Postgraduate Course: Swahili 1A (AFRI11001)
Course Outline
| School | School of Social and Political Science |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | Swahili 1A provides a contemporary, interactive, stimulating and effective introduction to the Swahili language, which is the most international and widely-spoken of all the indigenous languages on the African continent. This course is based on a newly-designed curriculum and an innovative approach to learning that seeks to link the language to 21st century East African themes, such as music, literature, social media and the environment.
By the end of the course, students will be comfortable interacting in Swahili in everyday situations and will have a solid understanding of around 400 items of vocabulary, the key tenses and majority of the noun class system. Completion of the Swahili 1A will qualify students to continue onto Swahili 1B if they wish to do so, where they will have the opportunity to obtain an intermediate level.
Learning Swahili could be considered a crucial step for anyone seeking to travel to East Africa for research, work or travel, as even a rudimentary knowledge of the language will enable you to engage positively with those from the region, better understand your environment and acquire a more grassroots perspective on local and global issues. What's more, Swahili can provide a more general insight into the links between language, culture and history and a linguistic basis from which to explore other Bantu languages, such as Kinyarwanda (Rwanda), Zulu (South Africa), Xhosa (South Africa), Lingala (DRC), Kirundi (Burundi), Shona (Zimbabwe) and Bemba (Zambia), all of which share similar grammatical and lexical features. |
| Course description |
Swahili 1A aims to provide students with a strong grounding in the key concepts of Swahili grammar, over 500 vocabulary items and an introductory insight into both traditional and contemporary elements of East African culture and society. The course also aims to be challenging, stimulating and interactive, providing students with ample opportunity for practice in speaking, reading, writing and listening.
Swahili 1A is based on a newly-designed curriculum and an innovative approach to learning that seeks to integrate an intensive and effective acquisition of the Swahili language with an understanding of the social and cultural conditions that continue to shape its development to this day. The knowledge developed through the course will not only benefit learners in everyday interactions, but also in integrating into East African culture and life and viewing their own relationship to the region from fresh perspectives.
By the end of the course, students will be comfortable interacting in Swahili in everyday situations and will have a solid understanding of basic vocabulary, the key tenses and majority of the noun class system. They will also have been introduced to several elements of Swahili culture and will have discussed the lives of several important individuals in East African history. Completion of Swahili 1A will qualify students to continue onto Swahili 1B if they wish to do so.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | No previous knowledge of Swahili language is required for entry to the course. There are no co-requisites or prohibited combinations.
Auditing is not permitted under any circumstances |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2020/21, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: 30 |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
| Course Start Date |
14/09/2020 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 20,
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 10,
Supervised Practical/Workshop/Studio Hours 10,
Summative Assessment Hours 4,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
152 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
40 %,
Coursework
20 %,
Practical Exam
40 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
40%: 2-hour end-of-semester written examination
30%: Your average mark over the three regular progress tests
10%: 1-hour listening test
10%: 15-minute end-of-semester oral exam
10%: Class participation
Note on Continuous Examinations: Examinations will be conducted in weeks 4, 7 and 10. They will cover the three previous lessons and will contain a mixture of reading, writing and listening exercises. The average mark of the 3 assessments forms 30% of the final mark.
Note on Grading: The grading system in place for Swahili 1A ensures that students are tested in a variety of ways, helping to ensure that no element on language learning is overly favoured and that workload is more evenly spread throughout the year
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| Feedback |
Not entered |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- show an understanding of up to five hundred items of Swahili vocabulary, including frequently used verbs, adjectives and nouns in both their singular and plural forms
- demonstrate the ability to confidently utilise and understand the four key tenses in both their affirmative and negative forms and the first ten Swahili noun classes
- show an awareness of some key figures in East African history and society, including Wangari Maathai, Bi Kidude and Julius Nyerere
- show a working knowledge of some contemporary cultural norms in the East Africa regiondge of some traditional and co
- demonstrate confidence to communicate and interact in a range of situations and on a variety of themes relevant to every day life in Swahili-speaking areas
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Reading List
There is no set textbook for this course and the core materials will be provided to the students by the tutor.
For vocabulary and grammar reference students can use the following books held by the main library.
- TUKI. Kamusi ya Kiswahili-Kiingereza/Swahili-English Dictionary. 2001. Dar es Salaam: Institute of Kiswahili Research.
- TUKI. English- Swahili Dictionary/Kamusi ya Kiingereza-Kiswahili. 2009. Dar es Salaam: Institute of Kiswahili Research.
- Wilson, Peter. 1985. Simplified Swahili. London: Longman. |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Additional Class Delivery Information |
The course will be delivered through a series of lectures and tutorials, which will ensure that all students are familiar with the vocabulary and grammar introduced weekly. These sessions will contain a variety of exercises, reading materials and recordings, as well as ample opportunities for practice and discussion.
Students are also provided with a weekly conversation class, which will allow students to interact with native speakers of the language in an informal setting. |
| Keywords | Swahili,Kiswahili,Language,Culture,Africa,Kenya,Tanzania,Uganda |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Ms Teresa Poeta
Tel: (0131 6)50 4400
Email: Teresa.Poeta@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Miss Nicola Dove
Tel:
Email: Nicola.Dove@ed.ac.uk |
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