Five College Mentored Arabic Program

Arabic Course Schedule for Fall 2012 - Spoken Arabic Courses (pdf)        Ready to Register? Go straight to How to Register

Also see the Online Orientation Tutorial for more information about how the Mentored Program works and to see video examples of tutorials and conversation sessions.

Modern Standard Arabic is now offered in regular classroom courses on all five campuses. First-year through fourth-year courses are available. For course information, go to the Five College Course Catalog and do a keyword search for "Arabic".

For 2012-2013, the Mentored Arabic program will offer colloquial Arabic for students who have completed first-year Arabic (Levantine and possibly others dialects) and Formal Spoken Arabic for students who completed first-year without a significant speaking component. Students who need help identifying an appropriate classroom course should contact Mohamed Hassan, Director of the Five College Arabic Program (username melsawihassan at amherst.edu). For questions about mentored course offerings, contact Amy Wordelman at fclrc@hfa.umass.edu. Mentored offerings will be adjusted from semester to semester depending upon the availability of qualified mentors.

About the Mentored Arabic Program

Mentored Arabic courses emphasize speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills. The mentored courses require seven to ten hours per week of independent study, a weekly one-hour conversation session, and a weekly thirty-minute individual tutorial with the Arabic mentors. The mentors are Fulbright-sponsored fellows from Arabic-speaking countries and other visiting scholars. The courses use the Georgetown University Press Arabic text series, Alif Baa and Al-Kitaab. Courses are available at the elementary, intermediate, and advanced levels.

The mentored courses are based on course plan study guides created with support from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The course guides and syllabi for Arabic are online on the Five College Center for the Study of World Language's LangMedia website.

The Five College Mentored Arabic Program serves as a supplement to traditional classroom Arabic courses offered on the Five College campuses each year. The program serves students whose schedules do not allow travel to another campus multiple times a week or who are off track from the classroom course sequence due to study abroad or other time off. The program also supplements classroom offerings by offering upper-level students the opportunity to focus on spoken language skills through courses in Formal Spoken Arabic and in colloquial language.

For traditional classroom courses offered at Amherst, Mt. Holyoke, Smith, and UMass, see the online Five College Course Catalog. In general, we recommend that students enroll in regular classroom courses except when their needs cannot be met through a classroom course. The program director/associate director will be happy to discuss with applicants whether the mentored or classroom courses will best meet their needs. The classroom courses cover more material in one semester and are worth more credits than the mentored program courses. The mentored courses are designed to provide more flexibility for students with tight schedules, who are off track from the classroom courses, or who need to emphasize speaking skills in formal or colloquial Arabic.

These courses are each worth either 2.0 or 1.5 credits at UMass. Transfer credit at the colleges varies, but is generally: Amherst College – ½ course; Hampshire – credit; Mount Holyoke – 2 credits and at the elementary level two courses or the equivalent are required to receive credit; Smith – 2 credits and at the elementary level two courses or the equivalent are required to receive credit.

Registration in these courses requires a special application process. See How to Register for details.

Mentored Arabic Course Descriptions

Not all courses are offered every semester. Some are offered as pre-scheduled courses with small group sessions. Others are offered only in an independent study format and require special application procedures. See the schedule link at the top of this page for scheduled offerings.

SPOKEN LANGUAGE COURSES
Prerequisite: Completion of Classroom First-Year/Elementary Arabic or Mentored Arabic IV

Formal Spoken Arabic Part A (FORLANGC 197VV)

A course in spoken Formal Arabic for students who have already acquired basic reading and writing skills, but not the spoken language. Recommended as a supplement for students at the intermediate level who want more practice with formal spoken language. This course will serve as the necessary prerequisite for starting a dialaect course for students who did not have a speaking component in their elementary Arabic course. Prerequisite: prior completion of Al-Kitaab Units 1-15 or the equivalent. This course is not open to students who have taken Mentored Elementary I, II, III, and IV.

Formal Spoken Arabic Part B (FORLANGC 197WW)

An intermediate to advanced course in Formal Spoken Arabic for students who have already acquired basic reading and writing skills, but not the spoken language. Recommended as a supplement for students at the intermediate level who want more practice with formal spoken language. Prerequisite: prior completion of Al-Kitaab Units 1-20 or the equivalent. This course is not open to students who have taken Mentored Elementary I, II, III, IV, and V.

Levantine Colloquial Arabic I (FORLANGC 197XX)

An introduction to the dialects spoken in Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Israel and Palestine. The course includes significant independent work in listening comprehension, along with group conversational practice. One of the following prerequisites must be met: 1) a minimum of one year of elementary Arabic in a classroom course which included practice in speaking Formal Spoken Arabic; 2) completion through level IV of the Mentored Arabic program, or 3) a minimum of one year of elementary Arabic in a classroom course plus Formal Spoken Arabic A or the equivalent. One conversation session per week, no tutorials.

Levantine Colloquial Arabic II (FORLANGC 197YY)

An introduction to the dialects spoken in Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Israel and Palestine. The course includes significant independent work in listening comprehension, along with group conversational practice. Prerequisite: Levantine Colloquial Arabic I or equivalent. One conversation session per week, no tutorials.

Levantine Colloquial Arabic III (FORLANGC 197BG)

An introduction to the dialects spoken in Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, and Palestine. The course includes significant independent work in listening comprehension, along with group conversational practice. Prerequisite: Levantine Colloquial Arabic II or the equivalent. One conversation session per week, no tutorials.

Levantine Colloquial Arabic IV (FORLANGC 197BI)

An introduction to the dialects spoken in Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, and Palestine. The course includes significant independent work in listening comprehension, along with group conversational practice. Prerequisite: Levantine Colloquial Arabic III or the equivalent. One conversation session per week, no tutorials.

Egyptian Colloquial Arabic I (FORLANGC 197K)

An introduction to everyday Arabic as spoken in Egypt. The course includes significant independent work in listening comprehension, along with group conversational practice. One of the following prerequisites must be met: 1) a minimum of one year of elementary Arabic in a classroom course which included practice in speaking Formal Spoken Arabic; 2) completion through level IV of the Mentored Arabic program, or 3) a minimum of one year of elementary Arabic in a classroom course plus Formal Spoken Arabic A or the equivalent. One conversation session per week, no tutorials.

Egyptian Colloquial Arabic II (FORLANGC 197BF)

An introduction to everyday Arabic as spoken in Egypt. The course includes significant independent work in listening comprehension, along with group conversational practice. Prerequisite: Egyptian Colloquial Arabic I or the equivalent. One conversation session per week, no tutorials.

Egyptian Colloquial Arabic III (FORLANGC 197-tba)

Development of speaking and listening skills in Spoken Egyptian Arabic. The course includes significant independent work in listening comprehension, along with group conversational practice. Prerequisite: Egyptian Colloquial Arabic III or the equivalent. One conversation session per week, no tutorials.

Egyptian Colloquial Arabic IV (FORLANGC 197-tba)

Development of speaking and listening skills in Spoken Egyptian Arabic. An introduction to everyday Arabic as spoken in Egypt. The course includes significant independent work in listening comprehension, along with group conversational practice. Prerequisite: Egyptian Colloquial Arabic III or the equivalent. One conversation session per week, no tutorials.

Moroccan Colloquial Arabic I (FORLANGC 197tba)

An introduction to everyday Arabic as spoken in Morocco. The course includes significant independent work in listening comprehension, along with group conversational practice. Prerequisites: A minimum of one year of elementary Arabic in a classroom course or completion through level IV of the Mentored Arabic program. One conversation session per week, no tutorials.

Moroccan Colloquial Arabic II (FORLANGC 197tba)

An introduction to everyday Arabic as spoken in Morocco. The course includes significant independent work in listening comprehension, along with group conversational practice. Prerequisites: Moroccan Colloquial Arabic I or the equivalent. One conversation session per week, no tutorials.

Iraqi Colloquial Arabic I (FORLANGC 197BW)

An introduction to everyday Arabic as spoken in Iraq. The course includes significant independent work in listening comprehension, along with group conversational practice. Prerequisites: A minimum of one year of elementary Arabic in a classroom course or completion through level IV of the Mentored Arabic program. One conversation session per week, no tutorials.

Iraqi Colloquial Arabic II (FORLANGC 197tba)

An introduction to everyday Arabic as spoken in Iraq. The course includes significant independent work in listening comprehension, along with group conversational practice. Prerequisites: Iraqi Colloquial Arabic I or the equivalent. One conversation session per week, no tutorials.
Conversation sessions: Wednesday time-tba at UMass

ELEMENTARY MODERN STANDARD ARABIC

Mentored Elementary Arabic I (FORLANGC 190E)

Covers all of Alif Baa plus additional work in Modern/Formal Spoken Arabic. Includes speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills. Arabic I may have small group one hour tutorials, instead of half-hour individual tutorials, depending upon enrollment. No course prerequisites.
NOTES: Mentored Arabic I will not be offered in the fall semester. Students wishing to start Arabic study in the fall should enroll in one of the classroom Arabic courses.

Mentored Elementary Arabic II (FORLANGC 190F)

Covers Al-Kitaab Units 1-5 plus additional work in Modern/Formal Spoken Arabic. Prerequisite: completion of Alif Baa or the equivalent.

Mentored Elementary Arabic III (FORLANGC 190G)

Covers Al-Kitaab Units 6 – 10 plus additional work in Modern/Formal Spoken Arabic. Prerequisite: completion of Al-Kitaab Units 1-5 or the equivalent.

Mentored Elementary Arabic IV (FORLANGC 197QQ)

Covers Al-Kitaab Units 11 – 15 plus additional work in Modern/Formal Spoken Arabic. Prerequisite: completion of Al-Kitaab Units 1-10 or the equivalent.

INTERMEDIATE MODERN STANDARD ARABIC

Mentored Arabic V (FORLANGC 197EE)

Covers Al-Kitaab Units 16 – 20 plus additional work in Modern/Formal Spoken Arabic. Prerequisite: completion of Al-Kitaab Units 1-15 or the equivalent.

Mentored Arabic VI (FORLANGC 197SS)

Covers Al-Kitaab Book 2 Units 1 - 3 plus additional work in speaking, listening, reading, and writing Modern Standard Arabic. Prerequisite: completion of Al-Kitaab Book I or the equivalent in another format.

Mentored Arabic VII (FORLANGC 197TT)

Covers Al-Kitaab Book 2 Units 4 - 6 plus additional work in speaking, listening, reading, and writing Modern Standard Arabic. Prerequisite: completion of Al-Kitaab Book 2 Units 1- 3 or the equivalent in another format.

Mentored Arabic VIII (FORLANGC 197UU)

Covers Al-Kitaab Book 2 Units 7 - 10 plus additional work in speaking, listening, reading, and writing Modern Standard Arabic. Prerequisite: completion of Al-Kitaab Book 2 Units 1- 6 or the equivalent in another format.

ADVANCED ARABIC

Post Third-Year Courses

Independent study courses for students who have completed third-year Arabic are determined based on the needs of student applicants and the availability of appropriate mentors. Possible courses include colloquial language courses and courses developing advanced reading and listening comprehension skills. Students interested in advanced courses should apply to the Center as soon as possible in order to allow sufficient time to arrange an appropriate course. Late requests are unlikely to be accommodated.