ARAB 4010

This class is intended to be an advanced course in the Arabic language pedagogical track; however, in reality it would be more appropriately labeled as "Intermediate Arabic Literature of the 20th Century". The emphasis in this course is almost entirely on the literary skills and involves virtually no conversational practice, and hardly any listening. Attendance in this class assumes prior mastery of grammatically correct writing, which, apart from attendance and the loosely-defined "class participation", constitutes the entirety of the material on which students will be evaluated. Be warned; however, that a standard 3 years of ARAB 1010 through ARAB 3020 will not develop these skills adequately, making it essential that students pursuing this course take advantage of opportunities to study abroad, use tutors, and undertake a focused study of grammar prior to taking the class. The professor, Dr. Sawaie, is a world-recognized star in the academic realm as a researcher and author on the development of Modern Standard Arabic; however, his teaching methods are somewhat archaic and ossified and do not lend themselves to easy or rapid acquisition of the language. That said, he is always willing to work with students outside of class hours and help those who truly have a desire to grow and learn. If you plan on taking this class, make it a point to visit Dr. Sawaie several times throughout the semester to work on your writing assignments and correct previous errors. Another thing that Arabic students at UVA should note is that the assignment of levels such as "Intermediate" and "Advanced" are somewhat relative. No one taking 4 years of Arabic at UVA should expect to achieve the same level of linguistic proficiency that they might after studying another language for four years, such as Spanish, French, German, etc, whether at the high school or university level. The complexities of Arabic are such that it cannot be learned in that time period, using the pedagogical model to which UVA's MESALC has subscribed the same way that one would learn a less complicated European language. Thus, an advanced 4th year class in Spanish may well be advanced and involve a robust study of literature but a 4th year Arabic class (at UVA) would best be described as "intermediate", despite the class' official title and the professor's expectations. Tailor your expectations and goals, accordingly.