Arabic Language & Cultures: Lower Intermediate - LAN00112H

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Module summary

Learning a language can be a transformative and enriching experience. Both the process and the outcomes are beneficial at various levels, from increased neuroplasticity to improving your overall academic performance, fostering empathy and intercultural awareness, and enhancing your career opportunities. This course is aimed at students who have some knowledge of Arabic. Over the course of a semester, it will steadily build the knowledge, skills, and strategies necessary to learn Arabic and take part in everyday routine exchanges. It will focus on developing a communicative competence at lower intermediate level and provide a foundation for further study.

Related modules

Arabic Language and Culture: Elementary or equivalent.

Module will run

Occurrence	Teaching period
A	Semester 1 2024-25
B	Semester 2 2024-25

Module aims

The module aims are for students to:

• further develop the four language skills (reading, writing, listening and speaking), while learning Arabic within the framework of diglossia (learning how to distinguish between the written and the spoken, formal and informal).

• gain further knowledge of cultural aspects of the Arab world and an understanding of additional structural patterns appropriate to this level

• gain more confidence in using the language in daily communication.

Students will engage, individually and in groups, in communicative activities and tasks emphasizing three modes of communication:

1. reception activities (oral, audio-video, and reading comprehension),

2. production activities (oral and written production),

3. interaction activities (oral, written, and online interaction).

The mediums of instruction are English and Arabic.

Module learning outcomes

By the end of this module students should be able to:

• Understand straightforward factual texts with a satisfactory level of comprehension.

• Produce short, complex texts on topics of interest and give and justify their opinion. 

• Summarise, report and give their opinion about accumulated factual information and produce very brief reports in a standard conventionalised format.

• Express personal opinions and exchange information on topics that are familiar, of personal interest or pertinent to everyday life (e.g. family, hobbies, work, travel and current events).

• Generally respond appropriately to the most commonly used cultural cues to discuss in simple terms different perceptions of culturally determined actions. 

• Reflect upon language use and justify linguistic choices. 

• Self-monitor and self-regulate their own learning and resources.

• Identify and apply adequate strategies to prevent or overcome breakdowns in interaction and production activities.

Module content

Topics may include:

• The past tense

• The present tense

• Broken plural

• Talking about the past

• Daily routine

• Future plans

• Letter writing

• Numbers.

• Days of the week.

• Months of the year.

Indicative assessment

Task	% of module mark
Closed/in-person Exam (Centrally scheduled)	60.0
Oral presentation/seminar/exam	40.0

Special assessment rules

None

Additional assessment information

The written exam will include one or two questions aimed at assessing students’ ability to reflect on language use and justify their responses and choices when using the language (in English), and a task related to students’ ability to monitor their own learning.

The oral exam will include strategic competence among the assessment criteria in production and interaction activities.

 

Indicative reassessment

Task	% of module mark
Closed/in-person Exam (Centrally scheduled)	60.0
Oral presentation/seminar/exam	40.0

Module feedback

Feedback on exams and essays as per University regulations.

 

Indicative reading

Course materials and guided readings will be provided by the module convenors via the VLE at the start of the semester.