Professor: Sharlet Course format: Language Number of respondents: 20 Total Enrollment: 22 Class Composition: Froshs: 4 Sophs: 7 Jrs: 3 Srs: 3

Instructor Average: 1.54 Course Average: 1.50

"First Year Arabic" is the first half of a year-long course that teaches aspiring linguists how to read, write, and speak Modern Standard Arabic at the elementary level. As it is the first course in the Arabic curriculum, there are no prerequisites.

Class members lauded Professor Sharlet for being patient and open to questions. They said she was excellent at managing the class and was both enthusiastic and engaging. She spoke primarily in Arabic, which pleased many because they found it helped them learn and think in the language instead of translating to English. A few people wished that she used more visual aids and other types of activities in her teaching, but the large class size made this difficult.

As it is a language course, "First Year Arabic" required many frequent assignments of the class. They completed almost daily homework and occasional quizzes and exams. Most were pleased about this layout because it allowed them to regularly work on their Arabic skills. However, some remarked that Professor Sharlet could have given them more feedback by returning their work on a timelier basis.

Most reviewers spent five to ten hours per week on the course. They said this was more than expected, but that their motivation to learn made this fact irrelevant. Some people were discontent with the large class size; they felt that more interaction would have helped tremendously. Furthermore, many thought that the teaching assistants failed to live up to the high standards set by the instructor.

Respondents said this was an intriguing class with a dynamic professor. Most would highly recommend it, but they warned that it requires an almost daily commitment to keep up with the pace.

View AB/0010 in the Brown Online Course Announcement.