Academic Catalog 2016–2017

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Bachelor of Arts in Arabic Language and Literature

Mission

The Bachelor of Arts in Arabic Language and Literature serves and supports the missions of the school and university. It enhances the tradition of liberal arts education at LAU, and enriches the diversity of disciplines and majors as practiced in distinguished universities. The program contributes to the strengthening of the cultural bond between LAU students and the surrounding cultural environment in which the majority of them pursue their careers after graduation. Arabic language and literature, as an integral component of humanities, enhances the shared ethical values which are embodied in classical and modern Arabic literary traditions. The program contributes to the general process of developing citizens who will have to share in leading their societies at local, regional, and global levels.

Program Objectives

The purpose of the Bachelor of Arts in Arabic Language and Literature is to

  1. give students the interdisciplinary background and expertise in analytical and writing skills that will qualify them for career opportunities in a variety of fields such as education, journalism, publishing, translation and creative arts,
  2. prepare students for today’s interdisciplinary graduate studies programs in Arabic Literature and Language, Comparative Literature, Middle Eastern Studies, Religious Studies, and
  3. give students, wishing to pursue a career in high school education, a level of literary and cultural proficiency that will qualify them for jobs in Lebanon, in the region and in western countries (assuming that the students also acquire the Teaching Diploma).

Learning Outcomes

Graduates in the Bachelor of Arts in Arabic Language and Literature should be able to

  1. receive intensive training in the analysis of literary texts that include poetry and prose,
  2. become fully acquainted with major literary trends in both medieval and modern times, as well as theories of Arabic rhetoric, prosody and literary criticism from classical, modern and post-modern perspectives,
  3. acquire a high level of mastery of the Arabic grammar and other branches of Arabic linguistics, such as philology and lexicology,
  4. demonstrate ability to write and express the outcome of their learning in a scholarly manner, and
  5. establish a solid ground for graduate studies in disciplines related to the culture, literature, languages and civilization of the Middle East.

Curriculum

A total of 92 credits are required to graduate, as per the following:

  • Program Core Requirements (39 cr)
  • Emphasis Requirements (13 cr)
  • LAC Courses (21 cr)
  • LAC Electives (9 cr)
  • Free Electives (10 cr)

Program Core Requirements (39 cr)

  • ARA303 Arabic Grammar and Syntax (3 cr)
  • ARA304 Arabic Linguistics (3 cr)
  • ARA305 Arabic Philology and Lexicography (3 cr)
  • ARA310 Classical Arabic Rhetoric and Literary Criticism (3 cr)
  • ARA312 Contemporary Literary Theory and Criticism (3 cr)
  • ARA320 Pre-Islamic and Umayyad Poetry (3 cr)
  • ARA323 Abbasid Poetry (3 cr)
  • ARA324 Andalusian Literature (3 cr)
  • ARA325 Classical Prose (3 cr)
  • ARA341 Modern Arabic Novel and Short Story (3 cr)
  • ARA342 Arabic Drama (3 cr)
  • ARA343 Modern Arabic Poetry (3cr)
  • ARA499 Senior Study (3 cr)

Emphasis Requirements (12 cr)

  • ARA311 Arabic Prosody (3 cr)
  • ARA313 Creative Writing (3 cr)
  • ARA314 Technical Arabic (3 cr)
  • ARA326 Arab Civilization and Culture (3 cr)
  • ARA327 Sufi Literature (3 cr)
  • ARA328 Arabic Folk Literature (3 cr)
  • ARA329 Travel Literature (3 cr)
  • ARA330 Lebanese Literary Heritage (3 cr)
  • ARA344 Trends in Modern Literature (3 cr)
  • ARA488 Topics in Arabic Language and Literature (3 cr)

Recommended Study Plan

Year One

Fall (16 cr)

  • ENG202 Advanced Academic English
  • ARA325 Classical Prose
  • ETH201 Moral Reasoning
  • LAC Arabic
  • LAC Electives (6 cr)

Spring (16 cr)

  • ENG203 Fundamentals of Oral communication
  • ARA342 Arabic Drama
  • ARA303 Arabic grammar and Syntax
  • CSC2021 Computer Application
  • LAC Electives (6 cr)
  • LAC Elective

Year Two

Fall (15 cr)

  • ARA304 Arabic Linguistics
  • ARA341 Modern Arabic Novel and Short Story
  • ARA320 Pre-Islamic and Umayyad Poetry
  • PED211 Beginning Swimming
  • LAC Elective (3 cr)
  • Free Elective (3 cr)

Spring (16 cr)

  • ARA310 Classical Arabic Rhetoric and Literary Criticism
  • ARA324 Andalusian Literature
  • ARA323 Abbasid Poetry
  • LAC Electives (6 cr)
  • PEDxxx Physical Education

Year Three

Fall (15 cr)

  • ARA305 Arabic Philology and Lexicography
  • ARA343 Modern Arabic Poetry
  • ARA312 Contemporary Literary Theory and Criticism
  • Arabic Elective (3 cr)
  • Free Elective (3 cr)

Spring (15 cr)

  • ARA499 Senior Project
  • Arabic Electives (6 cr)
  • Free Electives (4 cr)