This document lists (almost) all the information Scadians need to work with Arabic writing, including: the four forms of each letter, the letter names, the ALA-LC transliterations, an example word for each letter with translation, an approximate pronunciation for English speakers, and the place of articulation -- or where in the mouth each sound can be produced. I developed this over years of teaching Arabic, and I make it available to all students.

This is a brief handout for my Arabic 101 class focusing on reading and writing Arabic. In class, I use a flipped-learning style in which students essentially teach themselves, and I circulate throughout the class to assist and answer questions. For these classes, I set up several stations around the classroom with detailed instructions at each. 

At one of the most popular stations, students examine print-outs of period Arabic, and they search for the Arabic letters I have indicated -- this helps students start to recognize letters and words in a new orthography.

This is a brief handout for my Arabic 101 class focusing on speaking the language. I have several versions of this class, but the handout here was made for a class specifically targeting voice heralds.

In my speaking classes, I set up stations throughout the classroom, and students rotate through while learning grammar, vocabulary, syntax, and pronunciation. My goal for students in these classes is to give them confidence with the language, thereby allowing students to infuse their SCA personas with additional touches of linguistic authenticity.

I taught this class for a virtual session of the University of Atlantia. Please feel free to browse the presentation linked here. Sources are available upon request.

I first taught this class at Storvik Novice, 2023. King Ashfin and Queen Yasmin are quite supportive of personas from less-common cultures. Because I study a less-common culture in the SCA (Amazigh), I offered to teach a class on the strategies I've used to circumvent research challenges. As I didn't want to bias the entire class toward my region or time period, I asked a few guests to sit in on the class to offer advice from their points of view, particularly when there was no written history to speak of (i.e., prehistoric cultures). I am grateful to Lady Yzma Ilhuicacihuatl and Aelia Suphunibal, rabat for their assistance in this capacity. 

We discussed ideas for creative study of less-common cultures in the SCA, and we covered suggestions for (+ evaluation of) traditional and non-traditional resources, as well as potential linguistic barriers. Lastly, we explored various creative approaches that allow Scadians to make reasonable inferences about their target culture. 

This philosophy salon primer includes information about Ibn Rushd (aka, Averroes), suggested readings, useful philosophical terms to consider, and questions for thought & discussion. It accompanies the 3 fall philosophy salons at SMS (South Market Street) Oasis, modernly located in the Kingdom of Atlantia. If you live near northern Atlantia and would like to participate in a future philosophy salon, please contact Tala. No experience in philosophy is required! 

The medieval oasis city of Sijilmassa was a major trading hub between Africa, Europe & Asia. Through maps & photos of archaeological finds, this presentation covers the history of the city, its internationally-renowned mint, and the advanced water management and farming techniques that helped the region thrive. 

This class was first taught at Pennsic in 2023, then was converted to a virtual presentation for virtual University of Atlantia in June, 2024. 

The second PDF is the handout given to students in 2023. The first PDF is a version of the Canva presentation given in 2024, and it does not include the video elements from that presentation. Please contact Tala with any questions, or to view the original presentation with video elements included.

Please be patient with me as I build out my new SCA website. Return here to see the addition of the many handouts and presentations I have made over the years.