Course Syllabus - Fall 2011
ARAB 433: Reading in Social Science and Media
Tuesdays- Thursdays (3:00 P.M-4:30 P.M.)
Instructor: Abeer Aloush
office: Williams 302
Office hours: Tuesday from 2:15 to 3:00, Thursday 1:30 to 3:00 and by app.
E-mail:
Arabic Readings in the Social Sciences and the Media
This course is designed to train students in reading original Arabic materials selected from recently published books, current newspapers, and from scholarly journals. The choice of texts reflects various topics and styles. No vocabulary lists are distributed, and students are expected to prepare for the readings on their own with the help of a dictionary. Each text is read in class and its topic discussed in Modern Standard Arabic. Generally, a written assignment is given at the completion of the reading. The selection of specialized texts takes into account the academic or professional interests of those enrolled in the course and their input is usually solicited
Course Objectives: The aim is that all the activities together will lead to the enhancement of your reading skills in general, by contributing to your ability to comprehend and discuss materials relating to the specific fields selected for the texts used in the course.
Outside
(1) Reading Comprehension texts and develop questions on them in written to be discussed in class.
(2) Searching for other materials in Arabic on the same topic and preparing short classroom presentations on them.
(3) Review the Audio materials of relevant issue.
For Class:
(1) Discussing assigned text (s).
(2) Presenting reports of Audio materials.
(3) Initial reading and preparing for next week class.
(3) Working on speed reading activities.
(4) Writing paragraph-length summaries of the Audio or the text.
Course Materials:
New reading material will be handed to you in each class and/or be posted on the BB
Evaluation:
Evaluation will be based on performance in all these activities and on presentations, mid term exam and a final written examination which will test comprehension of a set of social-scientific texts.
Attendance Policies:
You are expected to come prepared for class. This means that before you come to class you should listen to the tapes, read, and prepare for presenting your reading in class, and be ready to answer questions. Three or more unsanctioned absences during the semester will impact your grade negatively. Class will begin and end on time; two late arrivals will count as one absence. You are responsible to the last detail for material covered in class when you were absent or when you arrived late.
Grading :
10 % attendance and participation in class.
15% work assignments and presentations (one to two). Homework handed in late will NOT receive credit unless there are very clear extenuating circumstances.
25 % posting weekly news and commenting on classmates’ other news. You have to bring خبر قصير طريف أو غريب on Bb and to comment on one at least of the other posted news. Last posting for Tuesday class is Monday at 8:00 PM and for Thursday is Wednesday 8:00 PM.
10% Mid term exam
%15 final project.
25% final exam
N.b. manual dictionaries are allowed in both mid term and final exam.
Important Notes:
Come to my office hours regularly during the term, not only when there is a problem or an upcoming exam.
You will listen and watch your DVDs on your own outside of class, and you will have to prepare always before class. We will also watch the videos together in class.
I strongly recommend that you form groups of 2–3 students and meet regularly for an hour once or twice a week to practice your Arabic, to study together (not to copy exact homework from each other), and to support each other. Take the initiative in approaching your classmates.
Planned absences (for religious or other reasons) must be communicated to me during the first two weeks of the term, even when the exact dates of the planned absence are not known. Students will be responsible for making up any work missed during absence.
Any student caught cheating or plagiarizing will receive an F for the course.
No food or chewing gum allowed in class. You may have water or tea and coffee.
No talking to your classmate while I am talking or while another student is asking questions.
Be responsible for making up any work missed during absence.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Teaching the Revolutions:
This course is designed to train students interested in a professional career involving the use of Arabic written materials and media. This class will explore the Middle East through the region's media providing timely analysis of Arabic media, as well as original analysis of ideological, intellectual, social, cultural, and religious trends in the Middle East that caused the current turmoil and revolutions. The Egyptian and Tunisian revolutions, for example, will be extensively studied through media. Regular attendance and thorough preparation and presentation are essential to success in this course. It is intended that, upon completion of this course, students will be able to work independently with a variety of media texts at different levels. Students will work on a final project at the end of the semester to analyze different phenomenon of the Middle East through the media from a perspective of their choice.