Levels

The GILS Arabic program has three basic levels of instruction: Elementary, Intermediate and Advanced.
Elementary 

The elementary level is for students with little or no prior exposure to Arabic. Participants will learn to read and write using the Arabic alphabet, and acquire the skills needed to conduct simple conversations concerning daily needs. Students begin building a vocabulary base along with basic grammar and syntax structures. By the end of level one, students are able to satisfy routine social demands and limited work requirements.

Intermediate
Students entering the intermediate level should be able speak clearly, converse on limited subjects, and read and write simple texts. This level emphasizes techniques for reading, research and composition in Arabic, as well as advanced conversational skills. Audio-visual and published materials reinforce listening and reading comprehension. Students gain increased confidence in grammar and syntax and concentrate on expanding their vocabulary base. At the end of this level, students are able to speak, read and write confidently on various subjects, such as politics, religion, economics and culture.

Advanced
Advanced participants should be able to speak with confidence and clarity in most situations, and be capable of reading and writing on differing subjects with relative ease. The advanced level emphasizes overall reading comprehension, advanced writing skills, translation techniques and continued vocabulary acquisition. In addition to texts introduced for class work and home study, course material may also reflect the individual needs and interests of the advanced student. Participants who successfully complete this level should possess Arabic skills acceptable for academic or professional use.

Courses

All GILS Arabic courses consist of 100 classroom hours. GILS assigns students to courses based on our placement test. The student’s GILS LEVEL may not correspond with the student’s previous level of learning at other universities. Although GILS develops courses for typical students, GILS can develop courses for students who progress at different rates.

This is an Arabic course that concentrates on building two essential abilities: first, to allow the individual who is residing or traveling in an Arabic speaking country to meet the language demands of daily living; and second, to introduce the student to fundamental reading and conversational skills in Modern Standard Arabic. The 101 course teaches students the Arabic alphabet, familiarity with elementary grammatical structures, and vocabulary pertinent to the objective skills listed above. Specific target skills include: ability to take public and private transportation, make small purchases in a grocery or market, order meals in a restaurant, send and receive mail, tell time, know the days of the week and the months, read street signs and to introduce oneself and greet others appropriately. Using A Daily Life (a book prepared by GILS staff) and Al-Kitaab fii Ta’allum al-‘Arabiyya Part I (Chapters 1 – 4) as the primary texts, the student begins learning basic grammar and sentence construction, simple vocabulary, and grammatical terms.
Upon completion of 101, students will feel comfortable having basic conversations with native speakers. The course introduces all tenses of the regular and irregular verb forms, and provides a sufficient command of grammar. Students will also be able to read a number of styles of Arabic print. Students reinforce their skills through readings and exercises in the textbooks, as well as numerous classroom drills.

Elementary Arabic 102 continues where 101 left off. Using Al-Kitaab fii Ta’allum al-‘Arabiyya Part I (Chapters 5 – 10) and supplementary materials prepared by GILS staff as the primary texts, the student builds his or her knowledge of grammar, sentence construction and vocabulary. This course will focus mainly on reading, writing and listening; with a focus on becoming proficient in practical social conversation. This will encompass reading and writing simple stories, as well as engaging in conversations about daily life.
Upon completion of 102, students are comfortable with all tenses of the regular and irregular verb forms. Students frequently practice reading aloud in class with the aim of increasing comprehension, speed, confidence, and clarity of pronunciation. Students complete short writing exercises in order to build familiarity with new vocabulary and grammatical constructions. In addition, a significant percentage of class time is devoted to oral drills and conversation based on materials covered by the textbook and companion materials.

In addition to materials prepared by GILS staff, chapters 11 – 15 of Al-Kitaab fii Ta’allum al-‘Arabiyya Part I are covered in the 103 upper elementary course. The chief emphasis continues to reinforce reading and conversational ability, although increased attention is devoted to developing composition skills as a means of retaining new grammar and vocabulary. This course will also focus on the Arabic media (using Arab Media Part I).
At the conclusion of this course the student will possess the ability to form simple, grammatically correct sentences with ease, pronounce words clearly and recognizably, read and comprehend basic texts, and write brief compositions dealing with different topics. Students will also improve on their conversation skills, as well as attain a better grasp of Arabic grammar.

In addition to materials prepared by GILS staff, the 104 upper elementary course will complete Al-Kitaab fii Ta’allum al-‘Arabiyya Part I. At the course’s conclusion, students will demonstrate a solid understanding of elementary Modern Standard Arabic, including a familiarity with all derived verb forms, participles and conditionals. Students will have also improved their writing and listening skills, and will be able to converse confidently and accurately on simple subjects.

The intermediate class concentrates heavily on expanding the reading and speaking vocabulary of the student in a number of specific subject areas, including art and culture. The 201 course utilizes Al-Kitaab fii Ta’allum al-‘Arabiyya II, (Chapters 1-3) and ‘Arabiyya Wasa’il Al-‘Alaam, Part II, with other course materials including short stories in Arabic in addition to supplementary materials prepared by GILS staff. At this level there is an increased focus on grammar. The Intermediate course also stresses increased oral comprehension using recorded television (in conjunction with ‘Arabiyya Wasa’il Al-‘Alaam) as a regular classroom listening activity.

This intermediate class continues to concentrate on expanding the reading and speaking vocabulary of the student. In addition to subject areas such as art and culture, students will expand their ability to discuss topics such as politics, economics, history and Islamic culture. The 202 course utilizes Al-Kitaab fii Ta’allum al-‘Arabiyya II (Chapters 4-6) and
‘Arabiyya Wasa’il Al-‘Alaam Part II. Companion materials to the texts include short subjects prepared by the teaching staff and brief reading exercises from other sources such as the internet.
At this level there is an increased focus on grammar. In addition, the Intermediate course stresses increased oral comprehension using recorded television (in conjunction with ‘Arabiyya Wasa’il Al-‘Alaam) as a regular classroom listening activity. As students progress, they continue with lessons in required texts, in addition to a wide sample of readings from the supplementary materials list. Students are also encouraged to propose texts of their own choosing for classroom review and discussion. A weekly writing exercise on topics assigned by the teachers is an important component of this course. It is expected that students who successfully complete the 202 class are able to read, speak, and write on diverse subjects with a modest degree of assurance and fluency

The 203 Upper Intermediate course focuses on developing the student’s sophistication in the use of grammatical structures and new vocabulary for reading and speaking. Students in upper intermediate Arabic make presentations on various subjects in their Arabic class. At the conclusion of 203, students are able to discuss issues such as politics and history, understand the general themes of Arab radio and television broadcasts, and will have gained a wide grammatical knowledge. Materials for 203 include Al-Kitaab fii Ta’allum al-‘Arabiyya II (Chapters 7-10), ‘Arabiyya Wasa’il Al-‘Alaam Part III, a packet of texts on Arab culture produced by GILS, daily newspaper and magazine clippings, and texts chosen by the student.
As in 202, students continue with lessons in required texts in addition to a wide sample of readings from the supplementary materials list. Students are also encouraged to propose texts of their own choosing for classroom review and discussion. A weekly writing exercise on topics assigned by the teachers is an important component of this course. It is expected that students who successfully complete the 203 class will achieve a plateau of ability which will enable them to read, speak, and write on diverse subjects with a greater degree of assurance and fluency.

The 301 advanced course is intended to consolidate the writing, listening and speaking skills which have been emphasized in the prior two levels. This level places a strong emphasis on the acquisition of new vocabulary, reinforced by daily speaking and composition exercises in class. Additionally, the course concentrates on various activities designed to increase the student’s threshold in reading comprehension, particularly when encountering longer texts with unfamiliar vocabulary. Course materials include Al-Kitaab fii Ta’allum al-‘Arabiyya III (Chapters1-3) as well as Arab media from the internet, newspapers and television, conversation and listening materials, and supplementary materials from different fields (art, history, economics and politics) chosen by the teacher or student. A weekly writing and presentation exercise on topics assigned by the teachers is an important component of this course.
At the conclusion of 301, the student will be able to read articles in Arabic from various sources. The student will also be able to understand lectures conducted in Arabic, as well as be able to engage in conversations with native speakers on serious subjects with modest ability.

The 301 advanced course is intended to consolidate the writing, listening and speaking skills which have been emphasized in the prior two levels. This level places a strong emphasis on the acquisThe 302 advanced course is intended to consolidate the writing, listening and speaking skills which have been emphasized in the prior two levels. Strong emphasis is placed on the acquisition of new vocabulary, reinforced by daily speaking and composition exercises in class. Additionally, the course concentrates on various activities designed to increase the student’s threshold in reading comprehension, particularly when encountering longer texts with unfamiliar vocabulary. Course materials include Al-Kitaab fii Ta’allum al-‘Arabiyya III (Chapters 4-6) as well as Arab media from the internet, newspapers and television, conversation and listening materials, and supplementary materials from different fields (art, history, economics and politics) chosen by the teacher or student. A weekly writing and presentation exercise on topics assigned by the teachers is an important component of this course.
At the conclusion of 302, the student will be able to read articles in Arabic from various sources. The student will also be able to understand lectures conducted in Arabic, as well as be able to engage in sophisticated conversations with native speakers.

The upper advanced class is a finishing course for students with highly-developed Arabic skills which helps the student concentrate on improving specific areas of proficiency. Course materials include: readings from major works of contemporary Arabic literature, assorted texts, films, television programs, and other audio-visual materials. In addition, the course will cover Al-Kitaab fii Ta’allum al-‘Arabiyya III (Chapters 7-10). Writing exercises of moderate length are assigned regularly, for which the student is expected to conduct substantive background research. Outside of class, the student will select a book, with the approval of the teacher, for reading at home, and report verbally on his/her progress at several intervals during the course. Particular attention is given to acquiring a deeper understanding of the connotation of words and the rhythm of the language.
At the conclusion of the 303 advanced course, the student will be responsible for preparing a short research paper in Arabic based on the supplemental readings.

Some students, researchers or employees have particular needs and interests for their Arabic studies. These may be historical, political, literary, social or religious. Whatever the subject, GILS has teachers for specialized subjects or personalized courses for intermediate and advanced learners, with materials tailored to the students’ needs and language level. Examples of courses offered in the past include:
Advanced Arabic Grammar
Arabic dialects (such as Egyptian, Gulf and Northern Africa, Shami, Yemeni)
Business Arabic
Media Studies
Reading and Writing
For more information on what we can do for you, please email gilspal@ycmes.org.

Our instructors

Nasreen Al-Dhubhani

Arabic instructor

Rashad Al-Shamsani

Arabic instructor

Abdulkawi Abdulrazzaq

Arabic instructor

Mohammed Abdurrahman

Arabic instructor

Abdulkafi Al-Absi

Arabic instructor

Ijad Al-Shaybani

Arabic instructor