Time Schedule:
Christopher K Githiora
SWA 101
Seattle Campus
Introduces the Swahili language and the diverse cultures and customs of the people of East Africa. Provides a basic foundation in speaking, reading, and writing. First in a sequence of three.
Class description
FIRST YEAR SWAHILI LANGUAGE SWAHILI 101 ¡V AUTUMN/FALL - 5 CREDITS SWAHILI 102 ¡V WINTER - 5 CREDITS SWAHILI 103 ¡V SPRING ¡V 5 CREDITS
FIRST YEAR SWAHILI LANGUAGE AUTUMN/FALL QUARTER, 2009
Instructor: Kuria Githiora (PhD.) Telephone: (206)543-4494 Email: Kuria@u.washington.edu Class Meeting and Time: M-F 11:30 -12:20 in Savery Hall Room # 157 & M-F 12:30 ¡V 1:20 PM Sieg Hall, Room # 225 Office Hours: Wed. & Thurs. 9:30 AM-10:30AM or by Appointment COURSE DESCRIPTION This is a first-year Kiswahili (Swahili language) course for beginners. It is designed to introduce you to Kiswahili and allows you to also explore and understand not only the language, but also the diverse cultures and customs of the peoples of East Africa. The course is intended to provide a basic foundation in speaking, reading and writing. Primary emphasis is placed on understanding the basic structure of Kiswahili and its operation.
By the end of the course, students will have covered basic grammatical constructions and acquired an essential working vocabulary allowing them to communicate within a limited range of situations in which learners are likely to find themselves. The language is presented together with the cultural context in which it is used so that learners are able to appreciate such things as appropriateness and linguistic etiquette when interaction takes place in the target language.
The course content is divided into three (3) quarters with instructional units to be completed at the end of each week as described in the schedule (to be handed to students on the first day of class) and which is fashioned along the main class textbook by Hinnebusch & Mirza (and accompanying workbook by Moshi). The text/workbook are also supplemented by Kiswahili Kwa Komputa (KIKO), an online Kiswahili learning resource by Moshi and Omar among other resources.
IMPORTANT NOTE: ALL THE CLASS TEXTS ARE ALSO ALL AVAILABLE ON AMAZON.COM AMONG OTHER SOURCES. PLEASE COMPARE THE PRICES WITH OTHERS IN ORDER TO SAVE MONEY.
CLASS PARTICIPATION Attending class and being on time is mandatory. Missing a day with no legitimate excuse will affect your grade. Tardiness, distractive behavior such as texting and the use of cell phones in class is highly discouraged and will also cost you points. Lateness and other lame excuses will not be tolerated. So, be punctual if you care about your final grade in the class!!!
You are university students and are therefore responsible for all class assignments and to hand them in on time. Late assignments will receive a lesser score wand will affect your final grade in the class. No make up for missed quizzes and/or exam will be allowed unless previously arranged with the instructor.
TESTS Testing will be done in various modes including structural transformations, filling in the blanks, multiple choice, translations, etc. A quiz is scheduled at the end of each unit. There will also be three exams and a final.
REQUIRED TEXTS AND FILMS ƒæ Hinnebusch, Thomas J. & Sara M. Mirza: Kiswahili: Msingi wa Kusema, Kusoma na Kuandika (2nd Edition), Lanham, MD: University Press, c1998. ƒæ Moshi, Lioba J. Mazoezi ya Kiswahili: Kitabu cha Wanafunzi wa Mwaka wa Kwanza/Swahili Exercises: A Workbook for First Year Students. Lanham, MD: University Press of America, c1988 (to be used with Text book no. 1). ƒæ Awde, Nicholas. Swahili-English Practical Dictionary. Hippocrene Books, Inc. USA, 2001. ƒæ On-line Kiswahili course: KIKO ¡V Kiswahili kwa Kompyuta http:// www.africa.uga.edu/Kiswahili/doe ƒæ Arusi ya Mariamu (The Marriage of Mariamu) (1983) by Ron Mulvihill & Nangayoma Ng¡¦oge. ƒæ Bongoland I (2003) & II (2007) by Isaiah Kibira. ƒæ TUSAMEHE (2005) by Isaiah Kibira.
RECOMMENDED RESOURCES
ľ Yale Kamusi Project, the Internet Living Swahili Dictionary at: http://www.kamusiproject.org/
Student learning goals
STUDENTS WILL BE ABLE TO USE APROPRIATE GESTURES AND SWAHILI EXPRESSIONS FOR GREETINGS, LEAVE TAKINGS AND COMMON CLASS ROOM INTERACTION, SUCH AS "HABARI ZA ASUBUHI?" I.E. "GOOD MORNING?" "KWA HERI" FOR "GOOD BYE" AND "HUYU NI MWALIMU" FOR "THIS IS A TEACHER" "AND THAT IS A STUDENT" FOR "NA YULE NI MWANAFUNZI."
STUDENTS WILL BE ABLE TO FOLLOW SIMPLE INSTRUCTIONS IN SWAHILI IN ORDER TO PARTICIPATE IN CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES.
STUDENTS WILL BE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND ORAL AND WRITTEN STATEMENTS IN SWAHILI ON FAMILIAR TOPICS, SUCH AS NUMBERS, TIME OF DAY, AND THE WEATHER.
STUDENTS WILL BE ABLE TO READ AND LISTEN TO DESCRIPTIONS IN SWAHILI AND BE ABLE TO IDENTIFY THE CORRESPONDING PICTURES OR ILLUSTRATIONS SUCH AS THOSE ABOUT PEOPLE, ANIMALS, OBJECTS, PLACES, COMMON ACTIVITIES, ETC.
STUDENTS WILL BE ABLE TO IDENTIFY SOCIAL CUSTOMS THAT ARE OF INTEREST TO EITHER CHILDREN OR ADULTS. TOPICS MAY INCLUDE TRADITIONAL FOODS, ASPECTS OF FAMILY LIFE AND CULTURAL EVENTS OF SWAHILI CULTURE.
STUDENTS WILL BE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND BRIEFLY SPOKEN OR WRITTEN SWAHILI MESSAGES ON FAMILIAR TOPICS SUCH AS PERSONAL PREFERENCES, FAMILY, SCHOOL AND CELEBRATIONS.
General method of instruction
LECTURE AND DISCUSSION. INVOLVES STUDENTS WORKING INDIVIDUALLY, IN PAIRS OR IN GROUPS.
THESE CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES ALSO INCLUDE VARIOUS EXERCISES SUCH AS READINGS, LISTENING, SPEAKING, WRITING AND WORKING FROM THE MAIN CLASS TEXTBOOK/WORKBOOK AND FROM A SELECTIED ONLINE LANGUAGE RESOURCE, KIKO.
Recommended preparation
CURIOSITY AND INTEREST ABOUT OTHER WORLD CULTURES AND WILLINGNESS TO TRY LEARNING AND SPEAKING A NEW LANGUAGE.
Class assignments and grading
THERE ARE THREE EXAMS AND SEVERAL ORAL AND WRITTEN QUIZZES. ASSIGNMENTS ARE FROM THE MAIN CLASS TEXBOOK/WORKBOOK AS WELL AS FROM KIKO, AN ONLINE LEARNING RESOURCE.
WE SHALL ALSO WATCH SEVERAL FILMS FROM EAST AFRICA (IN BOTH ENGLISH/SWAHILI) AND LEARN SWAHILI SONGS IN CLASS!
THERE WILL ALSO BE TWO SHORT SWAHILI INSHAS (COMPOSITIONS) AND A FINAL ORAL PRESENTATION/SKIT. PROPER GUIDANCE WILL BE PROVIDED ON THESE TWO ASSIGNMENTS.
ATTENDANCE - 10% ASSIGNMENTS&HOMEWORK - 20% QUIZZES - 20% EXAMS - 30% 2 INSHAS (COMPOSITION) - 10% FINAL ORAL PRESENTATION/SKIT- 10%
TOTAL POINTS - 100%
