Master of Arts in Arabic Language Studies (Coursework)

Arabic is the first language of more than 350 million people globally, the sixth most widely spoken language in the world, and one of the six official languages of the United Nations. Knowledge of Arabic provides access to the rich intellectual heritage of Islam, along with the history, societies, and cultures of the Middle East and many African countries.

The IOU’s Master of Arts in Arabic Language Studies – MA (ALS) has been designed to give you a thorough grounding in Arabic, including classical and modern Arabic. It enables you to access a variety of original material, from pre-Islamic poetry and Islamic religious texts to contemporary sources and Arabic literature.

The MA (ALS) is a two-year Arabic language pathway (on a full-time basis) and is directed at students who want to engage with the Arab Middle East and Africa in a professional as well as academic way, as the intensive pathway will enable them to develop advanced competency in Arabic and achieve heightened professional levels.

Access to MA (ALS) is currently available for students with intermediate or advanced levels of Arabic proficiency.

The language of teaching and learning in this program is Arabic. Students must have near-native competence in the language with an advanced application of written Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) to engage in this program. The mini-thesis must be completed and submitted in Arabic.

This program adopts an approach that exposes students to a careful selection of taught modules exploring rich Arabic language studies, and a research component fulfilled via the mini-thesis.

The taught modules will explore both Arabic language and Islamic Studies. The mini-thesis will be supervised by one of IOU’s committed and experienced academics in the Department of Arabic Language and Linguistics. The mini-thesis must demonstrate sound scholarship and contribute to the existing body of knowledge in the field.

The MA (ALS) program is based on world-renowned texts and curricula approaches of leading international universities in Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Palestine.

Upon completion of the program, the student will be awarded the Master of Arts degree in Arabic Language Studies.

Career paths for graduates of this program include Arabic language lecturer/professor, researcher, writer, interpreter, and translator (advanced level).

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Upon completion of the MA (ALS), students should be able to

• PLO1     conduct research competently and responsibly on advanced levels
• PLO2     produce a research report/manuscript/dissertation in the medium of Arabic and contribute to the field of Arabic Language Studies
• PLO3     demonstrate advanced familiarity with Arabic literature
• PLO4     demonstrate advanced familiarity with specialized fields in Islamic Studies
• PLO5     demonstrate mastery of Arabic Language Studies
• PLO6     demonstrate professional and effective oral and written communication skills

ALIGNMENT WITH IOU’s VISION

The MA in Arabic Language Studies program aligns with the vision and mission of IOU by:

committing to creating diverse, scholarly communities where students are encouraged to engage in intellectual rigor, high ethical standards, and critical evaluation

providing facilitated access to quality higher education to all students around the world, particularly in the field of Arabic Language Studies

promoting the Islamic values of peace, harmony, and tolerance embedded in the curriculum, pedagogical practices, and teaching approaches of this program

contributing to the establishment and strengthening of knowledge-based communities globally through the teaching and learning activities of the program

Minimum Eligibility for MA in Arabic Language Studies Course Based Program Applicants

In order to be admitted to our accredited online Master of Arts in Arabic Language Studies, Course based program, the candidates must have:

• An accredited Bachelor’s degree in Arabic Language Studies or a relevant Honour’s degree or a relevant postgraduate certificate or diploma with a minimum of 65% marks.
• An accredited B.A. (in any discipline other than Arabic studies), B.Sc., B.Com., equivalent, along with Bridge to MA Arabic Higher Diploma from the IOU or have near-native competence in Arabic with advanced levels of application of Modern Standard Arabic (MSA).

MA ALS ADMISSION TEST

• Eligibility of MA ALS Course Based Program Applicants with a B.A. or Higher Diploma in Arabic Language Studies with less than 65% marks 

MA ALS Course based admission eligibility of the students with an accredited Bachelor’s degree in Arabic Language Studies or a relevant Honour’s degree or a relevant postgraduate certificate or diploma with less than 65% marks is subject to the performance of the MA ALS Admission Test.

• Eligibility of MA ALS Course Based  Program Applicants without a B.A. or Higher Diploma in Arabic Language Studies

MA ALS Course based admission eligibility of the students with an accredited bachelor’s degree (in any discipline other than Arabic Language Studies) or higher and have near-native competence in Arabic with advanced levels of application of Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) is subject to the performance of the MA ALS Admission Test.

Click here to access the details about the MA ALS Admission Test including the passing grades of the tests.

Note: Admission Disclaimer 

I- The Faculty Management Committee and Head of the Department reserve the right to assess, accept, or decline admission to any program, irrespective of prior graduation from IOU (International Online University). This decision is made at the discretion of the committee and department heads, taking into consideration various factors.

Ii- If you are a student with special needs, we encourage you to reach out to us at info@iou.edu.gm before proceeding further with the application process. Studying a foreign language program may involve specific requirements, and we want to ensure that we can accommodate your needs effectively.

The Method

IOU provides a unique learning experience for all of our students. The university also recognizes that many students may not have studied online before; it is quite different from traditional classroom-based learning. For this reason, IOU has provided demos and organized a user-friendly learning environment for those new to online education. It is vital that all IOU students be fully prepared for online learning and have the required level of English to enable them to effectively and successfully study in this environment.

IOU is comprised of students from around the globe. Our students learn through watching and listening to video and audio lectures as well as reading texts (PDF Format). Within the online study community, students may share resources, exchange ideas, discuss weekly topics, submit assignments, and take exams.

IOU is thankful to Allah for having enabled us to launch multiple online courses for students to choose from. We are dedicated to spreading authentic Islamic knowledge with a proper understanding of Allah’s true religion. Both students and professors represent a diverse group coming from both under-developed and developed countries.

Teaching and Learning

Lectures and tutorials will be delivered either via pre-recorded content or in real-time, synchronously and asynchronously. Presentations in real-time will be conducted in the university’s virtual learning environments.  

Assessments will all be conducted/submitted online. All assessments will have to be submitted on the learning management system. 

Examinations will be completed at approved examination centres globally, unless decided otherwise by the Senate. 

Academic faculty and students will engage via discussion forums and email asynchronously, and in real-time (synchronously) in virtual rooms.

Demo Course

IOU presents a demonstration course from the BAIS program to show people interested in IOU how the courses look and operate and give a real-time example of what it is like to study with IOU.

Please click here to download the BAIS Demo Course Guide to learn more.

Please click the button given below to access the demo course directly, (you may need to create and account and enrol in the course if you haven’t done so already)Demo Course

For further details and help with registration and enrollment in the BAIS or BMAIS, contact the info deks at: info@iou.edu.gm

Student Support

Students at IOU enjoy the support of dedicated full-time qualified faculty members, who are responsible for answering any questions students may have about the course.

Additionally, guest lecturers from the various fields offered by IOU and beyond will be invited from time to time, to enrich the program by providing an avenue for students to experience, firsthand, the cutting edge of academic research and professional expertise. Students will be informed of the timings and will be given ample opportunity to participate. The sessions will also be recorded and kept in the IOU archive for later viewing by those unable to watch the sessions live.

Faculty

There is a faculty for each course. The ​faculty may or may not be the actual instructor of the course. The ​faculty member, however, is able to handle all issues related to the course they are assigned to. They provide academic support and facilitate learning by:

1. Providing further clarification of materials studied in the recorded lectures.
2. Facilitating access to resources such as online libraries and additional learning materials.
3. Monitoring usage of module videos
4. Grading assignments
5. Supervising forums to ensure that they are properly utilized.

The faculty will work together with the Coordinator, Registrar and the Dean to ensure that all students receive the support they need to succeed in their studies

Student Responsibilities

Students are expected to devote at least four hours of study per week per subject. Students should read course materials, listen to the lecture, take the module test, and complete the course assignment.

1. Students should behave respectfully at all times. If a student is disrespectful to the faculty, to another student, or to the staff at the test center, he or she will be removed from the class and may be dismissed from the university, depending on the severity of the disruption.
2. All students should fully participate in the online forums.
3. All assignments should be handed in on time. They should be handed in before or at the time of exams. If, due to unforeseen circumstances, students cannot turn in an assignment on time, they need to get permission from the faculty for late submission. If a student misses an exam without informing the administration before exam week, he/she will receive a ‘failure’. It is the student’s responsibility, not the instructor’s or the faculty member’s, to attempt to make up and complete the exam within the late mid-term period.
4. Students of the Islamic Online University should pledge that all tests taken by them and that all work turned in by them are original and are solely the result of their own efforts. Any form of academic dishonesty, including cheating and plagiarism, will be recorded in the student’s permanent file. Breaches of academic integrity will be dealt with severely, as per the Islamic Online University’s policy. After the first instance of a breach of academic integrity, the student will receive a failing grade IN ALL CLASSES FOR WHICH HE/SHE IS CURRENTLY ENROLLED. After the second instance, the student will be expelled permanently from the university.
5. Note: Cheating is defined as using others’ planning or drafting to generate an essay, copying any part of another person’s homework, or collaborating on assignments that are meant to be individual efforts. Unless otherwise indicated, all assignments should be completed individually.

HOW IT WORKS OLD

THE IOU WAY OF E-LEARNING

• Both students and professors represent a diverse group coming from both under-developed and developed countries.
• The basic text(s) used for teaching the course will be provided as downloadable, printable PDF files.

THE COURSE MATERIAL CONSISTS OF:

1. Course text (PDF). The basic text(s) used for teaching the course will be provided as downloadable, printable PDF files. Supplementary reading texts will also be recommended, which students can get on their own. In the future, we plan to have an exclusive library of PDF books for our students to use as supplementary reading.
2. Recorded supplementary session conducted by the faculty members for each of the modules.

STUDY PATH OF EACH COURSE

Having thoroughly studied Module 1, the student then takes the Module 1 test. The test consists of multiple choice questions.

Each course consists of 20-30 recorded sessions. Video and audio recordings are available for the students.

The student first listens to the audio or video recording and reads the text that corresponds to Module 1.