01:013:162 Elementary Urdu I (4) (fall)

This course is designed to give basic knowledge of Urdu to beginners with no prior knowledge of the language. Building upon gradual learning of Urdu vocabulary and script, this course situates Urdu in its socio-cultural context. Along with reading and writing, students will be exposed to contextualized use of Urdu. Instructional methods are specially designed for this purpose and will heighten awareness of South Asian culture. Class lectures will be frequently supplemented by Internet and audio-visual materials from South Asia. Learning strategies will involve active student participation through classroom exercises in Urdu. Practice in listening and comprehending Urdu will also be provided with basic grammar integrated in the learning process.

Syllabus

01:013:186 Elementary Swahili I (4) (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.

01:013:342 Modern Arabic Literature (3) (fall)

This course provides an introduction to modern Arabic literature of the nineteenth and twentieth century. 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?

Syllabus

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

Welcome

Global Africa and The Humanities Series is an Initiative of The Department of African, Middle Eastern and South Asian Languages and Literatures (AMESALL) in collaboration with School of Arts and Sciences-Humanities and the Center for African Studies.

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Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia

Established in 2008 in response to student and community interest, the Department of African, Middle Eastern, and South Asian Languages and Literatures (AMESALL) at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey continues a long tradition of scholarly excellence and innovative teaching in the languages and literatures of Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia. We provide instruction in languages such as Akan (Twi), Arabic, Aramaic, Bengali, Hebrew, Hindi, Persian, Swahili, Turkish, Urdu, and Yoruba. using the latest methodologies and technologies of heritage and second language learning. In addition, we offer introductory and specialized courses taught in English on a broad spectrum of topics, including literature, folklore and translation.