Modern Standard Arabic Language Study Program

This elementary intensive Arabic language program is designed for students with little or no prior background in Modern Standard Arabic (MSA). The course will provide you with a mastery of the Arabic alphabet as well as an understanding of pronunciation, grammar, syntax, and semantics. By the end of the course, you will be able to read and comprehend texts in Modern Standard Arabic and write paragraphs at a basic level. You will also become familiar with the Arabic culture and learn how to interact with Arab communities in Israel in a culturally appropriate way.

Structure

You can begin your studies at the beginning, intermediate, or advanced level. If you have a background in Arabic, you must submit a placement exam several months prior to the start of the program. Please contact the Division of Graduate Studies to receive a copy of the placement exam. 

The beginning course starts prior to the academic year and typically runs from late August through early October. The intermediate course is held during the autumn semester, and the advanced course is held in the spring. If your placement test shows you have sufficient knowledge of Arabic, you will be permitted to omit the beginning course and join classes during the autumn or spring semester.

Program Structure & Credits

Pre-Semester Beginners Course

If you are an absolute beginner wishing to study Arabic during the Fall semester or year, you will participate in Foundations of Modern Standard Arabic (6 credits, 120 academic hours). After passing this course, you may continue with your studies in the intermediate level of MSA Arabic for the fall semester or year. (Spring semester does not offer the pre-semester course.)

Students taking this course are exempt from the pre-semester Hebrew Ulpan.

Autumn Semester

Modern Standard Arabic (Studies based on Al-Kitaab 3^rd edition textbooks)

• Intermediate (12 credits)

Amia (Spoken dialect)

• Absolute Beginners (3 credits)

Spring Semester

Modern Standard Arabic (Studies based on Al-Kitaab 3^rd edition textbooks)

• Advanced (12 credits)

Amia (Spoken dialect)

• Absolute Beginners (3 credits)
• Intermediate (3 credits)

Modern Standard Arabic Prerequisites

The intermediate course is designed for students who have already taken two semesters of Modern Standard Arabic or, alternatively, have taken the pre-semester Foundations of Modern Standard Arabic course.

The advanced course requires at least four semesters of previous Arabic study.

Review our course catalog for Middle East and Islamic Studies courses and get to know HebrewU’s RIS faculty members.

Courses

Foundations of Modern Standard Arabic – Beginning Level: 30 weekly hours

This intensive, introductory-level course is intended for students who have little or no prior knowledge of Modern Standard Arabic. It is held for six hours per day, five days per week. The course covers grammar and aims to develop your listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. It requires extensive study of texts (from easy to unabridged) that range in difficulty and are largely taken from current media.

Upon completion of this course, you will have mastered the main grammatical phenomena of simple sentences as well as a vocabulary of hundreds of common words, sufficient for reading basic newspaper articles and literary texts. Learn more about Foundations in Modern Standard Arabic.

Intermediate Level: 12 weekly hours

This course is intended for students who have basic knowledge of Modern Standard Arabic. The prerequisite is a passing grade in the beginning level or passing results on the Arabic placement exam.

The course deals with the morphology and syntax of Arabic and, like the previous level, includes the frequent reading of texts that range in difficulty (from easy to unabridged) and are largely taken from current media. It also aims to further develop your other communication skills (listening, speaking, and writing) based on learned vocabulary.

Upon completion of this course, you will have mastered the main grammatical phenomena of simple and complex sentences as well as a vocabulary of hundreds of common words, sufficient for reading basic newspaper articles and literary texts.

Advanced Level: 12 weekly hours

The goal of this course is to equip you with proficiency in quick reading and translation (with the help of a dictionary), which you can apply to most available texts in Literary Arabic. It is intended for students with sound knowledge of the language. The prerequisite is a passing grade in the intermediate level or passing results on the Arabic placement exam.

The course covers grammar, vocabulary-building, listening comprehension, and oral expression. You will read and listen to texts from Arabic media, as well as religious texts and short stories. By the end of the course, you will be able to read a broad range of texts. The course deals with advanced grammatical and morphological topics, including conditional sentences, adverbial accusatives, and the conjugation of double weak verbs.

Our faculty are internationally respected in their fields. You’ll be taught by both senior faculty members and adjunct lecturers, thus benefiting from study under established and new researchers alike.

Program Coordinator:
Mr. Ofer Efrati

Program Faculty Members:
Dr. Arik Sadan
Dr. Hila Zemer
Ms. Sagit Butbul

Please see our faculty page to learn more.

For information on deadlines, costs, eligibility, application, and other practical matters, please visit our Study Abroad for Graduate Students page.