California University of Pennsylvania
Guidelines for New Course Proposals
University Course Syllabus
Department of Art and Languages
UCC Approval date: 03/27/17
A. Protocol
Course Name: Arabic Dialect Acquisition & Variation
Course Number: ARB 640
Credits: 3
Prerequisites: None
Maximum Class Size (face-to-face): N/A
Maximum Class Size (online): 35
Class Language: Arabic
B. Objectives of the Course:
Upon completion of the course, students should be able to:
• Practice reading & speaking different texts from different Arab regions within their social, historical,
and cultural contexts.
• Discuss the relationship between Arabic dialects to its society as mirror to its people.
• Identify the linguistic and semantic differences between the Arabic dialects.
• Recognize and discuss the different types of Arabic dialects.
• Analyze the relationship between the cultural and social conditions and the variety of Arabic dialects
that encouraged the production of such dialects.
• Become familiar with the terminology and to continue their studies in the field of Arabic dialectology.
C. Catalog Description:
This course helps students to gain knowledge about Arabic dialectology and its geographical variation. Also,
the students will be exposed to different examples from the very different types of Arabic dialects and accents
which are spoken in the Arab Homeland.
D. Outline of the Course:
Week 1: General introduction to Arabic Dialectology.
Week 2: Classification of Arabic dialects
Week 3-5: Dialect geography & mapping
Week 6-8: Selected examples from the Arabic dialects & its variation
Week 9: Iraqi Dialect
Week 10: Gulf Dialect
Week 11: Levantine Dialect
Week 12: Egyptian Dialect
Week 13-14: Moroccan & other Arabic African dialect
Week 15: Final Exam, Paper, & Presentation
E. Teaching Methodology:
1) Traditional Classroom Methodology
N/A
2) Online Methodology
This class will be offered online. Cooperative learning is the major teaching method in this course. The
instructor will serve as a facilitator to the learning process in class. We will work together to learn more
about Arabic linguistics by keeping up with the required readings and doing the required class work. To
this end, the instructor will use short lectures, videos, work papers and presentations, homework, and
class discussion. It is expected that all students will take part in these discussions.

F.

Suggested Text
The Syntax of Spoken Arabic: A Comparative Study of Moroccan, Egyptian, Syrian, and Kuwaiti Dialects
(Arabic Edition)- ( 2000) by Kristen Brustad
Arabic Voices 1 & 2: Authentic Listening and Reading Practice in Modern Standard Arabic and Colloquial
Dialects (Volume 1 & 2)- 2014 by Matthew Aldrich
Additional readings will be available on D2L.

G. Assessment Activities:
1) Traditional Classroom Assessment
N/A
2) Online Assessment
Quizzes/Exams
Paper(s)
Presentation(s)
Class Discussions/Participation

30%
20%
20%
30%

H. Accommodations for Students with Disabilities:
OSD
Revised June 2015
STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES
Students reserve the right to decide when to self-identify and when to request accommodations. Students
requesting approval for reasonable accommodations should contact the Office for Students with Disabilities
(OSD). Students are expected to adhere to OSD procedures for self-identifying, providing documentation and
requesting accommodations in a timely manner.
Students will present the OSD Accommodation Approval Notice to faculty when requesting accommodations that
involve the faculty.
Contact Information:
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I.

Location:
Phone:
Fax:
Email:
Web Site:

Carter Hall - G-35
(724) 938-5781
(724) 938-4599
osdmail@calu.edu
http://www.calu.edu/osd

Title IX Syllabus Addendum

California University of Pennsylvania
Reporting Obligations of Faculty Members under Title IX
of the Education Amendments of 1972, 20 U.S.C. §1681, et seq.

California University of Pennsylvania and its faculty are committed to assuring a safe and productive educational
environment for all students. In order to meet this commitment and to comply with the Title IX of the Education

Amendments of 1972 and guidance from the Office of Civil Rights, the University requires faculty members to
report incidents of sexual violence shared by students to the University’s Title IX Coordinator, Dr. John A.
Burnett, Special Assistant to the President for EEEO, Office of Social Equity, South Hall 112, Burnett@calu.edu,
724-938-4014. The only exceptions to the faculty member’s reporting obligation are when incidents of sexual
violence are communicated by a student during a classroom discussion, in a writing assignment for a class, or as
part of a University-approved research project. Faculty members are obligated to report sexual violence or any
other abuse of a student who was, or is, a child (person under 18 years of age) when the abuse allegedly occurred
to the person designated in the University protection of minors policy.
The University’s information regarding the reporting of sexual violence and the resources that are available to
victims of sexual violence is set forth at:
•

•
•
•
•
•
•

J.

Office of Social Equity, South Hall 112, 724-938-4014
o Social Equity Home Page
www.calu.edu/SocialEquity
o Social Equity Policies
www.calu.edu/SEpolicies
o Social Equity Complaint Form
www.calu.edu/SEcomplaint
Counseling Center, Carter Hall G53, 724-938-4056
End Violence Center, Carter Hall G94, 724-938-5707
Student Affairs, Natali Student Center 311, 724-938-4439
Wellness Center, Carter Hall G53, 724-938-4232
Women’s Center, Natali Student Center 117, 724-938-5857
Threat Response Assessment and Intervention Team (T.R.A.I.T.) & Dept. of Public Safety &
University Police, Pollock Maintenance Building, 724-938-4299
o EMERGENCY: From any on-campus phone & Dial H-E-L-P or go to any public pay phone
& Dial *1. (*Identify the situation as an emergency and an officer will be dispatched
immediately.)

Supportive Instructional Materials, e.g. library materials, web sites, etc.
Video and audio tapes dealing with Arabic culture will be made available.

Additional Information for Course Proposals
K. Proposed Instructors:
Qualified Instructor to teach Arabic.
L. Rationale for the Course:
When it comes to writing, Arabic is still the same, but when it comes to speaking the dialect plays an
important role. However, Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) is still used among people misunderstand one
another. MSA differs from the various spoken regional dialects of Arabic. Also, those dialects differ quite a
bit from each other. Identifying and gaining knowledge about Arabic dialect is very important for those
who would like to work as Arabic linguist, translators, & teachers. This course will serve as a guide for
students to be familiar with Arabic dialectology.

M. Specialized Equipment or Supplies Needed:
Specialized equipment or supplies are not needed for course instruction.
N. Answer the following questions using complete sentences:
1) Does the course require additional human resources? (Please explain) No
2) Does the course require additional physical resources? (Please explain) No

3) Does the course change the requirements in any particular major? (Please explain) No
4) Does the course replace an existing course in your program? (If so, list the course) No
5) How often will the course be taught? Every other semester
6) Does the course duplicate an existing course in another Department or College? (If the possibility exists,
indicate course discipline, number, and name) No
O. If the proposed course includes substantial material that is traditionally taught in another discipline, you must
request a statement of support from the department chair that houses that discipline. N/A
P.

Please identify if you are proposing to have this course considered as a menu course for General Education.
The General Education Committee must consider and approve the course proposal before consideration by
the UCC. This course is a graduate course for the MA Social Science: Arabic.

Q. Approval Form: Provide the Approval Form (Signature Page) with the signatures of your department Chair
AND college Dean (electronically).