Arabic Classes

Palestine Summer Encounter (PSE) is designed to build relationships and the Arabic classroom material will help you communicate and develop relationships with Palestinians.

[Above: Arabic class group photo, 2005].

You will have plenty of opportunities to practice what you are learning in the classroom with your host family and fellow employees at your volunteer placement. We encourage every participant to do so as this is the best way to improve your Arabic fluency. It is important to come with fair expectations and a good attitude. You will not become fluent or a master of Arabic in one or even three months; it can take years to master a language.

As with most language programs, if you don''t study you won't learn and for those PSE participants who simply rely upon class, they will not learn much Arabic. The structure of the program is designed to try and balance volunteering, Arabic class, learning and building relationships. Participants have a great deal of control over their learning environment and can shift the balance by focusing on different aspects of the program. This is part of the beauty of PSE: your experience is greatly determined by your initiative and what you find most important. Palestine Summer Encounter will provide 3 levels of Arabic.

Beginner Arabic:
Colloquial Arabic for beginners using Omar Othman''s book "Yalla Nihki Arabi" which uses transliteration to teach Jerusalem dialect Arabic. Students will also be taught the Arabic alphabet which is a required foundation for further study of Arabic.

Intermediate Arabic:
Students must have already taken some Arabic, know the Arabic alphabet, and be able to read and write simple Arabic sentences. This class will use an Arabic book that teaches Modern Standard Arabic using Arabic script. The Arabic teacher will be responsible for adding colloquial Arabic to the class and pointing out differences between Modern Standard and Palestinian Colloquial.

Advanced Arabic:
Students must have already acquired basic reading, writing, and speaking. Although there is no advanced Arabic class for 2007, students at the advanced level will be offered 15 hours of tutoring. Note: Text books and curriculum for the Arabic classes is subject to change