First-Year Courses in Arabic, Armenian, Persian, Turkish, and Islamic Studies (Division 325)

Fall Term, 1999 (September 8 - December 22, 1999)

Section 001.

Instructor(s): Gary Beckman (sidd@umich.edu) , John Turner (persons@umich.edu)

Credits: (4; 3 in the half-term).

Course Homepage: https://cgi.www.umich.edu/~proflame/nes100/

This course will survey Middle Eastern political, social, and cultural history from Sumer (3000 BC) to Khomeini’s Iran (1979-89). The lectures, the readings, the visuals (web, movies, slides) are all geared towards providing the student with a sense of the nature of authority, political and cultural styles, the fabric of society, attitudes and behaviors, heroes and villains, that are and were part of the heritage of those peoples who lived in the lands between the Nile and Oxus rivers, generally referred to as the Middle East. Throughout the term you will have four quizzes (10%), a midterm (25%), and an accumulative final exam (40%). A one page synopsis of your readings will be due weekly for your discussion section.

Language Courses

Section 001.

Instructor(s): Carol Bardenstein (cbardens@umich.edu)

Credits: (5).

Lab Fee: Laboratory fee ($12) required.

Course Homepage: No Homepage Submitted.

This is the first of a two-term sequence in elementary Modern Standard Arabic (MSA). It is designed for those students who want to study MSA for communication and academic purposes. It starts with an introduction to Arabic phonology and script combined with oral basic communication practice. This is followed by situational dialogues and short reading passages including basic vocabulary and fundamental grammatical structures. The course offers combined training in listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Students are provided with opportunities to practice Arabic through the use of highly-structured drills, contextualized exercises, and supplementary communicative activities. Course requirements include: daily preparation of the basic texts and the grammatical explanations; oral practice utilizing newly learned vocabulary and structures; reading supplementary short texts and situational dialogues and writing answers to certain drills; filling out forms and supplying simple biographical information. Course evaluation is based on class participation, daily written assignments, achievement tests, monthly comprehensive tests, and a final exam. Textbooks: (1) Arabic Sounds and Letters. A Beginning Programmed Course (Textbook and Manual); (2) Elementary Modern Standard Arabic, Part 1 (Lessons 1-12); (3) Supplementary Enrichment Vocabulary and Achievement Tests to accompany EMSA; (4) Hans Weher's Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic.

Language Courses

Section 002, 003, 004.

Instructor(s): Muhammad Eissa

Credits: (5).

Lab Fee: Laboratory fee ($12) required.

Course Homepage: No Homepage Submitted.

This is the first of a two-term sequence in elementary Modern Standard Arabic (MSA). It is designed for those students who want to study MSA for communication and academic purposes. It starts with an introduction to Arabic phonology and script combined with oral basic communication practice. This is followed by situational dialogues and short reading passages including basic vocabulary and fundamental grammatical structures. The course offers combined training in listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Students are provided with opportunities to practice Arabic through the use of highly-structured drills, contextualized exercises, and supplementary communicative activities. Course requirements include: daily preparation of the basic texts and the grammatical explanations; oral practice utilizing newly learned vocabulary and structures; reading supplementary short texts and situational dialogues and writing answers to certain drills; filling out forms and supplying simple biographical information. Course evaluation is based on class participation, daily written assignments, achievement tests, monthly comprehensive tests, and a final exam. Textbooks: (1) Arabic Sounds and Letters. A Beginning Programmed Course (Textbook and Manual); (2) Elementary Modern Standard Arabic, Part 1 (Lessons 1-12); (3) Supplementary Enrichment Vocabulary and Achievement Tests to accompany EMSA; (4) Hans Weher's Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic.

Language Courses

Section 001.

Credits: (4).

Course Homepage: No Homepage Submitted.

Persian has been called the French of the Near/Middle East. Certainly, Persia/Iran has been in the news. Persian is an Indo-European language, related to English, etc. Its literature, like other arts, is a major part of Near/Middle Eastern and Muslim tradition. Persian 141 is the first term of a four-term sequence. It takes the student through to the basic mastery of the skills of reading and writing, and of comprehension and speaking. Cultural as well as communicative skills are emphasized. By the end of the term the student should be well versed in these skills. Individual students work with the instructor to polish and improve the student's Persian language skills. The objective is language use. Students who have special needs, such as those acquiring the knowledge of Persian for reading purposes, only, or for communicative skills, only, will be given special attention and special sessions. Similarly, students of Iranian heritage, who may know some Persian in its colloquial form, will find the linguistic and cultural content of this course stimulating.

Language Courses

Section 001.

Credits: (4).

Course Homepage: No Homepage Submitted.

Part of the departmental sequence in modern Turkish language, this course aims at introducing and providing the opportunity to practice the basic structures of Turkish. Although it specifically focuses on enhancing spoken proficiency, reading and writing skills are taught and practiced through special readings and written assignments. Students are evaluated in accordance with the provisional Proficiency Guidelines prepared by the American Association of Teachers of Turkic Languages, class participation, achievements in weekly quizzes, a midterm, and a final examination. The required texts are named by the person who happens to be teaching the course in a given year.

Language Courses

Section 001.

Credits: (4).

Course Homepage: No Homepage Submitted.

This course is designed for students with no previous knowledge of Armenian. Reading, writing, and speaking are equally emphasized. Homework assignments and listening to tapes on a regular basis, frequent short tests, and a final examination are required. Overall performance throughout the year/term and in the final examination and compliance with requirements will determine the grade.

Section 001.

Instructor(s): Ralph Williams (fiesole@umich.edu) , Gene Schramm (gschramm@umich.edu) , Sherman Jackson (sajackso@umich.edu)

Credits: (4; 3 in the half-term).

Course Homepage: No Homepage Submitted.

See Ancient Civilizations and Biblical Studies 200.001.