Arabic

The Arabic Program

The Arabic Program offers a five-year sequence (novice to advanced) in modern Arabic, as well as courses in Classical Arabic and special topics.

The Arabic Program is housed in the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations (NELC) and is headed by Dr. Nader Uthman (naderuthman@fas.harvard.edu), Director of the Modern Language Programs.  

The Arabic faculty are Muhammad Habib, Aya Khalaf, Amr Madi, Dana Malhas, and Nader Uthman. Courses may also be supported by teaching fellows and teaching assistants.

Please note that is information is tentative and may be updated. For more information, please email Kathy Paras, Language Coordinator (kparas@fas.harvard.edu).

General Information
Please see my.harvard for course meeting patterns, meeting locations, and to petition for enrollment. 

Please read the below information before petitioning to enroll in a course.

Placement
If you’ve studied Arabic at Harvard, please enroll in the next level (see below). If you’ve studied at another institution or been exposed to Arabic before, please fill out the survey linked here.

Language Requirement
To meet the Harvard College language requirement via coursework, students should pass, with a letter grade, two courses in Arabic. These include first-year/elementary courses (Arabic AA and AB).

To satisfy the requirement via the placement exam*, students should show proficiency equivalent to students who passed the first four semesters of Arabic (elementary and intermediate levels). 

Those who take the placement exam and show proficiency lower than students who have completed four semesters of a language would then take two semesters of a language starting at the level in which they are placed. For example, if a student places into second-year Arabic (Arabic BA), they would take both Arabic BA and BB, for a letter grade, to satisfy the language requirement.

If you haven’t taken an Arabic class at Harvard, but would like to take the placement exam to show sufficient proficiency to meet the language requirement, please fill out the survey here.

* For those who have studied Arabic at Harvard, College regulations do not allow you to meet the language requirement by taking an exam after enrolling in an Arabic course. 

Citation
In order to earn a citation in Arabic, your concentration should be one other than NELC. You earn a citation by successfully completing four, NELC Arabic courses beyond AA and AB; these include modern Arabic courses, Classical Arabic and special topics courses. Approved courses taken abroad may count toward the citation.

Courses must be taken for a letter grade; auditing is not permitted.

The most popular course meeting times are in the morning. Please consider enrolling for an afternoon section, especially for Arabic AA and BA.

Courses

Arabic AA – Elementary Arabic I 

Prerequisite: None

This course is only for those who are novices, or new to the Arabic language, or those whose exposure is minimal enough to be well served by an introductory Arabic course.

Any students who have studied Arabic, speak the language at home, or had exposure to it  in the past should fill out the survey linked here. 

Course assessments are based on attendance and participation, daily homework, periodic quizzes, projects involving writing and speaking, independent engagement with Arabic cultural production (“Arabic Flow”), and a cultural portfolio.

Arabic AB – Elementary Arabic II (continuation of Arabic AA)

Prerequisite: Arabic AA (first semester of first-year Arabic) or placement via the Arabic placement exam. If you’ve not taken Arabic AA at Harvard and wish to register for this course, please fill out the survey linked here.

Course assessments are based on attendance and participation, daily homework, periodic quizzes, projects involving writing and speaking, independent engagement with Arabic cultural production (“Arabic Flow”), and a cultural portfolio.

Arabic BA – Intermediate Arabic I

Prerequisite: Arabic AB (second semester of first-year Arabic) or placement via the Arabic placement exam. If you’ve not taken Arabic AB at Harvard and wish to register for this course, please fill out the survey linked here.

Course assessments are based on attendance and participation, daily homework, quizzes, projects involving writing and speaking, engaging with Arabic cultural production independently and with classmates (“Blogs”).

Arabic BB – Intermediate Arabic II (continuation of Arabic BA)

Prerequisite: Arabic BA (first semester of second-year Arabic) or placement via the Arabic placement exam. If you’ve not taken Arabic BA at Harvard and wish to register for this course, please fill out the survey linked here.

Course assessments are based on attendance and participation, daily homework, quizzes, projects involving writing and speaking, engaging with Arabic cultural production independently and with classmates (“Blogs”).

Arabic 130A – Upper-Level Classical Arabic I

Prerequisite: Arabic BB (second semester of third-year modern Arabic) or placement via the Arabic placement exam. If you’ve not taken Arabic BB at Harvard and wish to register for this course, please fill out the survey linked here.

Course assessments are based on attendance and participation, daily homework, take-home exams, and other written projects.

Arabic 130B – Upper-Level Classical Arabic II (continuation of Arabic 130A)

Prerequisite: Arabic 130A (first semester of classical Arabic) or placement via the Arabic placement exam. If you’ve not taken Arabic 130A at Harvard and wish to register for this course, please fill out the survey linked here.

Course assessments are based on attendance and participation, daily homework, take-home exams, and other written projects.

Arabic 131A – Upper-Level Modern Arabic I

Prerequisite: Arabic BB (second semester of second-year modern Arabic) or placement via the Arabic placement exam. If you’ve not taken Arabic BB at Harvard and wish to register for this course, please fill out the survey linked here.

Course assessments are based on attendance and participation, daily homework, periodic quizzes, and projects, which may include group projects, reading activities, presentations, as well as other projects.

Arabic 131B – Upper-Level Modern Arabic II (continuation of Arabic 131A)

Prerequisite: Arabic 131A (first semester of third-year modern Arabic) or placement via the Arabic placement exam. If you’ve not taken Arabic 131A at Harvard and wish to register for this course, please fill out the survey linked here.

Course assessments are based on attendance and participation, daily homework, periodic quizzes, and projects, which may include group projects, reading activities, presentations, as well as other projects.

Arabic 134 – Colloquial Levantine Arabic

Prerequisite: 1.5-2 years of Standard Arabic or the equivalent, or instructor permission.

Students in the course will learn to communicate in colloquial Levantine Arabic as used by Jordanian, Lebanese, Syrian and Palestinian speakers. Students will build their capacity to understand contemporary audio-visual media on familiar topics and discuss the content in Arabic. The course focuses on themes of daily life, family relations, and the different ways that identity is expressed in Arabic-speaking contexts today.

As an elective course, it does not count towards citation credit or for the language requirement.

Course assessments are based on attendance and participation, daily homework (recordings), in-class presentations and skits, and a final project. 

Arabic 241AR – Advanced Modern Arabic Bridge I (4th Year)

Prerequisite: Arabic 131B (second semester of third-year Arabic) or placement via the Arabic placement exam. If you’ve not taken Arabic 131B at Harvard and wish to register for this course, please fill out the survey linked here.

Course assessments are based on attendance and participation, homework, take-home exams, and projects, which may include group projects, reading activities, recorded presentations, as well as other projects.

Arabic 241BR – Advanced Modern Arabic Bridge II (4th Year)

Prerequisite: Arabic 241AR (first semester of fourth-year Arabic) or placement via the Arabic placement exam. If you’ve not taken Arabic 241AR at Harvard and wish to register for this course, please fill out the survey linked here.

Course assessments are based on attendance and participation, homework, take-home exams, and projects, which may include group projects and presentations.

Arabic 242AR – Advanced Topics in Arabic Language, Literature, and Culture I (5th Year)

Prerequisite: Arabic 241BR (second-semester Bridge) or placement via the Arabic placement exam. Open to native speakers. If you’ve not taken Arabic 241BR at Harvard and wish to register for this course, please fill out the survey linked here.

Course assessments are based on attendance and participation, daily homework, and projects, which may include group projects, reading activities, and presentations.

Arabic 242BR – Advanced Topics in Arabic Language, Literature, and Culture I (5th Year; continuation of Arabic 242AR)

Prerequisite: Arabic 242AR (first semester of fifth-year Arabic) or placement via the Arabic placement exam. Open to native speakers. 

If you’ve not taken Arabic 242AR at Harvard and wish to register for this course, please fill out the survey linked here.

Course assessments are based on attendance and participation, daily homework (primarily reading and preparation), periodic projects, and a culminating paper. Projects may include small-group projects, reading activities, and recorded presentations.