Winter 2025 Class Schedule

Arabic 111-2: First-Year Arabic
First-Year Arabic, Arabic 111, is a three-quarter sequence providing a thorough grounding for listening, speaking, reading, and writing Arabic. Using a communicative, proficiency-oriented approach, the course blends the standard Arabic, Fuṣḥā, and the dialect or colloquial language, āmmiyya, in a way that reflects the authentic practice of native Arabic speakers.This is an effective, logical, and economical method of instruction successfully teaching the realities of the Arabic sociolinguistic and diglossic situation in real  context in the Arab World. We will cover units 2-7 and the topics airport and taxi, student housing, eating, clothing and colors,and visiting the American University. Instructors will use an interactive approach including conversational practice , reading, interactive small group exercises, and cultural presentations.
PREREQUISITE: 111-1 or placement test results
TEXTBOOK: Arabiyyat al-Naas, Part One, Second Edition: An Introductory Course in Arabic. Younes, Weatherspoon, Foster. (2023) Publisher: Routledge. Print ISBN: 9781138492868. (Unit 1)

Arabic 121-2: Second-Year Arabic
Second-year Arabic follows the integrated approach which blends the standard Arabic, Fuṣḥā, and the dialect or colloquial language, āmmiyya, in a way that reflects the authentic practice of native Arabic speakers. To develop reading and writing skills, we will be using Modern Standard Written Arabic called Fuṣḥā, which will be used in reading and writing; an educated spoken version of the āmmiyya of the Levantine dialect will be used to develop speaking and listening skills. We will cover Units 23-29 which will include a visit to Sarahs’ uncle’s house, a visit to Syria, a doctor’s visit, vegetables and fruits, and talking on Skype with friends. Instructors will give grammar explanations in Arabic, helping students integrate the new rules to improve speaking and writing. Students will get to practice spoken Arabic with ample feedback on their speaking and pronunciation PREREQUISITE:  Arabic 121-1
TEXTBOOK: Arabiyyat al-Naas, Part One, Second Edition: An Introductory Course in Arabic. Younes, Weatherspoon, Foster. (2023) Publisher: Routledge. Print ISBN: 9781138492868.  (Units 14-19)

Arabic 211-1: Third-year Arabic
This is an intermediate level class in which students will continue to advance their proficiency in Arabic language and learn more about the culture and the people of the Middle East. The course follows the integrated approach which blends the standard Arabic, Fuṣḥā, and the dialect or colloquial language, āmmiyya, in a way that reflects the authentic practice of native Arabic speakers. The course will enhance learners' ability to read, write, understand and discuss challenging authentic Arabic text from different sources. The class will cover units 9-12 and the following topics: economy, law and order, health and sports. Special emphasis will be placed on listening skills as well as conversational skills through small interactive group work designed to increase accuracy and fluency. Advanced challenging grammar discussions will lead to a more nuanced understanding of Arabic.
PREREQUISITE: Arabic  211-1
TEXTBOOK: Arabiyyat al-Naas (Part Two, Second Edition): An Intermediate Course in Arabic. Munther; Al-Masri., Featherstone, Huntley, Weatherspoon. (2023) Publisher: Routledge. Print: 9781138353114, eBook: 9780429434402 (Units 9,10,11,12)

Arabic 316-2 Fourth-Year Arabic Reading Classical Arabic texts: Islamic Manuscripts
The topic of this course is an Introduction to Arabic Islamic Manuscripts. This advanced course is dedicated to the study of the manuscript literature of the Arab Islamic civilization and heritage. It uses seven different Arabic scripts to provide the students interested in Arabic and Islamic manuscripts, with professional and functional linguistic skills that enable them in the future to do research in the field of Arabic Islamic studies. While decoding the text, we will also delve into a literary analysis of the text and learn about style, new vocab, calligraphy, advanced grammar concepts. Students will ...

• learn to read and comprehend authentic Arabic literary texts/Manuscripts with the help of a dictionary;
• become confident to understand essential codicological elements (script related) of seven different Arabic scripts.
• be able to identify essential rhetoric and figures of speech when reading Arabic manuscripts or equivalent literary documents;
• have mastered several advanced grammatical concepts;
• gain a deep knowledgeable about Arabic culture and heritage;

 Hebrew 111-2: First-year Hebrew
This beginning Hebrew course is designed to develop all four language skills (speaking, writing, listening and reading comprehension) as well as provide a cultural foundation. The course is based on Hebrew From Scratch, a comprehensive textbook with grammar and interactive exercise for the beginning adult learner. The instructions for the exercises as well as the translations of the vocabulary lists are in English. Otherwise, the course is all in Hebrew, creating an important immersive environment for the students throughout the year. Hebrew 111-2 builds on material learned in the first quarter. You will learn the impersonal form widely used in everyday Hebrew, adjectives and more question words, as well as numbers, and the direct object, All these new words and structures will be integrated into short texts and lively conversations. As always, students will have ample opportunities to practice and expand all skills.
PREREQUISITE: Hebrew 111-1 or placement test results
TEXTBOOK: Hebrew From Scratch Part 1 (in Hebrew: Ivrit Min Ha-Hatchala Ha-Chadash Alef) Shlomit Chayat, Sarah Israeli, Hila Kobliner. Akademon Press through Magnes Press, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, 2012 ISBN-13: 978-9653501126 ISBN-10: 9653501127

Hebrew 121-2: Second-Year Hebrew
Second-Year Hebrew is a three-quarter sequence which will cover comprehensive grammar explanations and examples as well as cultural themes. The course will enlarge the students' vocabulary, reinforce and expand their knowledge of Hebrew grammar, and deepen their knowledge of Israeli culture. Class will consist of interactive exercises for the intermediate learner, readings in a level-appropriate difficulty with more information of Israeli daily life, as well as listening to songs and clips in Hebrew.The class will help students practice familiar as well as new vocabulary. Students will continue to learn more binyanim of the past tense, conjugations, basic prepositions, the body parts, colors and more useful language concepts. During class time, we will integrate this knowledge into exploration of Israeli artworks. The readings will be in a level-appropriate difficulty with more information on Israeli daily life and reality. 
PREREQUISITE: Hebrew 121-1
TEXTBOOK: Hebrew From Scratch Part 1 (in Hebrew: Ivrit Min Ha-Hatchala Ha-Chadash Alef) Shlomit Chayat, Sarah Israeli, Hila Kobliner. Akademon Press through Magnes Press, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, 2012 ISBN-13: 978-9653501126 ISBN-10: 9653501127

 Hebrew 216-2: Third-Year Hebrew: Topics in Hebrew Literature - Parents and Children in Israeli Society.
This class will discuss the universal topic of relationships between parents and children and how it is reflected in Israeli society. The reading material will include short stories, blogs, films, parental guides and TV shows, as well as some creative writing. As we discuss the complexities and dilemmas of the relationships we encounter and ask ourselves if there is something like "Israeli parenthood" or "Israeli childhood", we will also pay close attention to the varied language levels and styles, grammar structures, and vocabulary.  In this class, students will be able to use a specific vocabulary pertaining to family and feelings. Students will improve their speaking and writing skills and they will learn new grammar structures introduced throughout the course. Students will expand their knowledge of popular Israeli culture as they work with authentic and recent Israeli cultural materials. This is an interactive, reading and discussion-based class which requires daily guided work as well as independent research. Discussions will be in Hebrew. The level of the course is intermediate high to advanced low on the ACTFL scale. The material will be provided by the instructor.
PREREQUISITE: Hebrew 121-3
TEXTBOOK: Material provided by the instructor.

Hebrew 316-2:  Fourth-Year Hebrew: Advanced Topics in Hebrew Literature: Biblical Stories and contemporary Poems in Hebrew
The Hebrew Bible inspired numerous canonical novels, poems, paintings and sculptures in Western culture. In the case of Hebrew literature, the connection to the Hebrew Bible is even more binding, as the biblical texts informed and inspired Zionist ideology and the revival of Hebrew as a modern language. In this class we will read a selection of biblical stories in their original language, biblical Hebrew, a reading which will enable us to see the immense influence of biblical Hebrew on modern Hebrew language. We will then read Hebrew poems that are based on the stories we have read. Beyond the grammatical and periodical difference between the texts and the poems (Biblical Hebrew vs. Modern Hebrew), the poems can be a political, ideological, social, or personal critique of the original biblical story. Students will read various modern Hebrew poems in their original language and will be able to identify the resemblance between modern Hebrew and biblical Hebrew, as well as the biblical Hebrew as foundational to modern Hebrew. Students will learn how to perform "Close Reading" of the text and will practice it through the biblical stories and the poems we will read. All course materials and class discussions will be in Hebrew. Class materials will be distributed by the instructor.
PREREQUISITE: This class is for heritage speakers of Hebrew or students with advanced proficiency in Hebrew.
TEXTBOOK: Material provided by the instructor.

Turkish 111-2: First-Year Turkish
This course provides a unique introduction to the modern Turkish language and culture through highly interactive TV shows. Students will immerse themselves in the TV characters' personal stories and everyday realities of life in Istanbul.The class uses a communicative approach and group work and language production are emphasized in class. Turkish 111-2 builds on material learned in 111-1 by introducing additional grammar, fundamental sentence structures, and new vocabulary. The class will provide students ample opportunities to practice and expand all skills. We will continue to use texts and audio centered around topics in Elementary Turkish I and watch a new Turkish TV show to practice our language skills and improve our understanding of Turkish culture and history.
PREREQUISITE: Turkish 111-1 or placement test results
TEXTBOOK: Elementary Turkish: A Complete Course for Beginners. Revised Third Edition (2015). Kurtuluş Öztopçu. Kebikeç-Yayınları Sanat Kitabevi. Please purchase the print book, not the e-book. Additional materials will be provided by the instructor.

MENA 290: Foodways of Turkey: A Multi-Ethnic Look at Food, Culture, and Identity
Food represents an integral part of livelihood, culture and identity. Food production, consumption and sharing also have symbolic and ideological meanings. In this course we will explore the complex relationships between food, culture and society through the lens of Turkish food from the Middle Ages to the present. Using an array of primary and secondary sources from history, anthropology, literature, film and media, we will situate culinary practices and their use in constructing and expressing cultural, regional and national identities within the social, historical and political context of Turkey and the wider Middle East. We will study the consumption of and attitudes toward specific foodstuffs, gauging the relevance of items like coffee in the pre-modern world and baklava in modern politics. We will investigate the role of minorities and immigrants in shaping culinary practices in and outside Turkey; the effects of climate change on food production and scarcity; the role of globalization on national cuisine; and representations of Turkish food culture in world literature and film.
PREREQUISITE: None.
TEXTBOOK: Material provided by the instructor.