Summer Intensive Arabic Level 1

Undergraduate / Graduate

Summer Intensive Arabic Level I is an eight-week course designed to introduce complete novices to the fundamentals of Arabic in the four language skills (speaking, listening, reading, and writing). Classes are small and use the Alif Baa' and al-Kitaab textbook (2nd edition), supplemented by authentic materials, both to learn the language and to experience the culture. Cultural proficiency is an integral part of the language instruction (forms of address, youth phrases, phrases used among intimate friends,etc.). Students will spend 4-5 hours per day practicing using Arabic in classroom activities and should plan on studying an additional 3-4 hours most afternoons and evenings. In addition to class time, a full day trip to an Arab neighborhood in Chicago provides an opportunity to use Arabic in an authentic cultural context. Cultural exposure will also be supplemented through guest speakers, songs, and films. At the conclusion of the course, students can expect to have mastered the sounds and shapes of the Arabic alphabet and to be able to speak about themselves and their world in Modern Standard Arabic, as well as to engage in conversations about familiar topics with native speakers, to comprehend basic texts, and to use some common phrases in colloquial Egyptian and Shaami.