Knowledge of Arabic language and its associated cultural practices, values, attitudes, and norms opens more doors to the Muslim world and Arabic speaking communities than would otherwise be available. In this course, students participate in lectures and interactive learning activities and engage in studying more complex grammatical structures, vocabulary in connection with Muslim and Arab cultures, daily life, festivals, poetry, music, stories, issues of identity, ethics, spirituality, and other facets of their culture. They use the structures and vocabulary in listening, speaking, and writing activities. Students explore a wide variety of styles of writing and genres of literature from different periods of Islamic history through authentic, primary texts. They engage in intensive reading of writings on a number of cultural topics, which enables them to critically approach and evaluate prose, fiction, and non-fiction, through literary theories. A close reading of the sources and scenario-based discussions enable students to expand their vocabulary, and discourse analysis skills and improve their critical thinking skills. Through independent research, students further their inquiry into the relationship between language and culture and produce and support theses of their own.
