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Bulletin Archive

This archived information is dated to the 2008-09 academic year only and may no longer be current.

For currently applicable policies and information, see the current Stanford Bulletin.

African and Middle Eastern Languages and Literatures Program

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Language Center

The African and Middle Eastern Languages and Literatures Program offers classes in Arabic, Hebrew, Swahili, and African languages not regularly taught at Stanford. Based on current funding and student requests, the courses planned for 2008-09 are listed below. Additional languages may still be offered upon request, provided funding is available. Requests for the 2009-10 academic year should be made by Spring Quarter of this year at the AME program office, email: khalil@stanford.edu.

All beginning-level, three-unit courses are offered on a S/NC basis only. Intermediate-level and four-unit courses are offered with a grading option. Beginning and intermediate each refer to an academic year's sequence of language study. Most three-unit language courses are offered for a two-year, three quarter sequence:

All 'A' suffix courses are taught Autumn.

All 'B' suffix courses are taught Winter.

All 'C' suffix courses are taught Spring.

All beginning, intermediate, and advanced courses are 3 units except Arabic, Hebrew, and Swahili. In some circumstances, a beginning or intermediate course may be offered in alternate years.

FULFILLING THE LANGUAGE REQUIREMENT

Students can fulfill the language requirement by taking an African or Middle Eastern language. At least 12 units are needed to complete the requirement. Normally, the requirement is completed after the first quarter of intermediate-level language. In the case of African or Middle Eastern languages taught only at the beginning level, students may petition the Language Center to fulfill the requirement by taking a directed reading course in the fourth quarter. Contact patricia@stanford.edu for more information.

BEGINNING-LEVEL, FIRST-YEAR COURSES

Beginning-level, first-year language courses require no previous knowledge of the language. The beginning-level sequence emphasizes development of the full range of language skills, reading, listening comprehension, the use of grammatical structures, and oral and written communication, through a variety of learning themes. Individual, small group, interactive work and multimedia-based activities reinforce language skills and provide the platform for adapting the curriculum to specific student learning goals. Cultural awareness is a strong component of the curriculum.

INTERMEDIATE-LEVEL, SECOND-YEAR COURSES

Intermediate-level, second-year language courses require completion of the beginning sequence, or consent of instructor. The intermediate-level sequence focuses on continuous mastery and development of learning skills that help students to converse accurately and more fluently, incorporate more advanced grammatical structures in their oral and written work, use idiomatic expressions in the right context, and write simple compositions. Curricular objectives and enhanced understanding of the culture are built into the courses through a multimodal approach.

ADVANCED-LEVEL, THIRD-YEAR COURSES

Advanced-level, third-year language courses require completion of the intermediate-year sequence and consent of the program coordinator. The advanced-level sequence focuses on accurate understanding and use of structures through authentic texts and multimedia materials, and readings from various genres. Individual learning goals and student proficiency are taken into account to provide a learning environment that helps students become more autonomous learners.

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