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Department of Languages, Literatures & Linguistics Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies
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Arabic

Absorb yourself in the language and cultures of a dynamic region with major strategic and economic importance. Arabic is a Semitic language spoken by over 330 million people around the world. The language of Islam, Arabic has many different dialects, but in this program, you will study Modern Standard Arabic–the form used in business and the media–increasing your career options after graduation.

You will learn the basics of Modern Standard Arabic, the diversity of Arab cultures and issues related to identity, predominant ideological discourses and major contemporary debates in Arab societies.

All our instructors are native Arabic speakers from diverse regions within the Arab region, and are actively writing and publishing. Professor Carmela Shihadi is the author of a manual for Arabic language beginners and professor El Khachab is a widely published scholar of Arab cultures whose work is available in Arabic, French and English.

You also can share what you have learned at York’s annual Arab Culture Day, a landmark event where students in the program showcase their skills in Arab dance, music, fashion, cuisine and more. 

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Courses

Description: An introduction to standard written and formal spoken Arabic for true beginners.

Course credit exclusion: AP/ARB 1010 6.00.

Description: This course is designed for students with minimal previous knowledge of spoken and/or written Arabic and focuses on developing proficiency in reading, writing, listening and speaking the standard Arabic language. By the end of this course, students are expected to be able to read and understand short texts of Arabic and translate them from Arabic into English, and vice versa.

Course credit exclusion: AP/ARB 1000 6.00.

Open to: Native speakers of Arabic dialects with no formal training in the Modern Standard Arabic, and readers of the Qur'an and Arabic script with no formal training in Arabic.

Not open to: Speakers of Modern Standard Arabic.

Notes: An authorization slip is required; it can be obtained at the Main Office of DLLL, Ross S 561, after the required written placement test.

Description: This course introduces students to colloquial Arabic through conversation. Students who have competence at the beginners' level in the grammar of standard Arabic study the colloquial in order to function in real life situations where formal (standard) Arabic is not used, i.e. outside of the institutional settings of formal language.

Prerequisites/Co-requisites: AP/ARB 1000 or AP/ARB 1010 6.00.

Notes: This course is open to students enrolled in ARB 1000 6.00, ARB 1010 6.00, or students who have taken these courses. This course is not open to native speakers of Egyptian and Syrian-Lebenese Arabic. An authorization slip is required; it can be obtained at the Main Office of the Department of Languages, Literatures and Linguistics (S561 Ross Building) after the required interview or after a placement questionnaire is filled.

Description: This course focuses on the acquisition of more complex grammatical structures, expanding vocabulary and discourse skills, and on developing competence in a wide range of communicative situations in Arabic.

Prerequisite: AP/ARB 1000 6.00 or permission of the department.

Description: Designed for students with knowledge of spoken and/or written Arabic exceeding that of a student who took the Introduction course for beginners. Students in this course will have taken the Introduction for Advanced Beginners or will have equivalent knowledge of the language. This course focuses on developing proficiency in reading, writing, listening and speaking the standard Arabic language. By its end, students are expected to be able to read and understand long texts, from a variety of genres of Arabic and translate them from Arabic into English, and vice versa.

Prerequisites: AP/ARB 1010 6.00 or equivalent competence. Course credit exclusion: AP/ARB 2000 6.00. Open to: Native speakers of Arabic dialects with no formal training in the Modern Standard Arabic, and readers of the Qur'an and Arabic script with no formal training in Arabic.

Notes: An authorization slip is required; it can be obtained at the Main Office of DLLL, after the required written placement test.

Description: Introduces the diversity of Arab cultures: their values, practices, and cultural products, such as literature, music, Internet and cinema, from the 19th century to present day. No knowledge of Arabic is required.

Course credit exclusions: AP/HUMA 2710 6.00.

Description: This course builds on the listening, speaking, reading and writing skills developed in AP/ARB 2000 6.00. Students study passages from different disciplines, present short dialogues, and lead prepared discussions on different topics. This course also helps students develop translation skills.

Prerequisite: AP/ARB 2000 6.00 or permission of the department.

Questions?

Contact Walid El Khachab at walid@yorku.ca for help with academic and administrative questions.