Online Arabic Courses

The course provides students with an introduction to classical Arabic. This course is designed for students requiring Arabic for academic purposes (using Arabic script and phonology). It is designed for students who have never studied Arabic before and begins with an introduction to Arabic sounds and letters through learning common words and short sentences, basic vocabulary and simple sentence structure. It combines training in the four language skills: reading, writing, listening and speaking. Its methodology entails the introduction of basic vocabulary and grammatical structures through oral communication activities, followed by short readings and situational dialogues in which the newly introduced structures are utilized.

The teaching emphasizes the functional use of Arabic and communication in context through reading and speaking the language. The course will increase students’ curiosity and promote a love of Arabic and a desire to learn the Arabic language.

The course is designed for students who have successfully finished around 60 academic hours of modern Standard Arabic (MSAR 120). Conducted entirely in Arabic, and using a communicative approach, this course continues discussion of the basic structure of the Arabic language ‎beyond the basics introduced in MSAR 120. It is designed to further develop the four language skills using selected texts on various cultural, social and political issues. Students learn longer sentence structure, read longer texts and review basic grammar when needed. To promote understanding, each text is followed by a series of questions. In answering the questions, the students improve both their comprehension and their ability to express them­ selves orally. Step by step, the students are trained in listening to the original text.

The course is designed for students who have completed 120 academic hours of Arabic study. It continues to develop the four language skills by introducing higher-level literacy and socio-political texts. Students improve their ability to express more abstract ideas and opinions in oral and written forms through the discussion of selected texts (mainly authentic), including newspaper articles, and pieces from various literary genres.

The students study both written and re­corded material taken from the real conversation between the people Arab and foreign. In the begin­ning, students hear the meeting recording and then check the written text. New vocabulary is listed at the bottom of each text. After learning the text in its written form, students go back to the recorded text and practice it. The instructor will teach the students how to express the text orally. The course will provide advanced instruction in gram­mar and stylistic features of Modern Standard Arabic. Each student will pre­pare a project related to the development of modern Arabic. At the end of the course, students will present their projects in Arabic in front of the class.

This course is designed for people who have never studied Arabic before. Students learn Colloquial Palestinian Arabic in order to communicate in daily life. The methodology centers on short texts which teach the basic vocabulary and grammar of the dialect. The texts are written in both the Arabic and English alphabets so students can choose their preference.

(60 academic hours)

The course is designed for students who have finished 60 academic hours of Spoken Arabic or MSA. In this level students advance in learning longer dialogues from daily life. These dialogues will be presented in front of the class in order to build confidence in speaking in front of people. The focus will be on the verb system of the dialect. Moreover, the order and the basic syntax will be taught. The instructor will always explain the differences between the dialect and literary Arabic for those who had only studied literary Arabic before.

This course is designed for students who have 120 academic hours of Spoken Arabic or equivalent in literary Arabic. The students learn longer, more complex texts on different topics focusing on stylistic features of the Palestinian dialect. Each text is followed by a series of questions. The grammar of the dialect will be compared with literary Arabic grammar for those who have studied literary Arabic previously. The instructors deliver the material only in Spoken Arabic.

This course is designed for students who have reached a high level in Spoken Arabic and want to improve their speaking skills. The students learn longer, more complex texts on different topics focusing on stylistic features of the Palestinian dialect. Each text is followed by a series of questions. The grammar of the dialect will be compared with literary Arabic grammar for those who have only studied literary Arabic previously. The instructors deliver the material only in Spoken Arabic.

–A special course for foreign politicians and consuls: Special programs for politicians and ambassadors who work in consulates and embassies of foreign countries in Jerusalem and want to study the Arabic language to communicate with the local Arab population.

– Topics upon request: Considering our past students’ desire to learn more topics than offered in our standard courses, we are introducing the opportunity to take a specialized short course (15 hours over a regular semester). Topics will include Arabic poetry, Palestinian poetry, Holy Land churches and mosques, Palestinian political parties, and many more topics upon request.

– Media Arabic (advanced level for journalists): This course is designed for students who have reached a high level in Media Arabic and want to advance their listening, reading, writing, and speaking skills. The course will also have an emphasis on perfecting the right pronunciation of Arabic. This course is for students who have studied Arabic for at least 3 years. Students at this level are expected to learn and use vocabulary items that belong to different genres (political, historical, religious, financial, etc.). The students are also expected to produce written pieces that reflect a higher level of complexity and style. Writing or speaking for a specific purpose or unique audience is emphasized. The students’ reading level will reflect this higher level of complexity. Students are expected to produce oral and written presentations where new and old syntactic rules and structures are utilized.

– Spoken Arabic (advanced level):  This course is designed for students who live in the Arab world, already speak Arabic, and want to improve their speaking skills. Students in this course will also sharpen their pronunciation of the Palestinian dialect. This is an upper-level course for students who can already handle basic communication skills in Colloquial Palestinian Arabic and are ready to work on more advanced conversational skills such as talking about current events, and expressing abstract ideas and opinions. The teaching and learning process in this course is communication-based and the emphasis is placed on context. Students are required to watch TV broadcasts of cultural, historical, and religious programs, analyze more complex topics, present their analysis orally in class, and engage in lengthy discussions with classmates.