Arabic
Website: sewanee.edu/academics/arabic/
Arabic is offered for those who wish to acquire both a reading and a basic speaking knowledge of the language. Study of Arabic can fulfill the language requirement for international and global studies majors, but it does not count as one of the eight distributed electives needed for the major and is not expected at this time to lead toward fulfillment of the general distribution requirement for foreign language study since the intermediate level is not available.
Language Laboratory
The E.L. Kellerman Language Resource Center provides an opportunity for students in the modern foreign languages to immerse themselves in the sounds and culture of their target language. The facility features a state of the art Sanako Lab 100 system for practice with listening and speaking; a Satellite TV with stations in Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Russian, and Spanish; wireless Apple Macbooks which can be checked out; a Sympodium for multimedia displays; and a cozy reading and viewing lounge with a library of foreign language books, magazines, and videos. Students can also access subscriptions to web-based language learning programs for reinforcing what is being taught in class as well as for learning languages not currently taught at the University. There is also Rosetta Stone software for Arabic, French, German, Hebrew, Hindi, Irish, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swahili, Swedish, Thai, and Turkish. Faculty and students alike take advantage of the language center’s audio- and video-editing equipment and analog-to-digital-conversion facilities in preparing engaging presentations for class. The Language Resource Center is open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. except for Fridays when it closes at 4 p.m. and then reopens Sunday from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Arabic Courses
ARAB 103 Elementary Arabic I (4)
An introduction to fundamentals of the language. After learning the Arabic alphabet and corresponding sounds, students establish basic communication skills in reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Emphasis is on both Standard Arabic and the Levantine dialect. Can fulfill the language requirement for international and global studies majors but does not count as one of the eight distributed electives needed for the major and does not fulfill the general education requirement for foreign language study.
ARAB 104 Elementary Arabic II (4)
A continuation of Arabic 103, this course gives students the tools for communication in the language. Students who complete the course should be able to speak, comprehend, write, and read the language with enough mastery for basic, everyday conversation and academic use. Emphasis is on Modern Standard Arabic and the Levantine dialect. Does not fulfill the general education requirement for foreign language study. Prerequisite: ARAB 103 or placement.
ARAB 203 Intermediate Arabic (4)
Intermediate Arabic is an intensive course in more advanced elements of Modern Standard Arabic, including speaking, writing, reading, and listening. Students enhance their conversational skills and develop more extensive knowledge of vocabulary and grammar. Four hours of class per week are required. Prerequisite: ARAB 104 or placement.
ARAB 204 Intermediate Arabic II (4)
This course builds on the skills in Modern Standard Arabic introduced in ARAB 203 by introducing new vocabulary, grammar, listening, reading, and writing. Using a variety of video and audio materials, including programming materials from Arabic television stations and websites like Al-Jazeera (Qatar), LBC (Lebanon), and UTR (Egypt), the course also engages a range of cultural materials, including the culturally significant habits, concepts, and attitudes in the daily life of diverse Arabic speakers; community and religious celebrations in the Middle East and North Africa; and the experiences of Arabs in America. Prerequisite: ARAB 203 or placement.