Syllabus

Al-Madrasah offers the following courses.

Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) Courses

We develop both verbal and written communication Arabic skills through exercises and practice. Our method is to move students quickly into the grammar rules with limited vocabulary. Once students develop some skills with these language patterns, the ability to converse drives them to enrich their vocabulary in keeping with their personal interests.

In addition to our innovative ways of explaining Arabic grammar rules, we incorporate movie clips and other supplemental materials. Classes use one or more of the following textbooks: Arabic for English-Speaking Students (by Muhammad Abdul-Rauf), Al-Kitaab (Georgetown Univ. Press, Washington, DC), and Mastering Arabic (Hippocrene Books, New York).

Course materials have been selected to expose students to Arabic and Islamic culture. The influence of these 2 distinct cultures provide the context for the meanings and conventions of modern Arabic. Thus, information about culture is introduced in order to enhance our students' understanding and use of the language.

Placement will be determined by an interview with the instructor.

Level 1

This class starts at the very beginning. You will learn the alphabet with rules for vowels and script formation. You will be introduced to the rules of grammar and start to build your vocabulary. Our method is designed to enable you to recognize the structure of Arabic, making independent translation with an Arabic dictionary easier.

Level 2

This class fosters your ability to engage in simple Arabic conversation on a range of everyday subjects.

In addition to readings and exposure to the culture, you would study the following:

1. masculine and feminine forms
2. the definite article
3. forming a question
4. introduction to adjectives
5. Arabic proper names
6. pronouns
7. plural forms
8. possessive pronouns
9. present tense verb conjugation

Level 3

This class develops your understanding of grammar rules. These rules enable you to make the most of your Arabic vocabulary; whether rich or poor. We continue to practice conversation and reading skills.

In addition to readings and exposure to the culture, you would study the following:

1. interrogative pronouns
2. prepositions
3. fronted predicates
4. the past tense
5. negation of the past tense
6. roots and patterns
7. translating text with a dictionary

Level 4

This class continues to develop your Arabic writing, speaking, and listening skills. You learn to predict the meaning of unfamiliar words based on language patterns and roots that you learned previously.

In addition to readings and exposure to the culture, you would study the following:

1. non-human plural agreement
2. time
3. object pronouns
4. verb conjugation review
5. quantifiers
6. the superlative
7. the future tense
8. negation of the future tense
9. subject-verb agreement

Level 5

This class is designed to increase your mastery of Arabic. We examine methods of metaphor, comparison, double entendre, sarcasm, and poetry. Here you experience the beauty of Arabic. You also gain additional practice with language patterns. And you are introduced to large-scale construction of paragraphs and essays. At the end of this class, you should be able to comfortably participate in brief conversations.

In addition to readings and exposure to the culture, you would study the following:

1. synonyms and antonyms
2. complex structure adjectives
3. nominal sentences
4. verb patterns
5. definite and indefinite forms
6. conditional sentences
7. additional work with verbs
8. comparative constructions
9. case markings

Level 6

This class provides additional opportunities to solidify your Arabic conversation skills. We practice everything you have learned previously to increase your mastery of Arabic language skills.

In addition to readings and exposure to the culture, you would study the following:

1. genitive, nominative, and accusative nouns
2. more prepositions
3. dual forms
4. feminine plurals
5. the five names
6. reading dates
7. the infinitive

Arabic Courses for Special Purposes

• Conversational Arabic
• Grammar
• Arabic Calligraphy "KHATT -- الخط العربي"
• Colloquial Arabic of Cairo
• Tajweed (reciting Quran)
  
  

Special Related Services on Request

Examples: providing assistance to higher education researchers and other professionals regarding Arabic language. Please contact us for any other language services.