Arabic San Francisco

Arabic San Francisco is a three-week intensive Arabic language certificate program offered by the Swig Program in Jewish Studies and Social Justice.

We welcome anyone interested in the Arabic language and offer multiple levels of instruction in small class settings. The focus of the program is on the Levantine dialect of Arabic, though students in Level 1 will spend the first part of the program learning to read and write in Arabic. Students of all ages thrive in our supportive, high-energy, learning community while receiving individual attention. Emphasis is placed on conversation, accompanied by reading and writing (the latter includes grammar). The learning experience is enhanced by various teaching aids such as video, film clips, songs, drama, and audio material. Extracurricular activities include guest lecturers, Friday communal lunches, and singing. All students will receive a digital copy of the book used for instruction. If students want a hard copy of the book, they are responsible for purchasing it themselves.

Schedule

Summer 2024 dates are Monday through Friday, July 8 to July 26. Level I and Level II classes will be from 10 a.m.–1 p.m. The Level III class will meet from 3–6 p.m. ALL INSTRUCTION WILL TAKE PLACE ONLINE.

Arabic Instruction Level

Students are placed in Beginning, Intermediate, or Advanced classes according to their fluency.

Level One - focuses on the alphabet, basic vocabulary, and the present tense.
Level Two - for beginners-plus, explores these areas more intensively.
Levels Three and Four - advance students' learning in order to master the past and future tenses.
Level Five - focuses on conversation proficiency wherein students explore more complex texts.

The range of “Level” options is based on the number of students we have in a given summer. We will offer Levels I and II every summer; we will only offer the higher level if there are enough students in those levels.

All students, except those with no prior knowledge of Arabic, will be given a placement exam. We will call students prior to the program start to determine placement.

Certificate & Academic Credit

A certificate of completion is awarded at the end of the program. Currently, no university credit is given. However, in exceptional situations, we are able to offer the option of taking the course for university credit. For more information, please contact the Assistant Director of the Swig Program in Jewish Studies and Social Justice, Oren Kroll-Zeldin.