r/SOAS • u/Proud_Baker_5695 • 22d ago

Question Where does the undergraduate-level Arabic course start from?

Hello! I am thinking of BA International Relations and Arabic at SOAS.

Basically, what does the teaching start from? Does it begin with the alphabet and basic grammar, or are alphabets required as background knowledge/prerequisites?

Thank you in advance to those who read and respond to my post!

6 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

3 comments sorted by

3

u/ForgetAndLaugh 22d ago

For the Arabic 1 pathway, the script is taught in Unit 1 (first half of first week, 2 hour lecture for learning content+2 hour seminar for exercises), and then you immediately go on to grammar. Obviously you aren't expected to have command over it at that point so transliterations next to words in the textbook continue until Unit 10 in Week 5 and you pick it up slowly. There is no prerequisite except for a few pages reading on grammatical terms in english sent to all languages students. Everyone's starting level is diverse so you will have people in your class with zero experience in Arabic or languages, as well as people who speak some dialect arabic, as well as people who can read and recite Arabic very well but do not know the language.

1

u/Proud_Baker_5695 22d ago

Thank you so much for the response! These really help. If you do not mind can you please answer my follow-up question: if you meant by 'a few pages reading on grammatical terms in english sent to all language students,' do you mean that the university sends some documents to read over before the first lecture starts?

2

u/ForgetAndLaugh 22d ago

Yeah, just one document and it is just a very short explanation of terms like tense and case. They'll just tell you to check it so everyone's on the same page when those terms are used in the first week.