01:013:162 Elementary Urdu I, Fall

New in 2014: AMESALL will be offering a section of Urdu at Rutgers for the first time during the Fall semester, contingent upon student interest.

The course is designed to give an introduction to Urdu to students with no prior knowledge of the language. The course will cover all four language skills (speaking, reading, writing and listening) in context. The students will learn vocabulary, expressions, grammar, script and familiarize themselves with South Asian culture.

The students will acquire knowledge by using it in realistic contexts. The classes will be interactive. The students are expected to remain engaged and actively participate. As the course progress, the students are expected to use Urdu in class as much as possible. Along with the textbook, online and other audio-video authentic materials will be used as supplements.

Course Objectives: The course is proficiency based. Upon successful completion of the course students will be able to comprehend, speak, listen, read, write and know about cultural aspects of the Urdu speaking communities at a novice mid level as defined in the American Council of Teaching Foreign Languages (ACTFL) proficiency guidelines

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01:013:180 Elementary Sanskrit I, Fall

Sanskrit is one of the world's oldest and greatest languages. Its sophisticated grammar and the voluminous body of literature in fields such as poetry, theology, philosophy, natural science, music and mathematics, make it a subject of interest for students of linguistics, religious studies, philosophy, history, literature and many other fields. This introductory course will give students a grounding in the basic structure of the language, allowing them to develop the ability to read independently some of the fundamental texts of the Sanskrit corpus, such as Bhagavad-gītā, Pañcatantra, Rāmāyaṇa and Buddha-carita by the end of the second semester, and eventually to approach more advanced texts such as Nyāya-kusumāñjalī, Yoga-sūtras, or the mahā-kāvyas of Kālidāsa and others. The primary focus of the course will be on learning to read and write in the Devanāgarī script and learning the grammatical structures of language, though time will also be dedicated to becoming familiar with the great breadth of Sanskrit literary genres.

01:013:186 Elementary Swahili I, Fall

An introduction to Kiswahili, one of Africa's major lingua franca spoken by millions across several nations in Eastern Africa. Using a communicatively-oriented, proficiency-based approach, students will develop basic communicative skills in the language through a combination of classroom activities, take-home and other language assignments. While the initial emphasis will be on the development of audio-oral skills, students will also be introduced to the essentials of reading comprehension and written expression. In addition to the acquisition of a core vocabulary, the student will be prepared to manipulate basic grammatical structures of Kiswahili for purposes of basic communication in a variety of situations. Students will also be introduced to aspects of Swahili and African culture to build cultural awareness and communicative competence.

01:013:245 Arabic Graphic Novels

Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1:10-2:30 PM in BH-211 (CAC)

Introduction to Arabic graphic narratives (comics, graphic novels, newspaper cartoons, graffiti, and internet memes) in global context in translation. No previous knowledge of Middle Eastern languages or literatures assumed. 3 credits.

01:013:342 Modern Arabic Literature

This course provides an introduction to modern Arabic literature of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. We will examine the interaction between social, political and cultural change in the Middle East and the development of a modern Arabic literary tradition. The texts that form the basis of the syllabus deal with major political, social, religious, cultural, and linguistic aspects of modern Arabic society. The course aims to reflect the different spaces of literary development in diverse parts of the Arab world, including North Africa. The questions we will pursue throughout the semester include: How do these Arab writers conceive of "modernity"? How do they conceive of their relation to politics, and how do they understand the role of intellectuals in their societies? Who are the readers (actual or implied) of these texts? Finally, how do these authors relate to the Arabic literary tradition—including its myths and classical texts—and how is it different from the way they relate to the European and American literary traditions?

Background reading materials will provide students with both a coherent historical context for the literary texts as well as a schema for the major schools and trends of contemporary Arabic fiction. General themes such as the conflict between tradition and modernity, religion and secularism, anti-colonialism and revolutionary discourses, language and nationalistic ideologies, as well as war, emigration, poverty, alienation, childhood, education, freedom of expression, religion and politics, and changing gender roles will be the focus of the course

All required readings are in English. Students who wish to discuss selected passages from the original Arabic (or French), are encouraged to make an appointment with the instructor outside class.

01:013:343 Classical Arabic Literatures

Poetry by jinn, books that kill, singing sultans, 500 words for "camel."  The major and minor works of Arabic Literature until the 14th century.  No previous knowledge of Arabic language required.  Optional Arabic component.

Full Time Faculty

All offices are located in the West Wing of the Academic Building, 15 Seminary Place, College Avenue Campus, New Brunswick, NJ 08901.

Lecturers