Requirements
- Course starts with basics, no prerequisites.
Description
The 2020 pandemic impacted the way we learn, teach, and work. While many instructors adapted and continued to teach, some have canceled essential classes and opted for courses that are easily adaptable to virtual delivery. Students who must take specific courses to graduate or graduate students who must take specific skill courses before they start the research phase of their work are under pressure to maintain timely progress. Students who must remove foreign language requirements are especially imparted by the changes caused by the pandemic. This online resource is intended to help students who want to learn on their own and/or keep learning and practicing.
The course is based on Prof. Souaiaia's lesson plans and teaching resources he'd developed as a lecturer at the university of Washington.
Beyond that, this course can be useful for researchers and professionals, emphasizing competency in grammar, syntax, and conversation (culture modules will be added later). Conversations are in standard Arabic, not in any particular dialect, so enhance fluency of pronunciation, reading, and speaking. The drills are aimed at internalizing the fundamental rules of Arabic, preparing learners to read, translate, and interpret authentic Arabic texts.
Additionally, notes on Arabic cultures, social conventions and norms, and history of text will be introduced to enable learners to gain cultural competency that will enable them to be better prepared to communicate and understand persons from Arab and Islamic societies.
Most of the video lectures are hosted on youtube and can be accessed from there freely. The course will be updated based on learners/community feedback. If you are an advanced student of Arabic and would like to help improve this course, please reach out.
Who this course is for:
- Serious language learners, graduate students, professionals
- Students in area studies (Middle East, Southwest Asia and North Africa, etc.)
Course content
- 00:52Where to find the materials for this course
- 07:03Learning Arabic: overview
Instructors
This account is maintained on behalf of prof. Souaiaia
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Prof. Souaiaia's Faculty Bio:
AHMED E. SOUAIAIA (pron. sway-`IYYA)
Associate Professor
Joint appointments in International Studies, Religious Studies, History, & College of Law
University of Iowa
Dr. SOUAIAIA has taught a broad range of topics including courses on Islamic law, human rights, Islamic political thought, women and gender, Islamic economics, and Islamic philosophy.
Professor Souaiaia has been with the University of Iowa since 2003. His primary research areas of interest include social justice, legal and political dissent, and religion and politics in modern and pre-modern Islamic societies.
Professor Souaiaia is the author of several books including Anatomy of Dissent in Islamic Societies: Ibadism, Rebellion (Palgrave Macmillan, 2013), and Legitimacy and Contesting Justice: Women, Islam, Law, and Society (SUNY, 2008). He has published articles in refereed journals including the Journal of Law and Religion, Muslim World Journal, Journal of Women in the Middle East and the Islamic World, and Muslim World Journal of Human Rights. His commentaries and columns appeared in Asia Times, Eurasia Review, Monthly Review, Open Democracy Foundation for the Advancement of Global Education, Foreign Policy In Focus, Inter Disciplinary Journal of Asian-Middle Eastern Studies and other regional and international media. His comments and essays appeared in Press-Citizen, Des Moines Register, Washington Post, Boston Globe, NPR, Monthly Review, NPR, Reuters, AlKhaleej, Business International Magazine, The Christian Science Monitor, and BBC World Service. He is also the founder and Editor-In-Chief of the Journal of Islamic and Middle Eastern Multidisciplinary Studies.
Professor Souaiaia was awarded the Presidential Faculty Fellowship, Dean’s Scholar Award, and a number of other awards. Professor Souaiaia has testified and/or written briefs for a number of legal cases in U.S. courts.
Professor Souaiaia received his Ph.D. from the University of Washington, Seattle.
Dr. SOUAIAIA has taught a broad range of topics including courses on Islamic law, human rights, Islamic political thought, women and gender, Islamic economics, and Islamic philosophy.
Professor Souaiaia has been with the University of Iowa since 2003. His primary research areas of interest include social justice, legal and political dissent, and religion and politics in modern and pre-modern Islamic societies.
Professor Souaiaia is the author of several books including Anatomy of Dissent in Islamic Societies: Ibadism, Rebellion (Palgrave Macmillan, 2013), and Legitimacy and Contesting Justice: Women, Islam, Law, and Society (SUNY, 2008). He has published articles in refereed journals including the Journal of Law and Religion, Muslim World Journal, Journal of Women in the Middle East and the Islamic World, and Muslim World Journal of Human Rights. His commentaries and columns appeared in Asia Times, Eurasia Review, Monthly Review, Open Democracy Foundation for the Advancement of Global Education, Foreign Policy In Focus, Inter Disciplinary Journal of Asian-Middle Eastern Studies and other regional and international media. His comments and essays appeared in Press-Citizen, Des Moines Register, Washington Post, Boston Globe, NPR, Monthly Review, NPR, Reuters, AlKhaleej, Business International Magazine, The Christian Science Monitor, and BBC World Service. He is also the founder and Editor-In-Chief of the Journal of Islamic and Middle Eastern Multidisciplinary Studies.