2026-2027 COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

Please check Caesar for the most updated information about course offerings.  For more information on Language Learning, please review our Proficiency Goals specific to each language.

ARABIC LANGUAGE COURSES 

Arabic 111: 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 complexities of the Arabic sociolinguistic and diglossic situation and preparing students fully for the realities of the Arab world.  Students will learn: The writing system (alphabet), the number system, and about 200 basic everyday words covering self-identification, family, work, the weather, transportation, clothing, colors, and food.
PREREQUISITE: None
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: 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. The course focuses on culture and an overview of Arabic grammar; this includes the root and pattern system, verbal patterns, and case markings of nouns. Students will be able to speak about themselves, family members and friends, their studies, trips, and wants and desires.
PREREQUISITE:  Arabic 111-3
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: 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. Students will  learn enough vocabulary and idioms to hold short conversations with native Arabic speakers on familiar topics and discuss basic cultural ideas. Improved clarity and intonation will be clearly noticeable in students’ pronunciation, reading, short individual and group presentations
PREREQUISITE: Arabic 121-3
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 5,6,7,8)

Arabic 316-3: Modern Arabic Prose

Arabic 316-3 is for students interested in exploring contemporary writings and how they have become a tool for forming Arab national identities. Under the theme of “I am an Arab-ّأﻧﺎ ﻋرﺑﻲ”, the course offers an invaluable opportunity to engage with literary works of key 20th–century Arab writers, spanning the period 1910-1980. Students will cohesively examine the power of the written word within the historical, political, and cultural breadth of the region. The readings represent the region’s best writers: authors who are bound together not by the borders and nationalities that separate them, but by a common experience of colonial domination and Western imperialism.

Class Attributes: Literature & Fine Arts Distro area

PREREQUISITE: Completion of Arabic 211-3 or equivalent; or permission from the instructor is required to enroll in the course.                                                      

TEXTBOOK: Material will include selections from a variety of different sources and will be provided to students in PDF format.

HEBREW LANGUAGE COURSES 

 Hebrew 111-1,2,3: First-year Hebrew (Fall, Winter, Spring)

First-Year Hebrew is a three-quarter course designed to develop all four language skills (speaking, writing, listening, and reading) 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. Students will learn to read and write the Alef-Beit (Hebrew alphabet) in both systems, reading and writing, as well as the vowels. We will also cover the fundamentals of Hebrew grammar, pronunciation, and basic vocabulary.
PREREQUISITE: None
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 121-1,2,3: Second-Year Hebrew (Fall, Winter, Spring)
Second-year Hebrew is a three-quarter sequence covering comprehensive grammar explanations and examples as well as cultural themes. The purpose of this course is to broaden the students’ vocabulary, and to reinforce and expand their knowledge of Hebrew grammar, as well as to 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 on Israeli daily life and reality, and listening in the form of songs and clips in Hebrew. Students will be able to speak about themselves, family members and friends, their studies, trips, wants and desires, etc. Students will read and comprehend basic authentic texts and write simple texts with increased accuracy.
PREREQUISITE: Hebrew 111-3
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 211-0: Third-Year Hebrew: 

Hebrew 211 is taught in the Fall quarter and is meant for students who either completed Hebrew 121-3 or students who wish to expand their Hebrew knowledge and strengthen their grammar foundations. The purpose of this course is to serve as a bridge between Hebrew second year and the advanced classes of Hebrew about literature and culture (Hebrew 216) or about Israeli media (Hebrew 245). In this class students will review previous forms (such as past tense) and will learn the future tense forms, the imperative and the conditional forms, advanced connectors (such as  ללגב ,...ש ינפמ ,ןכל ), impersonal phrases with infinitive forms, more prepositions, and the condensed form of possessive. This class revolves around themes of leisure and volunteering, and each theme lends itself to certain grammatical forms, so the grammar is intertwined in the contents of these themes. Some of the themes we will engage with are food, music, trips, Israeli non-profit organizations, and more.      

PREREQUISITE: Hebrew 121-3

TURKISH LANGUAGE COURSES 

First-year Turkish is a three-quarter introductory course in modern Turkish. This course aims to introduce students to the essential points of modern Turkish grammar and vocabulary to develop basic reading, writing, speaking and listening skills. The course also provides insights into modern Turkish culture through the language.  With this in mind, the textbook is supplemented by additional printed and audio-visual materials provided by the instructor.  

PREREQUISITE: None; Students with prior knowledge of Turkish will need to take the Turkish Placement Test to identify their level.

TEXTBOOK:Elementary Turkish: A Complete Course for Beginners. Revised Third Edition (2015). Kurtuluş Öztopçu. Kebikeç-Yayınları Sanat Kitabevi. An additional workbook will be provided by the instructor.