Arabic Studies Courses

Arabic Studies Courses

  • Spring 2024

    ARAB 102 (2 Sections) – First-year Arabic II – Professor Mona Azzam 

    ARAB 204 (01) – Second-year Arabic II – Professor Mona Azzam 

    ARAB 306/506 – Third-year Arabic II – Professor Omid Ghaemmaghami 

    ARAB 150/AFST 180L/HIST 180A/MDVL 180T/RELG 180B – Islam: Texts & Contexts – Professor Omid Ghaemmaghami Gen Eds: GH and Harpur W 

    Did you know that Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world and is expected to be the world’s largest religion soon? Did you know that approximately 1/3 of enslaved Africans in what came to be the United States came from predominantly Islamic parts of West Africa? Did you know that “Islam”, usually translated as “peace” and “submission,” more correctly means “commitment”? This course introduces students to religious currents in the Islamic world, past and present. 

    ARAB 382C – Contemporary Issues in Arabic - Professor Mary Youssef
    This is an Arabic language course, in which students achieve proficiency and a comparative perspective in discussing and interpreting pressing contemporary issues in Arabic, especially those that pertain to the Arab world, the Middle East, and their immigrant communities across the globe. The course focuses on reading, writing, discussing, and listening to specialized studies, commentaries, news coverage from versatile media outlets, and important social media sites. Topics covered in the course range from politics, culture, and the arts to economy and science and technology 

    ARAB 385C/ISRL 315/JUST 315 - Israeli-Palestinian Conflict – Professor Shay Rabineau – Gen Eds: GN
    The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: Israel-Palestine comprises the territory that lies between the Mediterranean Sea (on the west), Lebanon (in the north), the Gulf of Aqaba and the Sinai Peninsula (on the south) and the Jordan River (on the east). 

    ARAB 386C/AFST 383P/COLI 380T/ENG 300K/HMRT 389F/WGSS 383C – Comics and the Middle East – Professor Mary Youssef - Gen Eds: AGOTI & Harpur W 

    This course explores comics and graphic novels that portray the Middle East, its peoples, and their experiences. We will read comics and graphic novels that are written or illustrated by authors and artists from the Middle East in dialogue with those created by their counterparts from across the globe—so long as the Middle East, its diasporas, and their communities (as part and parcel of our connected world) are the focus of their works. Examples of the comics and graphic novels we will study range from world-renowned works such as Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood and Joe Sacco’s Palestine to Magdy El Shafee’s Metro: A Story of Cairo, Malaka Gharib’s I Was their American Dream, and Zeina Abirached’s I remember Beirut. Some of these works are written originally in English and some others will be read in English translation from their original languages, such as Arabic. 

  • Fall 2023

    ARAB 101 (2 Sections) – First-year Arabic I – Instructor: Mona Azzam
    Arabic is the fastest growing language in the United States and the fifth most spoken language in the world. ARAB 101 /ARAB 501 is the first in a sequence of courses in Modern Standard Arabic (MSA), the language of all official forms of communication and media throughout the Arab world, the register of Arabic taught in countries where Arabic is an official language, the liturgical language of more than two billion Muslims worldwide and millions of Arab Christians, and one of the six official languages of the United Nations. In this course, students will be introduced to the letters, sounds, and symbols that make up the Arabic writing system, and acquire basic skills in the areas of speaking, reading, writing, and listening. 

    ARAB 203 (01) – Second-year Arabic I – Instructor: Mona Azzam 

    ARAB 203/503 is the third in a sequence of courses in Modern Standard Arabic (MSA), the language of all official forms of communication and media throughout the Arab world, the register of Arabic taught in countries where Arabic is an official language, the liturgical language of more than two billion Muslims worldwide and millions of Arab Christians, and one of the six official languages of the United Nations. ARAB 203/503 is the third in a sequence of courses in Modern Standard Arabic (MSA), the language of all official forms of 
    communication and media throughout the Arab world, the register of Arabic taught in countries where Arabic is an official 
    language, the liturgical language of more than two billion Muslims worldwide and millions of Arab Christians, and one of the 

    ARAB 305 – Third-year Arabic I – Professor Mary Youssef 

    ARAB 305/505 is the fifth in a sequence of courses in Modern Standard Arabic (MSA), the language of all official forms of 
    communication and media throughout the Arab world, the register of Arabic taught in countries where Arabic is an official 
    language, the liturgical language of more than two billion Muslims worldwide and millions of Arab Christians, and one of the 
    six official languages of the United Nations. 

    ARAB 385D – Jesus Mary Joseph in the Quran – Professor Omid Ghaemmaghami COLI 380X/ENG 300O/MDVL 381J/RELG 380G 

    This course is an in-depth examination of chapters and verses from the Quran that speak of Joseph, Mary, and Jesus. We will consider the image and portrayal of these figures with their portrayal in the Bible. Special focus will be given to how Quranic translators and commentators have understood, interpreted, and negotiated their stories. 

  • Spring 2023

    ARAB 102 (2 Sections) – First-year Arabic II – Professor Mona Azzam 

    The language of all official forms of communication and media throughout the Arab world, the register of Arabic taught in countries where Arabic is an official language, the liturgical language of more than two billion Muslims worldwide and millions of Arab Christians, and one of the six official languages of the United Nations.

    ARAB 204 (01) – Second-year Arabic II – Professor Mona Azzam 

    The language of all official forms of communication and media throughout the Arab world, the register of Arabic taught in countries where Arabic is an official language, the liturgical language of more than two billion Muslims worldwide and millions of Arab Christians, and one of the six official languages of the United Nations. In this course, students will continue to acquire more vocabulary and learn fundamental morphological and syntactical structures that allow them to express themselves and respond to communication with ease in predictable situations; request and provide information; write and speak comprehensibly at the sentence level; read basic texts through making use of contextual knowledge and familiar vocabulary; and listen to and comprehend simple and straightforward speech—one utterance at a time. As no language exists in a vacuum, learning about Arab culture will constitute an integral component of this course.

    ARAB 306/506 – Third-year Arabic II – Professor Mary Youssef 

    ARAB 306/506 is the sixth in a sequence of courses in Modern Standard Arabic (MSA), the language of all official forms of communication and media throughout the Arab world, the register of Arabic taught in countries where Arabic is an official language, the liturgical language of more than two billion Muslims worldwide and millions of Arab Christians, and one of the six official languages of the United Nations. In this course, students will continue to learn important idioms and expressions, significantly expand their vocabulary. 

    ARAB 310 – Egyptian Colloquial Arabic – Professor Mary Youssef 

    This course is an introduction to the vernacular of Arabic used in Egypt, for students who have completed at least three semesters of training in Modern Standard Arabic (MSA). Egyptian Colloquial Arabic (ECA) is not only the native language of the most populous Arab country, it is also the most widely understood spoken variety of Arabic, due in large measure to Egypt’s geographic location, its social and political influence, and the proliferation and popularity of Egyptian cinema, music and literature throughout the Arab world since the early part of the twentieth century. 

    ARAB 150 – Intro to Islam: Texts & Contexts – Professor Omid Ghaemmaghami – Gen Eds: GH and Harpur W 

    This course is a textual survey (in English or English translation) of religious currents in the Islamic world, past and present. We will begin by looking at the origins of Islam, and placing the most salient textual expressions of its principles, practices, and beliefs in their historical context. In an attempt to explore the enduring ties that bind the myriad interpretations of Islam across time and 
    space to their universal foundations, each week will be devoted to a different theme. 

    ARAB 180B– Intro to Modern Arabic Lit – Professor Kevin Lacey – Gen Eds: CH 

    This course is designed to give students a first sustained glance at modern Arabic literature by way of a survey, through English translations, of some of the more seminal authors and works. Reading assignments will entail works (either in their entirety or parts thereof) of celebrated novelists, short story writers, play writers, essayists, and poets. Lectures and discussions as well as the examinations and the composition requirement for the course will revolve around these works. 

    ARAB 281E/AFST 251 - Islamic Cultures in Africa- Professor Ali Bouanani – Gen Ed: H and Harpur W 

    Islam has a rich cultural and artistic heritage in Africa. With a history that goes back to the seventh century, it is now a vital part of the African cultural landscape. This introductory course explores a range of Islamic cultural productions from the advent of Islam to modern times by Muslim men and women in different regions of Africa from North to South and from East to West. 

    ARAB 380A – Framing Other Cultures - Professor Kevin Lacey – Gen Eds: AHO 

    This course will examine latent as well as manifest Orientalism, its structures and strictures, its current most disquieting offshoots (Arabophobia and Islamophobia, especially with respect to Palestinians), how deeply it is inscribed (especially regarding Arab and Islamic civilizations) within "enabling" U.S. policies and institutions, and its association with aspirations of exclusion, domination, and control. 

    ARAB 385C/ISRL 315/JUST 315 - Israeli-Palestinian Conflict – Instructor: Shay Rabineau – GenEds: GN


    The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: Israel-Palestine comprises the territory that lies between the Mediterranean Sea (on the west), Lebanon (in the north), the Gulf of Aqaba and the Sinai Peninsula (on the south) and the Jordan River (on the east). 

  • Fall 2022

    ARAB 101 (2 Sections) – First-year Arabic I.


    Arabic is the fastest growing language in the United States and the fifth most spoken language in the world. ARAB 101 /ARAB 501 is the first in a sequence of courses in Modern Standard Arabic (MSA), the language of all official forms of communication and media throughout the Arab world, the register of Arabic taught in countries where Arabic is an official language, the liturgical language of more than two billion Muslims worldwide and millions of Arab Christians, and one of the six official languages of the United Nations. In this course, students will be introduced to the letters, sounds, and symbols that make up the Arabic writing system, and acquire basic skills in the areas of speaking, reading, writing, and listening.
    ARAB 203 (01) – Second-year Arabic I – Instructor:
    Students will acquire more vocabulary and learn fundamental morphological and syntactical structures that allow them to express themselves and respond to communication with ease in predictable situations.

    ARAB 180B – Intro to Modern Arabic Lit - Professor Kevin Lacey – GenEds: CH


    This course is designed to give students a first sustained glance at modern Arabic literature by way of a survey, through English translations, of some of the more seminal authors and works. Reading assignments will entail works (either in their entirety or parts thereof) of celebrated novelists, short story writers, play writers, essayists, and poets. Lectures and discussions as well as the examinations and the composition requirement for the course will revolve around these works.
    ARAB 305 – Third-year Arabic I – Professor Omid Ghaemmaghami
    In this course, students will learn important idioms and expressions, significantly expand their vocabulary, and acquire further knowledge of fundamental morphological and syntactical structures that allow them to express themselves orally and in writing with increasing grammatical accuracy.

    ARAB 380A – Framing Other Cultures - Professor Kevin Lacey – GenEds: AHO


    This course will examine latent as well as manifest Orientalism, its structures and strictures, its current most disquieting offshoots (Arabophobia and Islamophobia, especially with respect to Palestinians), how deeply it is inscribed (especially regarding Arab and Islamic civilizations) within "enabling" U.S. policies and institutions, and its association with aspirations of exclusion, domination, and control.

    ARAB 480E/AFST 480M/COLI 535N/ ENG 562C/TRIP 480F & 580L – World Afro-Arab Voices in Lit – Professor Mary Youssef

    Situating itself at the intersections of postcolonial studies, critical race studies, African and Arab Diasporic literatures, and Arabic literature, this course explores a number of Afro-Arab literary texts authored by writers who identify as African and Arab whether in the Arab world or in the diaspora. The course examines how Afro-Arab authors negotiate their identity, no matter where they are, in response to persistently exclusive discourses othering them from a different, dominant self on the basis of race and culture. In other words, this course pays attention to this overlooked hyphenated identity, Afro-Arab/Arab-African, and its imaginative expression of who, how, and where it is in the world.

  • Spring 2022

    ARAB 102 (2 Sections) – Elementary Arabic II – Instructor: Badreddine Ben Othman

    This course is the sequel course to ARAB 101: Elementary Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) II. In this course, students will continue to improve their essential language skills as well as cultural knowledge of the Arab world. Students will continue to be introduced to new vocabulary, learn to recognize word roots, and internalize sets of new morphological and syntactical formulas that will expand their Arabic expressions and help them exchange information about self, family, and immediate needs. In this course, students will learn to use the dictionary on the basis of their education in the Arabic root system. In-class activities may include watching scenes from documentaries and films and listening to popular music. 

    ARAB 204 (01) – Intermediate Arabic II – Instructor: Kevin Lacey

    This course is the sequel to ARAB 203: Intermediate Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) I. Throughout the semester, students will continue improving their language skills with the aim of reaching the proficiency goals of the high-intermediate level. They will expand their vocabulary, learn important idioms and expressions, and acquire further knowledge of fundamental morphological and syntactical structures that allow them to express themselves with ease in predictable situations and read and write with increasing grammatical accuracy. 

    ARAB 306 – Advanced Standard Arabic II – Instructor: Mary Youssef

    The sequel to ARAB 305, this course prepares students to reach or surpass the goals of the advanced-low level of proficiency in Modern Standard Arabic (MSA). Throughout the semester, students will significantly expand their vocabulary and acquire further knowledge of fundamental morphological and syntactical structures that allow them to express themselves orally and in writing with increasing grammatical accuracy. 

    ARAB 380B – The Postcolonial Arabic Novel – Instructor: Mary Youssef – GenEds: GHO & Harpur W

    This course examines, through the critical lens of postcolonial theory, novels and fictional autobiographies—all in English translations—that are written by Arab authors from different parts of the Arab world: Egypt, Palestine, Libya, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, and the Sudan. The literary works are set in colonial, post-independence, and neocolonial times and illustrate how Arab writers creatively respond to dominant forms of power in their historical contexts. We will pay attention to issues of imperialism, nationalism, tradition, modernity, identity, migration, democracy, and revolution as they arise in these texts. 

    ARAB 380P – Modern Arabic Prose Readings – Instructor: Kevin Lacey

    Readings in Modern Standard Arabic prose, from selected authors and genres (e.g., short stories, essays, plays). The course is designed for Arabic language students at who have completed at least five semesters of study of modern standard Arabic. Prerequisite: ARAB 305 or higher.

    ARAB 385C/ISRL 315 - Israeli-Palestinian Conflict – Instructor: Shay Rabineau – GenEds: GN

    The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: Israel-Palestine comprises the territory that lies between the Mediterranean Sea (on the west), Lebanon (in the north), the Gulf of Aqaba and the Sinai Peninsula (on the south) and the Jordan River (on the east). Although it covers a small geographic area and includes a relatively small population (compare present-day Israel's 8 million citizens with Egypt's 90 million), the dispute between the two rival sets of nationalisms which claim the sole right to control this territory has remained at the forefront of international attention for more than half a century. 

  • Fall 2021

    ARAB 101 (2 Sections) – Elementary Arabic I – Instructor: Ali Almajnooni

    Arabic is the fasting growing language in the United States and the fifth most spoken language in the world. ARAB 101 is the first in a sequence of courses in Modern Standard Arabic (MSA), the language of all official forms of communication and media throughout the Arab world, the register of Arabic taught in countries where Arabic is an official language, the liturgical language of some 1.8 billion Muslims and millions of Arab Christians, and one of the six official languages of the United Nations. 

    ARAB 203 (01) – Intermediate Arabic I – Instructor: Kevin Lacey

    This course is a continuation of the first-year language study of Modern Standard Arabic (MSA), by which students improve their language skills from the novice-high level to reach the proficiency goals of the intermediate level. Students will acquire more vocabulary and learn fundamental morphological and syntactical structures that allow them to express themselves and respond to communication with ease. 

    ARAB 281A – Arabic Word Formation I - Instructor: Kevin Lacey

    This course is designed to help students of Arabic (especially those at pre-advanced levels) improve their knowledge of the most basic word patterns in the language, which are both 1) very predictable and 2) the key for allowing rapid vocabulary build-up in all skill sets (reading, writing, listening comprehension, and speaking). Arabic works on a pattern system. PREREQUISITE: knowledge of the Arabic alphabet. 

    ARAB 305 – Advanced Standard Arabic I – Instructor: Mary Youssef 

    The sequel to ARAB 204, this course prepares students to reach or surpass the goals of the intermediate-high to advanced-low levels of proficiency. Throughout the semester, students will learn important idioms and expressions, significantly expand their vocabulary, and acquire further knowledge of fundamental morphological and syntactical structures that allow them to express themselves orally and in writing with increasing grammatical accuracy. 

    ARAB 380G/COLI 331C/ENG 380K/WGSS 383B – Race & Gender in Arab American Lit –  Instructor: Mary Youssef - GenEds: HOP & Harpur W

    This course offers a deep understanding of Arab-American literary production across the genres of the novel, poetry, the short story, and fictional autobiography. While interest in Arab immigrant literature in the U.S. has particularly culminated after the events of 9/11, authors from Arab descent have striven to creatively express their racial, religious, and cultural difference; draw attention to problems of differentiation in the U.S. due to persistently dominant Orientalist discourses; and negotiate their identity, all since the beginning of the twentieth century. 

Turkish Studies Courses

  • Spring 2024

    TURK 203/503 – Intermediate Modern Turkish I – Professor Greg Key – ONLINE HYBRID COURSE
    Modern Turkish skills are further developed through speaking inside the classroom, interaction with native-speaker language partners, reading authentic texts containing more complex structures than in the first year, watching and listening to authentic on- line materials such as news broadcasts and television dramas, and writing short weekly essays. Awareness of the distinctive features of Turkish culture is developed through all of these means. 

    TURK 282C/CINE 286F/COLI 281D/HIST 285B – Turkish Pop Culture History – Professor Greg Key
    The language of all official forms of communication and media throughout the Arab world, the register of Arabic taught in countries 
    where Arabic is an official language, the liturgical language of more than two billion Muslims worldwide and millions of Arab 
    Christians, and one of the six official languages of the United Nations. 
    he language of all official forms of communication and media throughout the Arab world, the register of Arabic taught in countries 
    where Arabic is an official language, the liturgical language of more than two billion Muslims worldwide and millions of Arab 
    Christians, and one of the six official languages of the United Nations. 
    ARAB 306/506 is the sixth in a sequence of courses in Modern Standard Arabic (MSA), the language of all official forms of 
    communication and media throughout the Arab world, the register of Arabic taught in countries where Arabic is an official language, 
    the liturgical language of more than two billion Muslims worldwide and millions of Arab Christians, and one of the six official 
    languages of the United Nations. 
    The focus of the class is on pop culture in the Ottoman Empire and the Republic of Turkey through the end of the 20th century. The 
    course title is intentionally ambiguous: It is both a history of Turkish pop culture, and a history of Turkey told through the lens of 
    popular culture. It follows historical developments in music, cinema, radio, and television, as well as print media. While the course 
    does not systematically track current pop culture, through-lines are drawn that do lead to the 21st century. 

  • Fall 2023

    TURK 112/502 – Elementary Modern Turkish II – Professor Greg Key 

    Continuation of elementary modern Turkish, which is spoken in the Republic of Turkey, as well as in large immigrant 
    communities throughout Europe. Conversational skills will be further developed, and a greater emphasis will be placed on 
    watching and listening to authentic media materials, as well as on reading and writing.

    TURK 380L/LING 380T – Turkish Linguistics – Professor Greg Key – GenEd: O 

    This course examines the Turkish language from the perspective of various subfields of linguistic inquiry. We begin by 
    looking at the history of Turkish, its place within the Turkic language family, and the Altaic hypothesis, which asserts that 
    Turkish is related to languages such as Mongolian, Manchu, Japanese and Korean 

  • Spring 2023

    TURK 111 – Elementary Modern Turkish II – Professor Greg Key – ONLINE HYBRID COURSE 

    Modern Turkish is a member of the Altaic language family and the successor of Ottoman Turkish. Today the standard form of Turkish is referred to as Istanbul Turkish. Other modern Turkic languages are spoken in Moldova, Azerbaijan, Iran, Iraq, and Turkmenistan, and they have many common features with modern Turkish as spoken in Turkey. 

    TURK 280A/COLI 281G – Modern Turkish Lit in Translation – Professor Greg Key 

    Consists of readings in translation from Turkish literary figures of the 20th and 21st centuries, including Nazim Hikmet, Orhan Pamuk, and Elif Shafak. Readings are contextualized within the cultural and political landscape of the late Ottoman Empire and the modern Turkish Republic. Students will write two mid-term papers of five pages each, and a final paper of ten pages. 

  • Fall 2022

    TURK 203/503 – Intermediate Modern Turkish I – Professor Greg Key


    Modern Turkish skills are further developed through speaking inside the classroom, interaction with native-speaker language partners, reading authentic texts containing more complex structures than in the first year, watching and listening to authentic on-line materials such as news broadcasts and television dramas, and writing short weekly essays. Awareness of the distinctive features of Turkish culture is developed through all of these means. The grammar focus is on complex structures (reported speech, relative clauses, etc.).

    TURK 480A/511 – Ottoman Turkish – Professor Greg Key


    Ottoman Turkish is the administrative and literary language of the Ottoman Empire. Written in Arabic script, Ottoman has a Turkish linguistic core, with substantial influence from Classical Arabic and Persian. In this one-semester class, the following skills and topics are covered: Ottoman spelling, paleography, Persian and Arabic grammar and vocabulary as found in Ottoman, and archaic Turkish grammar. Two script styles are taught: nesih (Arabic nasx) and rıka (Arabic ruq‘a), respectively the standard printed and handwritten fonts of the late Ottoman period (ca. 18th-20th centuries). Reading is the primary skill developed, with a secondary emphasis on rıka penmanship, on the premise that this will aid in the reading of handwritten documents. Texts to be used throughout the semester include a selection of printed and handwritten documents. PREREQUISITE: TWO YEARS OF TURKISH (or demonstrated equivalent proficiency).

  • Spring 2022

    TURK 112 – Elementary Modern Turkish II – Instructor: Greg Key – ONLINE HYBRID COURSE

    Continuation of elementary modern Turkish, which is spoken in the Republic of Turkey, as well as in large immigrant communities throughout Europe. Conversational skills will be further developed, and a greater emphasis will be placed on watching and listening to authentic media materials, as well as on reading and writing. 

     
    TURK 380R – Turkish Language Reform – Instructor: Greg Key 

    This course examines the Turkish Language Reform, a national campaign of the early Turkish Republic aimed at ridding Turkish of foreign borrowings. This was one of numerous reforms implemented by Mustafa Kemal (Atatürk), founder and first president of the Republic in the aftermath of World War I and the fall of the Ottoman Empire. It was the duty of the Turkish Language Society, a newly formed government body, to find “pure” Turkish replacements for words of mostly Arabic and Persian origin. Some of the replacement words were already in use in standard Turkish, others were borrowed from regional dialects and other Turkic languages, and still others were invented as neologisms using Turkish roots and suffixes. This course investigates the reform from the standpoints of history, language ideology and nationalism, and linguistics.

  • Fall 2021

    TURK 111 – Elementary Modern Turkish – Prof. Greg Key – ONLINE HYBRID COURSE

    Introduces basic structures of modern Turkish, which is spoken in the Republic of Turkey, as well as in large immigrant communities throughout Europe. From the very first day of class, there is an emphasis on speaking, both inside and outside the classroom, so that by the end of the first semester students will be comfortable having very basic conversations in Turkish. Written exercises will provide the foundation for writing skills in Turkish, to be further developed in subsequent semesters. 


    TURK 380L/LING 380T – Turkish Linguistics – Professor Greg Key – GenEd: O

    This course examines the Turkish language from the perspective of various subfields of linguistic inquiry. We begin by looking at the history of Turkish, its place within the Turkic language family, and the Altaic hypothesis, which asserts that Turkish is related to languages such as Mongolian, Manchu, Japanese and Korean. There are no prerequisites for this class, and no prior knowledge of Turkish is necessary. Concurrent enrollment in TURK 111 is encouraged but not required.