Arabic Minor
The Minor in Arabic is designed for students who wish to gain a high level of proficiency in Arabic to understand and interact with communities of different ethnicities and cultures in the Middle East and to embrace diversity, equity, and inclusion. The course work leading to the Minor in Arabic is carefully scaffolded along a set of overarching learning principles that inform the pedagogical tasks employed in each class. The Minor in Arabic is available to all students with at least two years of Arabic language studies or its equivalent.
| Course | Title |
|---|---|
| Prerequisite 1 | |
| Arabic II (or equivalent proficiency) | |
| Minor Requirements (6 units) 2 | |
| Third-year level sequence; recommended starting sequence for non-heritage Arabic speakers (see explanation below) | |
| Arabic III | |
| Arabic III | |
| Arabic III | |
| Content-based language courses (see explanation below) | |
| Language and Culture | |
| Current Events in the Middle East: Arab Society through Online News Media | |
| Translation in Practice: A Bridge to the Future | |
| Reading Arabic Poetry | |
| Reading Classical Arabic Texts | |
| Reading Modern Arabic Prose | |
- 1
Beginner students start with the Arabic I sequence (ARABIC 111-1, ARABIC 111-2, ARABIC 111-3) and continue to the Arabic II sequence (ARABIC 121-1, ARABIC 121-2, ARABIC 121-3) as prerequisite to the minor.
- 2
At least two of the 6 courses in Arabic must be at the 300-level. No more than 1 unit of ARABIC 399-0 may be applied as a 300-level unit towards the minor.
Third-year Level Language Sequence
The program offers a 3-course language sequence on the third-year level which is based on work with a language textbook with carefully sequenced grammar and culture exercises. While not mandatory, we encourage our students to take this sequence first. However, native or near native speakers of Arabic skip these and must select courses from the content-based course list.
Content-Based Language Courses
The program also offers content-based language courses on the 200-level and 300-level. In content-based courses, the thematic content - topics that students find interesting and relevant - provides the materials (mostly authentic language documents) around which listening, speaking, reading, and writing activities are created. Content-based courses are self-contained and do not need to be taken in a sequence.
Study Abroad Policy
Language courses taken abroad may be counted towards the minor with the approval of the MENA Languages Program. It is essential that students returning from abroad take the Arabic language placement test as soon as possible so that they can be placed into the appropriate course. Only study abroad courses above the level of ARABIC 121-3 can be counted towards the minor. The Arabic minor must be completed with at least 3 units of coursework at Northwestern.