Arabic

University of California, Berkeley

This is an archived copy of the 2014-15 guide. To access the most recent version of the guide, please visit http://guide.berkeley.edu/.

About the Program

Minor

The Department of Near Eastern Studies offers a minor in Arabic; there is no major program in Arabic; however, students may pursue study of Arabic as a concentration within the Near Eastern Languages and Literatures  major.

Students minoring in Arabic choose one of two options. Option A is open to students with little or no background in the language. Option B is for students who have completed the equivalent of two years of university-level coursework in the language. For specific information regarding the requirements for each option, please see the Minor Requirements tab on this page.

Students may pursue the major in Ancient Egyptian and Near Eastern Art and Archaeology and a minor in one of the department's language programs, even though both are administered by the Department of Near Eastern Studies; students may not pursue a major in one of the Near Eastern Studies languages and a minor in another. Students may pursue the major in Near Eastern languages and literatures and a minor in Ancient Egyptian and Near Eastern civilizations. 

Declaring the Minor

For information regarding how to declare the minor, please see the department's website .

Other Majors and Minors offered by the Department of Near Eastern Studies

Ancient Egyptian Near Eastern Art and Archaeology  (Major only)
Arabic  (Minor only)
Hebrew  (Minor only)
Near Eastern Civilizations  (Major only)
Near Eastern Languages and Literatures  (Major only)
Persian  (Minor only)
Turkish  (Minor only)

Visit Department Website

Minor Requirements

Students who have a strong interest in an area of study outside their major often decide to complete a minor program. These programs have set requirements and are noted officially on the transcript in the memoranda section, but are not noted on diplomas.

General Guidelines

  1. All courses taken to fulfill the minor requirements below must be taken for graded credit.
  2. A minimum of three of the upper-division courses taken to fulfill the minor requirements must be completed at UC Berkeley.
  3. A minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 is required for courses used to fulfill the minor requirements.
  4. Courses used to fulfill the minor requirements may be applied toward the Seven-Course Breadth Requirement, for Letters and Science students.
  5. No more than one upper-division course may be used to simultaneously fulfill requirements for a student's major and minor programs.
  6. All minor requirements must be completed prior to the last day of finals during the semester in which you plan to graduate. If you cannot finish all courses required for the minor by that time, please see a College of Letters and Science adviser.
  7. All minor requirements must be completed within the unit ceiling. (For further information regarding the unit ceiling, please see the College Requirements tab.)

Requirements, Option A

Open to students with no background in the language

Lower-division Requirements
ARABIC 1AElementary Arabic5
ARABIC 1BElementary Arabic5
ARABIC 20AIntermediate Arabic5
ARABIC 20BIntermediate Arabic5
Upper-division Requirements
ARABIC 100AAdvanced Arabic3
Two 1-semester literature courses 16
Two 1-semester courses in Arabic culture/history6
Total Units35
1

 Texts must be in Arabic. ARABIC 100B Advanced Arabic can count as one of these courses.

Requirements, Option B

Open to students who can demonstrate proficiency at a level equivalent to that expected of students who have successfully completed the elementary and intermediate courses in the language (2 years of university-level coursework)

Upper-division Requirements
Five 1-semester courses in Arabic language or literature 115
Two 1-semester courses in Arabic culture/history 26
Total Units21
1

  Texts must be in Arabic. ARABIC 100B Advanced Arabic can count as one of these courses.

2

 The undergraduate adviser may approve external department substitution courses for the culture/history requirement.

Courses

Arabic

ARABIC 1A Elementary Arabic 5 Units

This course emphasizes the functional usage of Arabic in the four language skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Authentic audio, video, and reading materials are presented from the beginning, and students are encouraged to be creative with the language in and out of class.

ARABIC 1B Elementary Arabic 5 Units

This course emphasizes the functional usage of Arabic in the four language skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Authentic audio, video, and reading materials are presented from the beginning, and students are encouraged to be creative with the language in and out of class.

ARABIC 11 Arabic for Reading Knowledge 4 Units

The course is designed to guide students through Arabic grammar with a systematic treatment of the subject and the use of classical Arabic texts.

ARABIC 15 Spoken Arabic 6 Units

Practice in speaking an Arabic dialect.

ARABIC 15B Spoken Arabic 3 Units

Practice in speaking an Arabic dialect.

ARABIC 20A Intermediate Arabic 5 Units

This course is proficiency oriented. Authentic reading in modern standard and classical Arabic and the understanding and application of grammatical and stylistic rules are emphasized. Students deliver oral presentations and write academic papers in Arabic.

ARABIC 20B Intermediate Arabic 5 Units

This course is proficiency oriented. Authentic reading in modern standard and classical Arabic and the understanding and application of grammatical and stylistic rules are emphasized. Students deliver oral presentations and write academic papers in Arabic.

ARABIC 30 Intermediate Arabic 10 Units

This course is equivalent to a full year of intermediate level Arabic. It will deepen skills in speaking, comprehending, reading, and writing Modern Standard Arabic.

ARABIC 50 Advanced Arabic 10 Units

This course will include grammatical and stylistic anlaysis of Arabic texts from both the classical and the modern periods. Class will be conducted entirely in Arabic.

ARABIC 100A Advanced Arabic 3 Units

Intensive reading and analysis of texts of different genres. Guest lectures, films, documentaries, oral presentations, research papers. Formal and informal styles of writing and correspondence. Extensive vocabulary building.

ARABIC 100B Advanced Arabic 3 Units

Intensive reading and analysis of texts of different genres. Guest lectures, films, documentaries, oral presentations, research papers. Formal and informal styles of writing and correspondence. Extensive vocabulary building.

ARABIC 104A Modern Arabic Prose 3 Units

This course is designed for students who wish to concentrate on contemporary prose. Reading and analysis of modern Arabic fiction, including short stories, drama, the novel, and expository prose.

ARABIC 104B Classical Arabic Prose 3 Units

This course is designed for students who wish to concentrate on Arabic of the classical periods of Arab and Islamic civilization. Reading and analysis of literary texts of various genres, including essays, biography, and travel literature.

ARABIC 105A Modern Arabic Poetry 3 Units

Readings and analysis of 20th-century Arabic poetry.

ARABIC 105B Classical Arabic Poetry 3 Units

Readings and analysis of poetry from the pre-Islamic through the classical periods.

ARABIC 107 Arabic Historical and Geographical Texts 3 Units

Readings from the classical historians and geographers and from contemporary scholarship. Development of historiography.

ARABIC 108 Islamic Religious and Philosophical Texts in Arabic 3 Units

Readings in the basic texts of Islam (Qur'an, Huran, Hadith, Sira, commentary) and in theological, mystical, and philosophical texts.

ARABIC 111A Survey of Arabic Literature (in Arabic) 3 Units

This course is designed primarily for majors and prospective majors in Arabic studies. The Classical Periods: A literary-historical survey of Arabic literature from pre-Islamic times to the middle of the thirteenth century, with emphasis on the more important achievements of major Arab authors.

ARABIC 111B Survey of Arabic Literature (in Arabic) 3 Units

This course is designed primarily for majors and prospective majors in Arabic studies. The Post-Abbasid and Modern Periods: A literary-historical survey of Arabic literature from the middle of the thirteenth century to the present.

ARABIC H195 Senior Honors 2 - 4 Units

Directed study centered upon preparation of an honors thesis.

ARABIC 198 Directed Group Study for Upper Division Students 1 - 4 Units

Instruction in areas not covered by regularly scheduled courses.

ARABIC 199 Supervised Independent Study and Research 1 - 4 Units

Enrollment restrictions apply; see the Introduction to Courses and Curricula section of this catalog.

Contact Information

Department of Near Eastern Studies

250 Barrows Hall

Phone: 510-642-3757

nes@berkeley.edu

Visit Department Website

Department Chair and Faculty Adviser

Margaret Larkin, PhD

274 Barrows Hall

Phone: 510-642-4915

larkin@berkeley.edu

Undergraduate Assistant

Rania Shah

250 Barrows Hall

Phone: 510-642-3758

rshah@berkeley.edu

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