Brief overview of Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) and Colloquial Moroccan Arabic (CMA)
While both Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) and Colloquial Moroccan Arabic (CMA) are largely derived from the same basic source (so-called "Classical Arabic"), they are in many ways two distinct languages. MSA is the language of the news media, written correspondence, official documents, literature and formal speeches. As strange as it might sound, MSA is not a language spoken fluently by the majority of Moroccans (or Arabs, for that matter).

Though few educated Moroccans have difficulty reading Arabic and understanding Arabic news broadcasts, few of them feel truly confident in using it as a means of oral communication. To further complicate matters for ALIF students wishing to practice their MSA outside of class, many Moroccan professionals have been educated in France or in a French mold, so that in discussing more intellectual or technical topics they may have difficulty expressing themselves without turning to French.

It is not uncommon for a foreign student trying to make conversation with a Moroccan in MSA to be answered in French. Obviously, if you don't know French or (wisely) pretend not to know it, the Moroccan in question will be forced to struggle to express himself or herself in as correct a variety of MSA as he/she can muster. There are, happily, exceptions to this generalization, even some very articulate ones, especially in a city like Fez which prides itself as being Morocco's "Intellectual Capital"; however, on the whole, students of MSA should not have unrealistic expectations about chatting in literary Arabic with the corner grocer - whose native language may well be Berber anyway! It bears pointing out that for most Moroccans MSA spoken in day today situations has an almost comical quality about it, comparable perhaps to the effect of speaking Shakespearean English with a small-town grocer.

Concerning the local dialect, this is much easier to practice outside the classroom. However, even when initiating a conversation in CMA, a student may get a response in French from a Moroccan. This may be due to their not believing their ears and having an automatic reaction of conversing in French with foreigners, or it may be due to your own lack of mastery of the dialect. Persistence pays off in such situations and a pretended or real ignorance of French often opens the door to fruitful conversational practice.

At the same time, it should be remembered that CMA has many (Arabized) French loan words and that Moroccans frequently intersperse their speech in CMA with additional vocabulary, phrases and expressions from French, even when speaking to each other. On a different plane, students should be cognizant of the limitations inherent in studying CMA, since sooner or later (usually after 3 six week sessions) they reach a plateau in their ability to discuss more intellectual topics (economics, religion, etc.) beyond which they can only proceed by studying MSA from which vocabulary and phraseology are drawn.

Without formally studying MSA they will never gain an adequate ability to comprehend news broadcasts or read newspapers. Students should also be aware of the typical Moroccan attitude towards CMA: it is not regarded as a “language” in the formal sense of the word and Moroccans may be quite bewildered by the fact that you are studying it formally. For them, only MSA is a written language with formal rules and conventions. They may express astonishment if they see you studying from a CMA course book, and even make remarks suggesting that CMA is not "real" Arabic.

Finally, students of CMA should accept the fact that their hard-earned knowledge of CMA will be of very little value beyond the confines of North Africa. To illustrate this point, it should suffice to note that the common every day words for "bread", "want", "need" and "go" are totally different in CMA and the Egyptian dialect. Concerning the latter, Cairene colloquial Arabic is passively understood by many Moroccans thanks to the diffusion of Egyptian made films on Moroccan television.

(MSA) Modern Standard Arabic courses
(Introductory Course): An entry level course that employs student centered methods to teach mastery of script, pronunciation and the nominal sentence. No prior background in Arabic required. (Three weeks, 60 hours)

(Beginning Level): An entry level course which uses a student centered approach to introduce basic grammatical structures & sound patterns of Arabic, with attention to mastery of script, pronunciation and listening comprehension. No prior background in Arabic required. (Six weeks, 120 hours) Text: Alif Baa, complete book for learning script and sounds. Al-Kitaab, Vol. 1, Units 1-8.

(Lower Intermediate Level): Aims to expand vocabulary and to further develop the four skills: listening, reading, writing and speaking. Lessons focus on reading comprehension and introducing more complex grammatical structures. Prerequisite: MSA 100 or Language Coordinator's approval. (Six weeks, 120 hours) Text: Al-Kitaab, Vol. 1, 9- End plus additional 20% teacher selected materials.

(Introduction to the Arabic Newspaper): Exposes students to basic newspaper vocabulary and structure starting with analysis of headlines. Sequel course: Media Arabic, MSA 350. Prerequisite: MSA 200 or Language Coordinator's approval. (Three weeks, 45 hours)

(Upper Intermediate Level): Further expands students’ vocabulary base to permit reading of increasingly authentic texts from newspapers, journals, and other sources such as Al-Kitaab Al-Assasi, while introducing controlled writing assignments. Focuses on listening comprehension and reading to facilitate interactive conversations on complex subjects. Prerequisite: MSA 200 or Language Coordinator's approval. (Six weeks, 120 hours) Text: Al-Kitaab, Vol. 2, 1-6 plus 50% teacher selected materials.

(Media Arabic): Seeks to build a media vocabulary sufficient for students to grasp the gist of a newspaper article or news broadcast with minimal intervention of the dictionary. Includes graded newspaper readings from Middle Eastern dailies & taped material from Moroccan television and radio. Prerequisite: MSA 300 or Language Coordinator's approval. (Three weeks, 45 hours)

(Advanced Level): Prepares students for independent study in MSA focusing on stylistic devices, vocabulary refinement, and communicative skills. Ideal for scholars wishing to hone their ability to comprehend Arabic university lectures and to express themselves on technical subjects in speech and in writing. This course also makes use of additional texts and short stories from various sources in order to reinforce the student's ability to read and comprehend complex writings. Prerequisite: MSA 300 or Language Coordinator's approval. (Six weeks, 120 hours) Text: AL-Kitaab, Vol. 2, 7- End, plus 50% additional teacher selected materials.

(Advanced Readings in Contemporary Maghrebi Literature): Survey of modern Arabic literature by major North African authors focusing on the short story genre with discussion of the cultural underpinnings of this literature as well as schools of criticism dealing with the authors in question. Knowledge of French and Maghrebi dialect(s) is helpful but not obligatory. Prerequisite: MSA 400 or Language Coordinator's approval. (Three weeks, 45 hours)

(Advanced Readings in Islamic Texts I): An introduction to the Quran and the sciences related to it. Includes a survey of the history of the revelation (asbâb at-tanzîl), compilation (tadwîn) of the Quran, principles of correct recitation (tajwîd) and discussion of exegesis (tafsîr). Prerequisite: MSA 400 or Language Coordinator's approval. (Three weeks, 45 hours)

(Advanced Readings in Islamic Texts II): This three-week course consists of a broad introduction to the study of hadîth, including historical background on the major compilations, and a broad overview of Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh) focusing on the 4 main schools (madhâhib) of Sunni law. Authentic Islamic manuscripts are used as central texts and emphasis is placed on stylistic aspects and essential terminology. Prerequisite: MSA 400 or Language Coordinator's approval. (Three weeks, 45 hours)

(Upper Advanced Level): Focusing on stylistic aspects of different literary genres, this course uses a sampling of authentic texts drawn from both contemporary and classical sources, and involves substantial writing assignments. While Al-Kitaab Al-Assasi, Volume III, and Al-Kitaab fii Ta'allum al-'Arabiyya, Volume III, are used as central texts, emphasis of course material may be adjusted according to student interests. Prerequisite: MSA 400 or Language Coordinator's approval. (Six weeks, 120 hours) Text: Al-Kitaab Al-Assasi, Vol. 3 plus teacher selected materials.

(CMA) Colloquial Moroccan Arabic courses
(Basic Moroccan Arabic): Presents the rudiments of the spoken dialect in a three-week format with an emphasis on functional aspects of the dialect in day today interactions with Moroccans. Emphasis on drilling important phrases. No prior background in either CMA or MSA is assumed. May be taught with or without recourse to the Arabic script depending on student interest. (Three weeks, 60 hours)

(Basic Moroccan Arabic Accelerated): Presents rudiments of the spoken dialect in a three-week, crash course format with an emphasis on the functional aspects of the dialect in day today interactions with Moroccans. Emphasis on drilling important phrases. Taught using Arabic script; Minimal prior background in MSA required. (Three weeks, 60 hours)

(Elementary Level): Provides a sound basis for the development of oral/aural skills in CMA for students with no prior background in Arabic. Curriculum includes training in Arabic script. Empowers students to function in a wide variety of day today situations with Moroccans. (Six weeks, 120 hours)

(Elementary Level Accelerated): Provides a basis for rapid acquisition of the capacity to engage in complex discussions by harnessing students' existing MSA vocabulary and knowledge. Intensive oral drills are supplemented by vocabulary exercises designed to delineate distinctions between CMA and MSA usage and vocabulary. Prior background in MSA assumed. (Six weeks, 120 hours)

(Intermediate Level): Covers complex grammatical structures with further expansion of students' vocabulary mastery. Prerequisite: CMA 100 or language coordinator's approval. (Six weeks, 120 hours)

(Proverbs and Stories): Exposes the post elementary CMA student to a wide range of the rich, traditional lore of Moroccan culture. Prerequisite: CMA 200 or language coordinator's approval. (Three weeks, 60 hours)

Instructional Materials
The core textbooks for regular six-week MSA courses are Alif Baa & Al-Kitaab fii Ta'allum al-'Arabiyya, Volumes I, II and III (Georgetown University Press). All course materials for CMA are school publications.

CMA 100 & 200 regular course books (required) 100 Moroccan Dirham each.
CMA 100 "accelerated" course book (required)150 Moroccan Dirham.

MSA 100 & 200 course book "al-Kitâb fii Ta’allum al-‘Arabiyya, vol. 1" (req’d.) 420-500 Moroccan Dirham.
MSA 300 & 400 course book "al-Kitâb fii Ta’allum al-‘Arabiyya, vol. 2" (req’d) 420-500 Moroccan Dirham.
MSA 500 assorted texts from "al-Kitâb al-Asâsî, vol. 3" and “al-Kitâb fii Ta’allum al-‘Arabiyya, vol. 3” (required) 300 Moroccan Dirham.

Harrell's Moroccan Arabic/English Dictionary (optional) 410 Moroccan Dirham.
Hans Wehr's MSA/English Dictionary (optional) 180 Moroccan Dirham.

Due to the high cost of “al-Kitâb fii Ta’allum al-‘Arabiyya,” in Morocco, students may wish to purchase their own copies at home and bring them along.