‫‪Postgraduate Diploma in Teaching Arabic‬‬

‫ﺍﻟﺪﺑﻠﻮﻣﺎ ﻓﻲ ﺗﺪﺭﻳﺲ ﺍﻟﻠﻐﺔ ﺍﻟﻌﺮﺑﻴﺔ‬

‫ﻟﻠﻨﺎﻃﻘﻴﻦ ﺑﻠﻐﺎﺕ ﺃﺧﺮﻯ‬
‫‪2010/2011‬‬

‫ﻣﺮﻛﺰ ﺍﻟﻠﻐﺎﺕ ﺳﻮﺍﺱ ﺟﺎﻣﻌﺔ ﻟﻨﺪﻥ‬

‫ﺳﺒﺘﻤﺒﺮ‪2010‬‬

‫‪SOAS Language Centre‬‬

‫‪September 2010‬‬

‫‪1‬‬
 Postgraduate Diploma in Teaching
Arabic

SOAS Language Centre

List of Content

I. THE Program
1. Program and Courses structure
2. Term dates and holidays.
3. Staff and Contact details
4. Syllabus and Time table
5. Assessment method
6. Course materials and reading list.
7. Brief introduction into Arabic Language

II. THE LANGUAGE CENTRE

1. General information on LC
2. Resources: Resources Room/Student advisor
3. LC brochure

II. The School

2
1.The program

The Postgraduate Diploma in Teaching Arabic provides and equips students with
the knowledge and skills to enable them to teach Arabic professionally and also
enable students to fulfill supervisory and pedagogical roles such as course
coordinator, teacher developer, course designer and materials developer. It will equip
students with the knowledge and skills to deal with the teaching of Arabic in
different contexts and through the integration of different varieties of Arabic
language.

As a practical component, students will also become familiar with the content and
design of instructional material and teaching/testing techniques, and will evaluate
second language learners’ performance through the analysis of empirical data and
adequate descriptive terminology. They will also be able to design appropriate lesson
plans, and will have carried out a certain amount of practice in teaching Arabic.

Graduates will be qualified and well prepared for such professions as: teaching
Arabic in higher education in the UK, Europe and other parts of the world; teaching
Arabic at private institutions or companies; administrative or consultative roles at
educational organizations; and editing roles in publishing houses specialised in
language courseware.

3
Students who complete the diploma in the first year can continue on to MA in
Arabic language teaching. The Diploma will comprise two thirds of the MA in
Arabic Language Teaching .Entry to the MA language Teaching will be decided by
the MA programme convenor.

Structure
The Postgraduate Diploma in Teaching Arabic consists of 4 core courses, which can
be taken on a full time (1 Year of study, 6 hours per week), or part time basis (2
years of study, 3 hours per week), equivalent to 3 course units carrying 135 CATS
credits at postgraduate level.

Core courses
All students on the programme must take the following courses:

1- Language awareness, methods and practice in teaching Arabic

(1 unit). The course comprises 6 topic areas;

_ Arabic systems and skills.

_ The teaching of Arabic: history and present day.
_ Methods in Teaching Arabic
_ Arabic language standards.
_ Materials and resources in teaching Arabic today:
_ Teaching practice

Course Objectives:
This course provides the Arabic- specific component of the Postgraduate Certificate
in Teaching Arabic and the Postgraduate Diploma in Teaching Arabic. It looks at
Arabic systems and skills and the teaching of Arabic: historically and the present
day, which covers the teaching methods developed in the Arabic historical and
socio-cultural context. It also looks at perspectives on Arabic language standards.
The course has a very practical element in which the students give Teaching Practice
to groups of learners of Arabic. They will also observe teaching and appraise and
develop Arabic language teaching materials.

Assessment for this course :

Arabic Language area Presentation: 2 presentations in week 6 and week 9 of the
course 20% of total Mark of the course 10% each.
Language Awareness Examination end of term 2: 3 hours unseen exam paper
40% of the Total Mark of the course.
Teaching Practice Portfolio last day of teaching in term 2 : Peer Teaching ,
Teaching practice Journal and observation Journal 40% of Total mark of the course

4
 2- Language learning ( 0.5 unit)

Course Objectives
The course will provide the generic language teaching and learning component of
the proposed Postgraduate Certificates in Teaching Arabic, Chinese and South
Asian Languages respectively and the Postgraduate Diplomas in Teaching Arabic
and Chinese. The course will enable students to have a comprehensive
Knowledge of approaches to language learning and teaching and the theories and
principles underlying them. The course also focuses on

Assessment for this course :

Essay on Language Teaching Theory and Practice: 2000 words essay written in
English and submitted Friday Week 12 of term 1, this essay carries 40% of the Total
Mark of the course.

Learner Profile: 3000 word study of an Arabic learner essay carries 60% of Total
Mark of the course, the essay is written in English and submitted week 6 of term 2.

3- Arabic applied linguistics: theory and practice (0.5 unit )

The course comprises 5 topic areas;

_ Advanced Arabic grammar

_ The linguistics of Arabic
_ Methods in teaching Arabic
_ Teaching practice and reflective skills
_ Resources in Arabic language teaching today

Course Objectives:

This course is one of the Arabic language specific components of the Postgraduate
Diploma in Teaching Arabic. It focuses on Arabic teaching methods and approaches
around Arabic language varieties and the various contexts in teaching Arabic. It also
focuses on linguistic perspectives around Arabic grammatical features and influences
they have on language teaching. The course involves tasks which prepare students
for their professional context in a supervisory or coordinating role.

Assessment for this course :

Teaching project portfolio and syllabus design and report submitted term 3
carries 40% of Total Mark.
Arabic language awareness and teaching Final Essay: 5000 words in Arabic
carries 50% of total mark of the course.
Oral presentation of the final Essay: 10% of the final Mark of the course.

5
 4- Language teaching and professional development ( 1 unit )

Course Objectives:

This course unit provides one of the generic components for the Postgraduate
Diploma in Teaching Arabic. The course focuses on raising students’ awareness of
their professional position and context, through critical approaches to language
teaching and critical applied linguistics. It also focuses on areas which will enable
students to undertake professional tasks and decisions from a theoretically framed
perspective. These areas include: syllabus design; educational technologies in
language learning; heritage learner education; learner autonomy; SLA and learning
theory and professional teacher development. The course contains tasks which
require students to apply theories and principles to their own professional context
and practice.

Assessment for this course :

Essay and report: Syllabus Design for LWW languages in the modern learning
Context: 3000 words submitted in term 3 carries 40% of Total Mark of the course.

Professional Development Portfolio: 60% of total Mark of the course submitted

last day of term 3

2.Dates for 2010- 2011

Classes will be held at the Bloomsbury or Kings Cross campus of SOAS Day Time
Students will do Teaching Practice in daytime or in the evening.

Some classroom observations will be held in the evenings in the first term.

Occasionally, a class may be re-scheduled for holidays such as Eid

The course is scheduled to run over three terms from September 2010 to July2011.

PG Diploma in teaching Arabic (full-time) Daytime.

Term 1: week starts 27th of September till week starts 13th of December

Term 2: week starts 17th of January till week starts 4th of April
Term 3: week starts 3rd of May till week starts 18th of July

6
7
3.Staff and contact details

SOAS Language Centre has a staff of over 20 fully-trained, experienced, teachers of

Arabic and Experienced Trainers of the field of Arabic Teacher Education, backed by
a coordinator teacher Trainer who is convening the program and under the academic
supervision of a senior member of the Department of language and cultures of near
and Middle East.

The program is normally taught by a team of experts Trainers and Tutors in the field
of Teacher Training and Arabic Pedagogy and experience practitioners of Arabic
Language. The program is supervised and approved by the Academic Director from
SOAS and External Examiner.

Experts of the field of Arabic language teaching will be invited to contribute to some
of the sessions. Students will also have opportunities to attend lectures, workshops
and seminars.

Teaching and Academic Staff

Program Convenor & Yousef Omar 020 7898 4883

Arabic Teacher Trainer yo2@soas.ac.uk

Joanne Eastlake 020 7898 4244

Teacher Trainer j.eastlake@soas.ac.uk

Academic Director Dr/ Stefan sperl SOAS NME Department

Academic Advisor Dr/ Noriko Iwasaki SOAS Centre for Language Pedagogy
Course Tutor Dr Nuha Al shaar
Course Tutor Mariam Reaidy

Course Administrator Ms. NHI Tran Chu 020 7898 4870

Language centre inquiries 020 7898 4858

languagecentre@soas.ac.uk

8
5.ASSESSMENTS

Regulation of Assessment:
On successful completion of the programme, students will be awarded the
Postgraduate Diploma in Teaching Arabic. Candidates may receive a Distinction,
Merit, Pass or Fail.

· To be awarded a Distinction, candidates must achieve the following:

70% or above in all course units that make up the award.

· To be awarded a Merit, candidates must achieve the following:

Unless eligible for a Distinction,

Either i) 60% or above in all course units that make up the award
ii) at least two full course units (or equivalent half-units) with marks of 70% or above
and no mark below 50%

· To be awarded a Pass, candidates must achieve the following:

Unless eligible for a Merit or Distinction,

50% or above in all course units that make up the award.

· If the candidate is awarded a Fail, he or she has not achieved the following:
50% or above in all course units that make up the award.

9
6.Materials and Reading list

Language Awarness and methods in Teaching Arabic

Wahba, Zeinab Taha and Liz England Lawrence Erlbaum 2006 new jersey
Handbook for Arabic language teaching professional in the 21st century

Holes London Longman 1995 Modern standard Arabic structures, Functions and
Varieties

Karin C, Ryding third printing 2007 Cambridge University press

A reference Grammar of Modern Standard Arabic
K Brustad 2002 George Town University press
The syntax of spoken Arabic.

 ‫"ن   ااب‬#‫ ر‬1991 ‫  ا و اات ا دار ا
 ا‬

"‫"ه‬% ‫"ه" و‬%  ‫ا ا ا'"ة‬

1987 ‫"ن‬,- ‫'"م‬/ .‫ا*) ا'( ا" 
"ب د‬

Methods in teaching Arabic 1

Required reading
K.Wahba, Zeinab Taha and Liz England Lawrence Erlbaum 2006 new jersey
Handbook for Arabic language teaching professional in the 21st century

The teaching of Arabic as a foreign language issues and directions

Mahmud al battal USA 1994 AATA

Nielsen H.L 1996 how to teach Arabic communicatively towards a theoretical

Framework for TAFL: in Understanding Arabic: Essays in understanding
contemporary Arabic linguistics

American university of Cairo press edited by alla el Jubilee required

Also found in Journal al arabyyah 1996 AATA

Khaldieh 1996 word recognition of Arabic as a foreign language the role of

phonology and script
Al arrabyyah journal 29 – 129- 152

A Gamal 1998 Vocabulary studies from Arabic and western prospective .theoery and
practice – Modern standard Arabic the intermediate level
Alarrabyyah 1998 36- 47

1991 23‫ ا ا ول ا‬5

 ‫ون‬67 ‫ و‬% 8"'9‫'د ا‬:
‫@ ?"ت ' >=اء اروس‬/ "* A?B"%‫ ا  ا‬C‫ر‬/  '‫ ا‬D

10
 ‫د‪  /‬ا‪ G(G‬ا =" ا>"م ‪9 A ':‬د ا>‪2001 F9‬‬
‫أ‪"9"9‬ت ‪ /‬ا ا ‪" A?B"%‬ت أ‪6‬ى‬

‫‪ / -‬ا ا ا‪  "* A?B"%‬ا'‪ L'M‬ا'"‬

‫‪ M‬ا  ا‪ "* A?B"%‬ر‪D‬ي ‪'B‬‬
‫‪2004‬‬

‫‪Arabic Language teaching, history and present day‬‬

‫‪MacCarus E.1992 History of Arabic studies in the united states .in Roshdy A.(ed) thr‬‬
‫‪Arabic language pp 207-221Detroit Wayne state University press‬‬

‫‪The teaching Arabic in Britain James dickens 2005 history and present day.‬‬

‫ﺗﻌﻠﻴﻢ ﺍﻟﻠﻐﺔ ﺍﻟﻌﺮﺑﻴﺔ ﺑﲔ ﺍﻟﻨﻈﺮﻳﺔ ﻭ ﺍﻟﺘﻄﺒﻴﻖ – ﺍﻟﺪﺍﺭ ﺍﳌﺼﺮﻳﺔ ﻭ ﺍﻟﻠﺒﻨﺎﻧﻴﺔ – ﺍﻟﻄﺒﻌﺔ ﺍﻟﺜﺎﻧﻴﺔ ﺣﺴﻦ ﺷﺤﺎﺗﺔ ‪1993‬‬

‫ﻣﻦ ﺗﺎﺭﻳﺦ ﺍﻟﻠﻐﺔ ﺍﻟﻌﺮﺑﻴﺔ ‪ :‬ﻣﺪﺍﺭﺱ ﻋﻠﻢ ﺍﻟﻠﻐﺔ ﻭ ﺍﻟﻨﺤﻮ ﻋﺰﻳﺰﺓ ﻓﻮﺍﻝ ﺑﺎﺑﱵ ﺩﺍﺭ ﺍﻻﻧﺸﺎﺀ ﻃﺮﺍﺑﻠﺲ ﻟﻴﺒﻴﺎ‬
‫‪1983‬‬

‫ﺭﺷﺪﻱ ﺃﲪﺪ ﻃﻌﻴﻤﺔ‪ ،‬ﺍﻷﺳﺲ ﺍﳌﻌﺠﻤﻴﺔ ﻭﺍﻟﺜﻘﺎﻓﻴﺔ ﻟﺘﻌﻠﻴﻢ ﺍﻟﻠﻐﺔ ﺍﻟﻌﺮﺑﻴﺔ ﻟﻐﲑ ﺍﻟﻨﺎﻃﻘﲔ ‪‬ﺎ‪ ،‬ﻣﻜﺔ‪ :‬ﻣﻌﻬﺪ ﺍﻟﻠﻐﺔ ﺍﻟﻌﺮﺑﻴﺔ ﲜﺎﻣﻌﺔ ﺃﻡ ﺍﻟﻘﺮﻯ‪،‬‬
‫‪1985‬‬

‫ﻋﺎﺋﺸﺔ ﻋﺒﺪ ﺍﻟﺮﲪﻦ ﺑﻨﺖ ﺍﻟﺸﺎﻃﺊ‪ ،‬ﻟﻐﺘﻨﺎ ﻭﺍﳊﻴﺎﺓ‪ ،‬ﺍﻟﻘﺎﻫﺮﺓ‪ :‬ﺩﺍﺭ ﺍﳌﻌﺎﺭﻑ‪1991 ،‬‬

‫ﻓﺎﺭﻭﻕ ﺷﻮﺷﺔ‪ ،‬ﻟﻐﺘﻨﺎ ﺍﳉﻤﻴﻠﺔ‪ ،‬ﺍﻟﻘﺎﻫﺮﺓ‪ :‬ﺍﳍﻴﺌﺔ ﺍﻟﻌﺎﻣﺔ ﻟﻠﻜﺘﺎﺏ‪1999 ،‬‬

‫ﻓﺘﺤﻲ ﻋﻠﻰ ﻳﻮﻧﺲ ﻭﺁﺧﺮﻭﻥ‪ ،‬ﺍﳌﺮﺟﻊ ﰲ ﺗﻌﻠﻴﻢ ﺍﻟﻠﻐﺔ ﺍﻟﻌﺮﺑﻴﺔ ﻟﻸﺟﺎﻧﺐ‪ ،‬ﺍﻟﻘﺎﻫﺮﺓ ‪ :‬ﻣﻜﺘﺒﺔ ﻭﻫﺒﺔ‪2003 ،‬‬

‫ﺍﻟﻔﻮﺯﺍﻥ‪ ،‬ﻋﺒﺪ ﺍﻟﺮﲪﻦ ﺇﺑﺮﺍﻫﻴﻢ ﻭﺁﺧﺮﻭﻥ‪ ،‬ﺍﻟﻌﺮﺑﻴﺔ ﺑﲔ ﻳﺪﻳﻚ‪ ،‬ﻛﺘﺎﺏ ﺍﻟﻄﺎﻟﺐ‪ ،‬ﺝ ‪ ،1‬ﺍﻟﺮﻳﺎﺽ‪ :‬ﻣﺆﺳﺴﺔ ﺍﻟﻮﻗﻒ‬

‫ﳎﺎﻫﺪ ﻣﺼﻄﻔﻰ ‪‬ﺠﺖ‪ ،‬ﺍﻟﺮﻭﺡ ﺍﻹﺳﻼﻣﻴﺔ ﰲ ﺗﻌﻠﻴﻢ ﺍﻟﻌﺮﺑﻴﺔ ﻟﻐﲑ ﺍﻟﻨﺎﻃﻘﲔ ‪‬ﺎ‪ ،‬ﺍﻟﺮﻳﺎﺽ‪ :‬ﻋﻤﺎﺩﺓ ﺷﺆﻭﻥ ﺍﳌﻜﺘﺒﺎﺕ‪1988‬‬

‫‪':‬د (‪ S9‬آ(‪ Q‬و‪67‬ون‪ ،‬درا‪"9‬ت  ا‪ V%‬وا‪ "?U‬ا‪ ،F9T‬ا?"هة‪ ،‬ازه‪،‬‬

‫‪The teaching of Arabic as a foreign language: linguistics elements Raja T. Nasr.‬‬

‫‪1978 Beirut.‬‬

‫‪11‬‬
Language Teaching and Learning

Eckerth, Johannes. (2008) Task-based Language Learning and teaching: Theoretical,

Methodological and Pedagogical Perspectives. Peter Lang

Howatt Anthony Philip Reid and Widdowson, H. G. (2004.) A History of English

Language Teaching. OUP.

Richards and Rodgers. (2001). Approaches and Methods in Language Teaching.

Samuda, V. (2008).Tasks in Second Language Learning. Palgrave Macmillan

Stevick, Earl. (1976) Memory, Meaning and Method. CUP.

Tudor, Ian. (2001).The Dynamics of the Language Classroom. CUP

Thornbury, S. (2005). Beyond the Sentence. Macmillan.

Thornbury, S. (2005) Uncovering Grammar. Macmillan.

Wong, Shelley.(2006). Dialogic Approaches to TESOL. Lawrence Erlbaum

Associates.

Wilburg, P. (2002) One to One. Thompson-Heinle.

Teacher Development

Horwitz, Elaine. (2008).Becoming a Second Language Teacher. A Practical Guide to

Second Language Learning and Teaching. Pearson Education.

Woodward, T. (2001). Planning Lessons and Courses. CUP.

Scrivener, J. Learning Teaching.

Language Learning
Dörnyei, Z. and Murphey, T . (2003). Group Dynamics in the language classroom.
Cambridge : Cambridge University Press.

Dörnyei, Z. (Ed.). (2003). Attitudes, orientations, and motivations in language

learning. Oxford : Blackwell.

Ellis, R. (1994). The Study of Second Language Acquisition. OUP.

Holmes, J. (2008.) An Introduction to Sociolinguistics. 3rd ed. Pearson/Longman

Lantolf, J. (2000). Socio-Cultural Theory and Second Language Learning. OUP.

Lightbown, P.M., & Spada, N. (2006). How languages are learnt

12
Literature

• H. A. R. Gibb, Arabic Literature: an introduction, Oxford, 1963

• S. Kh. Jayyusi, Modern Arabic Poetry, Columbia University Press, 1987
• S. Kh. Jayyusi & R. Allen, Modern Arabic Drama, Indiana University Press,
1975
• Cairo trilogy Nagib Mahfouz or Any of the novels of Naguib Mahfouz
translated into English.

Anthologies

• J. Kritzeck, An Anthology of Islamic Literature, Penguin, 1964

• W. M. McNeill & W. Waldman, The Islamic World, London, 1973

History

• A. Hourani, History of the Arab Peoples, Cambridge Massachusetts, 1991

• A. Hourani, Arabic Thought in the Liberal Age 1798-1939, Cambridge 1983
• T. Khalidi, Classical Arab Islam, Princeton, 1986
• B. Lewis, The Arabs in History, Hutchinson, 1966
• P. Mansell, Constantinople City of the World’s Desire,1453-1924, London,
1995

7.A Brief Introduction to Arabic

What is Arabic?
Arabic belongs to the Semitic family of languages. Besides Arabic, spoken languages
in this family include Modern Hebrew, Amharic, Tigre, Tigrinya, Syriac, a few
Aramaic dialects, and Maltese. 250 million people in the Arab world speak Arabic as
their native language and 1.2 billion Muslims all over the world use Arabic in their
prayers and religious recitations. Arabic is also the liturgical language of many
Eastern Christian churches.

For practical purposes, we might divide Arabic into three varieties:

Classical Arabic is the oldest type of Arabic that is studied widely. It is the language
of the Qur’an and texts from the classical age of the Islamic empire (including texts
dealing with Qur’an subjects), the Hadith (the record of the Prophet Muhammad's
words and actions), Islamic law and theology, history, biography, geography, poetry,
grammar, medicine, astronomy, and other sciences. Until a few decades ago, this was
the type of Arabic most commonly taught in American universities. Classical Arabic
is still used today, but is restricted to religious and highly formal contexts.

Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) or al-fuSHaa is a direct descendant of Classical

Arabic and is now the language of elevated discourse or correspondence,
contemporary literature, and the mass media (whether newspaper, radio, television, or
the internet). MSA is a formal, mainly written language that is not used for daily-life
communications. There are no native speakers of Modern Standard Arabic, but the
vast majority of the educated in the Arab world learn MSA through formal schooling.
Although Arabs not educated formally cannot produce MSA, many can comprehend it

13
because of the considerable overlap between the different varieties of Arabic. Modern
Standard Arabic remains largely uniform throughout the Arab world.

Colloquial Arabic, or caammiyya, refers to the regional dialects used in everyday

discourse and popular culture media (music, movies, etc.). There are numerous
dialects in the Arab world that vary along geographical, socio-economic, and religious
lines. Arabs from one region can generally understand dialects from other regions,
depending on proximity, exposure to other Arab dialects, education and command of
MSA. In general, there are four major dialect groups in the Arab world today:

(1) The Maghreb (Morocco, Mauritania, Algeria, and Tunisia);

(2) Libya and Egypt (the most widely understandable thanks to the Egyptian media)
(3) The Levant (Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine, and parts of Iraq)
(4) The Gulf Area (Saudi Arabia, Yemen, UAE, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar).

II. The Language Centre

The Language Centre offers a wide variety of facilities and support materials for its
learners and teachers.

Learning support
The Resources Room is open to Language Centre students free of charge. It contains
audio listening and recording facilities, reception of Arabic TV channels, computers
with internet access, an increasing range of computer-based language learning
software and other printed and electronic materials and worksheets. Students are
encouraged to use the facilities in their own time in order to build upon skills learnt in
the classroom.

The Learning Adviser can provide assistance with exploiting the materials available
in the Resources Room, by offering individual support and group workshops on
specific areas of language learning.

CTAFL students can attend the workshops that are run by the LWW-CETL
(www.lww-cetl.ac.uk)

Online materials are available to our students on the learner support page.

The Virtual Learning Environment at SOAS is Blackboard (www.ble.ac.uk). There is

a designated Blackboard site for the CTAFL course. It is an integral part of the course.

Learner Support Pages

SOAS Language Centre provides a range of learning support activities and resources
to its students.

14
Logging On

Language Centre students are given usernames and passwords at the beginning of
your course. Look for the sheet with the PALM TREE on it. Can't find it? Send an e-
mail to the Language Centre.

More help with logging in and setting up your SOAS Gmail account - for SOAS
Language Centre students

On-line Resources

Downloads: SOAS Language Centre learning materials online

Download SOAS language learning materials here. Then play them on the move on
your mp3 player. You need your SOAS username and password to access these
resources..

How We Learn Languages

Inspired by the 'Jinrikisha - How We Learnt Japanese' project, we asked more
language learners to share their do's and don'ts with us. Click on each student's name
to read more about their learning experience, including their most embarrassing faux-
pas!

Language Exchange and conversation events

Find language exchange partners to practice and improve your language skills in our
LC conversation events or exchange language a project coordinated by CETL –
Languages of the Wider World. Open to all SOAS language learners.

Language Centre students are issued with a SOAS LIBRARY card giving them access
to the School's unique and extensive collection of books, manuscripts, archives,
microfilms and maps of Asia and Africa.

III. The School

SOAS LOCATION AND BUILDINGS (map attached)
SOAS has two campuses.

The first is located at Russell Square, Bloomsbury in the heart of London close to the British
Museum and British Library. The nearest tubes are Russell Square, Euston and Euston Square.
The campus includes the Brunei Gallery which hosts visiting exhibitions throughout the year and
the Percival David Foundation which houses the finest collection of Chinese ceramics outside
China.

SOAS's second campus, Vernon Square, opened in September 2001. The nearest tubes are King's
Cross and Angel. This impressive former Edwardian school has been renovated to contain a range

15
of learning, teaching and social facilities, including the Byte2e@at Internet Café.

Room numbers are prefixed by the building they are in, except for rooms in the main building. So
V is Vernon Square, B is the Brunei Gallery and F is the Faber Building. The first number of the
room number is the floor number (remember in the UK we start with the Ground floor, the first
floor is one story up). So VG04 is room 4 on the ground floor of Vernon Square and F110 is room
10 on the first floor of the Faber Building. Rooms starting with G or L are situated either in the
ground or lower ground floor of the main building. The only exception is the KLT, the Khalili
Lecture Theatre.

The language centre administrative offices are located in 22 Russell Square where you can find
your course coordinator, teachers and course administrators. Classes normally take place in
Russell square school main building or Vernon Square .

LOCKERS

There are lots of lockers around the Russell Square building. You can have one by buying a small
padlock and key, finding an empty locker and putting your padlock on it. There are no lockers at
Vernon Square.

STUDENT CARDS

After enrolling, you will be given your student ID card as proof that you are a SOAS student. Keep
this safe and we suggest that you carry it with you at all times. You will not be able to get into
Russell Square, Vernon Square, the Learning Resources Area or the Student Union Bar without it.

You can also get a Student Union and University of London Union card. This will
entitle you to cheap entry into museums and theatres and to discounts in some shops and
travel agents etc. The Students Union will tell you how to get your SOAS union card.
The University of London Union is in Malet Street, five minutes walk from Russell
Square where you can get a ULU card.

SPORTS FACILITIES:

The University of London Union (ULU) operates Energy Base, a comprehensive gym and
swimming pool. See the website for more details: http://www.ulucube.com/files/energy_base/
ULU is located in Malet St – 5 minutes from SOAS.

The Students' Union also runs a number of sports teams from football, rugby to martial arts
courses, which are done in the Dojo in SOAS.

16
WHAT SOCIAL ACTIVITIES ARE AVAILABLE?

As well as the wealth of social facilities in and around London, the SOAS Students' Union and the
University of London Union (ULU) organise events and activities throughout the year. The
School's Students' Union runs a very popular bar with regular evening events- including live bands,
discos and cultural evenings. The SU also facilitates over 30 different student societies, plus
sports teams and trips to other parts of the UK. A common room at Vernon Square hosts regular
film screenings, and programmes from around the world. There will be a fully detailed
entertainment planner available during registration from the Students' Union. SOAS is also a
member of International Students House, ISH, who organise social activities, outings and holidays
throughout the year. For details see their website www.ish.org.uk

EATING AT SOAS

The Basement Refectory in the main building is open for breakfast and lunch (and for dinner in
the first term). The Snack bar (next to the SU bar in the main building) and the snack bar in the
basement sell hot and cold food and drink. Byte2e@t at Vernon Square is SOAS's internet café
where you can log on to the net and send emails completely free of charge. You don't even have to
buy from the café. All we ask is that you do not bring in any food and drink not bought at the café.

Logging On
Language Centre students are given usernames and passwords at the beginning of
your course. Look for the sheet with the PALM TREE on it. Can't find it? Send an e-
mail to the Language Centre. More help with logging in and setting up your SOAS
Gmail account - for SOAS Language Centre students


‫ آ ا
  و ا‬
‫و  
 ً ًا‬
Thank you and hope you have a great school year
Yousef Omar

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