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"Enlightened" by Muzaffar Bukhari is licensed under CC BY 2.0

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Urdu

There are over 800 million people worldwide that speak Urdu as their first or second language. It is spoken primarily in India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Fiji, Mauritius, Suriname, Trinidad, Tobago, and Guyana.

The Dhar India Studies Program offers 3 years of Urdu language instruction with beginning classes being combined with Hindi.

Undergraduate Courses offered:

  • INST U100 Beginning Urdu I (5 cr.) Introduction to the Urdu language and basic grammar. Graded exercises and readings leading to mastery of grammatical structures and essential vocabulary. Simple conversations based on personal information, courtesy expressions, and greetings in contemporary Urdu. Classroom use of stories, tapes, films and songs.
  • INST U150 Beginning Urdu II (5 cr.) P: U100 or equivalent proficiency. Continuation of the first semester. The writing system of Urdu and development of reading and writing. Graded exercises and reading for mastery of grammatical structures and essential vocabulary. Composing short dialogues on everyday survival topics.
  • INST U200 Second-Year Urdu I (3 cr.)P: U150 or equivalent proficiency. Urdu short stories, essays, poetry (gazals), dramas, newspapers and magazine articles, etc. will be utilized for reading. Initiate basic communicative tasks related to daily activities and various situations.
  • INST U250 Second-Year Urdu II (3 cr.) P: U200 or equivalent proficiency. Promotes rapid reading skills and vocabulary building. Study of grammar is based on Urdu reading material and includes regular grammar drills. Students sharpen composition skills by retelling stories from the reading material orally and in writing. Increase speaking skill to initiate, sustain and close a general conversation on a range of topics.