An introduction to Kiswahili language and culture for students who have no prior knowledge of the language. The course is taught in Kiswahili and focuses on acquiring novice-level skills to perform basic communication functions in the culture of Swahili speakers. Instruction is through performance of cultural themes and experiential activities that enhance the four components of speaking, writing, listening, and reading. At the end of the course, students are expected to acquire simple grammatical skills to perform day-to-day interactions in the language and gain some insight into the culture of East Africa.

This course is a continuation of Swahili 101. It enhances communicative skills with emphasis on writing, reading, comprehension and conversation. Class activities review and enhance already introduced skills in speaking, writing, listening and reading; all embedded in authentic and contemporary East African cultural content. Cultural themes include the basics of daily life such as relationships, food, physical features and other aspects of material culture of East Africa. Learners are expected to perform functions related to basic services, comprehension of basic spoken and written texts and writing of a 1-page essay in Kiswahili.

This second year Swahili course focuses on enhancing the communicative skills acquired in the first year. Instruction is done through reading, writing, speaking and listening activities on cultural content that review and consolidate already acquired language skills. The course infuses cultural and socio-political aspects of life in East Africa with more complex grammatical concepts such as the subjunctive, grammar infixes, and relative clauses. Students are also introduced to intermediate-level reading and writing in Kiswahili.

This course emphasizes conversational fluency and increased facility in reading and writing skills while introducing students to Swahili literature. This literature forms the basis for a survey on cultural aspects and more advanced grammer. Students will be able to understand and analyze the main ideas and significant details of materials in Swahili such as media articles, short stories, poetry, short novels, films and plays illustrative of East African cultural issues. Covers advanced-level Swahili grammar, as well as the development of expository writing skills.