Classic Arabic Prose

Great Arabic books from the 700s to 2015

This is a course about a canon. The works are famous, the names of the authors more so. This course aims to give you the skills to read, memorize, and understand the books.

By the end of the course, you will have a reservoir of literary conversation for the next time someone asks you (in Arabic) what Arabic you have studied.

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My office hours can be booked online; email me if you can't make any of these times: https://akey.youcanbook.me/. I am teaching with Liz Spragins, who will be holding office hours throughout.

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Required for purchase:

1. Wehr's dictionary (fourth edition).
2. One of these four grammars: (1) Thackston, (2) Badawi et. al, (3) Schultz, and (4) Wright. Have a look at all four in the library before you buy and talk to your classmates, Liz, and me about your decision.
3. Granada by Radwa Ashour.
4. Touch by Adania Shibli.
5. Istiḫdām al-Ḥayāh by Ahmed Naji (hard copies are no longer around in Cairo bookshops, and my online purchase is on back order, so here is the pdf).

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The resource page for this class is here. It contains notes on the dictionaries and grammars, and more.

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For three units, grading will be: 60% class preparation and participation + 20% grammar + 20% final exam lasting 1 hour 30mins. (At three units you also have the option of substituting a research paper for the exam (talk to the professor), but this will probably require more work from you - the exam will simply reflect the work we have done in class in the preceding ten weeks).

For five units, grading will be: 50% class preparation and participation + 15% grammar + 35% final research paper.

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How to do well in this class:

• Prepare  - comprehensive preparation for all nine sessions.
• Share - the results of your preparation and your ideas with the rest of the team.
• Record - what happens in class and in your preparation - so that you can use and re-use the skills later in the quarter - and beyond the quarter.

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