Arabic

We offer elementary, intermediate, and advanced courses in the Arabic language. Classes are subject to cancellation due to low enrollment. Applicants will be notified of any cancellations by or before the application deadline date.

 

Elementary Arabic

The elementary level of Arabic is designed for students with no or minimal knowledge of Modern Standard Arabic. The elementary level begins with an introduction to the sounds and script of the language using the text Alif-Baa. Following the introduction to sounds and script, the course uses Al-Kitaab Part One as its major textbook. Students will be exposed to authentic reading materials, learn to speak at the survival level, give oral presentations, and prepare short written assignments. Supplementary authentic materials from newspapers, magazines, the Internet, and television are provided to enhance both reading and listening skills.

Students with knowledge of Arabic letters and sounds, but very limited exposure to the language, will have to take a placement test to determine their language proficiency.

Intermediate Arabic

The intermediate class is designed for students with at least one year of recent college level Arabic studies and a clear understanding of all the material covered in the first half of Al-Kitaab Part One. Students are required to take a placement test at the start of the program. Placement is determined by students' language proficiency level, not the length of their previous studies.

The class uses a communicative approach to engage students in the learning process. Students participate in interactive and functional activities such as dialogues, role plays, and presentations to practice listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Instruction is designed to improve students' overall ability to understand and use the language accurately and appropriately.  The second half of Al-Kitaab Part One will be used for the Intermediate class. The text is supplemented with DVDs and authentic materials from newspapers, magazines, the Internet, and television for listening and reading practice.  

Advanced Arabic

The advanced level Arabic course is a content-driven course with limited grammatical support. Upon enrollment at this level, students should be able to sustain an involved discussion of considerable length, talk about a variety of topics, and initiate, sustain and conclude a social interaction or a conversation involving a complex situation. Students will be engaged in extensive reading and listening activities based on authentic materials on topics such as politics, society, economics and culture, followed by discussions and written responses to the content.  Students in this class should be able to write using a limited but sufficient range of structures with general control over grammar, and should expect to spend an additional 2-4 hours per day outside class to complete homework assignments and prepare for the next day's class.  

Textbook Information

Ordering Information:

  • There is NO BOOKSTORE ON CAMPUS at the Monterey Institute.
  • Textbooks will be available at the Monterey Institute Online Bookstore. You may also order textbooks through the vendor of your choice.
  • ORDER EARLY!! The session is very short, and if you wait to purchase your books until the session begins, they may not arrive in time.
  • Unsure of your level? Use your score from the diagnostic test as a guide. Or, you may want to purchase both books and send one back after the session begins

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    Elementary-Level Textbook

    Required:

    Students with no knowledge or experience learning Arabic:
    Alif Baa with DVDs (2nd edition); Georgetown University Press:  ISBN: 1-589-01102-3

    Al-Kitaab fii Ta allum al-Arabiyya (with DVDs) Part one (2nd edition); Georgetown University Press, ISBN: 1-589-001104-x

    Students with knowledge of Arabic letters and sounds and limited experience of Arabic:
    Al-Kitaab fii Ta allum al-Arabiyya (with DVDs) Part one (2nd edition); Georgetown University Press, ISBN: 1-589-001104-x

    Recommended: Arabic-English Dictionary:  The Hans Wehr Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic; Spoken Language Services Inc, ISBN0-879-50003-4

    Intermediate-Level Textbook 

    Required:

    Al-Kitaab fii Ta allum al-Arabiyya (with DVDs) Part One (2nd edition); Georgetown University Press, ISBN: 1-589-01104-x.

    Recommended: Arabic-English Dictionary: The Hans Wehr Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic;  Spoken Language Services Inc, ISBN:  0-879-50003-4.

    Advanced-Level Textbook

    Required:

    Al-Kitaab fii Ta allum al-Arabiyya (with DVDs) Part Two (2nd edition); Georgetown University Press, ISBN: 1-58901-096-5.

    Recommended: Arabic-English Dictionary: The Hans Wehr Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic; Spoken Language Services Inc, ISBN: 0-879-50003-4.

     

    Contact:

    Rana Issa
    SILP Arabic Language Coordinator
    rissa@miis.edu