Syllabus

Elementary Urdu : Urdu1001 (4 hour)

As in OASIS 30838

Fall 2009

Class Hours: MWTTh 8:00-8:50 am Peabody 205C

Instructor: Ms. MaryamShaheen, Religion Dept., UGA

Office Address: Peabody Hall 22 Office Hours: By appointment: email to me to make one.

Contact Information: email:mshaheen@uga. Phone: 706-583-8029

Please note that this syllabus outlines a general plan for the Course

Course Description:                                                           

This is an elementary level course stressing oral fluency, written expression, and reading comprehension. The objectives of the course are to help students to accomplish the following objectives:

1- Read texts of elementary level difficulty.

2- Communicate and Converse in Urdu on a variety of topics and to understand spoken Urdu in everyday situations.

3- Write elementary narrative style paragraphs coherently and with reasonable accuracy.

4- Develop cultural awareness through additional readings and class discussions.

 

Course Objectives:

 

1- Read texts of elementary level difficulty.
2- Communicate and converse in Urdu on a variety of topics occurring in everyday situations.
3- Write elementary narrative style paragraphs.
4- Develop cultural awareness.
5- Communicate Effectively through Speech
6-To strengthen skills in oral expression: analysis, style, and interaction by means such as class reports, class discussion and oral examinations.

 

 

Course Requirements and Attendance:          

Students will be taught through the use of vocabulary in simulated settings and situations through repetition drills, frequent use of vocabulary, acting, and reading loud. This will be augmented by the reading and grammatical analysis of various texts. Students are required and encouraged to speak Pashto in class discussion. There will be a brief vocabulary quiz on Monday of each week (no more than ten words each), a lesson quiz (15-20 minutes), each Thursday when there is not a midterm exam, three midterms, and one final exam. The new lesson and the vocabulary for the coming week's lesson will be introduced each Thursday. Class attendance is absolutely necessary. No make-up quizzes or tests will be given without a physicianÕs or deanÕs excuse. The final exam is scheduled for Mon., Dec. 14, 3:30 - 6:30 pm. This cannot be changed unless you have a total of three exams on that day.

 

Studying, Self-testing, and Flashcards:

Researchers in higher education agree that for students to learn, they need to study at least two hours outside of class for every one hour of class per week. This is particularly true if you want to learn a language. Since you have four hours of class per week, you should therefore plan to study outside of class at least 8 hours each week for this class.

 

For language learning, self-testing is a must. For this, flashcards for vocabulary and points of grammar are a useful method. In addition, ideally you should get a study partner with whom you can practice speaking. A lot of emphasis will be given on the Conversation and Vocabulary.

 

 

Texts:

Lets Study Urdu An Introductory Course by Ali S.Asani & Syed Akbar Hyder

A fair quantity of handouts will be provided by the instructor to make the process of learning more interesting

 

For useful websites see the following:

ÉÉ.

 

Evaluation:

Class Participation and attendance                                                                           8%

Weekly Vocabulary quizzes (9@ 2% each) each Monday                                   18%    

Homework (including flashcards) and writing assignments                                           8%      

Lesson Quizzes (10@ 3% each) each Thursday                                        30%

Midterms         (3@ 7% each)                                                                                21%    

Final Exam                                                                                                        15%    

(The final is cumulative and is based on the lessons, including vocabulary, and class materials; we will review for the final exam during the last week of class.)

 

Grading: 90-100 = A, 80-89 = B, 70-79 = C, 60-69 = D, and less than 60 = F

 

Class Policy:

 

All students are expected to attend each class and to focus on the course in class (not on things extraneous to the course). Class attendance is absolutely necessary.

Students will be allowed 4 absences for any reason, including sports and other school or personal events. Such excuses (illness, family problems, etc.) are to be e-mailed to the instructor, but it is completely at his disposal to accept them or not. After the 4 absences, each absence will result in 1% reduction of the final grade.

There will be 5 brief vocabulary quizzes (no more than ten words each) on Mondays  and a lesson quiz (15-20 minutes) on Thursdays at the aforementioned weeks. Please note that no make-up quizzes or tests will be given without a physicianÕs or deanÕs excuse. Late assignments will also result in a 1% reduction of your final grade for this course. The final exam is scheduled for Mon., Dec. 14, 3:30 - 6:30 pm.  This cannot be changed unless you have a total of three exams on that day.

Absolutely no cell phones (or other communication devices) are to be used in class, as these are highly disruptive. This includes silently checking your messages or sending text messages! If you violate this policy, you will be counted as absent for that day without notice. No exceptions!

 

 

 

SCHEDULE (Lets Study Urdu=LSU)

 
Week 1: August 17-20 2009
Chapter 1
Conversation Practice 
Vocabulary
 Nouns: gender from Chapter No 1 of LSU
 

Week 2: August 24-27 2009

Chapter 2 of LSU
 
Week 3: August 31- Sept 3 2009
 Chapter 3 of LSU
 
 
Week 4: Monday Sept. 7 Labor Day holiday; classes Sept. 8-10

Test 1 (Wednesday)

 Revision of first three chapters
 
Week 5:  Sept. 14-17    
Chapter 4 of LSU
 
Week 6: Week 6- Sept. 21-24   
 Chapter 5 of LSU
 
Week 7: Week 7- Sept. 28-Oct. 1  
Chapter 6 of LSU
 

Week 8: Week 8 Oct. 5-8

Review (Monday, Tuesday),

Test 2 (Wednesday)

 
Week 9: Oct12-15
Chapter 7 from LSU
 
Week 10: Oct 19-22
 Chapter # 8 from LSU
 
Week 11: Oct 26-Nov. 5  
 Chapter 8 continued
 
Week 12: Nov9-12
 Idioms (a list will be provided by the instructor),Test 3
 
Week 13: Nov 16-19
 Chapter #9
 

Week 14: Week 14 -- Nov. 23-27 Thanksgiving Break, no class

 
Week 15-Nov30-Dec 7
 Revision of the Course focusing on the problematic areas of the students
 
Week 16: Dec 7 Monday last day of class
Review 
 

Final exam: Thursday, Dec.10, 8:00 - 11:00 am.

 

Note: If any difficulties arise, please do not hesitate to speak with the instructor. If that does not solve your difficulty, please consult the Critical Languages FLTA supervisor, Dr. Godlas, godlas@uga.edu (Associate Professor, Religion Dept.; and Director, Virtual Center for Interdisciplinary Studies of the Islamic World)

 

Honesty Policy: The UGA Academic Honesty Policy will be followed. In other words, all academic work must meet the standards contained in "A Culture of Honesty." Students are responsible for informing themselves about those standards before performing any academic work. The link to more detailed information about academic honesty can be found at http://www.uga.edu/ovpi/honesty/acadhon.htm

Changes to this Syllabus: The instructor reserves the right to make any changes to this syllabus. The course syllabus is a general plan for the course; deviations announced to the class by the instructor may be necessary. Changes will be posted on WebCT.