We run several specialised courses in Arabic, and one in English for students wishing to increase their knowledge in a specific area.
Students Facilities
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This course is for advanced students who want to deepen their understanding of Lebanese culture and society. Social problems, cultural pressures, and relationships are some of the topics addressed in the movies we show.
Movies are a mirror of the society from which they come, so from them we can learn how Lebanese people express themselves. In this class students will learn the specific expressions commonly used in Lebanon to express happiness, sadness, love, and hate. This class increases students’ knowledge of how the language of daily life can identify one’s religion, region, and social standing in Lebanon.
The course is structured by choosing one movie that is broken down into parts which we work through systematically. Students are provided with a script to read and translate so that they can understand exactly what has been said, and the real meaning of what is being said. This course focuses heavily on listening as students learn how to understand conversations between the characters in the movie. Script translation and group reading also greatly improves students’ reading and translation abilities. After this class students report that they are able to understand conversations on the street and colloquialisms much more easily.
This is a course for advanced students who wish to improve or perfect their skills in translating the Arabic media: from press releases and news articles, TV broadcasts, and digital content to literature and official forms. The course is conducted in Arabic only, and covers up-to-date themes.
Students first learn the basic concepts and approaches of translation. Then within the framework of these concepts and approaches, they study and translate short, simple texts taking note of syntax and discourse, whilst expanding their knowledge of terminology. This class also provides an opportunity for students to resolve their specific issues with translation and learn how to balance technical accuracy with the meaning inherent in each text.
In this course, the student will be expected to use their speaking, listening and writing skills. They will work individually and as a team on different projects. The student will be expected to undertake composition exercises using the theoretical techniques they have learned and conduct research outside of class. Students complete assignments throughout the course for which they receive grades. The final assignment is an essay on an approved topic which must be handed in by a deadline defined by the teacher.
The course runs for three hours twice a week with a total of 30 teaching hours.
Saifi Institute currently offers three levels of conversation classes. These classes are optional, run alongside the regular and intensive Urban Arabic courses, and provide students with additional practice in speaking and listening. Students discuss the topics that they have already been taught in class.
These courses run for three hours twice a week with a total of 30 teaching hours.
Beginner:
At this level students learn songs and participate in in-class activities that help strengthen their grasp of grammar and vocabulary covered in Urban Arabic Level 1 classes. Some additional vocabulary is taught, which is not necessary for the completion of Urban Arabic Level 1, but will help students speak with ease about a greater variety of topics.
Elementary
At this level students hold discussions and participate in class activities that help strengthen their grasp of the grammar and vocabulary covered in Urban Arabic Level 2 classes. Some additional vocabulary is taught, which is not necessary for the completion of Urban Arabic Level 2, but will help students speak with ease about a greater variety of topics.
Intermediate:
At this level students present on topics, hold discussions, and participate in class activities that help strengthen their grasp of grammar and vocabulary covered in Urban Arabic Level 3 classes. Some additional vocabulary is taught, which is not necessary for the completion of Urban Arabic Level 3, but will help students speak with ease about a greater variety of topics.
Music Class
This course is for students wishing to learn more about Lebanese music. The course helps students improve their listening comprehension skills, and increases their vocabulary. In this class students also learn about the Lebanese way of singing and writing lyrics, and Lebanese music culture. Students start by learning popular children’s songs, progressing to pop songs and songs with more poetic lyrics like Fayroouz. Some words and expressions covered in this class are of a higher cultural level than everyday street level speech.
The course runs for three hours twice a week with a total of 30 teaching hours.
This course is for students wishing to learn more about Lebanese music. The course helps students improve their listening comprehension skills, and increases their vocabulary. In this class students also learn about the Lebanese way of singing and writing lyrics, and Lebanese music culture. Students start by learning popular children’s songs, progressing to pop songs and songs with more poetic lyrics like Fayroouz. Some words and expressions covered in this class are of a higher cultural level than everyday street level speech.
The course runs for three hours twice a week with a total of 30 teaching hours.
International Relations in Arabic
This course is designed for students that have reached an advanced level of Arabic and who are:
- Students that are currently studying international relations/political science at university.
- Academics that currently work in international relations.
- Embassy employees, NGO workers, and journalists.
This is a course for upper-advanced students who wish to be able to talk about international relations in Arabic at a very high level. The topics covered include: international security; diplomacy, international law and negotiation; aid and development; migration; peace and war; trade and international organizations; and regionalism. This course not only provides extensive academic, legal, and diplomatic vocabulary but also helps students improve their presentation skills in Arabic and their ability to hold meetings in Arabic. On completion of this course, students will be able to present on political issues, negotiate in Arabic, and have a good understanding of the diplomatic terms and formal expressions used in a professional environment.
The course includes: translation of advanced media documents, think tank pieces, and parts of academic papers in Arabic; the use of case studies to facilitate debates on the above topics; presentations by each student on a given topic; and negotiation and conflict resolution activities.
The course runs for three hours twice a week with a total of 30 teaching hours, plus an additional hour at the end of semester for the final student presentation.
This course is designed for all students from beginner through to advanced and is run in English.
Lebanon is now a popular destination for learning the Arabic language, and yet students tell us they feel there is so much they still don’t know about Lebanon and the culture of its people. This course has been designed to correct that. It provides students with a deeper knowledge of Lebanese culture that many people simply would not know or notice from the outside and contains many details about Lebanese daily life. We discuss some concrete topics like food or marriage, but we will also be discussing intangible cultural norms that can go unnoticed by foreigners because they can’t read social signals the same way a Lebanese person would.
The course discusses various topics such as: family, food, work, holidays, music, art, literature, social life, and Lebanese comedy. Teaching includes some detailed texts on Lebanese traditions, and vocabulary for Arabic words used to describe Lebanese traditions, festive dishes and special occasions. In addition, students will watch original videos (produced by Saifi Institute) which are interviews with Lebanese people about being Lebanese and Lebanese traditions. During the class students have the chance to ask the teacher questions about Lebanese culture, and increase their understanding of Lebanese society.
The course runs for three hours once a week with a total of 15 teaching hours.
This course is designed for Arabs who speak Urban Arabic in the home but have never learned the fundamentals of Formal Arabic. Because many of these students have high speaking and listening abilities, this course is designed to meet the specific needs of these students. The course uses Urban Arabic to teach the grammar of Formal Arabic, and how to read, write, and spell in Formal Arabic. Depending on the level of the class, the course may include some media translation.
