Admission requirements
This course is only available for students in the BA International Studies programme.
Description
The official language of 22 of Europe’s closest neighbors and a United Nations official language, Arabic is the 5th largest language in the world and is relevant to the studies of the Middle East, North Africa, and parts of Asia. In this course students will begin learning Modern Standard Arabic (MSA), the written variety common to the 22 Arab countries, and Egyptian Arabic, the most widely used variety of spoken Arabic.
Course objectives
This course is the first course in a series of three language acquisition courses within the International Studies program. The final objective of this course series is to obtain a lower intermediate level of proficiency in Arabic, aimed at communication with people in the region in simple situations and enabling students to follow current affairs in the region mostly in written media.
This course enables the student to achieve a good A1 of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR).
| Skill | CEFR Level |
|---|---|
| Reading | A1 |
| Writing | A1 |
| Listening | A1 |
| Speaking | A1 |
Timetable
Visit MyTimetable.
Mode of instruction
Tutorials
Three two-hour tutorials every week, with the exception of the midterm exam week. Attending all tutorial sessions is compulsory. With online education, it is more important than ever to maintain communication and stay in touch with your study groups. For this reason, if you are unable to attend a session, it is required that you inform your tutor in advance. Please note that being absent at any tutorial session may have a negative impact on the grade of the assignment due for that particular tutorial session. This is at the discretion of the tutor.
Assessment method
Assessment
- The final grade of the course is established by determining the weighted average of the following:
Weighing
| Partial grade | Weighing |
|---|---|
| Oral Project | 10% |
| Homework | 10% |
| Quizzes | 20% |
| Midterm Exam | 25% |
| Final Exam | 35% |
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 (Midterm Exam and Final Exam). No resit for the tutorial (quizzes, homework, or project) 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.
Reading list
Required:
Alif Baa, Third Edition Bundle (Book + DVD), Kristen Brustad, Mahmoud Al-Batal, and Abbas Al-Tonsi.
Al-Kitaab Part One, Third Edition Bundle: Book + DVD, Kristen Brustad, Mahmoud Al-Batal, and Abbas Al-Tonsi.
Recommended:
Companion website to Alif Baa.
Companion website to Al-Kitaab.
Additional material as deemed appropriate by instructor, made available via Brightspace.
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.
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.