The University of California, Berkeley

Department of Near Eastern Studies

Course Syllabus:
Arabic 20A-001: Intermediate Modern Standard Arabic (MSA)
Fall 2014
Instructor: Dr. Hatem Bazian
E-mail Address: hatemb@berkeley.edu

Office Location: 278 Barrows Hall

Office Hours: Wed. 11-12 and Tue. 11-12

Arabic Language Coordinator: Elsa Elmahdy

E-mail Address: e.elmahdy@berkeley.edu

Office Location: 288 Barrows

!

Prerequisites:
Arabic 1B or equivalent; Arabic 20A is a prerequisite for Arabic 20B
Course Objectives:
By the completion of Arabic 20A students should be able to:
Understand and use all basic sentence structures in Arabic
Use knowledge of grammar and morphological forms to guess meanings of words in context
Present information and formal narratives
Write compositions with loosely connected paragraphs about a variety of topics in detail
Comprehend the main idea of printed and audio/video texts intended for native Arabic
speakers on a variety of topics without using the dictionary
6. Paraphrase in order to be understood
7. Understand topics related to Arabic culture
8. Have an active vocabulary of approximately 600 words
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Course Texts:
1. Al-Kitaab fii Taallum al-Arabiyya (w/ DVDs) Part One, 2nd edition (Al-Batal, Brustad & AlTonsi): Chapters 14-20
2. Arabic-English Dictionary, (Hans Wehr)
3. bcourses: In this course we will use bcourses (bcourses.berkeley.edu) to post assignments,
distribute additional course materials and resources, and communicate online. You will
receive important e-mails from your instructor via bcourses so be sure to check your e-mail
frequently.

Course Evaluation:
Attendance and Punctuality:
Class Participation:
Homework Assignments:
Culture Portfolio
Quizzes:
Midterm Examination:
Final Project (Oral):
Final Examination:

10%
5%
20%
5%
15%
15%
10%
20%

Course Requirements:
1. Attendance and Punctuality (10%):
Attendance is crucial in a language course. Students are expected to attend class sessions
regularly and on time.
Attendance Policy: Students will be allowed only three absences throughout the semester.
Every additional absence will reduce the students overall final grade by 1%. Twelve
absences will automatically result in an F in the course. If students are late to class three
times it will be counted as one absence.
2. Class Participation (5%):
Active participation is necessary to learn a language. Students can expect to get a full
participation grade if they:
1. Come to class having read the lesson ahead of time
2. Come to class on time
3. Come to class having completed all assignments (not having completed
assignments will severely limit the students ability to interact in classroom
activities)
4. Actively engage in class discussions, activities, and in group work
5. Work cooperatively with partners in group activities
6. Have a positive attitude in the classroom
3. Homework Assignments (20%):
Learning a language requires consistent hard work. Students should expect to spend 1-2
hours on homework assignments per class session. Homework assignments will include
written assignments as well as participation in speaking activities outside of class.
Information about these activities will be passed out in class.
Homework assignments must be submitted at the beginning of each class session. No late
homework assignments will be accepted. For homework assignments students must:
1. Write their name clearly at the top
2. Write the exercise and page number at the top
3. Write in pencil
4. Skip lines to leave room for instructor comments
5. Staple all pages together
4. Culture Portfolio (5%):
In your culture portfolio you will be required to write three entries of 250 words typed. You
may write your entries in English. The purpose of this portfolio is to explore issues related to
Arab culture and peoples. You may watch a film, attend a lecture related to Arab culture, or
research a topic of interest and discuss it in your portfolio entry. Guidelines will be passed

out in class. Announcements will be made of relevant events on campus. The following are
the due dates for the portfolio assignments:
CP Entry #1
CP Entry #2
CP Entry #3

Friday, 9/19
Friday, 10/17
Friday, 11/14

5. Quizzes (15%):
There will be a total of four quizzes throughout the semester. If a student must miss a quiz
they should contact their instructor as soon as possible.
The following are the quiz dates for the semester:
Quiz 1
Quiz 2
Quiz 3
Quiz 4

Friday, 9/12
Friday, 9/26
Friday, 10/24
Friday, 11/7

6. Midterm Examination (15%):

The written midterm examination will be given in class on Friday October 10th. There will
be an oral component of your midterm exam. Details of the oral component will be
discussed in class.
7. Final Project (Oral) (10%):
Students will work in groups to produce a skit at the end of the semester. The aim of this
project is to bring together what students have learned throughout the semester and use it
orally in a meaningful way. Each section of Arabic 20A will vote on one project to represent
their class at the Arabic 20A Academy Awards event. Winners will be announced at the
Academy Awards event during the last week of classes. Detailed information about the final
project will be passed out in class. Instructors must approve all topics.
8. Final Exam (20%):
The final exam will be comprehensive and will test the following skills: reading, writing,
listening, vocabulary and grammar.

Final Grade Scale for this Course:

Percentage Letter Percentage Letter Percentage Letter Percentage Letter Percentage Letter
93-100

90-92.9

A-

87-89.9

B+

77-79.9

C+

67-69.9

D+

83-86.9

73-76.9

63-66.9

80-82.9

B-

70-72.9

C-

60-62.9

D-

Below 60

*Auditors: No auditors will be allowed to attend Arabic language courses as per department policy.

Course Outline:
Important
Dates

Topics
to be Covered

Quiz 1

)(Friday, 9/12

CP Entry 1
)(Due Friday, 9/19

Quiz 2

)(Friday, 9/26

Midterm Exam
)(Friday, 10/10

CP Entry 2

)(Due Friday, 10/17

Quiz 3
)(Friday, 10/24

Quiz 4
)(Friday, 11/7

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()definite & indefinite

:

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clothing
:
:

Conditionals
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Four directions

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Comparatives
... /

introduction

:
expressions style


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:
:
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body parts
colors

Dual

Material to be
Covered
Review & Al-Kitaab
Part One
Chapter 14

Dates

Week

8/28-29

9/2-5

Chapter 14

(9/1 Labor Day

)Holiday

Chapter 14

9/8-12

Chapter 15

9/15-19

Chapter 15

9/22-26

Chapter 16

9/29-10/3

Chapter 16

10/6-10

Chapter 17

10/13-17

Chapter 17

10/20-24

Chapter 18

10/27-31

10

Chapter 18

11/3-7

11

11/10-14

12

(11/11 Veterans
Day Holiday)

13

11/17-21

Chapter 19

Chapter 19
Chapter 20

11/24-26

14

(11/27-28
Thanksgiving
Holiday)

15

12/1-5

16

12/8-12

Chapter 20

" " " "

-
Expressing
similarity
Feminine Plural
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Final Project Presentations & Final Exam Review

Reading/Reviewing/Recitation Week

CP Entry 3
(Due Friday, 11/14)

Final Projects

(Due Monday, 12/1)