Professor: Christoff, Rushdie Course format: Language	Number of respondents: 29 Total Enrollment: 37
Class Composition: Froshs: 18 Sophs: 13 Jrs: 1 Srs: 2 Concs: 0 Non-Concs: 25 Don't Know: 4

Instructor Average: 1.53 Course Average: 1.52

“Beginning Arabic” is an introductory course that seeks to familiarize students in reading, writing, speaking, and listening in Modern Standard Arabic. Since this is part of a two-semester course, no credit is given for the first semester alone. Although there are no prerequisites for the course, background in a Semitic language would be very helpful.

Students all commended Professors Christoff and Rushdie for their clear and precise teaching styles and their willingness to answer questions and hold office hours. Reviewers found Professor Christoff to be extremely organized, not only displaying a firm grasp of the grammatical nuances of Arabic but also a remarkable proficiency in explaining and relating them to other languages. While respondents found Professor Rushdie to be less organized, they commented on his approachability, his conversational demeanor, and his extensive knowledge of Arabic culture. Reviews on other aspects of the class, however, varied. While some students thought that the pace of the class was too fast and that the professors didn’t adjust the speed accordingly, others believed that the speed of the class was adequate. Another issue where opinions differed was the level of oral class participation. While some reviewers believed that there was a lot of class participation going on, others thought that not enough people spoke up.

The course features nightly homework, three exams, one three-minute oral presentation, and use of the language labs. Student recommendations for improvements in the class include more practice with class diction, more frequent presentations, and more quizzes.

On average, reviewers spent between 6-8 hours per week outside of class working on the course, although some spent as few as 2 hours and as much as 20 hours. In general, respondents agree that Arabic is a beautiful but difficult language. They advise future students to recognize the big time commitment and to not to fall behind in the work.

View AB/0010 in the Brown Online Course Announcement.