Al-Kitab Fi Ta'allum Al-'Arabiyah, Al-Juz' Al-Thani / A Textbook for Arabic, Part 2 (Al-Kitaab Fii Ta Allum Al-Arabiyya) (Pt. 2) [Paperback]

Kristen Brustad (Author), Abbas Al-Tonsi (Author), Mahmoud Al-Batal (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0878403507 | ISBN-13: 978-0878403509 | Publication Date: July 1997

From the first warning of Rachel Carson's Silent Spring in 1962 to the international 1972 Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment, from the Reagan era attempt to dismantle environmental policy through the Clinton administration, the United States -- the world's wealthiest country and also the world's largest polluter, has found ways to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions and their impact on the global environment. The U.S. has the financial resources necessary to solve international environmental problems by developing and using new technologies, and it can play a central role in international efforts to protect the environment.

An international group of scholars looks at environmental debates as they have formed through the decades leading up to the challenges the George W. Bush administration must confront if the United States is to be a leader in international environmental policy rather than a reluctant follower at best -- or at worst, a nation that shirks its moral responsibility to the planet all human beings must share.

Covering three broad areas -- national security and geopolitics, domestic and international politics, and national interests and international obligations -- the contributors examine a host of key issues, including ozone depletion and climate change, biodiversity and whale hunting, environmental and energy security, and international trade. Because the environment has become an ever-more pressing issue at the diplomatic level, this book is essential, timely reading for policymakers, activists, and anyone interested in environmental change and international relations.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English, Arabic

Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Georgetown University Press (July 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0878403507
• ISBN-13: 978-0878403509
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,721,667 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great readings but not for self-study, April 27, 2002

By 

iana - See all my reviews

This review is from: Al-Kitab Fi Ta'allum Al-'Arabiyah, Al-Juz' Al-Thani / A Textbook for Arabic, Part 2 (Al-Kitaab Fii Ta Allum Al-Arabiyya) (Pt. 2) (Paperback)

The second part of the Al Kitaab series puts an emphasis on the development of reading skills and concentrates on more complex grammatical structures and vocabulary, the type that students are likely to encounter in authentic texts (mainly for academic purposes).
As a whole, this book is a lot more "academic" than the first part and this is probably why there seems to be such a wide gap between the two books. Al Kitaab One is about "learning Arabic and having fun doing it" and Al Kitaab Two seems to leave out the "having fun" part.
Those hoping that Al Kitaab Two will address topics in everyday life communication which were not found in Part One will be disappointed. Part Two teaches you the vocabulary you need to read about the first newspapers in the Arab world but it won't teach you how to say "Could you pass me the bread please".
I believe that one reason for this is the setting for which the Al Kitaab series was initially developed: the Middlebury Summer Immersion Arabic program. Now, in an immersion program this would be the perfect book. It gives you the necessary materials for work in class and skipps over some aspects of everyday communication assuming that you will be exposed to them anyway outside the classroom.
Unfortunately, if you are a student in normal academic setting or someone struggling to learn Arabic on their own, this book needs a lot of supplementary materials and, most of all, a very good teacher/consultant to make up for the defficiencies.
You should also be aware that the audio and video tapes that go with the book make it twice as useful. Good luck finding them :)

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Big jump, October 13, 2001

By 

Elizabeth A Feltes (London) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Al-Kitab Fi Ta'allum Al-'Arabiyah, Al-Juz' Al-Thani / A Textbook for Arabic, Part 2 (Al-Kitaab Fii Ta Allum Al-Arabiyya) (Pt. 2) (Paperback)

While this book is helpful and one of the most commonly used textbooks for learning Arabic, there is a big gap between it and the first book. The texts are very dense and the grammatical explanations are not that detailed. Also the vocabulary is very strange and leaves a lot to be desired in the everyday sense. I do think that the contextual way of learning vocabulary is very good and the texts are interesting. Probably not a good book for someone who is trying to learn Arabic on their own, but good for someone who has a good base of knowledge and wants to work on their reading skills.

13 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars "Constructivist" methodology wastes students' time, March 29, 2007

By 

H. Abadzi "habadzi" (Alexandria, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Al-Kitab Fi Ta'allum Al-'Arabiyah, Al-Juz' Al-Thani / A Textbook for Arabic, Part 2 (Al-Kitaab Fii Ta Allum Al-Arabiyya) (Pt. 2) (Paperback)

Much research has recently shown why "constructivist" methodology is inefficient, and this book provides ample empirical evidence. Students are expected to guess the meaning of words, and to help them out, much vocabulary has neither definitions in the text nor in the glossary. The learner can spend endless hours looking up the words rather than learning Arabic. It is certainly not reassuring to just guess the words, the learner ought to have clear definitions. Since so much vocabulary is left up in the air, the book requires a teacher working extra hard, since students cannot do work alone. By the way, amazon is selling a key for exercises, but this is unacceptable. One spends a lot of money on this book and must then buy another book to learn from it. Also, the book assumes the student can figure out fast enough unvoweled Arabic and gives copious texts. Students require hours and hours of tedious reading that ultimately has little to do with live language. Great way to drop out of Arabic!
The revised version has DVDs with visuals aside from readings. But this is no help at all. Watching people recite Arabic in middle-age clothing does not help decipher the missing vocabulary.
Anyone teaching themselves should pick one of the many books available. And Arabic teachers should look at other series. For 20 years, the standard textbook was Michigan Modern Standard Arabic, 3 volumes with tapes. The texts are dated, but the book works very well.