Overview

The Bachelor of Arts in Arabic Language Studies (BA ALS) degree has been formulated to provide non-native speakers of Arabic with a firm foundation in Arabic.

The program adopts a second-language teaching approach and is offered from applied linguistic perspectives. The program is also informed and underpinned by principles of understanding Arabic from an Islamic perspective (sociocultural and religious aspects), owing to the close relation between Islamic sciences and the Arabic language.

The BA ALS program is ideal for students wanting to gain functional, communicative (second language) competency in Arabic.

The BA ALS program is based on world-renowned texts and curricula approaches of leading international universities in Saudi Arabia and Egypt, acknowledged for their innovative approaches to second language acquisition via an integrated and incorporated study of selected religious texts.

Career paths for graduates of this program include: Arabic language teacher (when combined with a relevant teaching qualification), writer, and interpreter and translator (entry level).

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Upon completion of the program, students should be able to

• PLO1 – demonstrate developed higher and Islamic education literacies
• PLO2 – listen, speak, read and write in Modern Standard Arabic
• PLO3 – demonstrate near-native competency in conversational Arabic
• PLO4 – demonstrate second language competency in Arabic text comprehension
• PLO5 – demonstrate advanced levels of application of Arabic grammar
• PLO6 – comprehend, interpret and translate selected Arabic Islamic texts

ALIGNMENT WITH VISION

The BA in Arabic Language Studies program aligns with the vision and mission of IOU by:

• providing facilitated access to quality higher education to all students around the world, particularly in the field of Arabic linguistics,
• promoting the Islamic values of peace, harmony and tolerance, embedded in the curriculum, pedagogical practices and teaching approaches of this program,
• contributing to the establishment and strengthening of knowledge-based communities globally through the teaching and learning activities of the program, and
• committing to creating diverse, scholarly communities, where students are encouraged to engage in intellectual rigor, high ethical standards and critical evaluation