended Background:

AB 1531, AB 1532 & AB 1533 or instructor approval; this course is closed to native speakers of Arabic and heritage speakers except with written permission from the instructor.

AB 2532: Intermediate Arabic II

This course is a continuation of AB 2531. Students continue learning Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) with limited exposure to phrases and expressions in Darija, Moroccan colloquial Arabic. The course employs a student-centered approach that focuses on receptive language skills (reading and listening) and productive language skills (speaking and writing); it also integrates culture and authentic materials in order to create real-life opportunities for language practice/use and to develop students’ cultural competency. By the end of this course, students should be able to read and understand the gist of authentic texts in MSA, answer basic comprehension questions, differentiate between parts of speech and use parts of speech to reproduce or produce short texts in MSA. Course assignments include daily homework, short quizzes, skits, presentations and/or an oral exam. Students cannot receive credit for both AB 220X and AB 2532. Units: 1/3 Category: Category I

Recommended Background:

AB 1531, AB 1532, AB 1533 & AB 2531 or instructor approval; this course is closed to native speakers of Arabic and heritage speakers except with written permission from the instructor.

AB 2533: Intermediate Arabic III

This course is a continuation of AB 2531 and AB 2532; it focuses on improving students’ skills in Modern Standard Arabic (MSA). The course employs a student-centered approach that focuses on receptive language skills (reading and listening) and productive language skills (speaking and writing); it also integrates culture and authentic materials in order to create reallife opportunities for language practice/ use and to develop students’ cultural competency. By the end of this course, students should be able to read and understand selected authentic texts written in MSA, differentiate between main ideas and supporting ideas, answer levelappropriate comprehension questions, respond to levelappropriate open-ended questions in MSA and generate content that is level adequate. Course assignments include daily homework, short quizzes, skits, presentations and/or an oral exam. Students cannot receive credit for both AB 230X and AB 2533. Units: 1/3 Category: Category I

Recommended Background:

AB 1531, AB 1532, AB 1533, AB 2531 & AB 2532 or instructor approval; this course is closed to native speakers of Arabic and heritage speakers except with written permission from the instructor.