Summer Intensive Arabic Program at Cornell
June 4-July 31, 2009
Cornell University Department of Near Eastern Studies
Overview
The Cornell Arabic program integrates spoken Arabic with Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) in a way that reflects the use of the language by native speakers. Arabs use a spoken dialect for ordinary conversation and MSA for reading, writing, and formal speech. The Cornell program introduces spoken Arabic and MSA simultaneously, using each variety as it is used in real life. The four language skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing are developed with a focus on communication (i.e., understanding the language and communicating ideas in it) rather than on the study of grammar. An important objective of the program is familiarizing students with basic facts about the geography, history, and culture of the Arab world.
Classes will meet for 3 1/2 hours in the morning (8:30-12) before breaking for lunch. Teachers will be available to help students with homework and for informal conversation between noon and 2 p.m. Every week will be concluded with a lunch that the students and teachers eat together at a local Middle East restaurant, where the students will have a chance to practice their Arabic with native speakers outside of the classroom.
Arabic learning community
In this program, students and teachers will form an "Arabic learning community." The teachers will work as a team, sharing the tasks of teaching, providing supplementary materials, and planning activities that enhance classroom instruction. The number of students in each class is not expected to exceed five to eight, so the teacher/student ratio will be around two to four.
