Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Wilkes-Barre · Courses
ARAB
18 courses with the subject ARAB, each shown exactly as we captured it from the college's catalog, with every element we hold. Where the wording looks broken, that is our reading of the catalog, not the college's text.
ARAB 110Arab Language, Cultures, and Current Topics3
ARAB 110 is a fourth-semester (upper intermediate) Arabic culture and language course, designed for students who have successfully completed Arabic 003, or those who demonstrate an equivalent competence in Modern Standard Arabic. The course focuses on selected aspects of the cultures to be found among Arabic-speaking communities and countries around the world, and it emphasizes the diversities within, as well as between, these cultures. Learners of Arabic as a second/foreign language will improve their language skills, especially in written and spoken communication, and they will develop their intercultural competence. The material is always presented through culturally rich texts, as the course uses authentic texts in Arabic to expand the student's knowledge of both language and culture. Students have many opportunities to increase their knowledge and appreciation of the varieties of cultural production in the Arabic-speaking world. Along with continuation of language learning, students are exposed to resources such as short stories, travelers' tales, websites, film, music, graphic fiction (comics), etc. The multiplicity of colloquial versions of the Arabic language, and their coexistence with Modern Standard Arabic, are explained in order to prepare students for encountering the complex reality of the language and its many cultures. This course can be taken as a stand-alone, or used to fill a requirement for the Arabic Minor, and as a prerequisite for Penn State's 400-level courses in Arabic.
The Qur'an is the sacred text of Islam. Revered by over a billion Muslims today, it is little understood by non-Muslims. This course will introduce students to the literary and religious meanings of this important text, which is seen as both the very word of God as well as the premier example of Arabic style. Attention will be given to the many cultures which have been influenced by this text, especially the Middle Eastern world. All readings will be in English translation.
ARAB 165Islamic States, Societies and Cultures c. 600-15003
This course introduces students to the history and culture(s) of the Islamic world from c. 600-1500. The course develops a historical framework for understanding developments in religious and legal thought and practice, science, medicine, and technology, philosophy, and the arts. Students will learn about culture through lecture and discussion and through examination and analysis of a variety of texts and examples of material culture from different periods and regions.
Fifth-semester Modern Standard Arabic: reading more complex texts, films, further development of conversation, composition skills, Arab cultures, current issues. ARAB 401 Advanced Language & Cultures I (3)(IL) (BA) This course meets the Bachelor of Arts degree requirement.This language and culture course, which fulfills International Cultures requirement or the Other Cultures requirement within the Bachelor of Arts degree, will offer a continuation of the study of the Modern Standard Arabic language and an exploration of several aspects of Arab cultures. Language skills (reading, writing, speaking, listening) are further developed through the exploration of several culturally important themes that illustrate a range of cultural situations and contexts. Among the themes that may be discussed are the following: new opportunities and also persistent problems facing Arab youth; social and economic conditions in which fundamentalist and other groups present their agendas; the condition of women and the pressures often exerted by society's norms and traditions to keep women out of the public scene; cultural, emotional, and literary reactions to the tragedy of displaced peoples; Islam and other religions among Arab cultures; love and the images and symbolism used to describe it; the writings of one or more well-known authors, including the evolution within the works of the author(s) and the influence of these writings on Arab thought; Arabic cultures in various parts of the world, including the U.S. All themes are presented in the target language and represent a wide range of Arabic culture and current issues. The course may also involve popular media such as comics, newspaper headlines, music and songs, and a visit to the library. Class activities and projects are designed to enable students to become active and creative participants and transmitters of new knowledge to their peers. Students will be asked to conduct research using authentic material, and to write a short paper in Arabic as a wrap up of their final presentation.
Sixth-semester Modern Standard Arabic: reading more complex texts, films, further development of conversation, composition skills, Arab cultures, current issues. ARAB 402 Advanced Language & Cultures II (3) (IL) (BA) This course meets the Bachelor of Arts degree requirements.This language and culture course, which fulfills the Humanities or the International Cultures requirement within General Education or the Other Cultures requirement within the Bachelor of Arts degree, will build upon previous courses in the Arabic curriculum and offer a continuation of the study of the Modern Standard Arabic language, an exploration of several aspects of Arab culture in a range of contexts, and the exploration of current issues and topics of interest in Middle Eastern media. Among the themes that may be discussed are the following: the achievements of Arab Nobel Prize winners, holiday traditions, colloquial Arabic, love, social and economic conditions of the poor and the middle-class, practical and psychological problems arising from belonging to a certain social class, ways in which the state (in different countries) relates to the needs of the people, Arab cultures in various parts of the world including the U.S., and a variety of the most recent social and political newspaper and magazine articles.All themes are presented in the target language and represent a wide range of Arabic culture and current issues. The course course may also involve popular media via the reading of comics, relevant headlines, music and songs, and computer practice for students to learn how to type in Arabic and benefit from available resources to equip students with this useful Arabic tool. Class activities and projects are designed to enable students to become active and creative participants and transmitters of new knowledge to their peers. Themes will often be examined comparatively and will draw on students' personal experience to connect with the material presented.The course is designed for students who have completed Arabic 401 in our language sequence or have the equivalent level of language proficiency. At University Park the course will be offered every semester or every other semester, according to enrollment patterns and the availability of staff. At other locations, course-offering patterns will be determined by their needs.
