Admission requirements
This course is only available for students in the BA International Studies programme.
For this course a minimum number of 8 participants is required. If the minimum number of participants is not met, the course will be cancelled.
You need to contact your coordinator of studies in order to check your language level and to do the entry test.
Description
This is the first of a three-course sequence that is designed for students who already have some experience with Arabic. This course balances the use of Modern Standard Arabic (MSA), the written variety common to the 22 Arab countries, and Egyptian Arabic, the most widely used variety of spoken Arabic. The final objective of this course series is to obtain an intermediate level of proficiency in Arabic, aimed at communication with people in the region in everyday social situations and enabling students to follow current affairs in the region via various media.
Course objectives
Students will use relevant grammatical and lexical Arabic structures to perform language functions typical of pre-intermediate level: such as giving reasons, referring to past and present events, negation in a variety of time frames, and expressing opinion and habits.
| Skill | CEFR Level |
|---|---|
| Reading | A1+ |
| Writing | A1+ |
| Listening | A1+ |
| Speaking | A1+ |
Timetable
The timetable is available on the BA International Studies website.
Mode of instruction
Tutorials
Three two-hour tutorials every week, with the exception of the midterm exam week. Attending all tutorial sessions is compulsory. If you are unable to attend a session, please inform your tutor in advance, providing a valid reason for your absence. Being absent will result in a lowering of the participation grade by 5/10 for every absence after the first three (3) times.
Course Load
Total course load for this course is 10 EC (1 EC = 28 hours), which equals 280 hours, broken down by:
| Component | Estimated time |
|---|---|
| Attending classes | 72 hours |
| Assessment hours (exams) | 6 hours |
| Preparing for classes, exams, homework and extra activities | 202 hours |
Assessment method
Assessment
- Written exams, quizzes, homework, and an oral project.
Weighing
| Partial grade | Weighing |
|---|---|
| Homework | 20% |
| Participation | 10% |
| Quizzes | 20% |
| Oral project | 10% |
| Midterm | 20% |
| Final Exam | 20% |
End Grade
To successfully complete the course, please take note that the End Grade of the course is established by determining the weighted average of the in-class oral and listening performance, and written exams.
The End Grade needs to be a 6.0 or higher to pass the course.
Resit
If the End Grade is insufficient (lower than a 6.0), there is a possibility of retaking the full 60% of the exam material (exams, quizzes, Midterm Exam and Final Exam). No resit for the tutorial (project, participation and homework) is possible.
Exam review and feedback
How and when an exam review will take place will be disclosed together with the publication of the exam results at the latest. If a student requests a review within 30 days after publication of the exam results, an exam review will have to be organized.
Blackboard
Blackboard will be used for this course. Students are requested to enroll on Blackboard, but only after correct enrolment in uSis.
Reading list
Al-Kitaab Part One, Third Edition (Book + DVD), Kristen Brustad, Mahmoud Al-Batal, and Abbas Al-Tonsi.
Additional material as deemed appropriate by instructor, made available via Blackboard.
Registration
Enrolment through uSis for Tutorials is mandatory.
Students will be enrolled for Exams by the Administration Office, as long as they have a valid Tutorial enrolment.
Registration Studeren à la carte and Contractonderwijs
Not applicable
Contact
When contacting lecturers or tutors, please include your full name, student number, and tutorial group number.
Please use your University email-address (uMail) when communicating with any person or department within Leiden University.
Student Affairs Office for BA International Studies
Remarks
Passing this course is an additional requirement for a positive Study Recommendation at the end of the year.
This course uses an integrated communicative language learning approach. Therefore, active participation in the classroom activities is essential for successful learning outcomes.