54
Arabic Language and Literature
UNIVERSITÀ DEGLI STUDI DI NAPOLI "L'ORIENTALE"
Overview
Date/time interval
Syllabus
Course Objectives
EXPECTED LEARNING OUTCOMES
The course aims to provide students with a solid solid basic knowledge of Standard Arabic, covering level A1 of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEF or CEFR). The course will develop the four language skills — listening, speaking, reading and writing — in a balanced way, in order to lay the foundations for further Arabic studies.
ABILITY TO APPLY KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING
The course provides students with the necessary knowledge and methodological tools to read, write, listen and communicate, through drafting and analysing appropriate texts and holding short, simple conversations on topics covered during the year. By the end of the course, students should be able to demonstrate that they have acquired the required language skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing).
ADDITIONAL LEARNING OUTCOMES
Students should be able to apply the skills acquired during the course, demonstrating reasonable autonomy of judgement and good critical thinking skills. They should also have acquired the autonomy necessary to evaluate and use their skills effectively.
Students should demonstrate their ability to communicate information and ideas effectively in relation to the topics covered during the course, applying the knowledge they have acquired correctly. By the end of the course, students should have developed the necessary skills to progress to the next level with a good degree of autonomy.
Course Prerequisites
There are no prerequisites
Teaching Methods
The course is structured according to a communicative approach and includes lectures, seminars and laboratory work. To assess the skills acquired, students will be required to complete individual or group assignments and/or research projects on specific topics. Students will also be involved in in-class Arabic activities with a communicative and didactic focus, and will participate in the production of simple texts and conversations. In addition, ongoing assessment tests may be carried out. The Language Centre of the University L’Orientale's (CLAOR) e-learning platform will also be used.
The course is structured as follows:
Grammar: theory and practice.
Conversation in standard Arabic on specific topics.
Production of written Arabic texts.
Assessment Methods
The exam consists of a written test and an oral examination. The written test, which is carried out on the Moodle platform, consists of reading an Arabic text and answering multiple-choice questions, selecting missing words, and completing syntactic and lexical exercises. Those who pass the written test must then take a standard Arabic interview on the topics covered during the course. The oral exam assesses language proficiency in the following areas: listening, speaking, reading and writing, based on the texts studied throughout the academic year.
Languages of the exam: Arabic and Italian.
Students will be evaluated based on their achievement of the course's learning objectives, their correct use of vocabulary and grammatical structures, and their level of proficiency in the four language skills.
Texts
Handbook:
M. Ruocco, L. D’Anna, S. Fatayer, Comunicare in arabo, vol. 1, Hoepli, Milano, 2022.
Texts:
A. Cobos et al., al-Birka, Introduzione alla scrittura araba, Albujayra, 2015.
A. Cobos et al., As-saqiya A1, Albujayra, 2015.
Texts for further reading
G. Mion, La lingua araba, Carocci, Roma, 2007.
L. Veccia Vaglieri, M. Avino, Grammatica Teorico-Pratica della Lingua Araba, vol. 1, parte 1 e 2, Roma, Istituto per l’Oriente, 2018.
Dictionary:
E. Baldissera, Il dizionario di Arabo, Dizionario Italiano-Arabo Arabo Italiano, Zanichelli, Bologna, 2004. L’insegnamento non prevede una distinzione di programma per le studentesse/gli studenti non frequentanti e per le studentesse/gli studenti Erasmus.
There is no distinction in the course content between attending and non-attending students, including Erasmus students.
Contents
Grammatical topics:
1. The Arabic script: pronunciation, reading and writing.
2. The noun (feminine forms, adjectives and pronouns); definiteness and indefiniteness; the case system; number (dual and plural).
3. The structure of nominal and verbal sentences.
4. Particles and prepositions.
5. The annexation (iḍāfa) and related constructions.
6.Verbs (conjugation and negation) in the present and in the past tenses.
7. Numerals.
8. Roots and the use of the dictionary.
Conversation topics:
1. Greetings.
2. Introduce yourself and your family.
3. Name body parts and personality traits.
4. Describe your current and past activities, such as study, work, hobbies and free time.
5. Describe a public place, such as a city, airport or hotel.
6. Orient yourself in your city environment.
7. Describe and locate the main Arab countries on a map.
8. Study a selection of texts on a variety of themes and genres.
Course Language
Italian and Arabic
More information
We strongly recommend participation in lessons and language exercises.