MESA Banner
Darija Instruction as a Catalyst for Program Growth and Applied Learning
Abstract
In this paper, which follows on the initial two presentations’ exposé on teaching Darija at Dartmouth, I address the suitability of using an integrated approach to teaching Darija and Modern Standard Arabic within Arabic programs with a wider range of institutional profiles. To do so, I describe my firsthand experience implementing the same curriculum and materials in our recently established Arabic program at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, primarily at the first and second-year levels. The materials, which are described in detail in Turner (2018), consist of supplemental vocabulary, culture notes, and audiovisual components that are hosted on a standalone website and are accessible from any modern browser. They correspond with individual units and lessons from the popular Alif Baa and Al-Kitaab Arabic textbooks (Brustad et al. 2010; 2011), allowing students to acquire basic vocabulary in Moroccan Arabic for regular classroom use. By detailing the successes my students have seen in engaging two Arabic varieties in one classroom, I hope to elucidate the value the Darija component has had, to date, in the twin goals of on-site program building and preparing students for study and work abroad.
Discipline
Language
Geographic Area
Arab States
Sub Area
Arabic