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Arabic-L: Sat 15 Oct 2011 Moderator: Dilworth Parkinson <<a href="mailto:dilworth_parkinson@byu.edu">dilworth_parkinson@byu.edu</a>> [To post messages to the list, send them to
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<a href="mailto:listserv@byu.edu">listserv@byu.edu</a> with first line reading: unsubscribe arabic-l ] -------------------------Directory------------------------------------ 1) Subject:Georgia Tech Arabic Culture through Song course -------------------------Messages-----------------------------------
1) Date: </span></font></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace; white-space: pre; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; font-family: Helvetica; ">15 Oct 2011</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace; white-space: pre; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; ">
From:</span></font></span>Rajaa Aquil <<a href="mailto:rajaa.aquil@modlangs.gatech.edu">rajaa.aquil@modlangs.gatech.edu</a>><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace; white-space: pre; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; ">
Subject:Georgia Tech Arabic Culture through Song course </span></font></span>Dear Arabist and Arabic Language Instructors,<br>
<br>
I would like to introduce to our community the Georgia Tech Critical <br>
Languages Song Project. Under the auspices of a US Department of <br>
Education International Research and Studies grant we are developing <br>
semester-long web-based courses in advanced Arabic, Mandarin Chinese, <br>
Japanese and Russian culture and language through song. Our website is <a href="http://clsp.gatech.edu/">clsp.gatech.edu</a>.<br>
I am Co-IP of the program and designer of the Arabic materials. I <br>
write today because we are seeking programs and instructors at other <br>
universities who would be interested in piloting our materials, ideally <br>
during this coming spring semester.<br>
<br>
>From here on, I will refer specifically to the Arabic course. This <br>
is a fourth-year culture course with a serious intellectual component to <br>
be taught in Arabic. It is based around a corpus of 20 songs ranging <br>
from religious, romantic, patriotic and popular songs as early as the advent <br>
of Islam period to the modern times represented by Jan 25 revolution in Egypt. <br>
The songs are mainly of Egyptian dialect and Modern Standard Arabic. The course is <br>
is divided into 15 units that are intended to conform to a university semester. <br>
The songs form compact platforms from which we branch out to explore in depth facets <br>
of Arabic culture and history. Each unit progresses through an introduction, listening <br>
exercises, text-notes-context, questions for understanding, topics for <br>
discussion and writing and suggestions for further listening.<br>
One of the key challenges that these materials are intended to meet is <br>
the great diversity of proficiency levels in the fourth-year classroom <br>
from students who have spent an entire year abroad studying in their <br>
discipline at a university in the Arab world to heritage speakers to students who <br>
have the minimum on-campus preparation. Computer-based delivery of a <br>
rich web of content/context surrounding the carefully annotated main <br>
corpus of songs allows for engagement by less proficient students and <br>
guided exploration of cultural context on the part of more proficient <br>
readers-listeners who have spent significant time abroad. All can then <br>
come together in a single meaningful conversation in class.<br>
<br>
If you might be interested in participating in the pilot and would like <br>
to review materials, please contact me off-list at <a href="mailto:raquil@gatech.edu">raquil@gatech.edu</a>.<br>
<br>
With best regards,<br>
Rajaa Aquil<br>
<br>
-- <br>
Rajaa Aquil, Ph.D. <br>
Assistant Professor of Arabic, & <br>
Director of Arabic LBAT <br>
School of Modern Languages <br>
Georgia Institute of Technology <br>
613 Cherry Street <br>
Swann Building #317 <br>
Atlanta, GA 30332 <br>
Phone: 4043857252 <br>
Fax: 4048940955 <br>
Email: <a href="mailto:rajaa.aquil@modlangs.gatech.edu">rajaa.aquil@modlangs.gatech.edu</a> <br>
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End of Arabic-L: </span></font></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace; white-space: pre; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; font-family: Helvetica; ">15 Oct 2011</span></span></div>
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