Normally, we require entering graduate students to be at approximately third year college level in their second language. However, we know that many students have not had the opportunity to study Arabic at the college level. Thus we allow entry into Arabic at second year level. In order to reach this level before entering the Monterey Institute, you must have taken a year of college Arabic, attended the Monterey Institute Summer Intensive Language Program (SILP) or the Middlebury College Summer Immersion program. Our courses focus on exciting issues such as current events in the Middle East and survival in an Arab community.
We strongly recommend that you not take a chance on attending another summer program, in the or another country, and expect to attain second year level. Many students have found that other programs focus on conversation or only cover a semester’s worth of material. The student is then faced with paying for extra study after arriving and may have trouble catching up with the second year class.
AR210 Modern Standard Arabic (offered when needed)
AR232 Topics in Intermediate Arabic (Spring 2008)
Review and enforce basic structures of Modern Standard Arabic and expose students to authentic Arabic materials in their area of specialization. Students acquire the ability to describe fluently themselves, their homes, towns, countries and provide and request basic information. Students acquire the ability to skim through authentic materials and understand the gist of it.
AR280 Intermediate Arabic II (Spring 2008)
This course complements the competency of Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) achieved in previous studies of Arabic, in an attempt to enhance overall Arabic competency by: equipping learners with a solid foundation in the four language skills (listening, reading, speaking, and writing), communicating successfully in Arabic, consolidating knowledge of Arabic grammar and vocabulary, increasing ability to deal with simple authentic passages and others from different genres, raising awareness of the Arab culture(s) to enhance intercultural competence and get a sense of how Arabic can be used appropriately, and gaining familiarity with the language variation across mode and regions.
AR311 Writing and Speaking about the Arabic World (Spring 2008)
This course focuses on further skills of higher MSA written styles through reading, listening, and oral communication. Students are exposed to a wide range of current issues -- including cultural, social, political, economic and international affaires. Arabic is spoken in class, and students conduct presentations of selected topics, followed by class discussions and responses. As time permits, students will be exposed to Arabic films and songs.
AR312 Advanced Arabic
AR375 Language Structure and Current Events in the Middle East I
This course provides language study that focuses on reading and writing, as well as speaking and listening to various styles of discourse and situations dealing with Arabic language and culture, the social sciences and current events. Authentic materials are carefully selected from myriad of sources to enhance the attainment of proficiency in handling a variety of topics pertaining to Arab society, politics, and culture.
AR385 Issues in the Arab World
AR392 Current Events in the Middle East II (Spring 2008)
This course uses authentic material relevant to the students' fields of interest (Non-proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction issues and Development Issues). This course uses more complex and longer texts. Students will also be given short articles about the aforementioned themes that they will read at home and come to class prepared for discussion. The course will combine both linguistic skills (Arabic) and content, with a primary focus on language so that students develop the necessary language skills to understand authentic Arabic materials in their field of interest. The objective of the course is to develop all language proficiencies (speaking, listening, reading, writing and translation) in an integrated manner.
