SINARC Courses

SIN101 Elementary Arabic

[6–0, 6 cr.]

This elementary course is designed for students who have no knowledge of Modern Standard Arabic. It also offers a unique opportunity for descendants of Arabic- speakers to revive their lost language and cultural ties with their ancestors’ land. The course is open to the general public, students of Middle Eastern studies, business people, embassy officials and children of foreign nationals stationed in the Middle East. In this course, Arabic language instruction aims for basic proficiency in the four language skills: speaking, reading, writing, and listening. The alphabet, phonetics and basic greetings are introduced in the first week, after which students begin reading, speaking and listening to authentic material. By the end of the course, students are able to handle many daily life situations, such as identifying the self and others, naming familiar objects and people, telling time, asking for directions, describing places of residence and national origins, ordering food and drink.

Students registering for Elementary Arabic must also register for Lebanese Dialect, Level I or Level II.

SIN101A Elementary Arabic (Part A)

[3–0, 3 cr.]

This elementary course is designed for students who have no knowledge of Modern Standard Arabic. It also offers a unique opportunity for descendants of Arabic- speakers to revive their lost language and cultural ties with their ancestors’ land. The course is open to the general public, students of Middle Eastern studies, business people, embassy officials and children of foreign nationals stationed in the Middle East. In this course, Arabic language instruction aims for basic proficiency in the four language skills: speaking, reading, writing, and listening. The alphabet, phonetics and basic greetings are introduced in the first week, after which students begin reading, speaking and listening to authentic material. By the end of the course, students are able to handle many daily life situations, such as identifying the self and others, naming familiar objects and people, telling time, asking for directions, describing places of residence and national origins, ordering food and drink.

SIN101B Elementary Arabic (Part B)

[3–0, 3 cr.]

This elementary course is designed for students who have no knowledge of Modern Standard Arabic. It also offers a unique opportunity for descendants of Arabic- speakers to revive their lost language and cultural ties with their ancestors’ land. The course is open to the general public, students of Middle Eastern studies, business people, embassy officials and children of foreign nationals stationed in the Middle East. In this course, Arabic language instruction aims for basic proficiency in the four language skills: speaking, reading, writing, and listening. The alphabet, phonetics and basic greetings are introduced in the first week, after which students begin reading, speaking and listening to authentic material. By the end of the course, students are able to handle many daily life situations, such as identifying the self and others, naming familiar objects and people, telling time, asking for directions, describing places of residence and national origins, ordering food and drink.

SIN105 Lebanese Dialect I

[3–0, 3 cr.]

Students placed in this level have no previous knowledge of the dialect. The aim of this course is to provide students of Modern Standard Arabic with an opportunity to learn the basics of the Lebanese dialect. Students in this level will learn to communicate with native speakers in various daily situations.

This course counts for 2 credits when taken in summer term.

SIN106 Lebanese Dialect, Level II

[3–0, 3 cr.]

This course is designed for students who have had some exposure to the Lebanese dialect. The classes will enable students to practice their speaking skills and improve their pronunciation and fluency. Students will converse on topics using description, narration and argumentation.

This course counts for 2 credits when taken in summer term.

SIN107 Lebanese Dialect, Level III

[2–0, 2 cr.]

This course is designed for students who are enrolled in the Intensive Lebanese Dialect class.

The class is designed to help Students Bridge between their knowledge of the Modern Standard Arabic and the Lebanese dialect through various means of interpretations of newspaper articles and current issues as presented through the many media mediums available in Lebanon and the Middle East.

SIN111 Upper Elementary Arabic

[6–0, 6 cr.]

Students must have completed approximately one semester of Arabic (or the equivalent) to be able to join this class. They must have the ability to read and write using Arabic script, have a limited working vocabulary and a basic understanding of sentence structure and other basic grammatical concepts. This course is a continuation of Elementary Arabic and expands on all four skills of language learning; reading, writing, speaking and listening.

Students registering for Upper Elementary Arabic must also register for Lebanese Dialect, Level I or Level II.

SIN111A Upper Elementary Arabic (Part A)

[3–0, 3 cr.]

Students must have completed approximately one semester of Arabic (or the equivalent) to be able to join this class. They must have the ability to read and write using Arabic script, have a limited working vocabulary and a basic understanding of sentence structure and other basic grammatical concepts. This course is a continuation of Elementary Arabic and expands on all four skills of language learning; reading, writing, speaking and listening.

SIN111B Upper Elementary Arabic (Part B)

[3–0, 3 cr.]

Students must have completed approximately one semester of Arabic (or the equivalent) to be able to join this class. They must have the ability to read and write using Arabic script, have a limited working vocabulary and a basic understanding of sentence structure and other basic grammatical concepts. This course is a continuation of Elementary Arabic and expands on all four skills of language learning; reading, writing, speaking and listening.

SIN201 Intermediate Arabic I

[6–0, 6 cr.]

Students placed in the intermediate level should have taken at least one year of Arabic in college (or the equivalent), and have acquired a basic knowledge of the structure of Modern Standard Arabic. This course aims at enabling students to read, write, speak, and listen at a competency level equivalent to intermediate-mid on the ACTFL scale. Classroom instruction focuses on basic Arabic morphology, syntax and vocabulary building, as well as on reading, writing, speaking and listening skills. Students are asked to comment on most daily-life situations, write descriptions and argumentation and read a variety of styles.

Students registering for Intermediate Arabic must also register for Lebanese Dialect, Level I or Level II.

SIN201A Intermediate Arabic (Part A)

[3–0, 3 cr.]

Students placed in the intermediate level should have taken at least one year of Arabic in college (or the equivalent), and have acquired a basic knowledge of the structure of Modern Standard Arabic. This course aims at enabling students to read, write, speak, and listen at a competency level equivalent to intermediate-mid on the ACTFL scale. Classroom instruction focuses on basic Arabic morphology, syntax and vocabulary building, as well as on reading, writing, speaking and listening skills. Students are asked to comment on most daily-life situations, write descriptions and argumentation and read a variety of styles.

SIN201B Intermediate Arabic (Part B)

[3–0, 3 cr.]

Students placed in the intermediate level should have taken at least one year of Arabic in college (or the equivalent), and have acquired a basic knowledge of the structure of Modern Standard Arabic. This course aims at enabling students to read, write, speak, and listen at a competency level equivalent to intermediate-mid on the ACTFL scale. Classroom instruction focuses on basic Arabic morphology, syntax and vocabulary building, as well as on reading, writing, speaking and listening skills. Students are asked to comment on most daily-life situations, write descriptions and argumentation and read a variety of styles.

SIN202 Intermediate Arabic II

[6–0, 6 cr.]

This course is a continuation of Intermediate Arabic I and expands on students’ acquisition of vocabulary and grammar skills. At the end of this course, students will be able to read longer authentic Arabic texts with greater ease. They will be able to write short essays and give short presentations.

SIN202A Intermediate Arabic II (Part A)

[3–0, 3 cr.]

This course is a continuation of Intermediate Arabic I and expands on students’ acquisition of vocabulary and grammar skills. At the end of this course, students will be able to read longer authentic Arabic texts with greater ease. They will be able to write short essays and give short presentations.

SIN202B Intermediate Arabic II (Part B)

[3–0, 3 cr.]

This course is a continuation of Intermediate Arabic I and expands on students’ acquisition of vocabulary and grammar skills. At the end of this course, students will be able to read longer authentic Arabic texts with greater ease. They will be able to write short essays and give short presentations.

SIN211 Intensive Lebanese Dialect

[6–0, 6 cr.]

Enrollment permitting, the SINARC program will offer an intensive, eight-credit course in the Lebanese dialect. This course is designed for students who have attained intermediate to advanced level proficiency in Modern Standard Arabic. Students are regularly given practice assignments that involve using the dialect outside the classroom throughout Lebanon.

Course requires sufficient enrollment.

SIN301 Advanced Arabic

[6–0, 6 cr.]

Students placed in the advanced level should have completed the equivalent of two or more years of Arabic in college. They will have acquired a broad vocabulary and mastered basic Arabic syntax and morphology. Class sessions aim to help students attain proficiency in expository and argumentative discourse and to handle a variety of communicative tasks. Reading, writing, and listening activities address various styles of texts covering areas of literature, culture, history, and the social sciences.
Students registering for Advanced Arabic must also register for Lebanese Dialect, Level I or Level II.

SIN301A Advanced Arabic (Part A)

[3–0, 3 cr.]

Students placed in the advanced level should have completed the equivalent of two or more years of Arabic in college. They will have acquired a broad vocabulary and mastered basic Arabic syntax and morphology. Class sessions aim to help students attain proficiency in expository and argumentative discourse and handle a variety of communicative tasks.

SIN301B Advanced Arabic (Part B)

[3–0, 3 cr.]

Students placed in the advanced level should have completed the equivalent of two or more years of Arabic in college. They will have acquired a broad vocabulary and mastered basic Arabic syntax and morphology. Class sessions aim to help students attain proficiency in expository and argumentative discourse and handle a variety of communicative tasks.

SIN302 Advanced Arabic II

[6–0, 6 cr.]

Students placed in the advanced level should have completed the equivalent of two or more years of Arabic in college. They have acquired a broad vocabulary and have mastered basic Arabic syntax and morphology. Class sessions aim to help students attain proficiency in expository and argumentative discourse and to handle a variety of communicative tasks. Reading, writing and listening activities address various styles of language texts covering areas in literature, culture, history, and the social sciences.

Students registering for Advanced Arabic must also register for Lebanese Dialect, Level I or Level II.

SIN311 Arabic Language Writing Skills

[3–0, 3 cr.]

Students placed in this intermediate-level course will work on improving their Arabic language writing skills and sentence structure through the use of enriched vocabulary and terminology, with correct and adequate syntax, as well as journal writing activities, narratives and translations.

SIN320 Media Arabic

[3–0, 3 cr.]

The Media Arabic course contains selected content from various media platforms and is designed to target the four skills: reading, writing, listening and speaking. It also focuses on understanding Arab and Middle Eastern culture through the media. Students study vocabulary and structures that are essential to understanding Arab media, building a sturdy and rich base that allows them to formulate opinions on the material and fluently express their views during commentaries and discussions.  

The major course topics are Meetings, Demonstrations, Elections, Conflict and Terrorism, and Military. Current affairs and ongoing events in the Middle East and Lebanon are relevant subject matters that are tackled and analyzed in class. Classroom activities will be supplemented by occasional lectures and fieldtrips.