Language Courses

This advanced-level course will prepare you to read and watch Arabic media reporting on the production of a coronavirus vaccine. The first three lessons will prepare you to read a Reuters Arabic article focused on the distribution of a vaccine in December and the last two lessons will prepare you to watch a 2 -minute Alghad TV news report on the vaccine being produced by Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech. The vocabulary in lessons 1 - 3 is easier than that in the video. However, while the vocabulary for the course is focused on medical- and health-related terminology, it doesn't reach the difficulty level of some more advanced readings on the topic and can still be widely applicable for everyday use. There are two points in the video where the speaker either doesn't speak clearly or mispronounces a word. At the 0:36 second mark, the man says 'tavriid al-laqaaHaat', mispronouncing the word توريد - supplying, delivering. It is also difficult to make out what the presenter is saying from 1:12 - 1:17 due to the speed at which she is speaking, but she says "و هو ما وَصَفَه خُبَراء أنَّه إنْجاز كبير في السّباق نَحو وضع نِهايَة للجائِحَة" - and it' what experts described as a major accomplishment in the race to put an end to the pandemic. Some other sample vocabulary from this course includes: لقاح ، لقاحات - vaccine(s); جرعة ، جرعات - dose(s); المعلومات الخاطئة - misinformation; الموافقة على - approval; جائحة ، جوائحه - pandemic(s).

This intermediate Hebrew course will prepare you to watch a 5 minute Hebrew video that is both a short history of how Hebrew slang has evolved as well as an introduction to some key Hebrew slang words and phrases, including unique slang that comes from the Jerusalem 'dialect' of Hebrew. As is covered in the video, Hebrew slang derives from many different linguistic and cultural sources that have left their impact on the language whether that be Arabic, Yiddish, Ladino, or even the English-language. Some key slang vocabulary from the course includes: הוא אהבל - he's a moron; אבו יו יו / שק קמח - piggy back; חיים בסרט - living in a dream world / detached from reality; טוּדוֹ בּוֹם - everything's fine.

As election day is upon us, what better way to understand the complexities of our electoral system than to have an Israeli break it down for us with toys. For this course, you'll prepare to watch a brief video of an Israeli man puzzled by the US electoral system explain how it all works using toys and comparing the system to high school. In the video, the presenter touches on everything from the roles and responsibilities of the House of Representatives v. the Senate, to the popular vote, and also the electoral college and why it exists. As to be expected, the vocabulary for this lesson is focused on election-related terms and phrases but also contains a good amount of Hebrew slang such as פראיירית - a sucker; and חנונים - nerds. Some other vocabulary from the course includes: מאוד מבלבלת אותי - very confusing for me; מעומד - candidate; רודנות הרוב - the tyranny of the majority; להתפשר , מתפשר - to compromise; המרוץ לנשיאות - the presidential race

The 2020 US Presidential Election is around the corner and already millions of Americans have cast their vote by mail-in ballot or visiting early voting centers. For this intermediate course, you will prepare to read a France 24 Arabic article reporting on the record number of Americans partaking in early voting as well as prepare to watch an Al Jazeera report that covers polling numbers in regards to Americans who are ready to accept the outcome of the election regardless of who wins. Lessons 1 through 3 will prepare you to read the brief article and the opening of the video while Lessons 4 and 5 focus solely on the video. As can be expected, this course is heavy on election-related vocabulary and covers many of the core terms and phrases necessary to read and watch Arabic media on this topic no matter which election it may be. Some of the key vocabulary for the course includes: التصويت المبكر - early voting; عن طريق البريد - by mail; عرضة للتزوير - subject to fraud; لإبطال النتائج - to invalidate the results; استمالة المشاركين - urging, wooing participants.

One consequence of the fallout of the Soviet Union was the emergence of several "frozen conflict" zones throughout the empire's former republics as large communities of various ethnic people groups found themselves now living in countries where they were a demographic minority. These situations have led to multiple armed conflicts in the region over the past 30 years with the most recent flareup occurring in Nagorno-Karabakh, a region within the borders of Azerbaijan populated by an overwhelming majority of ethnic Armenians. This course looks at the history of Nagorno-Karabakh and what has contributed to the escalated tensions which have brought Armenia and Azerbaijan to the brink of war in recent weeks. The first three lessons will prepare you to read a Russian language article while the last two will prepare you to watch a video. Some sample vocabulary from the course includes: бой  - battle, conflict; напряженный  - tense; спорная территория - disputed territory; вертолёт - helicopter; военное положение - martial law

This sophisticated-level course is dedicated to Breast Cancer Awareness Month and will prepare you to watch and read Arabic media reporting on breast cancer prevention and awareness. Lessons 1 - 2 are almost completely in the Levantine dialect. The lessons will prepare you to watch a woman in London speaking the Levantine dialect recap her breast cancer diagnosis and treatment as well as her advice to women in order to catch the disease early on. Lessons 3 - 5 will prepare you to read a brief CNN Arabic article on Breast Cancer Awareness Month and details three primary ways that women can detect and prevent the deadly disease. Some sample vocabulary from the lessons include: انا حسيت في ورم - I felt a lump; عيادات لندن - London clinics; سرطان الثدي - breast cancer; عرض ، أعراض - symptom(s); يتم تشخيص - are diagnosed.