Regulations in English

Tanta University

Faculty of Arts

Department of Arabic Language and Literature for Speakers of Other Languages

Introduction

Human language is the most fundamental constituent of social life. Being the vehicle of expressing intellectual output, language is precisely what distinguishes the human mind over other creatures. Being as such, languages reflect, in their vocabularies, structures, and styles, the values of the civilizations of their speakers.

Arabic occupies a prominent position amid the spoken and written languages across the world, and that are about five thousand languages and dialects.

It is one of the oldest languages currently used around the world. It belongs to the Semitic family of languages, which also includes Hebrew, Amharic, and Aramaic. It is the mother tongue of more than four hundred and twenty million users in the Arab world. It is the official language of all the Arab countries and it is an official language in a few other countries as well. It is one of the six world languages authorized by the United Nations Organization to be used in the various official proceedings of the organization.

Many of the prestigious universities in the world have specialized departments devoted to teaching and researching Arabic.It is,thus, evident that the demand to study Arabic has been increasing demand since the tragic events of September 11; in that new departments and research centers have been established in various universities around the world to meet this demand.

This can be traced back to a number of reasons:

Religious reasons: Many students seek to learn Arabic because it is the language of the Qur’ān and Prophetic Sayings (hadith) that are the substance of Islam.
Cultural and academic reasons: Arabic is the language of Islamic civilization that flourished for a long period in the history of nations and whose achievements enriched the development of various other civilizations. Studying the language in which the Islamic civilization had been documented is a key for scholars interested in taking on a serious and fair evaluation of the Islamic culture.
Economic and commercial reasons: Having been blessed with its strategic location and its rich oil reservoirs, the Arabic-speaking world is a central force these days in the world of economics. As a consequence, non-native speaker students of Arabic seek learning Arabic to be able to join the growing economic market as translators for industrial and economic firms.
Political reasons: The significance of the Arab world in the field of politics is undeniable. Arabic learners can be a part of the prestigious scene of diplomacyas facilitators of international relations.

Mission Statement:

We are dedicated to teaching Arabic to speakers of other languages and introducing to them the rich heritage of the Islamic civilization.

Course Objectives:
Developingthe proficiency and communication skills of non-native speakerstudentsof Arabicliving in Egypt as well as from abroad.
Helping those students to get acquainted with the Arabic, Egyptian, and Islamic civilizations and their contributions to other world civilizations.
Fostering an awareness of the nature of everydaymoderate Arabic Islam.
Extending cultural bridges between the Egyptian culture and the cultures of thenon-native speakerstudentsof Arabic.
Course & Degree:

This course is conducted under the auspices of the Arabic Language Department at the Faculty of Arts, Tanta University. On the successful completion of the four-year course program, the enrolled student is granted the degree of a Bachelor of Arts in Arabic Language and Literature for speakers of other languages.

Target Groups:

The course seeks to admit non-native applicants of Arabicfrom all backgrounds, who are interested in learningthe Arabic language and literature, given that they meet the conditions specified in the course requirements.

Admission:

Applications for admission are processed via:

1-The Central Administration for Expat Students (the general authority for admission and degree awarding), which falls under the supervision of the Division of cultural affairs and academic missions in the Egyptian ministry of higher education.
2-International exchange agreements between the Egyptian government (or any of its representatives) and non-Egyptian governments (or a representative of any of them).
Course Requirements:
- 1-Graduation from an academic secondary school (e.g., secondary school diploma) or an equivalent.
- 2-Applicants must meet the standard health prerequisites and present a certificate stating they are free from AIDS.
- 3-Obtaining an official letter of consent from the academic institution of the applicant confirming the agreement of the home institution to study at Tanta University.
- 4-All the required documents and credentials must be in Arabic or English, and must be certified from the institutions granting them.
- 5-Meeting any other requirements specified at the time of admission by the higher supervisory committee of the Faculty of Arts or the council of Tanta University.
Required Documents:
- 1-A certified copy of completion of secondary school diploma, or an equivalent.
- 2-A certified copy of avalid passport/travel documents of the applicant.
- 3-A medical report confirming the health fitness of the applicant and his/her freedom from AIDS.
- 4-Six up to datephotographs.
Staff teaching the course are carefully designated from the well-experienced faculty members and teaching assistants of the Arabic Language Department at the Faculty of Arts, Tanta University.

Course Timetable

For Arabic for Foreign Learners

Summary:

The academic plan for thisundergraduate course is based on semester hours. It is taught throughout the period of four academic years that are divided as follows:

Each academic year is divided into two semesters.
A semester covers a period of 16 weeks of full-time attendance.

The total number of subjects taught for the entire course is 48 subjects:
Twelve subjects on the first year (six subjects in each semester).
Twelve subjects on the second year (six in each semester).
Twelve subjects on the third year (six in each semester).
Twelve subjects on the fourth year (six in each semester).

Contact hours are 20 per week.

Final exams are to be held at the end of each semester.

Evaluation:

The totalnumeric grade for each subject taught in this course is 100 marks that are divided as follows:

1-For the subjects that do not include an oral component, marks are distributed as follows:
- End-of-semester written exam: 50 marks.
- Two short written exams: 20 marks.
- Miscellaneous class work: 30 marks, that should include, home assignments (10 marks), research and presentation activities (10 marks), in-class interaction (5 marks), and attendance (5 marks).
2-For subjects that include an oral component, marks are distributed as follows:
- End-of-semester written exam: 50 marks.
- Two short written exams: 20 marks.
- Miscellaneous class work: 20 marks, that should include, home assignments (6 marks), research and presentation activities (6 marks), in-class interaction (4 marks), and attendance (4 marks).
- End-of-semester oral exam: 10 marks.
Description of Grades:

Excellent: 90% or higher.
Very Good: 80-90%
Good: 65-80%
Pass: 50-65%
Fail (weak): less than 50%
Fail (very weak): less than 35%

The following table outlines the academic plan for studying Arabic as a Foreign Language (AFL) and provides descriptive accounts of the subjects taught in the AFL course. Subject descriptions are subject to minor changes depending on marginal academic considerations and/or student response.

First Year

a-Semester One

	Subject code	Subject title	Semester hours		Evaluation
			Theoretical	Practical	hours	Written	oral			Class work	Total marks
			Theoretical	Practical	hours	End-of-semester exam
1	101 AFL	Phonics & Alphabet (1)	4	-	4	50		20	-	30	100
2	103 AFL	Listening & oral composition (1)	3	1	4	50		20	10	20	100
3	105 AFL	Reading (1)	2	1	3	50		20	10	20	100
b-4	107 AFL	Written composition (1)	3	-	3	50		20	-	30	100
5	109 AFL	Vocabulary (1)	2	-	2	50		20	-	30	100
6	111 AFL	Grammar &prac.	4	-	4	50		20	-	30	100
Taught hours			18	2	20

b-Semester Two

	Subject code	Subject title	Semester hours			evaluation
			Semester hours				oral	Class work	Total
			theoretical	practical	total		oral
			theoretical	practical	total
1	AFL101		4	-	4		-	30	100
2	AFL103		3	1	4		10	20	100
3	AFL 105		2	1	3		10	20	100
4	AFL 107		3	-	3			30	100
5	AFL 109		2	-	2			30	100
6	AFL 111		4	-	4			30	100

The following is a list of the descriptions of the subjectsof the course taught in the AFL program.

First Year Subjects

Semester One

(AFL 101) Phonics and the Arabic Alphabet-1:

Thiscourse is an introduction to the phonetics of the Arabic alphabet (abjad). It aims at familiarizing the students with the proper pronunciation of the Arabic sounds, printing the letters correctly through a comprehensive program linking the sounds of the alphabet to their phonetic symbols.(the letters representing them)

(AFL 103) Listening and Oral Composition-1:

This course is composed of a listening component with focus on oral composition. It aims at developing the linguistic and expressive proficiency of the students in common situations of everyday life(e.g. greetings, introducing oneself and others, etc.).

(AFL 105) Reading-1:

This course presents reading material of limited complication, with topics covering daily life events, common vocabulary and widely used expressions. Learning is reinforced by exercises on proper pronunciation and punctuation marks.

(AFL 107) Written Composition-1:

This courseaims at developing the expressive capacity of the students in written Arabic. Basic dictation, grammar rules, punctuating, and word spelling make up the essential part of this subject.

(AFL109) Vocabulary-1:

This course subject aims at acquainting the students with an appropriate number of Arabic vocabulary items, particularly those denoting sensory meanings, at the beginner level. Students are introduced to different contexts of use with an eye towards improving their abilities to positively determine word choice in composition. The learning outcome of the course is identifying the most commonly used words in modern standard Arabic.

(AFL 111) Grammar and Exercises-1:

This course is an introduction to the basic grammatical rules and structures of modern standard Arabic. For example, it aims at acquainting the student with the structural and functional modalities of the Arabic word in its various forms as a noun, verb, or article and as a temporal indicator of some tenses. Drills and exercises as a form of practice reinforce the learning of this subject.

Semester Two

(AFL 102) Phonetics and the Arabic Alphabet-2:

The course aims at advancing the knowledge of the student of the pronunciation of the Arabic sounds. At the end of this course, the student is expected to recognize and differentiate between similar sounds, etc. The course provides ample practice on typing in naskh(original)/cursive scripts and several dictation rules.

(AFL 104) Listening and oral composition-2:

Thiscourse is a listening one. It presents a short-span, slow-paced listening material that is relevant to the everyday life of the learner in an Arabic-speaking context. It promotes the confidence of the student in oral self-expression and conducting one-on-one simple and meaningful conversations.

(AFL 106) Reading-2:

This course builds on the reading skills of the learner that are acquired in Reading-1 through a structured plan of unelaborate reading lessons that are relevant to daily life situations. The plan is supplemented by exercises that ensure comprehension and proper pronunciation.

(AFL 108) Written Composition:

This course aims at advancing the written communication skills of the learner of Arabic by means of a directed plan that gives ample space for the student to describe in writing his/her personal interests. The expected learning outcome of this course is adhering to the use of correct punctuation and grammar rules.

(AFL 110) Vocabulary-2:

Complementary to Vocabulary-1, this course introduces the learners to new vocabulary items that may be concrete or abstract, and encourages their use in their respective context as appropriate in full grammatical sentences.

(AFL 112) Grammar and Exercises-2:

This course follows on the basics of Arabic grammar that are taught in Semester One by introducing new concepts such as the definite and indefinite articles, pronouns (relative and demonstrative), declinable and indeclinable nouns and verbs, scales of inflection and divisions of verbs according to their inflectional(syntactical functional marks) status. Frequent drilling and taking exercisesreinforce learning the grammatical rules.

Second Year Subjects

Semester One

(AFL 201) Arabic Dialects-1:

This course introduces the concept of “spoken dialect” and how it relates to “language.” It demonstrates the evolution of Arabic dialects, their history, and the way they are different from modern standard Arabic. In identifying rules and vocabulary, it pays close attention to the Egyptian dialect, and explains the social dimensions of its varieties.

(AFL 203) Listening and Oral Composition-3:

This course includes a recorded audio and visual component of comparatively medium length and average difficulty. This mainly focuses on improving comprehension skills in conversational situations that present less detailed stories and/or short dialogues. The main objective of this course is to improve the oral communication and self-expression skills of the students by means of follow-up discussions on the audio material.

(AFL 205) Reading-3:

This course fosters oral and eye reading skills by introducing a structured reading plan of lessons on different topics including short stories of medium length and common vocabulary. It also prepares the learners for conducting independent reading, minimizing frequent gazing, and enhancing content comprehension.

(AFL 207) Written Composition-3:

The course aims at training the students in composing medium-length essays on a variety of social, literary, cultural, and political topics that are supervised or done independently. The written outcome, at this stage, is expected to be produced in short, well-structured sentences and paragraphs with appropriate linking words and correct grammaticaltechniques.

(AFL 209) Introduction to Literature-1:

This course is intended as a short overview of Arabic literature. It acquaints the Arabic learner with the many forms of Arabic literary arts, their origins and idioms, with special attention totheforms of prose (fiction, dramatic scripts, and essay). The course integratespreliminary texts from the Arabic literary traditions for illustration.

(AFL 211) Grammar and Exercises-3:

This course puts more focus on declension inthe cases of “the five nouns,” the dual mode, the masculine sound plural, the feminine sound plural, the unnonated noun, the five verbs, and verbs with/without an increased letter, with respective drills on each topic.

Semester Two

(AFL 202) Arabic Dialects-2:

The course builds on previous introduction to Arabic spoken dialects, their grammar and origins. It aims atinforming the learner that most of the dialects used today can be traced back to classical Arabic and the old dialects spoken in the region. It also sheds some light on the social traditions and class structure of the Egyptian society and their influence on the Egyptian dialect.

(AFL 204) Listening and oral Composition-4:

This course is based on developing the learner’s comprehension and speaking proficiency in Arabic through exposure to a structured recorded video and audio materials that are played at long intervals and at normal speech pace. The material presents a variety of topics, e.g. news,TV programs, sitcoms, etc. Drills and oral discussion follow each listening session to ensure comprehension.

(AFL 206) Reading-4:

This course presents the students with long reading lessons to encourage both audible and silent reading. Texts for reading range from journalistic texts to literature ones. Students are expected to read fluently and be able to comprehend and give labels to all the ideas expressed in the material in hand.

(AFL 208) Written Composition-4:

This is an advanced course on Arabic writing. Students are required to write independently at length both functionally and creatively. Training for this course includes drilling on writing narrative, descriptive, expository, persuasive, reflective pieces, writing letters, and summaries. The students are introduced to the stylistic techniques of essay writing and the common mistakes writers are prone to committing in this respect.

(AFL 210) Introduction to Literature-2:

This course introduces the students to the many forms of Arabic poetry (traditional, free, dramatic, unmetered poetry [zajal]), their meters, roots, and development;with samples representing each form.

(AFL 212) Grammar and Exercises-4:

This course aims at teaching the rules governing the simple sequential sentence (nominal), and its two main components, the subject and the predicate, modes of the predicate, the rules governingthe possible shifting of the subject and the predicate, and the cases of omission ofeither of them. It introduces also the use of “Kana and its sisters” with nominal sentences. Frequent exercises and evaluation reinforce the expected learning outcomes.

Third Year Subjects

Semester One

(AFL 301) Grammar and Exercises-5:

Thiscourse sheds light on the rules that govern the changes in nominal sentences with the verbs indicating preponderance and doubt, hope, and those of beginning,”thanna and its sisters,” and “inna and its sisters.”The course also covers the aorist verb in its accusative and imperative modes,and the infinitive and its derivative inflexions (the active participle, the passive participle and the assimilate epithet, etc.). Frequent drilling and exercises assistthe process of learning.

(AFL 303) Modern Arabic Prose:

This course introduces the students to the different forms of the Arabic-written prose (essay, short story, novel, drama, etc.), their current trends and techniques. Model reading texts for each form make up the practical component of the course.

(AFL 305) The Arabic Library and Use of Dictionaries:

This course identifies the main sources of language and literature, introduces the students to some of the renowned Arabic writers in different historical epochs, exploring a multiplicity of forms such as poetry, fiction, and autobiographical writings. The course instructs the student on the use of Arabic dictionaries, their development, their authors and the different schools of writing dictionaries. Sample contemporary and old dictionaries are surveyed.

(AFL 308) Rhetoric and Criticism-1:

This course aims at presenting the student to the contemporary schools of rhetoric in Arabic, such as the ones of stylistics and pragmatics.It also provides synopsisof the concept of modern Arabic criticism and the stages of its development, its main theories and theorists, and the influence exerted on its evolution by Western critical traditions.

(AFL 310) Islamic and Egyptian Civilization(s):

The course aims at introducing the concept of civilization as a whole, to particularly explore the characteristics of the Islamic civilization, its foundations and achievements, methods of political, jurisdictional, and military governance in Islamic history (including the caliphateand ministries). Italso aims at enriching the knowledge of thestudents on the many intellectual, scientific and philosophical achievements that were the pinnacle of the Islamic civilization, and how this knowledge in various aspects of human life was eventually transferred to Europe, etc. The course likewise pays some attention to the progressachieved by the ancient Egyptian civilization.

(AFL 312) Translation-1:

Thiscourse is intended to help the students totake their first steps into the practice of translation into/from Arabic. As an Arabic learner, the student is expected to be aware of the various tools at hand for translators, some of the difficulties confronting Arabic translators, methods and types of translations, and structural and grammatical hitches. The course incorporates a practical component for practice.

Fourth Year Subjects

Semester One

(AFL 401) Grammar and Exercises-7:

This course stressesthe complementary extras of the Arabic sentence, such as the accusative of state or condition, the specificative, and exception in all their varieties. It also sheds light on the different types of plural including the irregular plural, the diminutive, and the attributive, etc. Drills and exercises make up a significant part of this course.

(AFL 403) Old Arabic Prose:

This course focuses on artistic prose writing in the old era of Arabic literature. It theoretically discusses its development, literary (thematic and stylistic) characteristics and conditions influencing its topics. Sample texts from this era are discussed.

(AFL 405) Studies in Meter and Textual Analysis:

This course studies the major meters of traditional Arabic poetry, the changes that have overcome their development. It introduces the student to the concept of meter and rhythm in free poetry and trains him/her to conduct textual analyses (technically and linguistically) as applicable to each topic.

(AFL 407) Language in Media:

This course in concerned with studying Arabic as used in the media and the internet. This is conducted practically by analyzing excerpts from the various forms of media.

(AFL 409) Folk Literature:

This course introduces folk literature in its several expressive forms (narration, proverbs, lyrics, biographies, etc.). It tackles the progression of each form, its specific stylistic characteristics, and the linguistic means of producing each form (standard vs. vernacular Arabic). Analysis of the thematic and cultural contents expressed in each form are done as the final part of each session.

(AFL 412) Islamic Studies-2:

This courseaims at instructing the students on dealings in Islam and focuses on the sides of thebiography of the Prophet (Sira) as an application practice. It presents views on Islam and Prophet Muhammad as expounded by a number of orientalists across time, and several contemporary Islamic issues.

Semester Two

(AFL 402) Grammar and Exercises:

This course introduces appositives, adjectives, conjunctions, preposition articles, annexation, and a number of grammatical structures (substitution, emphasis, exclamation, praise, and denunciation). The students are expected to perform grammatical analysis of sentences and to learn about the rules of substitution, etc.

(AFL 404) Old Arabic Poetry:

This course introduces the student to Arabic poetry in old times (such as pre-Islamic, Islamic, Umayyad, Abbasid, etc.). The thematic and stylistic characteristics of poems representing each era will be the subject of study.

(AFL 406) Arabic for Specific Purposes:

This course boasts diverse work materials that aim to acquaint the students with a variety of specific purposes for using the Arabic language. The students come to learn the different styles of writing in various fields (“jargon”), such as in the fields of diplomacy, commerce, economics, administration, and medicine.

(AFL 408) Methodology and Seminar:

This course teaches the methods of academic research starting with its beginning and passing by the stages of thesis-production (choosing a topic, conceptualizing a proposal, data collection, etc.). It also touches upon ethical conduct in academic research. Students are required to complete a number of independent assignments throughout this course, including research and paper writing as application practices.

(AFL 410) Contemporary Arabic Issues:

This coursediscusses the most prominent issues in contemporary Arabic criticism. Among which are the tradition-modernity problematicissues, the attitude of Islam towards the West, Arab nationalism, political Islam, secularism, feminism and women’s issues, etc. It presents the writings of the prominent theorists such as Muhammad ’Abduh, Taha Hussein, Qasim Amin, and Jamal al-Din al-Afghani.

(AFL 412) Translation-2:

The course builds on Translation-1 and introduces the learner to some new concepts in the theories of translation such as idioms, proverbs, allegory, and marginal connotations.Translating Arabic as used in today’s media is the application practice of the course.