Course Aims

The Levantine Proficiency course is for students who have completed the full Levantine Advanced course at SOAS or an equivalent number of hours of formal Arabic language study (a minimum of 420 hours). (If neither of these apply to you but you think this may be your level, an online assessment can be conducted, please book here.)

Learners will be able to initiate and sustain discussion of topics of general interest, understand the main points of any non-technical text in both Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) and Levantine, carry out basic research (identify important sources and comfortably understand main ideas), and understand the general ideas of lectures on familiar topics in both MSA and Levantine.

Students will be practising to speak and present in a more advanced way, including elements they learn and analyse from the literature they study in class.

Method

The course is taught in Arabic with very little to no use of English and includes great exposure to Arabic grammar and vocabulary. It also further develops the skills of comprehension in listening and reading, and the skills of expression in speaking and writing.

This will be achieved through 20 hours of blended learning: 15 hours of online structured lessons with the teacher and supplemented by a minimum of 5 hours of guided independent learning which is supported by complementary material and regular feedback from the tutor. The course objective will be achieved within the 10-week course.

Online Course Requirements

Please ensure you have checked the Learner Support page 

Material

Our course materials page explains what you will need to buy for this course. Course materials are not included in the course fee and can be purchased from the SOAS bookshop: bookshop@soas.ac.uk

Entry Requirements and Progression Route

This course is aimed at students who have completed the full Levantine Advanced Course (Arabic Levantine Advanced 1, 2, and 3) or equivalent (approximately 420 hours of formal study). After completing Levantine Proficiency 1, students progress onto Levantine Proficiency 2, and then Levantine Proficiency 3.

Please note, that each term, classes are subject to quorum requirements.

For course dates and information, please see our timetable Information: https://www.soas.ac.uk/languagecentre/enrolment/

Related Information

• How to Apply
• Terms and Conditions
• Learner Support

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Mode of Attendance: Part-time

Arabic Levantine Proficiency:

These are the umbrella topics for the course, they are subject to change according to the interests of the students and current affairs. For every topic studied, the teacher will create and source authentic texts of which the students can analyse and study the grammar and literature.

● Arab culture
○ Traditions of festivals
○ Cross-cultural impressions
○ Art of the Middle East and North Africa
○ Prominent figures of the Arab World
● Media and current affairs
○ Media in the Middle East
○ Life in the virtual world
○ Impact of social media
○ Politics and social changes
● Economic development
○ Business
○ Finance and investment
○ Markets
○ Trade relations
● Social issues
○ Population and demographics
○ Migration and Refugees
○ Education
○ Health and medicine
● Science and Technology
○ Research
○ Scientific development
○ The planet and global warming
○ Technology and society

The above is an indication of content that may be covered over the duration of the course but it could vary depending on the level and progress of students in the class.

Important notice

Course fees quoted are per term of 10 weeks

Scholarships

For further details and information on external scholarships visit the Scholarships section