A major in Arabic comprises a sequence of 80 credit points with 60 credit points at Level 2 and 3 (with no less than 30 credit points of these at Level 3), however students commencing at beginner''s level, that is units 101 and 102, and who follow the recommended course structure, are only required to complete 20 credit points at Level 3.

Students should take units that reflect their level of competence in the language and they should not backtrack, i.e. they must not:

- take a Level 1 unit after passing a Level 2 unit in the same language; or

- take a Level 2 unit after passing a Level 3 unit in the same language.

Level 1 unit pool

Arabic 101

This unit is designed as an introduction to the Arabic language as well as the contemporary and popular culture of the Arabic-speaking people. It is intended for students who are at beginner level in Modern Standard Arabic in all four skills -listening, speaking, reading and writing. Components of this unit may be presented in English.

Arabic 102

This is a post-beginners' level unit in Arabic, intended for students with some background in the language (equivalent to at least 2 Unit HSC Arabic). As part of a major in Arabic this unit will help students to continue in the process of acquisition of Modern Standard Arabic through the study of the language and intensive practice in listening, speaking, reading and writing. This unit also aims to familiarise students with elements of modern Arab culture including issues of Arabic language in Australia.

Level 2 unit pool

Language and Communication Skills 2A: Arabic

This is a post-beginner unit for intermediate level study of Modern Standard Arabic suitable for Post HSC entry. It aims to develop all four core skills, listening, speaking, reading and writing, towards more sophisticated communicative transactions ranging from casual to formal styles of speech. However, the special focus of this unit is on developing, in particular, listening and speaking skills in the Arabic language. Cultural and social understanding is also fostered through research projects on specific cultural or social aspects that are of interest to students. A range of CALL (Computer Assisted Language Learning) activities are utilised for this unit.

Language and Communication Skills 2B: Arabic

This is post-beginner unit for intermediate level students learning Modern Standard Arabic and culture. This unit is suitable for Post HSC entry. It aims to further develop all four core skills, listening, speaking, reading and writing, towards more sophisticated communicative transactions ranging from casual to formal styles of oral and written skills. However, the special focus of this unit is on developing, in particular, reading comprehension, and writing skills over a range of written registers. The content for reading and writing activities is selected from contemporary materials e.g. daily exchanges in writing, book/film reviews, mini dramas, magazines as well as websites in relation to textual aspects of contemporary culture and society of the Arabic speaking world. This unit also fosters cultural and social understanding by presenting aspects of contemporary cultures and societies that use the language as well as through research work on specific socio-cultural aspects that are of interest to the student.

Level 3 unit pool

Arabic 302 - Arabic Advanced Language and Grammar

This is the second of two units that aim to provide a thorough review of comprehension, speaking, reading and writing skills, as well as grammar and vocabulary of Modern Standard Arabic, its range of registers and its linguistic characteristics. This series is intended for students who have knowledge and skills in Arabic equivalent to two years of tertiary study of the language, and who wish to consolidate, develop and improve these skills and knowledge. This unit is mandatory for students who wish to pursue a major in Arabic.

Arabic 303: Advanced Writing Skills

This unit is aimed at those who have successfully finished 100044 - Arabic 202, or have an advanced speaking and writing proficiency in Modern Standard Arabic. It is one of the obligatory units for students intending to graduate with Arabic as a major or sub-major. It seeks to develop the writing skills to prepare students to make professional use of the language, and it is particularly recommended for those who wish to involve themselves in areas such as language teaching and translation. Students will be introduced to a full range of text types and language purposes. They will be guided to analyse, interpret and evaluate passages provided, and will be encouraged to extend their ability by experimenting with a variety of writing styles.

Arabic 304: Arabic Advanced Speaking

This is a compulsory unit for students in the BA (I and T) (Arabic) and for students intending to do Arabic as a major or sub-major. As a companion unit of 100049 - Arabic 303: Advanced Writing Skills, it aims to prepare students to make professional use of the language, in this case by placing particular emphasis on oral skills, and it is also specially recommended for those wishing to pursue careers in areas such as language teaching and translation. Students will be introduced to a full range of oral text types and language purposes. They will be guided to analyse, interpret and evaluate examples of oral discourse, and be encouraged to develop effective public speaking skills.

Arabic 306: Arabic Novel and Short Story

This is an optional unit in the Arabic major program, which aims to introduce students to the study of the Arabic novel and short story, and which examines the historical, political, social and cultural context that this literature reflects. This will be done by studying selected novels and short stories. Students will be able to do a research component on a novel of their choice. This unit will also examine children's literature, including traditional children stories and contemporary Arabic literature, as well as translated western traditional stories.

Arabic 308:Language Past and Present

This unit aims to give students an understanding of the phonological, morpho-syntactic, semantic and pragmatic changes that have occurred to the Arabic language both spoken and written in the last century. Particular attention will be paid to the different dialects spoken in some of the Arab countries and their relation to Modern Standard Arabic. A special study will be made of the Australian Arabic used by migrant communities.

Languages and Grammatical Concepts 3A: Arabic

This is an advanced Level 3 language and linguistics unit for students of modern Arabic. Lectures for the grammatical concepts component are held in English for students of all languages while other activities are language-specific. The aim of the unit is twofold. On the one hand it aims, to develop a practical and theoretical understanding of the ways in which major concepts used in everyday speech and writing are mapped and organized in the lexicon and the grammar of human languages, and how these forms develop in learners and users. On the other hand, it aims to develop advanced comprehension and production skills in Arabic language, including higher stages optional structures, through critical examination of contemporary and historical text and discourse samples from a variety of registers. An understanding of contemporary Arab culture and society is also fostered through comparative research projects on specific cultural, social and/or linguistic, aspects that are of interest to students. A range of CALL (Computer Assisted Language Learning) activities are utilised for this unit.

Texts in Contemporary Arab Society and Culture

This unit provides students with a theoretical grounding in major issues and debates related to contemporary Arab society and culture. Students will be able to appreciate and critically examine social, political and cultural complexities of the modern Arab Middle East covering a range of topics from Arab political culture, gender and women's rights to education and civil society. This cross-disciplinary unit will cater for students who seek to advance their knowledge in specific aspects of the modern Arab world for purposes of using this knowledge in further research study and for occupational purposes. The unit will be useful for students majoring in Islamic studies, Arabic, international relations, history and social science.

Intercultural Pragmatics

This is an optional level 3 core unit for the major in Arabic, Japanese, Chinese, Spanish, and Italian, within the BA Languages Key Program. It also constitutes part of the linguistics major and sub-major. It can also be taken as an elective. This is a language-specific unit intended to develop the students’ awareness of language usage issues which may have an impact on intercultural communication and, therefore, on cultural stereotyping as well as other real life interests, such as business relationships and professional performance. It covers issues such as the relationship between culture and language use, ingroup-outgroup relationships, speech acts across cultures, politeness in text and discourse, miscommunication and stereotyping.

World Cinema

This unit surveys contemporary world cinema in a range of languages in order to address a range of linguistic and cultural issues, including the role of subtitling and dubbing in cross-cultural communication. The unit allows students majoring in a Language other than English to enrol in a language specific tutorial (Arabic, Chinese, Italian, Japanese or Spanish) and other students to enrol in a tutorial conducted in English.

Applied Critical Methods

This unit gives students knowledge of research methods relevant to humanities disciplines. Modules provide advanced instruction in developing a research topic, evidence-based research and Human Research Ethics processes and policy.

Humanities Internship

This unit aims to provide third year humanities students with first-hand knowledge of workplaces or research processes related to their chosen field of study (major), such as art galleries, museums, libraries, local and state government, tourism and administration or in academic contexts. The unit will introduce students to various fields in which the skills developed over two years of study in humanities can be applied. It will augment their study and provide much needed work experience. The internship placement and/or project will be chosen by the student in consultation with the staff member responsible for the major area and the placement will be overseen and the academic work assessed by the member of staff responsible for the major area of study relevant to the internship.