Beginning Arabic III This course is a continuation of ARBC 0102.

Advanced Arabic II This course is a continuation of Arabic 0301. It aims to help students reach an advanced level of proficiency in reading, speaking, and writing Arabic, as well as to develop further an understanding of Arab culture. Readings include articles on cultural, social, historical, political, and literary topics.  Course will be conducted entirely in Arabic.

Advanced Arabic 1 A continuation of Arabic 0202. This course aims to help students reach an intermediate-high level of proficiency in reading, speaking, writing, listening, and culture. Readings include articles on cultural, social, historical, political and literary topics.

Intermediate Arabic II This course is a continuation of Arabic 0201. Fifth in a series of courses that develop reading, speaking, listening, writing, and cultural skills in Arabic.  This course stresses communication in formal and spoken Arabic. (ARBC 0201 or equivalent).

Arabic Sociolinguistics (taught in English) In this course we will focus on the inter-relationships between the way Arabic is used by native speakers and the various social contexts affecting that usage. In particular, we will discuss the phenomenon of diglossia in Arabic speech communities (that is, the co-existence of Modern Standard Arabic with the vernacular Arabic dialects of today); aspects of linguistic variation and change in the Arab world; the relation between register and language; as well as the relation between language and such sociological variables as education, social status, political discourse, and gender. Readings are primarily drawn from sociolinguists' studies in the Arab world.

The Structure of Language: Introduction to Morphology and Syntax In this course we will focus on two fundamental areas in the study of language structure: morphology and syntax. Morphology is the study of the internal structure of words and their meaningful parts (e.g., roots and affixes), whereas syntax studies how words are combined to form larger units (phrases and sentences). Linguistic data for illustration and analysis will be taken both from English and a variety of languages belonging to different language families to help us better understand the unity and diversity of human language with regard to word and sentence structure. The course is intended to enhance students’ skills in linguistic description and analysis, as well as general problem-solving and analytical reasoning skills.

Intermediate Arabic I This course is a continuation of ARBC 0103. Emphasis is placed on reading authentic materials from Arabic media, expanding students' vocabulary, listening to and watching audio and video materials, and developing students' understanding of Arab culture and communicative competence.

Advanced Readings: Arabic across History In this course we will read a variety of Arabic texts representing different eras in the history of Arabic, from pre-Islamic times in the Arabian Peninsula until the modern era in the Arab world. Readings will be mostly drawn from Arabic poetry across its different eras, as well as from religious and historical texts. Other types of texts will be chosen in consultation between students and instructor. In addition to discussion of the linguistic features of texts, we will address their literary, historical, and cultural aspects.

Usama Soltan

Reviews and ratings for Usama Soltan at Middlebury College.Usama Soltan teaches Beginning Arabic III, Advanced Arabic II, Advanced Arabic I and more.  Explore top rated instructors and find the best for you.Is Usama Soltan good ? Find out on MiddCourses.

Professor Usama was great at explaining and teaching Arabic. His predominant use of Arabic in the classroom was extremely beneficial to my listening and speaking comprehension, and him being a linguist always for grammar concepts to be explained very clearly.  

I feel Usama is a great teacher due to his background in linguistics. He also is very funny but can be very stern due to his age. There is homework every day, but if you do all the homework, you should be fine. expect to study extra at least 2-3 hours a week. I would take this class again. 

Professor Soltan made this class dynamic and engaging. We talked a lot in class, it really felt more like a discussion among friends. I learned a lot and felt comfortable and confident in class. We stopped using the textbook we had followed in previous years, which made the class much more engaging because we were able to choose the themes/units studied in the course.