Courses

Courses
Special Collections Research Center, University of Chicago Library.

Please use this page to search for courses in the current academic year and recent past. However, the most up-to-date version of our current course schedule with full time, date, and location information will always be on Class Search.

Subject Code Guide

NELC sorts courses by subject code. Most languages or language groups have a unique code. Courses under a language subject code include both introductory language sequences and advanced topics that may require knowledge of the language.

Students looking for non-language courses are generally going to be interested in NEAA and NEHC courses.

AANL Ancient Anatolian Languages (includes Hittite, Lycian, Lydian)
AKKD Akkadian (including Intro to Babylonian) 
ARAB Arabic
ARAM Aramaic
ARME Armenian
EGPT Egyptology 
GEEZ Ge'ez
HEBR Hebrew (Modern and Classical)
KAZK Kazak
NEAA Near Eastern Art and Archaeology
NEHC Near Eastern History and Civilizations
NELG Near Eastern Languages (usually topics in Comparative Semitics)
PERS Persian
SUMR Sumerian
TURK Turkish (includes Ottoman Turkish and Old Turkic)
UGAR Ugaritic
UZBK Uzbek

 

Courses

NEHC 20004 Ancient Near Eastern Thought and Literature I: Mesopotamian Literature

This course gives an overview of the richness of Mesopotamian Literature (modern Iraq) written in the 3rd-1st millennium BC. We will read myths and epics written on clay tablets in the Sumerian and Akkadian language in English translation and discuss content and style, but also the religious, cultural and historic implications. Particular focus will be on the development of stories over time, the historical context of the literature and mythological figures. The texts treated cover not only the famous Epic of Gilgamesh, but also various legends of Sumerian and Akkadian kings, stories about Creation and World Order, and destruction. The topics covered range from the quest for immortality, epic heroes and monsters, sexuality and love.

2023-2024 Autumn

NEHC 20012 Ancient Empires II

(CLCV,HIST,MDVL)

The Ottomans ruled in Anatolia, the Middle East, South East Europe and North Africa for over six hundred years. The objective of this course is to understand the society and culture of this bygone Empire whose legacy continues, in one way or another, in some twenty-five contemporary successor states from the Balkans to the Arabian Peninsula. The course is designed as an introduction to the Ottoman World with a focus on the cultural history of the Ottoman society. It explores identities and mentalities, customs and rituals, status of minorities, mystical orders and religious establishments, literacy and the use of the public sphere.

2023-2024 Autumn

NEHC 20014 Ancient Empires IV

(CLCV,HIST)

This course introduces students to the Achaemenid Empire, also known as the First Persian Empire (ca. 550-330 BCE). We will be examining the political history and cultural accomplishments of the Achaemenids who, from their homeland in modern-day Iran, quickly rose to become one of the largest empires of the ancient world, ruling from North Africa to North India at their height. We will also be examining the history of Greek-Persian encounters and the image of the Achaemenids in Greek and Biblical literature. The students will visit the Oriental Institutes’ archive and object collection to learn more about the University of Chicago’s unique position in the exploration, excavation, and restoration of the Persian Empire’s royal architecture and administrative system through the Persian Expedition carried out in the 1930s.

2023-2024 Autumn

ARAB 20112 Arabic for Academic Reading

2023-2024 Autumn

NEHC 20601 Islamic Thought and Literature I

(HIST,MDVL,RLST,SOSC)

This sequence explores the thought and literature of the Islamic world from the coming of Islam in the seventh century C.E. through the development and spread of its civilization in the medieval period and into the modern world. Including historical framework to establish chronology and geography, the course focuses on key aspects of Islamic intellectual history: scripture, law, theology, philosophy, literature, mysticism, political thought, historical writing, and archaeology. In addition to lectures and secondary background readings, students read and discuss samples of key primary texts, with a view to exploring Islamic civilization in the direct voices of the people who participated in creating it. All readings are in English translation. No prior background in the subject is required. This course sequence meets the general education requirement in civilization studies.

2023-2024 Autumn

NEHC 29899 Research Colloquium

Required of fourth-year students who are majoring in NELC. This is a workshop course designed to survey the fields represented by NELC and to assist students in researching andcompleting their Research Project. Students must get a Reading and Research form from their College Adviser and complete the form in order to be registered. Signatures are needed from the adviser and Director of Undergraduate Studies. Please indicate on the form that you wish to register for NEHC 29899 Section 01.

2023-2024 Autumn

NEHC 20005 Ancient Near Eastern Thought & Literature II: Anatolian Literature

The goal of this class is to get an overview of Hittite literature, as “defined” by the Hittites themselves, in the wider historical-cultural context of the Ancient Near East. Some of the most important questions we can ask ourselves in reading ancient texts are: why were they written down, why were they kept, for whom were they intended, and what do the answers to these questions (apart from the primary content of the texts themselves) tell us about — in our case — Hittite society?

2023-2024 Spring

NEHC 20016 Ancient Empires VI: Assyrian Empire

(HIST)

This course will examine the concept and definition of empire and the practices of imperial control through a case study of Mesopotamia’s best-known empire, the Neo-Assyrian (first half of the 1st millennium BCE). At its peak, the Assyrians ruled a vast area covering most of modern Iraq and Syria, plus parts of Iran, Turkey and the Levant, with aspirations to control Egypt. The gradual expansion of this empire from late 2nd millennium BCE beginnings and its extremely rapid collapse in ca. 612 BCE provide an excellent example of the tensions within trajectories of empire. The course themes include warfare and political strategies, identity and ethnicity, imperial bureaucracy, and the practical and ideological purposes of infrastructure building. Evidence examined will include texts (in translation) and the archaeological record at various scales, from settlements through artworks. We will also examine paradoxes, such as the contrast between textual claims of hegemony and limited archaeological evidence for this, and the power of visual propaganda versus its select audience.

2023-2024 Spring

NEHC 20017 Ancient Empires VII: Sumerians and Akkadians

(HIST)

The course introduces students to the first ‘empires’ in the ancient Middle East. We will study the earliest attempts under both Sumerian and Akkadian leadership at unifying the old Sumerian city states in what is today southern Iraq in the mid-third millennium BCE. Our focus will then be on the two successful empires that arose from these attempts, namely the one founded by Sargon of Akkade in ca. 2300 BCE and the one ruled by the Third Dynasty of Ur from 2092–2003 BCE. While exploring a rich variety of sources, both textual and from archaeological contexts, we will pay particular attention to understanding expansionist efforts, strategies of empire building, the establishment of a centralized state bureaucracy, ideologies of kingship, ethnicity and identity, as well as rebellions against the new political system and theories about why these early empires began to crumble after only a few generations. Since these new forms of dominion were tested and developed for the first time in this formative period and kings of these dynasties acquired a special status in Mesopotamian cultural memory, this course provides a solid base for understanding the later development of ancient Middle Eastern history but can also be studied for the sake of understanding early empire formation.

2023-2024 Spring

PERS 20502 Persian Literary Translation: Through the Translation of Hafez

Translating poetry is often a challenging endeavor, but translating Persian classical poetry is especially complex for several reasons, including the genre’s prevalence of ebhām (ambiguity) and ihām (polyvalence). These challenges have caused many literary translators to dub Hafez’s poetry as practically untranslatable, yet nonetheless there have been many attempts at translation, with varying degrees of success. This course aims to both explore the specific challenges translators of Hafez have encountered and also to strengthen students’ literary translation skill through the translation of Hafez’s works.

Prerequisites

PERS 20102

2023-2024 Spring

NEHC 20603 Islamic Thought and Literature III

(HIST/RLST/SOSC)

This course covers the period from ca. 1700 to the present. It explores Muslim intellectuals’ engagement with tradition and modernity in the realms of religion, politics, literature, and law. We discuss debates concerning the role of religion in a modern society, perceptions of Europe and European influence, the challenges of maintaining religious and cultural authenticity, and Muslim views of nation-states and nationalism in the Middle East. We also give consideration to the modern developments of transnational jihadism and the Arab Spring. This course sequence meets the general education requirement in civilization studies.

Holly Shissler, Scheunchen, Tobias
2023-2024 Spring

NEHC 20011 Ancient Empires I: Hittite Empire

(CLCV,HIST)

This course introduces students to the Hittite Empire of ancient Anatolia. In existence from roughly 1750-1200 BCE, and spanning across modern Turkey and beyond, the Hittite Empire is one of the oldest and largest empires of the ancient world. We will be examining their history and their political and cultural accomplishments through analysis of their written records – composed in Hittite, the world’s first recorded Indo-European language – and their archaeological remains. In the process, we will also be examining the concept of “empire” itself: What is an empire, and how do anthropologists, archaeologists, and historians study this unique kind of political formation?

2023-2024 Winter

NEHC 20013 Ancient Empires III: The Egyptian Empire of the New Kingdom

(CLCV,HIST)

For most of the duration of the New Kingdom (1550-1069 BC), the ancient Egyptians were able to establish a vast empire and becoming one of the key powers within the Near East. This course will investigate in detail the development of Egyptian foreign policies and military expansion which affected parts of the Near East and Nubia. We will examine and discuss topics such as ideology, imperial identity, political struggle and motivation for conquest and control of wider regions surrounding the Egyptian state as well as the relationship with other powers and their perspective on Egyptian rulers as for example described in the Amarna letters.

2023-2024 Winter

NEHC 20015 Ancient Empires V: The Umayyads and the Early Islamic Empire

(HIST,RLST)

The Umayyads ruled over the last “great empire” of late antiquity: the early Islamic empire, spanning from the Atlas to the Hindu Kush, from the Atlantic to the Amu Darya, and embracing regions with different cultural and political traditions. This course introduces to the history of the Umayyad caliphate, focusing on some of the visible legacies its inhabitants left behind: texts, objects, and monumental buildings that are still standing in cities of the Middle East and Europe. But we will also reflect upon less material legacies: for example, cities with a long-lasting urban culture, infrastructures for communicating across a vast empire, the consolidation of religious traditions, and exchanges and cohabitation of different religious groups.

2023-2024 Winter

NEHC 20602 Islamic Thought and Literature II

(HIST,MDVL,RLST,SOSC)

What are the major developments in thinking and in literature in the Islamic world of the “middle periods” (c. 950-1800 C.E.). How did noteworthy Muslims at various points and places think through questions of life and death, man and God, faith and belief, the sacred and the profane, law and ethics, tradition vs. innovation, power and politics, class and gender, self and other? How did they wage war; make love; shape the built environment; eat and drink; tell stories; educate their youth; preserve the past; imagine the future; perform piety, devotion, and spirituality; construe the virtuous life and righteous community, etc.? How did these ideas change over time? What are some of the famous, funny, naughty, and nice books read in the pre-modern Muslim world? We will survey a broad geographic area stretching from Morocco and Iberia to the Maldives and India--even into the New World--through lectures, secondary readings, and discussion. We will engage with a variety of primary texts in English translation, as well as various visual, aural, and material artifacts.

Adam Flowers, Alkhateeb, Firas
2023-2024 Winter

NEHC 29995 Research Project

In consultation with a faculty research adviser and with consent of the Director of Undergraduate Studies, students devote the equivalent of a one-quarter course to the preparation of their Research Project. Students are required to submit the College Reading and Research Course Form. Please indicate that you wish to register for NEHC 29995 Section 01 with the Director of Undergraduate Studies.

Prerequisites

4th year NELC majors only. Approval of DUS

2023-2024 Winter

NEAA 10020 Ceramic Analysis in Archaeology

(ANTH)

At archaeological sites following the invention of pottery roughly 10,000 BCE, ceramics are the single most frequent and ubiquitous class of artifact that archaeologists uncover. This class, which will be conducted in the Oriental Institute Museum as a combination of lectures, discussions, and hands-on interactions with ancient and modern ceramics, surveys the methods and interpretive techniques that archaeologists use when studying this important category of material culture. Specific topics include manufacturing techniques, craft specialization, typology and chronology, production and exchange, scientific analyses, stylistic and functional analysis, and socio-political organization.

2023-2024 Winter

PERS 10101 Elementary Persian I

This course is designed for complete beginners and teaches students to pronounce, read and write standard Persian, as well as some Iranian colloquial dialect. It includes an introduction to the alphabet, pronunciation patterns, greetings, basic structures, and other fundamentals. Students who have exposure to other Middle Eastern or South Asian languages, but have not formally studied Persian before, should enroll in this course. By the end of the course, students will be able to communicate in Persian at a Novice-Mid level according to the ACTFL National Standards. They should be able to read and compose basic texts in formal Persian relating to themselves and their everyday lives, and handle basic ‘survival’ scenarios that have been covered in class

2023-2024 Autumn

ARAB 10101 Elementary Arabic I

Elementary Arabic is a 3-course, year-long sequence intended for complete beginners. It targets both literacy in the formal, standard, written form of Arabic (fuSHa), and also integrates the spoken dialect (‘ammiyyah) when needed. Through in-class practice and intensive homework projects, students will gain a solid foundation in the four skills (reading, writing, speaking, listening). At the end of the sequence, students will gain basic functional fluency on a variety of personal topics (self, family, studies, location, daily activities, etc.). These courses adopt a project-based approach to learning, and therefore meet three times a week for 80 minutes.

TURK 10101 Beginning Modern Turkish I

This sequence features proficiency-based instruction emphasizing grammar in modern Turkish. This sequence consists of reading and listening comprehension, as well as grammar exercises and basic writing in Turkish. Modern stories and contemporary articles are read at the end of the courses.

2023-2024 Autumn

ARME 10101 Elementary Modern Armenian I

This three-quarter sequence focuses on the acquisition of basic speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills in modern formal and spoken Armenian.

2023-2024 Autumn

EGPT 10101 Introduction to Middle Egyptian I

(ANCM)

This course and its sequel EGPT 10102 provide an introduction to the hieroglyphic writing system, vocabulary and grammar of Middle Egyptian, the 'classic' phase of the Egyptian language developed during the Middle Kingdom (circa 2025-1773 BCE) and used until the disappearance of hieroglyphs over two thousand years later.

2023-2024 Autumn

HEBR 10101 Elementary Classical Hebrew I

(JWSC)

The purpose of this three-quarter sequence is to enable the student to acquire a knowledge of the vocabulary and grammar of Classical Hebrew sufficient to read prose texts with the occasional assistance of a dictionary. The first quarter focuses on the inflection of nouns and adjectives and begins the inflection of verbs. It includes written translation to and from Hebrew, oral exercises, and grammatical analysis of forms.

Staff
2023-2024 Autumn

NEHC 10101 Introduction to the Middle East

(HIST)

Prior knowledge of the Middle East not required. This course aims to facilitate a general understanding of some key factors that have shaped life in this region, with primary emphasis on modern conditions and their background, and to provide exposure to some of the region's rich cultural diversity. This course can serve as a basis for the further study of the history, politics, and civilizations of the Middle East.

Longworth, Kyle
2023-2024 Spring

SUMR 10101 Elementary Sumerian I

This course covers Elementary Sumerian.

2023-2024 Winter

SUMR 10102 Elementary Sumerian II

Elementary Sumerian II

Prerequisites

SUMR 10101

2023-2024 Spring

TURK 10102 Elementary Turkish II

Elementary Turkish (First Year)

Prerequisites

TURK 10101

2023-2024 Winter

ARME 10102 Elementary Modern Armenian II

This three-quarter sequence focuses on the acquisition of basic speaking, listening, reading and writing skills in modern formal and spoken Armenian. The course utilizes the most advanced computer technology and audio-visual aids enabling students to master the alphabet, a core vocabulary, and some basic grammatical structures in order to communicate their basic survivor’s needs in Armenian, understand simple texts and to achieve a minimal level of proficiency in modern formal and spoken Armenian.

Prerequisites

ARME 10101

2023-2024 Winter

EGPT 10102 Introduction to Middle Egyptian II

This course completes an introduction to the hieroglyphic writing system, vocabulary and grammar of Middle Egyptian, the 'classic' phase of the Egyptian language developed during the Middle Kingdom (circa 2025-1773 BCE) and used until the disappearance of hieroglyphs over two thousand years later. It also begins an introduction to ancient Egyptian culture and society through a close reading of its 'classic' literature.

Prerequisites

EGPT 10101 or instructor consent

2023-2024 Winter

HEBR 10102 Elementary Classical Hebrew II

(JWSC)

The purpose of this three-quarter sequence is to enable the student to acquire a knowledge of the vocabulary and grammar of Classical Hebrew sufficient to read prose texts with the occasional assistance of a dictionary. The second quarter focuses on verb inflection and verbal sequences and includes written translation to and from Hebrew, oral exercises, and grammatical analysis of forms.

Prerequisites

HEBR 10101 or equivalent

Staff
2023-2024 Winter

ARAB 10102 Elementary Arabic II

This sequence concentrates on the acquisition of speaking, reading, and aural skills in modern formal Arabic.

Prerequisites

ARAB 10101 or equivalent

PERS 10102 Elementary Persian II

This sequence concentrates on all skills of language acquisition (reading, writing, listening, and speaking). The class begins with the Persian alphabet, and moves to words, phrases, short sentences, and finally short paragraphs. The goal is to enable the students towards the end of the sequence to read, understand, and translate simple texts in modern standard Persian and engage in short everyday conversations. All the basic grammatical structures are covered in this sequence. Introducing the Iranian culture through the texts is also a goal. The class meets four hours a week with the instructor and one hour with a native informant who conducts grammatical drills and Persian conversation.

Prerequisites

PERS 10101

2023-2024 Winter

ARME 10103 Elementary Modern Armenian III

This three-quarter sequence focuses on the acquisition of basic speaking, listening, reading and writing skills in modern formal and spoken Armenian. The course utilizes the most advanced computer technology and audio-visual aids enabling students to master the alphabet, a core vocabulary, and some basic grammatical structures in order to communicate their basic survivor’s needs in Armenian, understand simple texts and to achieve a minimal level of proficiency in modern formal and spoken Armenian.

Prerequisites

ARME 10102 or equivalent

2023-2024 Spring

TURK 10103 Elementary Turkish III

Elementary Turkish (First Year)

Prerequisites

TURK 10102

2023-2024 Spring

EGPT 10103 Middle Egyptian Texts I

Reading of ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic texts

Prerequisites

EGPT 10101-10102 or instructor consent

2023-2024 Spring

HEBR 10103 Elementary Classical Hebrew

(JWSC)

The purpose of this three-quarter sequence is to enable the student to acquire a knowledge of the vocabulary and grammar of Classical Hebrew sufficient to read prose texts with the occasional assistance of a dictionary. The first half of the third quarter concludes the study of verb inflection and the second half is spent reading prose narrative texts with specific attention to the grammatical analysis of those texts.

Prerequisites

HEBR 10102

Staff
2023-2024 Spring

ARAB 10103 Elementary Arabic III

This sequence concentrates on the acquisition of speaking, reading, and aural skills in modern formal Arabic.

Prerequisites

ARAB 10102 or equivalent

PERS 10103 Elementary Persian III

This sequence concentrates on all skills of language acquisition (reading, writing, listening, and speaking). The class begins with the Persian alphabet, and moves to words, phrases, short sentences, and finally short paragraphs. The goal is to enable the students towards the end of the sequence to read, understand, and translate simple texts in modern standard Persian and engage in short everyday conversations. All the basic grammatical structures are covered in this sequence. Introducing the Iranian culture through the texts is also a goal. The class meets four hours a week with the instructor and one hour with a native informant who conducts grammatical drills and Persian conversation.

Prerequisites

PERS 10102

2023-2024 Spring

ARAB 10250 Colloquial Levantine Arabic I

Spoken Levantine Arabic is a proficiency-based course designed to develop the linguistic skills necessary for personal day-to-day life. The course focuses on spoken rather than Standard written Arabic, and will therefore target primarily the oral/aural skills. Through the knowledge of Modern Standard Arabic and the introduction of colloquial vocabulary, expressions and grammar, the course will build the students’ competence in spoken Arabic. Students will also be introduced to the Levantine culture of Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and Palestine.

2023-2024 Autumn

ARAB 10257 Levantine Arabic Languge and Culture II

Colloquial Levantine Arabic is a proficiency-based course designed to develop the linguistic skills necessary for personal day-to-day life. The course focuses on spoken rather than Standard written Arabic, and will therefore target primarily the oral/aural skills. Through the knowledge of Modern Standard Arabic and the introduction of colloquial vocabulary, expressions, and grammar, the course will build the students’ competence in spoken Arabic. Students will also be introduced to the Levantine culture.

2023-2024 Winter

TURK 10501 Introduction to Turkic Languages I

(KAZK,UBZK)

The first quarter of a two-section course in which Elementary Kazakh and Elementary Uzbek will be offered as one class, with the option for students to study one or the other, or both simultaneously.

2023-2024 Autumn

HEBR 10501 Introductory Modern Hebrew I

(JWSC)

The beginner's course is the first of three sequential courses offered to students at the university. The course aims to introduce students to reading, writing, and speaking Modern Hebrew.

2023-2024 Autumn

AKKD 10501 Introduction to Babylonian I

Introduction to the grammar of Akkadian, specifically to the Old Babylonian dialect. The class covers the first half of the Old Babylonian grammar, an introduction to the cuneiform script, and easy translation exercises.

2023-2024 Autumn

HEBR 10502 Introductory Modern Hebrew II

(JWSC)

The beginner’s course is the first of three sequential courses offered to students at the university. The course aims to introduce students to reading, writing and speaking Modern Hebrew. Toward that end all four-language skills are emphasized: comprehension of written and oral materials; reading of non-diacritical text; writing of directed sentences, paragraphs, and compositions; speaking. You will learn the Hebrew root pattern system, and by the end of the year you will have mastered the five (active) basic verb conjugations in both the past and present tenses (as well as simple future). This grammatical knowledge is complemented by an 800+ word vocabulary, which is presented with an eye toward the major syntactic structures, including the proper use of prepositions. At the end of the year, you will conduct short conversations in Hebrew; read materials designed to this level and write short compositions.

Prerequisites

HEBR 10501 or equivalent

2023-2024 Winter

AKKD 10502 Introduction to Babylonian II

This course is the second quarter of the annual introductory sequence to the Babylonian language and the Cuneiform script. Students will further explore the grammar of Babylonian in its Old Babylonian dialect (19th-16th c. BCE) and read ancient inscriptions (especially the Laws of Hammu-rabi) in the Old Babylonian monumental script. They will also be introduced to the Old Babylonian cursive used in letters and the documents of everyday life.

Prerequisites

AKKD 10501 or equivalent

2023-2024 Winter

HEBR 10503 Introductory Modern Hebrew III

(JWSC)

The beginner’s course is the first of three sequential courses offered to students at the university. The course aims to introduce students to reading, writing and speaking Modern Hebrew. Toward that end all four-language skills are emphasized: comprehension of written and oral materials; reading of non-diacritical text; writing of directed sentences, paragraphs, and compositions; speaking. You will learn the Hebrew root pattern system, and by the end of the year you will have mastered the five (active) basic verb conjugations in both the past and present tenses (as well as simple future). This grammatical knowledge is complemented by an 800+ word vocabulary, which is presented with an eye toward the major syntactic structures, including the proper use of prepositions. At the end of the year, you will conduct short conversations in Hebrew; read materials designed to this level and write short compositions.

Prerequisites

HEBR 10502 or equivalent

2023-2024 Spring

AKKD 10503 Introduction to Old Babylonian III:

This course is the third quarter of the annual introductory sequence to the Babylonian language and the Cuneiform script. After covering the grammar in the first two quarters, students will further their mastering of the Classical and Late Old Babylonian dialect of Akkadian and the associated monumental and cursive scripts by reading through a varieties of text genres: Letters, Royal Inscriptions, Legal Texts, and excerpts of Literature.

Prerequisites

AKKD 10502 or equivalent

Winters, Ryan
2023-2024 Spring

HEBR 20001 Hebrew Letters and Inscriptions

Acquisition of the ability to read Hebrew and Transjordanian inscriptions of the pre-exilic period

Prerequisites

Intermediate Classical Hebrew I-III or equivalent

2023-2024 Autumn

HEBR 20002 Phoenician Inscriptions

This course involves reading and analysis of the inscriptions, primarily on stone and primarily from the Phoenician homeland, that belong to the early and middle first millennium BC.

Prerequisites

HEBR 20001

2023-2024 Winter

HEBR 20003 Punic Inscriptions

Initiation to the reading and interpretation of Punic inscriptions. Texts resulting from the Phoenician expansion into the Western Mediterranean (primarily North Africa) are studied.

Prerequisites

HEBR 20002

2023-2024 Spring

PERS 20101 Intermediate Persian I

This sequence deepens and expands the students' knowledge of modern Persian. The goal is to enable the students to gain proficiency in all skills of language acquisition at a higher level. In this sequence, the students learn more complex grammatical structures and gain wider vocabulary through reading paragraph-length texts on a variety of topics related to Persian language, literature, and culture. Students will also be familiarized with Persian news and media terminology. Class meets four hours a week with the instructor and one hour with a native informant who conducts grammatical drills and Persian conversation.

Prerequisites

PERS 10103 or instructor consent

2023-2024 Autumn

ARAB 20101 Intermediate Arabic I

The first quarter of Intermediate Arabic

Prerequisites

ARAB 10103 or equivalent

2023-2024 Autumn

TURK 20101 Intermediate Turkish I

This sequence features proficiency-based instruction emphasizing speaking and writing skills as well as reading and listening comprehension at the intermediate to advanced levels in modern Turkish. Modern short stories, novel excerpts, academic and journalistic articles form the basis for an introduction to modern Turkish literature. Cultural units consisting of films and web-based materials are also used extensively in this course, which is designed to bring the intermediate speaker to an advanced level of proficiency. Prerequisite(s): TURK 10103, or equivalent with intermediate level proficiency test.

Prerequisites

TURK 10103 or equivalent with intermediate level proficiency test

2023-2024 Autumn

ARME 20101 Intermediate Modern Armenian I

This course aims to enable students to reach a reasonable level of proficiency in the Armenian language.

Prerequisites

ARME 10103 or equivalent

2023-2024 Autumn

EGPT 20101 Middle Egyptian Texts II

Second quarter reading course of ME texts

Prerequisites

EGPT 10101-10102-10103 or consent of instructor

2023-2024 Autumn

PERS 20102 Intermediate Persian II

This sequence deepens and expands the students' knowledge of modern Persian. The goal is to enable the students to gain proficiency in all skills of language acquisition at a higher level. In this sequence, the students learn more complex grammatical structures and gain wider vocabulary through reading paragraph-length texts on a variety of topics related to Persian language, literature, and culture. Students will also be familiarized with Persian news and media terminology. Class meets four hours a week with the instructor and one hour with a native informant who conducts grammatical drills and Persian conversation.

Prerequisites

PERS 20101 or instructor consent

2023-2024 Winter

TURK 20102 Intermediate Turkish III

This sequence features proficiency-based instruction emphasizing speaking and writing skills as well as reading and listening comprehension at the intermediate to advanced levels in modern Turkish. Modern short stories, novel excerpts, academic and journalistic articles form the basis for an introduction to modern Turkish literature. Cultural units consisting of films and web-based materials are also used extensively in this course, which is designed to bring the intermediate speaker to an advanced level of proficiency.

Prerequisites

TURK 20101

2023-2024 Winter

ARME 20102 Intermediate Modern Armenian II

This course aims to enable students to reach a reasonable level of proficiency in the Armenian language.

Prerequisites

ARME 20101 or equivalent

2023-2024 Winter

EGPT 20102 Introduction to Hieratic

This course introduces the cursive literary and administrative script of Middle Egyptian (corresponding to the Middle Kingdom period in Egypt) and is intended to provide familiarity with a variety of texts written in hieratic (e.g., literary tales, religious compositions, wisdom literature, letters, accounts, graffiti).

Prerequisites

EGPT 20101

Witt, Catie
2023-2024 Winter

ARAB 20102 Intermediate Arabic II

The second quarter of Intermediate Arabic

Prerequisites

ARAB 20101 or equivalent

2023-2024 Winter

ARME 20103 Intermediate Modern Armenian III

The course is aiming to enable students to reach a reasonable level of proficiency in the Armenian language. The curriculum is heavily based on real life situations. Each class session includes a healthy balance of real-life like conversations (shopping, placing an order in a restaurant, asking directions, talking with natives, getting around in the city, banking, etc.), readings (dialogues, jokes, stories, news, etc.) and writings (essays on selected topics, filling forms, etc.). The students can also communicate in Armenian well beyond basic needs about the daily life and obtain some level of fluency in their professional interests. This sequence covers a wider-range vocabulary and more complex grammatical structures in modern formal and colloquial Armenian.

Prerequisites

ARME 20102 or equivalent

2023-2024 Spring

TURK 20103 Intermediate Turkish III

This sequence features proficiency-based instruction emphasizing speaking and writing skills as well as reading and listening comprehension at the intermediate to advanced levels in modern Turkish. Modern short stories, novel excerpts, academic and journalistic articles form the basis for an introduction to modern Turkish literature. Cultural units consisting of films and web-based materials are also used extensively in this course, which is designed to bring the intermediate speaker to an advanced level of proficiency.

Prerequisites

TURK 20102

2023-2024 Spring

ARAB 20103 Intermediate Arabic III

ARAB 20103 is the spring quarter continuation of the Intermediate Arabic sequence that began with ARAB 20101 last fall, and continued with ARAB 20102 in the winter. We will continue to work through the second half of Al-Kitaab Part 2. As in any language course, we address all four of the fundamental skills: reading, writing, listening, and speaking. A particular focus of this sequence, however, is ensuring that students have a solid, comprehensive understanding of the rules of Arabic syntax. In addition to readings and exercises from the textbook, we will increasingly make use of articles from Arabic-language news media.

Prerequisites

ARAB 20102 or equivalent

PERS 20103 Intermediate Persian III

This sequence deepens and expands the students' knowledge of modern Persian. The goal is to enable the students to gain proficiency in all skills of language acquisition at a higher level. In this sequence, the students learn more complex grammatical structures and gain wider vocabulary through reading paragraph-length texts on a variety of topics related to Persian language, literature, and culture. Students will also be familiarized with Persian news and media terminology. Class meets four hours a week with the instructor and one hour with a native informant who conducts grammatical drills and Persian conversation.

Prerequisites

PERS 20202 or instructor consent

2023-2024 Spring

HEBR 20104 Intermediate Classical Hebrew I

(JWSC)

Review basic Hebrew grammar, emphasis on morphology and basic syntax - Review/acquire historical morphology - Acquire facility in reading Biblical Hebrew prose

Prerequisites

HEBR 10103 or equivalent

2023-2024 Autumn

HEBR 20105 Intermediate Classical Hebrew II

(JWSC)

Continue acquisition of basic Biblical Hebrew; Continue acquisition of basic notions of historical grammar; Acquire the rudiments of analysis of Biblical Hebrew poetry.

Prerequisites

HEBR 20104 or equivalent

2023-2024 Winter

HEBR 20106 Intermediate Classical Hebrew III

(JWSC)

Continue acquisition of basic Biblical Hebrew, emphasis on syntax; Increase familiarity with Biblical Hebrew poetry, emphasis on prophets; Continue acquisition of basic historical morphology; Reading ancient manuscripts.

Prerequisites

HEBR 20105 or equivalent

2023-2024 Spring

EGPT 20110 Introduction to Old Egyptian

This course provides an introduction to the hieroglyphic writing system, vocabulary and grammar of Old Egyptian, the phase of the Egyptian language used during the Old Kingdom (circa 2686-2181 BCE). It also provides an introduction to the culture and society of Egypt's 'Pyramid Age' through a close reading of monumental texts from private tombs, royal and private stelae, administrative decrees, economic documents, and Pyramid texts. Some attention is given to Old Egyptian texts written in cursive Hieratic.

Prerequisites

EGPT 10101-10103 or equivalent

Brian Muhs, Kropp, Caitlin
2023-2024 Spring

ARAB 20110 Arabic for Special Purposes: Arabic for STEM

Arabic for STEM is an advanced Arabic course that aims to develop students’ ability to communicate about science, technology, engineering, and math in Arabic. Over the course of the term, students build towards two parallel goals: (1) to be able to provide science and math tutoring in Arabic at the elementary or high school level, and (2) for STEM majors, to be able to discuss their studies in Arabic, or, for non-STEM majors, to be able to discuss current technical topics of interest in Arabic. Students work towards these goals by studying a series of modules, for example: mathematics & statistics, chemistry & climate change, physics & space exploration, and data & artificial intelligence.

Prerequisites

3 years of Arabic

2023-2024 Winter

ARAB 20111 Arabic for Special Purposes: Arabic for Business

Arabic for Special Purposes: Arabic for Business

Prerequisites

3 years of Arabic

2023-2024 Spring

ARAB 20112 Arabic for Academic Reading

Academic Modern Standard Arabic

Prerequisites

Equivalent of 3 years of Arabic

2023-2024 Autumn

ARAB 20113 Food Culture in the Arab World

Food Culture in the Arab World

Prerequisites

3 years of Arabic

2023-2024 Spring

ARAB 20114 Arabic Linguistics

Arabic Linguistics

Prerequisites

2 years of Arabic

2023-2024 Spring

ARAB 20115 Colloquial Egyptian Arabic Language and Culture II

Colloquial Egyptian Arabic Language and Culture I

2023-2024 Winter

EGPT 20210 Introduction to Late Egyptian

This course provides an introduction to the form of ancient Egyptian written and presumably spoken in the Egyptian New Kingdom (circa 1550-1069 BCE), in which literary and administrative texts and letters were written during the Egyptian Empire.

Prerequisites

EGPT 10101-10102-10103 or equivalent required; EGPT 20101 recommended

Kropp, Caitlin
2023-2024 Spring

AANL 20301 Late Hieroglyphic Luwian (ca. 1200-700 BCE)

This course introduces the student to the grammar and writing system of the Hieroglyphic Luwian language of the first millennium BC (1000 to 700). Once the grammar is discussed, older and younger texts of that period are read, including the Karatepe Bilingual.

Prerequisites

Instructor consent

2023-2024 Winter

HEBR 20501 Intermediate Modern Hebrew I

(JWSC)

The course, which builds upon Introductory Modern Hebrew (first year HEB) focuses on the acquisition of proficiency and communicative skills in Modern Hebrew.

Prerequisites

HEBR 10503 or equivalent

2023-2024 Autumn

HEBR 20502 Intermediate Modern Hebrew II

(JWSC)

This course is designed for students who possess a basic knowledge of modern‭ ‬and/or Biblical Hebrew‭ (‬either the first year course or the placement exam‭ ‬are prerequisites‭). ‬The main objective is to provide students with the‭ ‬skills necessary to approach Modern Hebrew prose‭, ‬both fiction and‭ ‬non-fiction‭. Students learn to use the dictionary‭, ‬and approach unfamiliar‭ ‬texts and vocabulary‭. Many syntactic structures are introduced‭, ‬including‭ ‬simple clauses‭, ‬coordinate and compound sentences‭. ‬Throughout the year‭, ‬students read‭, ‬write‭, ‬and speak extensively and are required to analyze the‭ ‬grammatical structures of assigned materials‭.

Prerequisites

HEBR 20501 or equivalent

2023-2024 Winter

HEBR 20503 Intermediate Modern Hebrew III

(JWSC)

The course, which builds upon Introductory Modern Hebrew (first year HEB) focuses on the acquisition of proficiency and communicative skills in Modern Hebrew.

Prerequisites

HEBR 20502 or equivalent

2023-2024 Spring

ARAB 20601 High Intermediate Modern Standard Arabic I

High Intermediate Arabic, the modern track, provides students with a full academic year to activate the language and grammar studied in the first two years, while expanding their cultural and literary knowledge of the Arab world. This three-quarter sequence is taught in Arabic and focuses on all four language skills. The purpose of this sequence is conceived of functionally (what can students do) rather than with an eye to finishing a given textbook. It will have reached its objective if each student leaves with a clearly improved ability to produce oral and written Arabic in a variety of contexts (personal and professional correspondence, description, prescription, comparison narration, argumentation, etc.), to listen and understand spoken MSA, and to read a variety of texts (short stories, a novel, media writing, poetry, social media, opinion pieces, etc.) and a deepened understanding of the diversity of the Arab experience. An important component of the course is taking the learning outside the classroom: through visits to an Arab neighborhood, interviews of Arabs in Chicago, producing a play.

Prerequisites

ARAB 20103 or equivalent

2023-2024 Autumn

ARAB 20602 High Intermediate Modern Standard Arabic II

Taking debate as its central fulcrum, the course will develop all four language skills: debaters must read on the proposition topic, prepare their arguments in writing, speak clearly to an audience, and listen carefully to their team mates and to the arguments of the opposing team. In the process, they will be immersed in Arab culture (targeted expressions and historical references, of-the-moment issues, etc.).

Prerequisites

ARAB 20601 or equivalent

2023-2024 Winter

ARAB 20603 High Intermediate Modern Standard Arabic III

Arabic Through Extensive Reading

Prerequisites

ARAB 20602 or equivalent

2023-2024 Spring

ARAB 20701 High Intermediate Classical Arabic I

First quarter of Classical High Intermediate Arabic

Prerequisites

ARAB 20103 or equivalent

2023-2024 Autumn

ARAB 20702 High Intermediate Classical Arabic III

Second quarter of Classical High Intermediate Arabic

Prerequisites

ARAB 20701 or equivalent

2023-2024 Spring

ARAB 20703 High Intermediate Classical Arabic III

Third quarter of Classical High Intermediate Arabic

Prerequisites

ARAB 20702 or equivalent

2023-2024 Spring

ARAB 29001 Arabic Through Film

This course immerses the student in Arabic through the genre of film, specifically, Egyptian film, a potent and pervasive medium since Arabs started making films in the 1920s, but more pervasive with the advent of television in the early 1960s. Proceeding chronologically, we examine the Egyptian film through distinct stages, from the early musicals and romantic comedies of the forties and fifties, to the slew of post-1952 films offering new notions of the nation, of citizens, of womanhood, to the films of the 1970s with their commentary on the new capitalist society Sadat espoused, to the nuanced realism and focus on individual angst of the 1980s and 90s, to the gritty realism of the pre and post Arab Spring period.

Prerequisites

2 years of MSA or equivalent

2023-2024 Autumn

NEAA 20001/30001 Archaeology of the Ancient Near East I: Mesopotamia

This course will give an overview of the archaeology of ancient Mesopotamia. We will examine the material remains of various cultures in and around ancient Mesopotamia and engage with themes of social complexity, urbanism, collapse, and continuity/change through time. Students in this survey course will gain basic knowledge of the archaeological data used to create a picture of life in the Mesopotamian region in ancient times.

2023-2024 Autumn

NEHC 20006/30006 Ancient Near Eastern Thought and Literature III: Ancient Egyptian Literature

(EGPT)

This course employs English translations of ancient Egyptian literary texts to explore the genres, conventions and techniques of ancient Egyptian literature. Discussions of texts examine how the ancient Egyptians conceptualized and constructed their equivalent of literature, as well as the fuzzy boundaries and subtle interplay between autobiography, history, myth, and fiction.

2023-2024 Winter

NEHC 20024/30024 Everyday Life in Premodern Islamicate Societies

(HIST,ISLM,RLST)

How did people live in the early Islamic period? How did they work and study? What do we know about their relations with family members, loved ones, and neighbors? How did they relate to the administration and to people who ruled them? Did they get together to celebrate religious festivals? Did they have parties? What sources do we have to learn about their habits, routines, and feelings? What can we learn about every-day struggles, and how much do these differ from our own? This course aims to introduce undergraduate and early graduate students to the study of social history through a combination of literary and documentary sources from the early centuries of Islam. We will learn about both opportunities and limits of studying history from the “bottom-up.”

2023-2024 Autumn

NEHC 20034/30034 From the Harem to Helem: Gender and Sexuality in the Modern Middle East

(GNSE)

This course counts as a Problems in the Study of Gender and Sexuality course for GNSE majors. This course will provide a historical and theoretical survey of issues pertaining to gender and sexuality in the modern Middle East. First, we will outline the colonial legacies of gender politics and gendered discourses in modern Middle Eastern history. We will discuss orientalist constructions of the harem and the veil (Allouche, Laila Ahmed, Lila Abu-Loghod), and their contested afterlives across the Middle East. We will also explore colonial (homo)sexuality, and attendant critiques (Najmabadi, Massad). We will pay especial attention to local discourses about gender and sexuality, and trouble facile assumptions of “writing back” while attending to the various specificities of local discourses of everyday life across various sites of the Middle East. Eschewing reductive traps for more nuanced explorations of the specifics of life in Beirut, Cairo, Istanbul, or Tehran – as well as to rural areas – we will show how gender and sexuality are constructed and practiced in these locales. In addition to foundational scholarly texts in the field, we will also engage with an array of cultural texts (films, novels, poetry, comics) and – where possible – have conversations with activists who are working in these sites via Skype/teleconferencing.

Kraver, Stephanie
2023-2024 Autumn

NEAA 20035/30035 Introduction to Zooarchaeology

(ANTH)

This course provides undergraduate and graduate students with an introduction to the use of animal bones in archaeological research. Students will gain hands-on experience analyzing faunal remains from an archaeological site in the Near East. The class will address theoretical and methodological issues involved in the use of animal bones as a source of information about prehistoric societies. The course consists of lectures, laboratory sessions, and original research projects using collections of animal bone from archaeological excavations in southeast Turkey. Topics covered include: 1) identifying, ageing and sexing animal bones; 2) zooarchaeological sampling, measurement, quantification, and problems of taphonomy; 3) analysis of animal bone data; 4) reconstructing prehistoric hunting and pastoral economies, especially: animal domestication, hunting strategies, herding systems, seasonality, and pastoral production in complex societies.

Prerequisites

Any introductory course in archaeology

2023-2024 Spring

NEAA 30044 Sardis and its Neighbors: Western Anatolia during the Iron Age

This class is an in-depth study of western Anatolia’s most important archaeological site during the early first millennium BCE: Sardis, the capital city of the kingdom of Lydia. In addition to learning the archaeology of this site in detail, we will also use it as a foundation to explore neighboring excavations in the region, including Troy, Miletos, Beycesultan, and others.

2023-2024 Winter

NEAA 20061/30061 Ancient Landscapes I

(ANTH,GEOG)

This is a two-course sequence that introduces students to theory and method in landscape studies and the use of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) to analyze archaeological, anthropological, historical, and environmental data.

2023-2024 Autumn

NEAA 20062/30062 Ancient Landscapes II

(ANTH,GEOG)

This is a two-course sequence that introduces students to theory and method in landscape studies and the use of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) to analyze archaeological, anthropological, historical, and environmental data. Course one covers the theoretical and methodological background necessary to understand spatial approaches to landscape and the fundamentals of using ESRI’s ArcGIS software, and further guides students in developing a research proposal. Course two covers more advanced GIS-based analysis (using vector, raster, and satellite remote sensing data) and guides students in carrying out their own spatial research project. In both courses, techniques are introduced through the discussion of case studies (focused on the archaeology of the Middle East) and through demonstration of software skills. During supervised laboratory times, the various techniques and analyses covered will be applied to sample archaeological data and also to data from a region/topic chosen by the student.

Prerequisites

NEAA 20061

2023-2024 Winter

NEAA 20070/30070 Introduction to the Archaeology of Afghanistan

(ANTH)

Afghanistan is the quintessential “crossroads of cultures” where the civilizations of the Near East, Central Asia, South Asia and China interacted over the millennia in a constantly shifting mixture of trade, emulation, migration, imperial formations, and periodic conflict. This complex history of contacts gave rise to some of the most important archaeological, artistic, architectural, and textual treasures in world cultural heritage – encompassing cultures as diverse as the Bronze Age cities of Bactria, the Persian Empire, the easternmost colonies founded by Alexander the Great and his Hellenistic successors, the Kushan empire astride the Silk Road, and the monumental Buddhas of Bamiyan. Although the first excavations began in the 1920’s, there has been only limited fieldwork in Afghanistan, and even this was truncated by the Soviet invasion in 1979 and the subsequent 35 years of continuous war in that country.

Prerequisites

Any introductory course in archaeology is desirable but not required

2023-2024 Winter

NEAA 20100/30100 Introduction to Archaeology

Archaeology is the study of the material evidence of past human activity. This course, which is offered every year in the Autumn Quarter, explores the history of archaeology as a discipline and the methods used by archaeologists to obtain evidence about past human activity via excavations, surface surveys, and remote-sensing technologies such as satellite imagery and ground-penetrating radar, with emphasis on archaeological fieldwork in the Middle East. This course also surveys the latest methods used to date, classify, and analyze various kinds of evidence after it has been obtained. And since archaeological data is always collected and interpreted within an intellectual framework of theoretical conceptions concerning human society, culture, and history, this course provides a brief overview of “archaeological theory,” i.e., the uses made by archaeologists of a wide range of different social theories that may lead to quite different interpretations of the same data. This topic is explored in more depth in a companion course on “Social Theory and Ancient Studies” (NEHC 20010/30010), which is offered in alternate years in the Winter Quarter.

Suppes, Samantha
2023-2024 Autumn

HEBR 20100/30100 Graphic Novels: Modern Hebrew Reading Course

(JWSC)

The graphic novel is a relatively new genre in Hebrew literature. Books in the genre combine a story with the scope of a novel or a novella with comic strips or full illustrations. The evolution of the genre in the world, far beyond superhero comic books, and the openness of the Israeli audience, created a significant boom in the field in Israel since the early 2000s. This course is a guided reading of some of the most popular graphic novels in Modern Hebrew, which expose important aspects of contemporary Israel. Authors whose work we will read include: Rutu Modan, Ilana Zeffren, Asaf Hanukah, Etgar Keret, Michel Kichka, Yosi & Yarden Vasa and Yuval Noah Harai.

Prerequisites

Intermediate Modern Hebrew sequence or equivalent with a minimum grade of C

2023-2024 Spring

TURK 30101 Advanced Modern Turkish I

Advanced Turkish students will develop their language skills in speaking, reading, translating, listening, and writing, while learning about Turkish society and culture at the same time. To address all of these aspects each class is divided into three sections which focuses on a specific skill.

Prerequisites

TURK 20103

2023-2024 Autumn

TURK 30102 Advanced Turkish II

Advanced Turkish students will develop their language skills in speaking, reading, translating, listening, and writing, while learning about Turkish society and culture at the same time. To address all of these aspects each class is divided into three sections which focuses on a specific skill.

2023-2024 Winter

TURK 30103 Advanced Turkish III

Advanced Turkish students will develop their language skills in speaking, reading, translating, listening, and writing, while learning about Turkish society and culture at the same time. To address all of these aspects each class is divided into three sections which focuses on a specific skill.

Prerequisites

2 years of Turkish or equivalent

Acar, Cagdas
2023-2024 Spring

NEHC 20112/30112 Islamic City and its Parts

This course is designed for graduate or upper-level undergraduate students interested in the social history of the Mediterranean, late Antiquity, the Middle Ages and Early modernity. We will have survey and explore the history of urban classes, guilds, religious communities, waqf and urbanism, everyday life, disasters and celebrations in “Islamic” cities. The course will begin by examining the primary sources on the subject. We will also cover a growing corpus of secondary sources on life in Islamic cities. Among the questions we will ask are what are the forces of growth and decline of Islamic cities, what groups and classes of people lived in cities, what did cityscapes look like and what kinds of businesses and concerns occupied people’s daily lives.

2023-2024 Spring

AANL 20120/30120 Advanced Hittite: Literary Texts

This course focuses on Hittite literary texts. The texts are read in cuneiform and placed in their social-historical context. The reading hones the student's philological skills. We will study both translated literature, such as the Gilgamesh epic, and indigenous literature. Hittite indigenous literature has often been dismissed as unsophisticated, but recent research has led to a reevaluation. Guided by this research we will further explore the literariness of indigenous literature and its relationship to translated literature. We will also engage with recent work on the influence of Hittite literature on Greek literature.

Prerequisites

Elementary Hittite I, II, III

2023-2024 Autumn

AANL 20121/30121 Advanced Hittite: Prayers

This course focuses on Hittite prayers. The texts are read in cuneiform and placed it in their social-historical context. The reading hones the student's philological skills. We will study the development of Hittite prayers from the 17th century to 13th century, incorporating recent insights on the rhetorical structure and power of prayers and the influence from Mesopotamia. We will read a selection of Old Hittite benedictions (the forerunners of prayers), the hymn to the Sungod, the desperate prayers of Arnuwanda and Asmunikal for delivery from their enemies, and a plague prayer of Mursili II.

Prerequisites

Elementary Hittite I, II, III

2023-2024 Spring

NEAA 20163/30163 Sensory Archaeology of Mesopotamia

This course will critically analyse past human sensory experiences, based in case studies of ancient Mesopotamia from the 5th through 1st millennia BCE. These case studies will vary in scale from portable material culture through vast natural landscapes. The case studies will include the effects of materials, objects and both built and natural spaces on vision, smell, touch, hearing and taste. Building on this traditional five-sense framework, we will also aim to reconstruct and analyse synaesthetic experiences (multi-sensory or combined senses) and will further explore the more enigmatic senses of fear or awe, of comfort, and of place and belonging. We will engage both empirical analyses and socio-cultural perspectives via synthesis of practical data and critical reading of ancient texts (in translation). The aims of the course are to expand students’ interpretive toolkit and to encourage thinking about archaeological data from the ground up (rather than top down), via lived experiences and sensual and emotional perceptions.

2023-2024 Spring

NEHC 20200/30200 Ancient Egyptian History

This course surveys the political, social, and economic history of ancient Egypt from pre-dynastic times (ca. 3400 B.C.) until the advent of Islam in the seventh century of our era.

2023-2024 Autumn

NEHC 20201/30201 Islamicate Civilization I: 600 - 950

(HIST,ISLM,MDVL,RLST)

This course is an introduction to the history and the study of early Islamicate societies, from the rise of Islam in late antiquity to the early Abbasid period (ca. 600-950 CE), considering various religious and social groups. We will look at the same historical arc from multiple perspectives: political events, such as the Muslim conquests and the rise of ruling dynasties, but also other factors that impacted people’s lives in the early centuries of Islamic rule—the environment they inhabited and transformed, documents they created, social institutions, and economic activities. What broad developments characterized the early Islamic period? Who brought those changes about? And how are they studied today?

2023-2024 Autumn

SUMR 20201/30201 All About Kings: Sumerian Royal Inscriptions, Correspondence, and Hymns

In this course, we will read a selection of Sumerian texts that provide insights into the image of the king. We will start with royal inscriptions, move on to the so-called royal correspondence of the Kings of Ur, and finish with excerpts from the self-praise poem of king Sulgi commonly referred to as ‘Sulgi B’. Apart from tackling philological issues and practicing to read cuneiform from copies and photos, we will also address broader questions during classroom discussions, such as: Can we use royal inscriptions, correspondence, and hymns as historical sources? Can we bridge the gap between the reign of historical Ur III kings and their feats as commemorated in texts preserved exclusively on Old Babylonian manuscripts? Can we use language and orthography for dating a text?

Prerequisites

Elementary Sumerian Sequence

2023-2024 Winter

SUMR 20202/30202 Dumuzi's Dream

In this course, we will read the Sumerian mythological narrative known by its modern title “Dumuzi’s Dream.” Judging by the numerous manuscripts preserved from the Old Babylonian period, it was a popular text in scribal education. We will practice reading from copies, photos, and original cuneiform tablets, as five manuscripts are housed at the ISAC Museum and available for hands-on study. Based on close engagement with the individual manuscripts, we will discuss the principles of textual criticism and how to prepare an eclectic text, as well as a text edition. Besides philological issues, we will also address broader questions during classroom discussions, such as: Can we use such literary texts to reconstruct Sumerian mythology? How does this text relate to other literary compositions revolving around the divine couple Innana and Dumuzi, and how does it relate to non-literary text corpora? In how far can we determine its function, both within scribal education and beyond? Can we actually apply the term ‘literature’ to the Sumerian textual legacy?

Prerequisites

Elementary Sumerian Sequence

2023-2024 Spring

NEHC 20202/30202 Islamicate Civilization II

(HIST,ISLM,MDVL,RLST)

This course, a continuation of Islamicate Civilization I, surveys intellectual, cultural, religious and political developments in the Islamic world from Andalusia to the South Asian sub-continent during the periods from ca. 950 to 1750. We trace the arrival and incorporation of the Steppe Peoples (Turks and Mongols) into the central Islamic lands; the splintering of the Abbasid Caliphate and the impact on political theory; the flowering of literature of Arabic, Turkic and Persian expression; the evolution of religious and legal scholarship and devotional life; transformations in the intellectual and philosophical traditions; the emergence of Shi`i states (Buyids and Fatimids); the Crusades and Mongol conquests; the Mamluks and Timurids, and the "gunpowder empires" of the Ottomans, Safavids, and Moghuls; the dynamics of gender and class relations; etc. This class partially fulfills the requirement for MA students in CMES, as well as for NELC majors and PhD students.

Prerequisites

NEHC 20201 or NEHC 20601 or equivalent

2023-2024 Winter

NEHC 20203/30203 Islamicate Civilization III: 1750 - Present

(HIST/ISLM/RLST)

This course covers the period from ca. 1750 to the present, focusing on Western military, economic, and ideological encroachment; the impact of such ideas as nationalism and liberalism; efforts at reform in the Islamic states; the emergence of the "modern" Middle East after World War I; the struggle for liberation from Western colonial and imperial control; the Middle Eastern states in the cold war era; and local and regional conflicts.

Prerequisites

NEHC 20202 or NEHC 20602, or equivalent

2023-2024 Spring

NEAA 30321 Ancient Levant I

This course surveys the archaeology and history of the Levant from the time of its earliest human habitation in the Stone Age to the end of the Bronze Age around 1100 BCE.

2023-2024 Winter

NEAA 30322 Ancient Levant II: The Iron Age and Persian Period

This course surveys the archaeology and history of the Levant from the end of the Bronze Age around 1100 BCE to the Roman conquest of the region in 64-63 BCE.

2023-2024 Spring

AKKD 20352/30350 Neo-Babylonian Legal Texts

Prerequisites

1 year of Akkadian or instructor consent

2023-2024 Winter

AKKD 30371 Mari Letters and Documents

This course introduces students to the epigraphic material from the city of Mari (Tell Hariri) in the 18th c. BCE, through the reading of recently published letters and documents pertaining to the early years of king Zimrī-Lîm (1775–1762 BCE). The documents are written in the Middle-Euphratean dialect of Old Babylonian and in standard Old Babylonian cursive script. Students are expected to read from originals in high-resolution photographs (no autographed copies of the texts will be provided). The Mari archives are one of the richest and most vivid corpora of the Akkadian language, and students will be introduced to various matters pertaining to political and institutional life, social and economic issues, and cultural traits of the Amorite period.

Prerequisites

One quarter of Intermediate Akkadian

2023-2024 Spring

HEBR 30501 Advanced Modern Hebrew I

(JWSC)

This course, which builds upon Intermediate Modern Hebrew, assumes that students have full mastery of the grammatical and lexical content of the intermediate level. The focus of instruction is on further development of intermediate language skills in Modern Israeli Hebrew with special emphasis on oral and written communication.

Prerequisites

HEBR 20503 or equivalent

2023-2024 Autumn

TURK 30501 Ottoman Turkish I

A selection of Turkish printed texts in Arabic script from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries is introduced in order of difficulty. Hakan Karateke's unpublished "Ottoman Reader" serves as a text book. The texts are drawn from historical textbooks, official documents, novels, and other genres.

Prerequisites

2 years of Turkish or equivalent

2023-2024 Autumn

TURK 30502 Ottoman Turkish II

A selection of Turkish printed texts in Arabic script from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries is introduced in order of difficulty. Hakan Karateke's unpublished "Ottoman Reader" serves as a text book. The texts are drawn from historical textbooks, official documents, novels, and other genres.

Prerequisites

TURK 30501

2023-2024 Winter

HEBR 30502 Advanced Modern Hebrew II

(JWSC)

This course assumes that students have full mastery of the grammatical and lexical content of the intermediate level (second year Hebrew or the placement exam are prerequisites). The main objective is literary fluency. The texts used in this course include both academic prose, as well as literature. Students are exposed to semantics and morphology in addition to advanced grammar. Requirements include a weekly class presentation, regular essay writing, two take-home exams, and several quizzes per quarter.

Prerequisites

HEBR 30501 or instructor consent

2023-2024 Winter

TURK 30503 Ottoman Turkish III

A selection of Turkish printed texts in Arabic script from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries is introduced in order of difficulty. Hakan Karateke's unpublished "Ottoman Reader" serves as a text book. The texts are drawn from historical textbooks, official documents, novels, and other genres.

Prerequisites

TURK 30502

2023-2024 Spring

HEBR 30503 Advanced Modern Hebrew III

(JWSC)

This course assumes that students have full mastery of the grammatical and lexical content of the intermediate level (second year Hebrew or the placement exam are prerequisites). The main objective is literary fluency. The texts used in this course include both academic prose, as well as literature. Students are exposed to semantics and morphology in addition to advanced grammar. Requirements include a weekly class presentation, regular essay writing, two take-home exams, and several quizzes per quarter.

Prerequisites

Two years of Modern Hebrew studies

2023-2024 Spring

SUMR 20505/30505 Neo-Sumerian Economic Texts

The goal of this class is to provide an overview of various genres of economic and administrative texts from the Neo-Sumerian (or so-called "Ur III") period, ca. 2112–2004 BC, with the bulk of preserved textual material spanning from the latter part of Shulgi's reign to the early years of Ibbi-Sin (ca. 2064–2025). Emphasis will be made on the technical aspects of reading and interpreting individual documents (signs, vocabulary, format, etc.) as well as on the utilization of the documents to reconstruct a coherent and comprehensive picture of Sumerian government, society, and economy.

Winters, Ryan
2023-2024 Autumn

AKKD 20604/30604 Intermediate Akkadian: The Standard Epic of Gilgamesh

This course expands and cements students’ knowledge of the Akkadian language through readings from the most famous work of literature from ancient Mesopotamia, the Standard Babylonian Epic of Gilgamesh. Our focus will be on deepening proficiency in grammar and reading cuneiform signs, on developing understanding of the literary dialect of Standard Babylonian, and on the pleasures of collectively reading this profound, perplexing, and beautiful text. We will also consider a range of issues relevant to the study of Babylonian literature: critical use of sign lists, dictionaries, and other Assyriological resources; questions of translation; and matters of cuneiform textual criticism, particularly those that arise from the study of texts known from multiple manuscripts.

Prerequisites

One year of Akkadian

Gordon, Jane
2023-2024 Autumn

NEHC 20612/30612 Critical Arabic Philology

(ISLM)

This course introduces students to the indigenous tools and techniques devised for the critical study of texts within the classical Arabic-Islamic scholarly tradition, comparing and contrasting them with modern critical philology. We begin with an examination of two modern accounts of philology from the early 1930s, put forward by a German Orientalist and a Yemeni corrector working in India, respectively. Parallel to these readings, students edit collaboratively sections of a medieval manuscript in order to gain a direct insight into the problems of deciphering and editing manuscripts. We then examine the explicit textual methodologies developed in the field of Hadith collection and reproduction. The course ends with discussion of a fourteenth-century philological analysis that uncovered a historical forgery of a document allegedly written by Muḥammad.

Prerequisites

3 years of Arabic

2023-2024 Autumn

NEHC 20630/30630 Introduction to Islamic Philosophy

(ISLM/RLST)

This course covers the period from ca. 1700 to the present. It explores Muslim intellectuals’ engagement with tradition and modernity in the realms of religion, politics, literature, and law. We discuss debates concerning the role of religion in a modern society, perceptions of Europe and European influence, the challenges of maintaining religious and cultural authenticity, and Muslim views of nation-states and nationalism in the Middle East. We also give consideration to the modern developments of transnational jihadism and the Arab Spring. This course sequence meets the general education requirement in civilization studies.

Walker, Paul
2023-2024 Spring

NEHC 20658/30658 Narrating Conflict in Modern Arabic Literature

(ARAB)

This course is an exploration of conflict in the Arab world through literature, film and new media. In this course, we will discuss the influence of independence movements, wars, and revolts on Arabic literature: how do writers write about, or film, conflict? How does conflict affect language itself? How do these texts engage with issues of trauma and bearing witness? To answer these questions, we will look at a number of key moments of conflict in the Arab world, including the Arab-Israeli conflicts, the Algerian war of independence, the 2011 Egyptian revolution, the Lebanese and Iraq wars, and the ongoing war in Syria. Rather than follow a historical chronology of these events, we will read these texts thematically, beginning with texts that seek to present themselves as direct, sometimes eye-witness, accounts and then moving on to narratives that complicate the relationship between conflict and its narration.

Kraver, Stephanie
2023-2024 Spring

NEHC 20692/30692 Armenian History through Art and Culture

(ARCH,ARTH,HIST)

Who are the Armenians and where do they come from? What is the cultural contribution of Armenians to their neighbors and overall world heritage? This crash-course will try to answer these and many other similar questions while surveying Armenian history and elements of culture (mythology, religion, manuscript illumination, art, architecture, etc.). It also will discuss transformations of Armenian identity and symbols of 'Armenianness' through time, based on such elements of national identity as language, religion, art, or shared history. Due to the greatest artistic quality and the transcultural nature of its monuments and artifacts, Armenia has much to offer in the field of art history, especially when we think about global transculturation and appropriation among cultures as a result of peoples’ movements and contacts. The course is recommended for students with interest in Armenian studies or related fields, in area or civilizations studies, art and cultural studies, etc.

2023-2024 Autumn

NEHC 20766/30766 Shamans and Oral Poets of Central Asia

(ANTH)

Anthropological/Ethnographic Survey of Pre-Modern Central Asian Cultures. This course explores the rituals, oral literature, and music associated with the nomadic cultures of Central Eurasia.

2023-2024 Spring

NEHC 20822/30822 Topics in Ottoman Cultural History

This course focuses on the recent trends and developments in Ottoman Studies. We examine topics and methodologies in works published in recent years and explore the ensuing debates.

2023-2024 Winter

NEHC 20837/30837 Early Turkish Republic

(HIST)

This course will examine the development of the Turkish state following WWI including questions of economy, institutions, and identity formation. The first quarter make be taken as a free-standing colloquium, or students may take both quarters and produce a research paper.

Prerequisites

Open to graduate students and to upper division undergraduates

2023-2024 Winter

NEHC 20838/30838 Further Topics in Late Ottoman History I

This course will introduce students to a number of important topics in Eighteenth and nineteenth century Ottoman history, such as the nature of the great local notables, the growing importance of proteges, and the bureaucratic reform.

Prerequisites

Open to graduate students and undergraduates with some knowledge of Middle Eastern history

2023-2024 Winter

NEHC 30839 Further Topics in Late Ottoman History II

Further Topics in Late Ottoman History-2

2023-2024 Spring

NEHC 21012/31012 The Age of Empires in the Ancient Near East

This course offers a critical appraisal of the concepts of empire and imperialism in the historiography of ancient Mesopotamia and Iran to address political formations that developed (and vanished) during the first millennium BCE, with a focus on the Neo-Assyrian, Neo-Babylonian, and Achaemenid empires. This seminar will explore the nature of power, control, and resource management in these early empires, and how they served as the blueprint for the later imperial formations of Classical and Late Antiquity. Students will address a substantial part of Mesopotamian and Iranian history and study in depth some key historiography issues for the history of Antiquity. Primary documents will be read in translation and the course has no ancient language requirements. However, some readings of secondary literature in common academic languages (especially French and German) are to be expected. Students will be asked to present the readings and participate in classroom discussions; write a book review; and conduct a personal research on a topic of their choice (midterm annotated bibliography and research proposal; final essay).

2023-2024 Winter

HEBR 33301 Reading Modern Hebrew for Research Purposes II

(BIBL/JWSC)

The course concentrates on the written language and aims at enabling students to use Modern Hebrew for research purposes. The course is designed to enable students to read Hebrew freely. Major grammatical & syntactical aspects will be covered, and students will acquire substantial vocabulary with attention paid to lexical collocations and semantic fields.

Prerequisites

At least two levels of Modern and/or Biblical Hebrew

2023-2024 Winter

NEAA 10020/40020 Ceramic Analysis in Archaeology

(ANTH)

At archaeological sites following the invention of pottery roughly 10,000 BCE, ceramics are the single most frequent and ubiquitous class of artifact that archaeologists uncover. This class, which will be conducted in the Oriental Institute Museum as a combination of lectures, discussions, and hands-on interactions with ancient and modern ceramics, surveys the methods and interpretive techniques that archaeologists use when studying this important category of material culture. Specific topics include manufacturing techniques, craft specialization, typology and chronology, production and exchange, scientific analyses, stylistic and functional analysis, and socio-political organization.

2023-2024 Autumn

TURK 40586 Advanced Ottoman Readings I

This course introduces the students to difficult Ottoman narratives from different periods. Please be in touch with the instructor if you are not sure of your level.

Prerequisites

TURK 30503 or equivalent

2023-2024 Autumn

TURK 40587 Advanced Ottoman Readings II

Advanced Ottoman Readings II

2023-2024 Spring

TURK 49900 Old Turkic Reading & Research

TURK Reading/Research

2023-2024 Autumn

TURK 49900 Turkish Reading and Research

TURK Reading/Research

2023-2024 Spring

KAZK 49900 Reading and Research

Reading and Research

Staff
2023-2024 Spring

HEBR 29900/49900 Reading Course: Modern Hebrew

(BIBL/JWSC)

This course assumes that students have full mastery of the grammatical and lexical content of the advanced level. The main objective is literary fluency. By the end of the course, students should have an excellent command of Hebrew. The course concentrates on the written language, especially scientific writing, as well as elements of Biblical Hebrew, literature from earlier periods and sophisticated journalistic writing. Students read the various Israeli daily newspapers as well as Israeli literature, scientific articles and legal documents (with the help of a dictionary) of varying lengths. They have a good command of synonyms and idiomatic Hebrew, and also understand the subtle differences between words. Their already substantial vocabularies now include many words from a wide variety of genres. Students considerably improve their ability to write long essays in Hebrew on a wide range of topics, incorporating idiomatic language.

Prerequisites

Four years of Modern Hebrew studies and/or passing grade of a reading eam and/or graduated the Reading Hebrew for Research Purposes

2023-2024 Spring

TURK 49900 Turkish Reading and Research

TURK Reading/Research

2023-2024 Winter

NEHC 20500 Identity and the Other in the Qur’an

How did the Qur’an, Islam’s holy text, articulate what it meant to be a Muslim by constructing the confessional other? How did the social, cultural, and political context of the Qur’an’s interpreters influence their conceptions of gender or ethnicity? This course explores identities and identity formation in the Qur’an and its interpretation by asking how identity was articulated through the construction of the religious, ethnic, or gendered “other.” You will read English translations from the Qur’an, literature associated with its interpretation (exegesis tafsir, biography sira, sayings of the Prophet hadith, and “occasions of revelation” asbab al-nuzul), as well as relevant secondary literature. By the end of the course, you will be familiar with the structure and content of the Qur’an, its history as a text, the early Islamic community, and Qur’anic revelations’ relationship to other Abrahamic faiths (Christianity and Judaism). No prior knowledge of Middle Eastern history or languages is required, but if you have interests in the study of the Middle East, the Qur’an, or identity, you are strongly encouraged to incorporate your own experiences, research, or projects into the course.

 

Kyle Longworth
2022-2023

HEBR 10101 Elementary Classical Hebrew I

(JWSC 22000)

The purpose of this three-quarter sequence is to enable the student to acquire a knowledge of the vocabulary and grammar of Classical Hebrew sufficient to read prose texts with the occasional assistance of a dictionary. The first quarter focuses on the inflection of nouns and adjectives and begins the inflection of verbs. It includes written translation to and from Hebrew, oral exercises, and grammatical analysis of forms.

2022-2023 Autumn

EGPT 10101 Introduction to Middle Egyptian Hieroglyphs I

(ANCM 30500)

This course and its sequel EGPT 10102 provide an introduction to the hieroglyphic writing system, vocabulary and grammar of Middle Egyptian, the 'classic' phase of the Egyptian language developed during the Middle Kingdom (circa 2025-1773 BCE) and used until the disappearance of hieroglyphs over two thousand years later.

2022-2023 Autumn

TURK 10101 Beginning Modern Turkish

This sequence features proficiency-based instruction emphasizing grammar in modern Turkish. This sequence consists of reading and listening comprehension, as well as grammar exercises and basic writing in Turkish. Modern stories and contemporary articles are read at the end of the courses.

2022-2023 Autumn

AANL 10101 Elementary Hittite I

As part of a three quarter sequence, this course familiarizes the student with about 3/4 of Hittite grammar. The principles of the cuneiform writing system are taught and the student will learn some 100 signs of the basic syllabary and most important logograms. Also, a begin is made of introducing the student to the basic tools of the field.

2022-2023 Autumn

PERS 10101 Elementary Persian I

This course is designed for complete beginners and teaches students to pronounce, read and write standard Persian, as well as some Iranian colloquial dialect. It includes an introduction to the alphabet, pronunciation patterns, greetings, basic structures, and other fundamentals. Students who have exposure to other Middle Eastern or South Asian languages, but have not formally studied Persian before, should enroll in this course. By the end of the course, students will be able to communicate in Persian at a Novice-Mid level according to the ACTFL National Standards. They should be able to read and compose basic texts in formal Persian relating to themselves and their everyday lives, and handle basic ‘survival’ scenarios that have been covered in class

2022-2023 Autumn

ARME 10101 Elementary Modern Armenian I

This three-quarter sequence focuses on the acquisition of basic speaking, listening, reading and writing skills in modern formal and spoken Armenian. The course utilizes the most advanced computer technology and audio-visual aids enabling students to master the alphabet, a core vocabulary, and some basic grammatical structures in order to communicate their basic survivor’s needs in Armenian, understand simple texts and to achieve a minimal level of proficiency in modern formal and spoken Armenian.
A considerable amount of historical-political and social-cultural issues about Armenia are skillfully built into the course for students who have intention to conduct research in Armenian Studies or related fields, to visit or to pursue work in Armenia. A language competency exam is offered at the end of spring quarter for those taking this course as college language requirement.

2022-2023 Autumn

ARAB 10101 Elementary Arabic I

This sequence concentrates on the acquisition of speaking, reading, and aural skills in modern formal Arabic.

ARAM 10101 Biblical Aramaic

(JWSC 11000)

This course provides a thorough introduction to the grammar of the Aramaic portions of the Hebrew Bible during the first few weeks. The remainder of the course is spent reading texts from the books of Daniel and Ezra.

Prerequisites

HEBR 10103 or equivalent.

2022-2023 Autumn

TURK 10105 Introduction to Old Turkic

(MDVL 10105)

An introductory course in the written language of the Orkhon Inscriptions, dating back to the 5th-8th Century Kök Türk State of Central Eurasia, and of related inscriptions from the Yenisei River area, Mongolia, Central Asia and Eastern Europe. The language of the inscriptions is considered to be the ancestor of the majority of Turkic languages spoken today, and uses a distinctive alphabet sometimes known as the Old Turkic Runiform Alphabet. The course covers a brief historic overview, basic grammar, reading selections from the inscriptions in the original and in translation, and familiarization with the alphabet itself. K. Arik, Autumn.

Prerequisites

One year of a Turkic language or the equivalent, and/or consent of the instructor

2022-2023 Autumn

ARAB 10251 Colloquial Egyptian Arabic Language and Culture

This course introduces the student to the spoken language of Egypt, particularly of Cairo. Through extensive engagement with films, songs, talk shows, and other media, as well as productive student activities (skits, songs, riddles, etc.) the student will improve their listening and speaking skills. In addition, the course will introduce the student to the new phenomenon of written colloquial, found on social media as well as in some new literature.

Prerequisites

One year of Modern Standard Arabic

2022-2023 Autumn

TURK 10501 Introduction to Turkic Languages

(KAZK 10501,UZBK 10501)

The first quarter of a two-section course in which Elementary Kazakh and Elementary Uzbek will be offered as one class, with the option for students to study one or the other, or both simultaneously.

2022-2023 Autumn

AKKD 10501 Introduction to Babylonian I

Introduction to the grammar of Akkadian, specifically to the Old Babylonian dialect. The class covers the first half of the Old Babylonian grammar, an introduction to the cuneiform script, and easy translation exercises.

Susanne Paulus
2022-2023 Autumn

HEBR 10501 Introductory Modern Hebrew

(JWSC 25000)

The beginner’s course is the first of three sequential courses offered to students at the university. The course aims to introduce students to reading, writing and speaking Modern Hebrew. Toward that end all four-language skills are emphasized: comprehension of written and oral materials; reading of non-diacritical text; writing of directed sentences, paragraphs, and compositions; speaking. You will learn the Hebrew root pattern system, and by the end of the year you will have mastered the five (active) basic verb conjugations in both the past and present tenses (as well as simple future). This grammatical knowledge is complemented by an 800+ word vocabulary, which is presented with an eye toward the major syntactic structures, including the proper use of prepositions. At the end of the year, you will conduct short conversations in Hebrew; read materials designed to this level and write short compositions.

2022-2023 Autumn

NEHC 20004 Ancient Near Eastern Thought and Literature I: Mesopotamian Literature

This course gives an overview of the richness of Mesopotamian Literature (modern Iraq) written in the 3rd-1st millennium BC. We will read myths and epics written on clay tablets in the Sumerian and Akkadian language in English translation and discuss content and style, but also the religious, cultural and historic implications. Particular focus will be on the development of stories over time, the historical context of the literature and mythological figures. The texts treated cover not only the famous Epic of Gilgamesh, but also various legends of Sumerian and Akkadian kings, stories about Creation and World Order, and destruction. The topics covered range from the quest for immortality, epic heroes and monsters, sexuality and love.

2022-2023 Autumn

NEHC 20012 Ancient Empires II: The Ottomans

(CLCV 25800,HIST 15603,MDVL 20012)

The Ottomans ruled in Anatolia, the Middle East, South East Europe and North Africa for over six hundred years. The objective of this course is to understand the society and culture of this bygone Empire whose legacy continues, in one way or another, in some twenty-five contemporary successor states from the Balkans to the Arabian Peninsula. The course is designed as an introduction to the Ottoman World with a focus on the cultural history of the Ottoman society. It explores identities and mentalities, customs and rituals, status of minorities, mystical orders and religious establishments, literacy and the use of the public sphere.

2022-2023 Autumn

NEHC 20014 Ancient Empires IV: Persia

This course introduces students to the Achaemenid Empire, also known as the First Persian Empire (ca. 550-330 BCE). We will be examining the political history and cultural accomplishments of the Achaemenids who, from their homeland in modern-day Iran, quickly rose to become one of the largest empires of the ancient world, ruling from North Africa to North India at their height. We will also be examining the history of Greek-Persian encounters and the image of the Achaemenids in Greek and Biblical literature. The students will visit the Oriental Institutes’ archive and object collection to learn more about the University of Chicago’s unique position in the exploration, excavation, and restoration of the Persian Empire’s royal architecture and administrative system through the Persian Expedition carried out in the 1930s.

2022-2023 Autumn

ARAB 20101 Intermediate Arabic I

The first quarter of Intermediate Arabic

Prerequisites

ARAB 10103 or equivalent

2022-2023 Autumn

EGPT 20101 Middle Egyptian Texts II

Second quarter reading course of ME texts

Prerequisites

EGPT 10103 or consent of the instructor

2022-2023 Autumn

UGAR 20101 Ugaritic I

First readings in texts in the Ugaritic language (1250-1185BC).

Prerequisites

Second-year standing and one year of Classical Hebrew

2022-2023 Autumn

TURK 20101 Intermediate Turkish I

This sequence features proficiency-based instruction emphasizing speaking and writing skills as well as reading and listening comprehension at the intermediate to advanced levels in modern Turkish. Modern short stories, novel excerpts, academic and journalistic articles form the basis for an introduction to modern Turkish literature. Cultural units consisting of films and web-based materials are also used extensively in this course, which is designed to bring the intermediate speaker to an advanced level of proficiency. Prerequisite(s): TURK 10103, or equivalent with intermediate level proficiency test.

Prerequisites

TURK 10103, or equivalent with intermediate level proficiency test.

2022-2023 Autumn

PERS 20101 Intermediate Persian I

This sequence deepens and expands the students' knowledge of modern Persian. The goal is to enable the students to gain proficiency in all skills of language acquisition at a higher level. In this sequence, the students learn more complex grammatical structures and gain wider vocabulary through reading paragraph-length texts on a variety of topics related to Persian language, literature, and culture. Students will also be familiarized with Persian news and media terminology. Class meets four hours a week with the instructor and one hour with a native informant who conducts grammatical drills and Persian conversation.

Prerequisites

PERS 10103 or consent of instructor

2022-2023 Autumn

HEBR 20104 Intermediate Classical Hebrew I

(JWSC 22300)

Review basic Hebrew grammar, emphasis on morphology and basic syntax - Review/acquire historical morphology - Acquire facility in reading Biblical Hebrew prose

Prerequisites

HEBR 10103 or equivalent

2022-2023 Autumn

AANL 20129 Hittite vows

This class introduces the Hittite Vow texts as part of Hittite religion and economy.

Theo van den Hout
2022-2023 Autumn

EGPT 20211 Late Egyptian Texts

Building on the basics of grammar, vocabulary, and orthographic styles learned in EGPT 20210, this course focuses on the reading and analysis of Late Egyptian texts from the various genres.

Prerequisites

EGPT 20102

2022-2023 Autumn

HEBR 20501 Intermediate Modern Hebrew

(JWSC 25300)

The course, which builds upon Introductory Modern Hebrew (first year HEB) focuses on the acquisition of proficiency and communicative skills in Modern Hebrew. The purpose of this class is to expand and strengthen beginners' Hebrew skills so that they become more self-assured, communicative, and versatile when they listen to, read, speak, and write Hebrew. It emphasizes both communicative and cultural themes and focuses on developing a rich and active vocabulary in several language domains

Prerequisites

HEBR 10503 or equivalent

2022-2023 Autumn

AKKD 20504 Intermediate Akkadian: Babylonian Flood Narratives

This course is specifically aimed at students having completed the Introduction to Babylonian sequence (AKKD 10501–10503) but can be taken by more advanced students as well. Building on the knowledge acquired in the introductory sequence, this course will explore the Old Babylonian Literary dialect in Old Babylonian cursive script, as well as the Standard Babylonian dialect in Neo-Assyrian cuneiform script, through a selection of readings on Flood Narratives from OB Atra-hasis and the OB/SB Gilgamesh, the precursors to the story of Noah and the Flood in the Hebrew Bible.

2022-2023 Autumn

ARAB 20601 High Intermediate Modern Standard Arabic I

High Intermediate Arabic, the modern track, provides students with a full academic year to activate the language and grammar studied in the first two years, while expanding their cultural and literary knowledge of the Arab world. This three-quarter sequence is taught in Arabic and focuses on all four language skills. The purpose of this sequence is conceived of functionally (what can students do) rather than with an eye to finishing a given textbook. It will have reached its objective if each student leaves with a clearly improved ability to produce oral and written Arabic in a variety of contexts (personal and professional correspondence, description, prescription, comparison narration, argumentation, etc.), to listen and understand spoken MSA, and to read a variety of texts (short stories, a novel, media writing, poetry, social media, opinion pieces, etc.) and a deepened understanding of the diversity of the Arab experience. An important component of the course is taking the learning outside the classroom: through visits to an Arab neighborhood, interviews of Arabs in Chicago, producing a play.

Prerequisites

ARAB 20103 or equivalent

2022-2023 Autumn

NEHC 20601 Islamic Thought & Literature I

(HIST 25610,MDVL 20601,RLST 20401,SOSC 22000)

This sequence explores the thought and literature of the Islamic world from the coming of Islam in the seventh century C.E. through the development and spread of its civilization in the medieval period and into the modern world. Including historical framework to establish chronology and geography, the course focuses on key aspects of Islamic intellectual history: scripture, law, theology, philosophy, literature, mysticism, political thought, historical writing, and archaeology. In addition to lectures and secondary background readings, students read and discuss samples of key primary texts, with a view to exploring Islamic civilization in the direct voices of the people who participated in creating it. All readings are in English translation. No prior background in the subject is required. This course sequence meets the general education requirement in civilization studies.

ARAB 20701 High Intermediate Classical Arabic I

First quarter of Classical High Intermediate Arabic

Prerequisites

ARAB 20103 or equivalent

2022-2023 Autumn

NEHC 22500 Intersections of Gender and Race in the Modern Middle East

(CRES 12500,GNSE 22509)

Organized thematically and covering a region that spans from North Africa to Iran, we will use the analytics of race and gender in an intersecting way to explore topics in the Middle East such as: colonialism, slavery, Arab Nationalism, Zionism, whiteness, racism, eugenics and scientific racism, and global solidarity movements. In so doing, our course will reveal that race is an operative category in the study of Middle East history, the historical racial logics operating in various Middle Eastern countries, and how race and gender intersect at the site of individual as well as the effects of this.

This course is designed for anyone interested in race theory, gender theory, intersectionality, and Middle East history. By the end of this course, students will have the tools to think in a gendered and raced multidimensional way about aspects of Middle East history that do not often receive such an intersectional treatment. Additionally, they will develop the methodological tools to discern local race and gender logics that might be different than what they’re most familiar with. Finally, through coming to understand their relationship to the knowledge of our course, students will also be able to use the course as a springboard for continued learning in other courses that treat race, gender, and the Middle East.

2022-2023 Autumn

ARME 29702 Independent Study: Intermediate Modern Armenian

The goal of this three-quarter sequence is to enable students to reach an advanced level of proficiency in the Armenian language. This sequence covers a rich vocabulary and complex grammatical structures in modern formal and colloquial Armenian. Reading assignments include a selection of original Armenian literature and excerpts from mass media.

2022-2023 Autumn

NEHC 29899 Research Colloquium

Required of fourth-year students who are majoring in NELC. This is a workshop course designed to survey the fields represented by NELC and to assist students in researching andcompleting their Research Project. Students must get a Reading and Research form from their College Adviser and complete the form in order to be registered. Signatures are needed from the adviser and Director of Undergraduate Studies. Please indicate on the form that you wish to register for NEHC 29899 Section 01.

2022-2023 Autumn

NEHC 10101 Introduction to the Middle East

(HIST 15801)

Prior knowledge of the Middle East not required. This course aims to facilitate a general understanding of some key factors that have shaped life in this region, with primary emphasis on modern conditions and their background, and to provide exposure to some of the region's rich cultural diversity. This course can serve as a basis for the further study of the history, politics, and civilizations of the Middle East.

Ameena Yovan
2022-2023 Spring

ARAB 10103 Elementary Arabic III

This sequence concentrates on the acquisition of speaking, reading, and aural skills in modern formal Arabic.

Prerequisites

ARAB 10102 or equivalent

2022-2023 Spring

ARAM 10103 Imperial Aramaic

(JWSC 11200)

Selected letters and contracts from the Imperial Aramaic period (c. 600-200 BCE) are read with special attention to the historical development of the grammar of Aramaic during this time period.

Prerequisites

ARAM 10102 or equivalent.

2022-2023 Spring

HEBR 10103 Elementary Classical Hebrew III

(JWSC 22200)

The purpose of this three-quarter sequence is to enable the student to acquire a knowledge of the vocabulary and grammar of Classical Hebrew sufficient to read prose texts with the occasional assistance of a dictionary. The first half of the third quarter concludes the study of verb inflection and the second half is spent reading prose narrative texts with specific attention to the grammatical analysis of those texts.

Prerequisites

HEBR 10102

2022-2023 Spring

TURK 10103 Elementary Turkish III

1st Year Turkish 3rd Quarter

Prerequisites

TURK 10102

2022-2023 Spring

ARAB 10103 Elementary Arabic III

This sequence concentrates on the acquisition of speaking, reading, and aural skills in modern formal Arabic.

Prerequisites

ARAB 10102 or equivalent

2022-2023 Spring

EGPT 10103 Middle Egyptian Texts I

(ANCM 30502)

Reading of ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic texts

Prerequisites

EGPT 10101-10102 or consent of the instructor

Tanya Olson
2022-2023 Spring

ARAB 10103 Elementary Arabic III

This sequence concentrates on the acquisition of speaking, reading, and aural skills in modern formal Arabic.

Prerequisites

ARAB 10102 or equivalent

2022-2023 Spring

AANL 10103 Elementary Hittite III

This is the third in a three-quarter sequence that covers the basic grammar and cuneiform writing system of the Hittite language. It also familiarizes the student with the field’s tools (i.e., dictionaries, lexica, sign list). Readings come from all periods of Hittite history (1650 to 1180 B.C.).

Prerequisites

AANL 10102 or equivalent

2022-2023 Spring

ARME 10103 Elementary Modern Armenian III

This three-quarter sequence focuses on the acquisition of basic speaking, listening, reading and writing skills in modern formal and spoken Armenian. The course utilizes the most advanced computer technology and audio-visual aids enabling students to master the alphabet, a core vocabulary, and some basic grammatical structures in order to communicate their basic survivor’s needs in Armenian, understand simple texts and to achieve a minimal level of proficiency in modern formal and spoken Armenian.
A considerable amount of historical-political and social-cultural issues about Armenia are skillfully built into the course for students who have intention to conduct research in Armenian Studies or related fields, to visit or to pursue work in Armenia. A language competency exam is offered at the end of spring quarter for those taking this course as college language requirement.

Prerequisites

ARME 10102 or equivalent

2022-2023 Spring

PERS 10103 Elementary Persian III

This sequence concentrates on all skills of language acquisition (reading, writing, listening, and speaking). The class begins with the Persian alphabet, and moves to words, phrases, short sentences, and finally short paragraphs. The goal is to enable the students towards the end of the sequence to read, understand, and translate simple texts in modern standard Persian and engage in short everyday conversations. All the basic grammatical structures are covered in this sequence. Introducing the Iranian culture through the texts is also a goal. The class meets four hours a week with the instructor and one hour with a native informant who conducts grammatical drills and Persian conversation.

Prerequisites

PERS 10102

2022-2023 Spring

HEBR 10503 Introductory Modern Hebrew

(JWSC 25200)

The beginner’s course is the first of three sequential courses offered to students at the university. The course aims to introduce students to reading, writing and speaking Modern Hebrew. Toward that end all four-language skills are emphasized: comprehension of written and oral materials; reading of non-diacritical text; writing of directed sentences, paragraphs, and compositions; speaking. You will learn the Hebrew root pattern system, and by the end of the year you will have mastered the five (active) basic verb conjugations in both the past and present tenses (as well as simple future). This grammatical knowledge is complemented by an 800+ word vocabulary, which is presented with an eye toward the major syntactic structures, including the proper use of prepositions. At the end of the year, you will conduct short conversations in Hebrew; read materials designed to this level and write short compositions.

Prerequisites

HEBR 10502 or equivalent

2022-2023 Spring

TURK 10503 Introduction to Turkic Languages III

Introduction to Turkic Languages III

Prerequisites

TURK 10502

2022-2023 Spring

AKKD 10503 Introduction to Babylonian III

Akkadian readings in a wide variety of divinatory cuneiform texts, including omens from extispicy, teratology, libanomancy, medical diagnosis, and lunar eclipses, among others. Students are graded based on their preparation and mastery of cuneiform script—Old Babylonian cursive, in particular—and Akkadian philology.
Approved Specialized Attribute

Prerequisites

AKKD 10502 or equivalent

Marta Diaz Herrera
2022-2023 Spring

NEHC 20005 Ancient Near Eastern Thought and Literature II

The goal of this class is to get an overview of Hittite literature, as “defined” by the Hittites themselves, in the wider historical-cultural context of the Ancient Near East. Some of the most important questions we can ask ourselves in reading ancient texts are: why were they written down, why were they kept, for whom were they intended, and what do the answers to these questions (apart from the primary content of the texts themselves) tell us about — in our case — Hittite society?

2022-2023 Spring

NEHC 20011 Ancient Empires I: Hittite Empire

(CLCV 25700,HIST 15602)

This course introduces students to the Hittite Empire of ancient Anatolia. In existence from roughly 1750-1200 BCE, and spanning across modern Turkey and beyond, the Hittite Empire is one of the oldest and largest empires of the ancient world. We will be examining their history and their political and cultural accomplishments through analysis of their written records – composed in Hittite, the world’s first recorded Indo-European language – and their archaeological remains. In the process, we will also be examining the concept of “empire” itself: What is an empire, and how do anthropologists, archaeologists, and historians study this unique kind of political formation?

2022-2023 Spring

NEHC 20016 Ancient Empires VI: Assyrian Empire

This course will examine the concept and definition of empire and the practices of imperial control through a case study of Mesopotamia’s best-known empire, the Neo-Assyrian (first half of the 1st millennium BCE). At its peak, the Assyrians ruled a vast area covering most of modern Iraq and Syria, plus parts of Iran, Turkey and the Levant, with aspirations to control Egypt. The gradual expansion of this empire from late 2nd millennium BCE beginnings and its extremely rapid collapse in ca. 612 BCE provide an excellent example of the tensions within trajectories of empire. The course themes include warfare and political strategies, identity and ethnicity, imperial bureaucracy, and the practical and ideological purposes of infrastructure building. Evidence examined will include texts (in translation) and the archaeological record at various scales, from settlements through artworks. We will also examine paradoxes, such as the contrast between textual claims of hegemony and limited archaeological evidence for this, and the power of visual propaganda versus its select audience.

2022-2023 Spring

NEHC 20019 Mesopotamian Law

(LLSO 20019,SIGN 26022)

Ancient Mesopotamia--the home of the Sumerians, Babylonians, and Assyrians who wrote in cuneiform script on durable clay tablets--was the locus of many of history's firsts. No development, however, may be as important as the formations of legal systems and legal principles revealed in contracts, trial records, and law collections (codes), among which The Laws of Hammurabi (r. 1792–1750 BC) stands as most important for understanding the subsequent legal practice and thought of Mesopotamia's cultural heirs in the Middle East and Europe until today. This course will explore the rich source materials of the Laws and relevant judicial and administration documents (all in English translations) to investigate topics of legal, social, and economic practice, including family formation and dissolution, crime and punishment (sympathetic or talionic eye for an eye, pecuniary, corporal), and procedure (contracts, trials, ordeals). This course is part of the College Course Cluster program: History of the Law.

2022-2023 Spring

PERS 20103 Intermediate Persian III

This sequence deepens and expands the students' knowledge of modern Persian. The goal is to enable the students to gain proficiency in all skills of language acquisition at a higher level. In this sequence, the students learn more complex grammatical structures and gain wider vocabulary through reading paragraph-length texts on a variety of topics related to Persian language, literature, and culture. Students will also be familiarized with Persian news and media terminology. Class meets four hours a week with the instructor and one hour with a native informant who conducts grammatical drills and Persian conversation.

Prerequisites

PERS 20202 or consent of the instructor

2022-2023 Spring

UGAR 20103 Ugaritic III

Continued reading of texts in the Ugaritic language, emphasis on prose texts.

Prerequisites

UGAR 20102

2022-2023 Spring

ARAB 20103 Intermediate Arabic III

ARAB 20103 is the spring quarter continuation of the Intermediate Arabic sequence that began with ARAB 20101 last fall, and continued with ARAB 20102 in the winter. We will continue to work through the second half of Al-Kitaab Part 2. As in any language course, we address all four of the fundamental skills: reading, writing, listening, and speaking. A particular focus of this sequence, however, is ensuring that students have a solid, comprehensive understanding of the rules of Arabic syntax. In addition to readings and exercises from the textbook, we will increasingly make use of articles from Arabic-language news media.

Prerequisites

ARAB 20102 or equivalent

2022-2023 Spring

ARAB 20103 Intermediate Arabic III

ARAB 20103 is the spring quarter continuation of the Intermediate Arabic sequence that began with ARAB 20101 last fall, and continued with ARAB 20102 in the winter. We will continue to work through the second half of Al-Kitaab Part 2. As in any language course, we address all four of the fundamental skills: reading, writing, listening, and speaking. A particular focus of this sequence, however, is ensuring that students have a solid, comprehensive understanding of the rules of Arabic syntax. In addition to readings and exercises from the textbook, we will increasingly make use of articles from Arabic-language news media.

Prerequisites

ARAB 20102 or equivalent

2022-2023 Spring

TURK 20103 Intermediate Turkish III

This sequence features proficiency-based instruction emphasizing speaking and writing skills as well as reading and listening comprehension at the intermediate to advanced levels in modern Turkish. Modern short stories, novel excerpts, academic and journalistic articles form the basis for an introduction to modern Turkish literature. Cultural units consisting of films and web-based materials are also used extensively in this course, which is designed to bring the intermediate speaker to an advanced level of proficiency.

Prerequisites

TURK 20102

2022-2023 Spring

HEBR 20106 Intermediate Classical Hebrew III

(JWSC 22500)

Continue acquisition of basic Biblical Hebrew, emphasis on syntax; Increase familiarity with Biblical Hebrew poetry, emphasis on prophets; Continue acquisition of basic historical morphology; Reading ancient manuscripts.

Prerequisites

HEBR 20105 or equivalent

2022-2023 Spring

EGPT 20110 Introduction to Old Egyptian

This course provides an introduction to the hieroglyphic writing system, vocabulary and grammar of Old Egyptian, the phase of the Egyptian language used during the Old Kingdom (circa 2686-2181 BCE). It also provides an introduction to the culture and society of Egypt's 'Pyramid Age' through a close reading of monumental texts from private tombs, royal and private stelae, administrative decrees, economic documents, and Pyramid texts. Some attention is given to Old Egyptian texts written in cursive Hieratic.

Prerequisites

EGPT 10101-10103 or equivalent

2022-2023 Spring

EGPT 20210 Introduction to Late Egyptian

This course provides an introduction to the form of ancient Egyptian written and presumably spoken in the Egyptian New Kingdom (circa 1550-1069 BCE), in which literary and administrative texts and letters were written during the Egyptian Empire.

Prerequisites

EGPT 10101-10102-10103 or equivalent required; EGPT 20101 recommended

2022-2023 Spring

NEHC 20211 Alexander and his Successors on the Silk Road: History and Reception

In usual historiography, Alexander’s campaigns from 336 to 323 BCE ushered in an age of intense cultural exchange between Hellenism and various eastern cultures that lasted until late antiquity. Applying the concept of the “Silk Road,” this course will explore cultural exchanges between the Greco-Roman world and the East from the 4th century BCE to the 3rd century CE as well as how contemporary East Asian media products represent this age. Primary sources originally written in Greek, Latin, Iranian, Babylonian, and Chinese will be read in English translations.

In usual historiography, Alexander’s campaigns from 336 to 323 BCE ushered in an age of intense cultural exchange between Hellenism and various eastern cultures that lasted until late antiquity. Applying the concept of the “Silk Road,” this course will explore cultural exchanges between the Greco-Roman world and the East from the 4th century BCE to the 3rd century CE as well as how contemporary East Asian media products represent this age. Primary sources originally written in Greek, Latin, Iranian, Babylonian, and Chinese will be read in English translations.

Prerequisites
Yanxiao He
2022-2023 Spring

NEHC 20323 Journey Down the Silk Roads: Central Eurasia in World History

(CRES 20323,HIST 25800)

This course will explore the narrative history of Central Eurasia and the “Silk Roads” from rise of the nomadism up to the coming of modernity. It will discuss the peoples who lived there, the political entities that ruled, and the region’s role in the ancient, medieval and modern world. The course considers a wide range of topics in the context of the Silk Roads history, including nomadism; religions (such as Buddhism and Islam), languages, and ethnicities. It approaches Central Eurasia as a cohesive unit of historical inquiry while connecting to the Middle East, East Asia, Russia among other units surrounding it. In making sense of the past, provides insights into current issues such as Islam in China, terrorism, separatist movements, the construction of the “New Silk Roads,” and the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.

2022-2023 Spring

PERS 20502 Persian Literary Translation

This course aims at strengthening the proficiency level of students beyond the intermediate level. Through a survey of translation techniques and strategies, students will do hands-on translations of various kinds of literary texts, both prose and poetry, both classical and modern. In addition, students will be introduced to prevailing theories of translation and the most efficient methodology of translating Persian literary texts by means of a close comparison of translated texts with the original. As term project, students will translate a short story or a long poem, either classical or modern from Persian into English. Class meets two days per week, each session for an hour and a half.

Prerequisites

PERS 20102

2022-2023 Spring

HEBR 20503 Intermediate Modern Hebrew

(JWSC 25500)

The course, which builds upon Introductory Modern Hebrew (first year HEB) focuses on the acquisition of proficiency and communicative skills in Modern Hebrew.

The purpose of this class is to expand and strengthen beginners' Hebrew skills so that they become more self-assured, communicative, and versatile when they listen to, read, speak, and write Hebrew. It emphasizes both communicative and cultural themes and focuses on developing a rich and active vocabulary in several language domains.

Prerequisites

HEBR 20502 or equivalent

2022-2023 Spring

HEBR 20521 Lower Intermediate Modern Hebrew

(JWSC 20521)

This course aims, primarily but not only, to meet the need of heritage students who one quarter to of Hebrew to meet college foreign language requirement. The course will introduce a more advanced verb and syntax structures, using both a text book and newspaper and video clips reflective current Israeli culture. Student would work on enhancing all skills: speaking, reading, comprehension and writing skills.

2022-2023 Spring

ARAB 20588 Media Arabic

(ARAB 30588)

Media Arabic is a course designed for the advanced student of Modern Standard Arabic. The course objective is to improve students' listening comprehension and writing skills. Students will advance toward this goal through listening to and reading a variety of authentic materials from Arabic Media (on politics, literature, economics, education, women, youth, etc.).

Prerequisites

At least two years of Modern Standard Arabic

2022-2023 Spring

ARAB 20603 High Intermediate Modern Standard Arabic III

Arabic Through Extensive Reading
In this course, students will read a whole work, most often, but not exclusively, a novel or play. Nevertheless, the course advances student proficiency in all 4 skills.
Naturally, reading is a central activity of this course. Students in the Intermediate High range* can expect to either feel more solidly comfortable in that level, or to go beyond it to the Advanced level. Students will improve their writing through a number of essays/reflections on the novel.
The course is taught in Arabic, so, students will be negotiating meaning amongst themselves by discussing the novel. In addition, the presentational mode will be exercised in a series of prepared class presentations. To improve their listening skills, students will work on video materials connected to the novel, testing their abilities through worksheets.
While no new grammar will be introduced in a formal manner, as students read the novel and use the writing book, they will be reviewing grammar studied earlier.

In addition to the novel, students will benefit from guest speakers in our classroom.

Prerequisites

ARAB 20602 or equivalent

2022-2023 Spring

NEHC 20603 Islamic Thought and Literature III

(HIST 25616,RLST 20403,SOSC 22200)

This course covers the period from ca. 1700 to the present. It explores Muslim intellectuals’ engagement with tradition and modernity in the realms of religion, politics, literature, and law. We discuss debates concerning the role of religion in a modern society, perceptions of Europe and European influence, the challenges of maintaining religious and cultural authenticity, and Muslim views of nation-states and nationalism in the Middle East. We also give consideration to the modern developments of transnational jihadism and the Arab Spring. This course sequence meets the general education requirement in civilization studies.

Orit Bashkin, Owen Green
2022-2023 Spring

NEHC 20640 History of the Qur'ān and its Interpretation

This course explores the content and literary features of the Qur’an and charts the historical development of Muslim communal engagement with its holy scripture. Beginning with its revelation in the early-seventh century CE, the Qur’an has been an object of interpretation and debate, culminating in the solidification of the exegetical tradition, or tafsīr, in the tenth through fourteenth centuries CE. The course begins with an in-depth investigation into the history and text of the Qur’an and is followed by a survey of tafsīr literature until modern times. By the end of the semester, students will understand: 1) The Qur’an’s core themes, arguments, and literary features

2) The historical context in which the Qur’an was first promulgated and codified

3) The relationship between the Qur’an and the preceding literary traditions of the ancient world, in particular the Bible, post-biblical Jewish and Christian writings, and Arabic poetry

4) Muslim utilization of the Qur’an towards intellectual, social, religious, legal, and political ends

5) The pre-modern and modern scholarly traditions of interpreting the Qur’an

6) The skills of close reading, argumentation, and academic writing

2022-2023 Spring

ARAB 20703 High Intermediate Classical Arabic III

Third quarter of Classical High Intermediate Arabic

Prerequisites

ARAB 20702 or equivalent

2022-2023 Spring

ARME 29702 Independent Study: Intermediate Modern Armenian

The goal of this three-quarter sequence is to enable students to reach an advanced level of proficiency in the Armenian language. This sequence covers a rich vocabulary and complex grammatical structures in modern formal and colloquial Armenian. Reading assignments include a selection of original Armenian literature and excerpts from mass media.

2022-2023 Spring

AANL 10102 Elementary Hittite II

As part of a three-quarter sequence, this second quarter we finish the grammar and start reading Hittite texts, introducing the student to the various genres that Hittite literature has to offer. We will continue the introduction of important tools of the field and students will acquire further routine in reading cuneiform.

Prerequisites

AANL 10101 or equivalent

2022-2023 Winter

ARME 10102 Elementary Modern Armenian II

This three-quarter sequence focuses on the acquisition of basic speaking, listening, reading and writing skills in modern formal and spoken Armenian. The course utilizes the most advanced computer technology and audio-visual aids enabling students to master the alphabet, a core vocabulary, and some basic grammatical structures in order to communicate their basic survivor’s needs in Armenian, understand simple texts and to achieve a minimal level of proficiency in modern formal and spoken Armenian.
A considerable amount of historical-political and social-cultural issues about Armenia are skillfully built into the course for students who have intention to conduct research in Armenian Studies or related fields, to visit or to pursue work in Armenia. A language competency exam is offered at the end of spring quarter for those taking this course as college language requirement.

Prerequisites

ARME 10101

2022-2023 Winter

EGPT 10102 Introduction to Middle Egyptian Hieroglyphics II

(ANCM 30501)

This course completes an introduction to the hieroglyphic writing system, vocabulary and grammar of Middle Egyptian, the 'classic' phase of the Egyptian language developed during the Middle Kingdom (circa 2025-1773 BCE) and used until the disappearance of hieroglyphs over two thousand years later. It also begins an introduction to ancient Egyptian culture and society through a close reading of its 'classic' literature.

Prerequisites

EGPT 10101 or consent of the instructor

2022-2023 Winter

ARAB 10102 Elementary Arabic II

This sequence concentrates on the acquisition of speaking, reading, and aural skills in modern formal Arabic.

Prerequisites

ARAB 10101 or equivalent

2022-2023 Winter

TURK 10102 Elementary Turkish II

1st Year Turkish 2nd quarter

Prerequisites

TURK 10101

2022-2023 Winter

SUMR 10102 Elementary Sumerian II

Elementary Sumerian II

Prerequisites

SUMR 10101

2022-2023 Winter

ARAB 10102 Elementary Arabic II

This sequence concentrates on the acquisition of speaking, reading, and aural skills in modern formal Arabic.

Prerequisites

ARAB 10101 or equivalent

2022-2023 Winter

PERS 10102 Elementary Persian II

This sequence concentrates on all skills of language acquisition (reading, writing, listening, and speaking). The class begins with the Persian alphabet, and moves to words, phrases, short sentences, and finally short paragraphs. The goal is to enable the students towards the end of the sequence to read, understand, and translate simple texts in modern standard Persian and engage in short everyday conversations. All the basic grammatical structures are covered in this sequence. Introducing the Iranian culture through the texts is also a goal. The class meets four hours a week with the instructor and one hour with a native informant who conducts grammatical drills and Persian conversation.

Prerequisites

PERS 10101

2022-2023 Winter

ARAM 10102 Old Aramaic Inscriptions

(JWSC 11100)

Selected monumental inscriptions from the Old Aramaic period (c. 1000-600 BCE) are read with special attention to the dialectal differences among various subgroups of texts.

Prerequisites

ARAM 10101 or equivalent.

2022-2023 Winter

ARAB 10102 Elementary Arabic II

This sequence concentrates on the acquisition of speaking, reading, and aural skills in modern formal Arabic.

Prerequisites

ARAB 10101 or equivalent

2022-2023 Winter

HEBR 10102 Elementary Classical Hebrew II

(JWSC 22100)

The purpose of this three-quarter sequence is to enable the student to acquire a knowledge of the vocabulary and grammar of Classical Hebrew sufficient to read prose texts with the occasional assistance of a dictionary. The second quarter focuses on verb inflection and verbal sequences and includes written translation to and from Hebrew, oral exercises, and grammatical analysis of forms.

Prerequisites

HEBR 10101 or equivalent

2022-2023 Winter

ARAB 10257 Colloquial Levantine Arabic II

Colloquial Levantine Arabic is a proficiency-based course designed to develop the linguistic skills necessary for personal day-to-day life. The course focuses on spoken rather than Standard written Arabic, and will therefore target primarily the oral/aural skills. Through the knowledge of Modern Standard Arabic and the introduction of colloquial vocabulary, expressions, and grammar, the course will build the students’ competence in spoken Arabic. Students will also be introduced to the Levantine culture.

2022-2023 Winter

AKKD 10502 Introduction to Babylonian II

This course is the second quarter of the annual introductory sequence to the Babylonian language and the Cuneiform script. Students will further explore the grammar of Babylonian in its Old Babylonian dialect (19th-16th c. BCE) and read ancient inscriptions (especially the Laws of Hammu-rabi) in the Old Babylonian monumental script. They will also be introduced to the Old Babylonian cursive used in letters and the documents of everyday life.

Prerequisites

AKKD 10501 or equivalent

2022-2023 Winter

TURK 10502 Introduction to Turkic Languages II

(KAZK 10502,UZBK 10502)

The second quarter of a two-section course in which Elementary Kazakh and Elementary Uzbek will be offered as one class, with the option for students to study one or the other, or both simultaneously.

Prerequisites

TURK 10501

2022-2023 Winter

HEBR 10502 Introductory Modern Hebrew II

(JWSC 25100)

The beginner’s course is the first of three sequential courses offered to students at the university. The course aims to introduce students to reading, writing and speaking Modern Hebrew. Toward that end all four-language skills are emphasized: comprehension of written and oral materials; reading of non-diacritical text; writing of directed sentences, paragraphs, and compositions; speaking. You will learn the Hebrew root pattern system, and by the end of the year you will have mastered the five (active) basic verb conjugations in both the past and present tenses (as well as simple future). This grammatical knowledge is complemented by an 800+ word vocabulary, which is presented with an eye toward the major syntactic structures, including the proper use of prepositions. At the end of the year, you will conduct short conversations in Hebrew; read materials designed to this level and write short compositions

Prerequisites

HEBR 10501 or equivalent

2022-2023 Winter

NEHC 20006 Ancient Near Eastern Thought and Literature III

This course employs English translations of ancient Egyptian literary texts to explore the genres, conventions and techniques of ancient Egyptian literature. Discussions of texts examine how the ancient Egyptians conceptualized and constructed their equivalent of literature, as well as the fuzzy boundaries and subtle interplay between autobiography, history, myth, and fiction.

2022-2023 Winter

NEHC 20013 Ancient Empires III

(CLCV 25900,HIST 15604)

For most of the duration of the New Kingdom (1550-1069 BC), the ancient Egyptians were able to establish a vast empire and becoming one of the key powers within the Near East. This course will investigate in detail the development of Egyptian foreign policies and military expansion which affected parts of the Near East and Nubia. We will examine and discuss topics such as ideology, imperial identity, political struggle and motivation for conquest and control of wider regions surrounding the Egyptian state as well as the relationship with other powers and their perspective on Egyptian rulers as for example described in the Amarna letters.

Douglas Inglis
2022-2023 Winter

NEHC 20015 ANCIENT EMPIRES V: The Umayyads

The Umayyads ruled over the last “great empire” of late antiquity: the early Islamic empire, spanning from the Atlas to the Hindu Kush, from the Atlantic to the Amu Darya, and embracing regions with different cultural and political traditions. This course introduces to the history of the Umayyad caliphate, focusing on some of the visible legacies its inhabitants left behind: texts, objects, and monumental buildings that are still standing in cities of the Middle East and Europe. But we will also reflect upon less material legacies: for example, cities with a long-lasting urban culture, infrastructures for communicating across a vast empire, the consolidation of religious traditions, and exchanges and cohabitation of different religious groups.

2022-2023 Winter

NEAA 20030 Rise of the State in the Ancient Near East

(ANTH 26715,ANTH 36715,NEAA 30030)

This course introduces the background and development of the first urbanized civilizations in the Near East in the period from 9000 to 2200 BC. In the first half of this course, we examine the archaeological evidence for the first domestication of plants and animals and the earliest village communities in the "fertile crescent" (i.e., the Levant, Anatolia, Mesopotamia). The second half of this course focuses on the economic and social transformations that took place during the development from simple, village-based communities to the emergence of the urbanized civilizations of the Sumerians and their neighbors in the fourth and third millennia BC.
“This course fulfills the requirements of a survey course in Mesopotamian civilization as defined by the Ancient PhD programs in NELC and MA program in the CMES.”

2022-2023 Winter

NEHC 20034 From the Harem to Helem: Gender and Sexuality in the Modern Middle East

(GNSE 20112,GNSE 30112,NEHC 30034)

This course counts as a Problems in the Study of Gender and Sexuality course for GNSE majors. This course will provide a historical and theoretical survey of issues pertaining to gender and sexuality in the modern Middle East. First, we will outline the colonial legacies of gender politics and gendered discourses in modern Middle Eastern history. We will discuss orientalist constructions of the harem and the veil (Allouche, Laila Ahmed, Lila Abu-Loghod), and their contested afterlives across the Middle East. We will also explore colonial (homo)sexuality, and attendant critiques (Najmabadi, Massad). We will pay especial attention to local discourses about gender and sexuality, and trouble facile assumptions of “writing back” while attending to the various specificities of local discourses of everyday life across various sites of the Middle East. Eschewing reductive traps for more nuanced explorations of the specifics of life in Beirut, Cairo, Istanbul, or Tehran – as well as to rural areas – we will show how gender and sexuality are constructed and practiced in these locales. In addition to foundational scholarly texts in the field, we will also engage with an array of cultural texts (films, novels, poetry, comics) and – where possible – have conversations with activists who are working in these sites via Skype/teleconferencing.

2022-2023 Winter

NEAA 20062 Ancient Landscapes II

(ANTH 26711,ANTH 36711,GEOG 25800,GEOG 35800,NEAA 30062)

This is a two-course sequence that introduces students to theory and method in landscape studies and the use of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) to analyze archaeological, anthropological, historical, and environmental data. Course one covers the theoretical and methodological background necessary to understand spatial approaches to landscape and the fundamentals of using ESRI’s ArcGIS software, and further guides students in developing a research proposal. Course two covers more advanced GIS-based analysis (using vector, raster, and satellite remote sensing data) and guides students in carrying out their own spatial research project. In both courses, techniques are introduced through the discussion of case studies (focused on the archaeology of the Middle East) and through demonstration of software skills. During supervised laboratory times, the various techniques and analyses covered will be applied to sample archaeological data and also to data from a region/topic chosen by the student.

Prerequisites

NEAA 20061

2022-2023 Winter

ARAB 20102 Intermediate Arabic II

The second quarter of Intermediate Arabic

Prerequisites

ARAB 20101 or equivalent

2022-2023 Winter

ARAB 20102 Intermediate Arabic II

The second quarter of Intermediate Arabic

Prerequisites

ARAB 20101 or equivalent

2022-2023 Winter

UGAR 20102 Ugaritic II

Continued reading of texts in the Ugaritic language, emphasis on prose texts.

Prerequisites

UGAR 20101

2022-2023 Winter

EGPT 20102 Introduction to Hieratic

This course introduces the cursive literary and administrative script of Middle Egyptian (corresponding to the Middle Kingdom period in Egypt) and is intended to provide familiarity with a variety of texts written in hieratic (e.g., literary tales, religious compositions, wisdom literature, letters, accounts, graffiti).

Prerequisites

EGPT 20101

2022-2023 Winter

PERS 20102 Intermediate Persian II

This sequence deepens and expands the students' knowledge of modern Persian. The goal is to enable the students to gain proficiency in all skills of language acquisition at a higher level. In this sequence, the students learn more complex grammatical structures and gain wider vocabulary through reading paragraph-length texts on a variety of topics related to Persian language, literature, and culture. Students will also be familiarized with Persian news and media terminology. Class meets four hours a week with the instructor and one hour with a native informant who conducts grammatical drills and Persian conversation.

Prerequisites

PERS 20101 or consent of the instructor

2022-2023 Winter

TURK 20102 Intermediate Turkish II

This sequence features proficiency-based instruction emphasizing speaking and writing skills as well as reading and listening comprehension at the intermediate to advanced levels in modern Turkish. Modern short stories, novel excerpts, academic and journalistic articles form the basis for an introduction to modern Turkish literature. Cultural units consisting of films and web-based materials are also used extensively in this course, which is designed to bring the intermediate speaker to an advanced level of proficiency.

Prerequisites

TURK 20101

2022-2023 Winter

HEBR 20105 Intermediate Classical Hebrew II

(JWSC 22400)

Continue acquisition of basic Biblical Hebrew; Continue acquisition of basic notions of historical grammar; Acquire the rudiments of analysis of Biblical Hebrew poetry.

Prerequisites

HEBR 20104 or equivalent

2022-2023 Winter

ARAB 20381 Introduction to Arabic Poetry

(ISLM 30381,NEHC 20381)

The course is an introduction to the texts, contexts, functions, and rhythms of Arabic poetry. Students read, translate, and analyze the most eloquent verse of the Arabic poetic canon, with a view to understanding its themes, metaphors, and forms. In addition, they study the prosody and rhetoric that underpins these texts in order to acquire a feel for its music and aesthetics. The class is part lecture, part readings. Its focus is on the classical material, but modern poetry (MSA and colloquial) is also introduced.

Prerequisites

2 years of Arabic or equivalent

2022-2023 Winter

NEAA 20451 Maritime Archaeology and Shipwrecks II

(CLAS 22422,CLCV 23422,NEAA 30451)

From complex trading networks that reached beyond India, to fierce naval battles that determined the fate of empires, seafaring played a pivotal role in shaping the Iron Age and Classical worlds. This course explores the impact of ships and seafaring on the ancient world beginning with the Phoenician expansion and the ships of Homer, and continues through the end of the Roman Period. While we will primarily focus on Aegean and Mediterranean societies, we will also voyage west to Spain and England, and as far east as India and Sri Lanka. This course will draw on diverse sources of evidence, including shipwrecks, archaeological remains, artifacts, art, and literature. Class themes include sailing and shipbuilding, trade and exploration, ports and harbors, naval tactics and warfare, pirates, navigation, religious practice, and the literature of the sea.

2022-2023 Winter

HEBR 20502 Intermediate Modern Hebrew

(JWSC 25400)

This course is designed for students who possess a basic knowledge of modern‭ ‬and/or Biblical Hebrew‭ (‬either the first year course or the placement exam‭ ‬are prerequisites‭). ‬The main objective is to provide students with the‭ ‬skills necessary to approach Modern Hebrew prose‭, ‬both fiction and‭ ‬non-fiction‭. Students learn to use the dictionary‭, ‬and approach unfamiliar‭ ‬texts and vocabulary‭. Many syntactic structures are introduced‭, ‬including‭ ‬simple clauses‭, ‬coordinate and compound sentences‭. ‬Throughout the year‭, ‬students read‭, ‬write‭, ‬and speak extensively and are required to analyze the‭ ‬grammatical structures of assigned materials‭.

Prerequisites

HEBR 20501 or equivalent

2022-2023 Winter

ARAB 20602 High Intermediate Modern Standard Arabic II

Arabic Through Debate:
Taking debate as its central fulcrum, the course will develop all four language skills: debaters must read on the proposition topic, prepare their arguments in writing, speak clearly to an audience, and listen carefully to their team mates and to the arguments of the opposing team. In the process, they will be immersed in Arab culture (targeted expressions and historical references, of-the-moment issues, etc.).
Course Objectives
a) Expanding student vocabulary and structures into the abstract, analytic realm, i.e., placing them solidly in the advanced ACTFL levels (see descriptions of ACTFL standards/levels: https://www.actfl.org/sites/default/files/pdfs/public/ACTFLProficiencyG…
b) Improving student speech techniques: pronunciation, intonation/voice modulation, pausing, emphasis, gesturing, visual communication
c) Improving listening and writing skills and expanding them to include topics of general and academic interest
d) Through a thoughtful selection of debate propositions, exposing students to some salient social, cultural, and political themes of importance to the Arab public
e) Sharpening the logical argumentative skills of students

Prerequisites

ARAB 20601 or equivalent

2022-2023 Winter

NEHC 20602 Islamic Thought and Literature II

(HIST 25615,MDVL 20602,RLST 20402,SOSC 22100)

What are the major developments in thinking and in literature in the Islamic world of the “middle periods” (c. 950-1800 C.E.). How did noteworthy Muslims at various points and places think through questions of life and death, man and God, faith and belief, the sacred and the profane, law and ethics, tradition vs. innovation, power and politics, class and gender, self and other? How did they wage war; make love; shape the built environment; eat and drink; tell stories; educate their youth; preserve the past; imagine the future; perform piety, devotion, and spirituality; construe the virtuous life and righteous community, etc.? How did these ideas change over time? What are some of the famous, funny, naughty, and nice books read in the pre-modern Muslim world? We will survey a broad geographic area stretching from Morocco and Iberia to the Maldives and India--even into the New World--through lectures, secondary readings, and discussion. We will engage with a variety of primary texts in English translation, as well as various visual, aural, and material artifacts.

2022-2023 Winter

ARAB 20702 High Intermediate Classical Arabic II

Second quarter of Classical High Intermediate Arabic

Prerequisites

ARAB 20701 or equivalent

2022-2023 Winter

NEHC 20737 Imperialism Before the Age of Empires

(HIST 20312,HIST 30312,NEHC 30737)

This course offers a critical analysis of the use of concepts such as empire and imperialism in the historiography of ancient Mesopotamia to address political formations that developed (and vanished) from the Early to Late Bronze Ages (mid-3rd to late-2nd millennium BCE). Drawing from theoretical studies on imperialism and the imperial constructions that developed in the Iron Age and beyond (starting with the Neo-Assyrian and Neo-Babylonian empires), this seminar will explore the nature of power, control, and resource management in these early formations, and how they qualify (or not) as imperial policies. Students will address a substantial part of Mesopotamian history (from the Sargonic down to the Middle Assyrian and Babylonian periods) and study in depth some key historiographical issues for the history of Early Antiquity. Primary documents will be read in translation and the course has no ancient language requirements. However, readings of secondary literature in common academic languages (especially French and German) are to be expected.
This course fulfills the requirements of a survey course in Mesopotamian civilization as defined by the Ancient PhD programs in NELC and MA program in the CMES.

2022-2023 Winter

NEHC 26151 The History of Iraq in the 20th Century

(SIGN 26028)

The class explores the history of Iraq during the years 1917-2015. We will discuss the rise of the Iraqi nation state, Iraqi and Pan-Arab nationalism, and Iraqi authoritarianism. The class will focus on the unique histories of particular group in Iraqi society; religious groups (Shiis, Sunnis, Jews), ethnic groups (especially Kurds), classes (the urban poor, the educated middle classes, the landed and tribal elites), Iraqi women, and Iraqi tribesmen. Other classes will explore the ideologies that became prominent in the Iraqi public sphere, from communism to Islamic radicalism. We will likewise discuss how colonialism and imperialism shaped major trends in Iraqi history. The reading materials for the class are based on a combination of primary and secondary sources: we will read together Iraqi novels, memoirs and poems (in translation), as well as British and American diplomatic documents about Iraq.

2022-2023 Winter

ARME 29702 Independent Study: Intermediate Modern Armenian

The goal of this three-quarter sequence is to enable students to reach an advanced level of proficiency in the Armenian language. This sequence covers a rich vocabulary and complex grammatical structures in modern formal and colloquial Armenian. Reading assignments include a selection of original Armenian literature and excerpts from mass media.

2022-2023 Winter

NEHC 29995 Research Project

In consultation with a faculty research adviser and with consent of the Director of Undergraduate Studies, students devote the equivalent of a one-quarter course to the preparation of their Research Project. Students are required to submit the College Reading and Research Course Form. Please indicate that you wish to register for NEHC 29995 Section 01 with the Director of Undergraduate Studies.

Prerequisites

4th year NELC majors only. Approval of Director of Undergraduate Studies.

2022-2023 Winter

NEAA 20001/30001 Archeology of the Ancient Near East I: Mesopotamia

This course surveys Mesopotamian archaeology from late prehistory (7th millennium BCE) through the age of empires (mid-1st millennium BCE). Data will comprise landscapes, settlement patterns, sites and material culture; themes include the development of social complexity, innovations in technology and political economy, the impacts of climate change, and the interplay of textual and material evidence for inter-regional connections. The course is intended for both graduate and undergraduate students.

2022-2023 Autumn

NEAA 20007/30007 Bioethics and Ancient DNA

(KNOW 20007,KNOW 30007,NEAA 30007)

The first ancient human genome was sequenced just over 10 years ago. From a single genome in 2010 to what has been hailed as a “scientific revolution” today, the field of archaeogenetics has expanded rapidly. In this course, we will explore how the field is grappling with emerging issues related to ethical and responsible research, including sampling practices, collaborative community partnerships, and accessibility of research findings to the broader public. How have researchers successfully leveraged multiple voices, perspectives, and priorities engaged with ancient DNA to explore the human past? What are the possibilities of engagement beyond the practical and project-based level? How do these new alliances formed around archaeogenetics inform the ethics of sampling, participation, and interpretation? In this course, we will thoughtfully and critically engage with aDNA research in the present to envision possible futures for the field.

Hannah Moots
2022-2023 Autumn

NEHC 30022 DOCUMENTARY CULTURES IN EARLY ISLAMICATE SOCIETIES

This Seminar for graduate students centers on the use of material and documentary sources for the study of early Islamic history (ca. 640-1000 CE), particularly looking at multiple religious groups, languages, and literary traditions. It will introduce the students to the study of documentary texts such as the Arabic papyri, the expansion of Arabic papyrology as a field, and the integration of literary and non-literary sources. Students will be encouraged and challenged to think of texts also as material objects. We will talk about sources and resources for the study of political, economic, social, and intellectual histories of the Islamicate world; in so doing, we will discuss also methods, problems, and perspectives.

2022-2023 Spring

NEHC 20024/30024 EVERY-DAY LIFE IN THE EARLY ISLAMIC PERIOD

How did people live in the early Islamic period? How did they work and study? What do we know about their relations with family members, loved ones, and neighbors? How did they relate to the administration and to people who ruled them? Did they get together to celebrate religious festivals? Did they have parties? What sources do we have to learn about their habits, routines, and feelings? What can we learn about every-day struggles, and how much do these differ from our own? This course aims to introduce undergraduate and early graduate students to the study of social history through a combination of literary and documentary sources from the early centuries of Islam. We will learn about both opportunities and limits of studying history from the “bottom-up.”

2022-2023 Winter

NEAA 20036/30036 Mesopotamian Cities

Cities are extraordinarily successful forms of human settlement, currently home to over 6 billion people around the world. They offer employment opportunities, production efficiency, and expansive social networks. However, they also have negative impacts on social lives, health, resources, and the environment; they are deep wells of inequality, isolation, and disease. Were ancient cities similarly difficult? Through alternating lectures and seminars, this course examines ancient Mesopotamian cities from the perspective of city life and urban challenges, comprising the positive and negative aspects and possible compensatory factors to urban living in the past. We will examine cities from the world’s earliest, in the 4th millennium BCE, through mature cities of the 3rd and 2nd millennia BCE, to the artificial imperial cities of the 1st millennium BCE.

2022-2023 Spring

NEHC 20041/30041 Ethnography in the Middle East

This anthropology course centers on ethnographic research conducted in and about the Middle East, but it also trains students in the practice of ethnographic field research methods. Ethnography is at the heart of the discipline of cultural anthropology. In this course, we will study what ethnography is, where ethnographic fieldwork has been conducted in the Middle East, and why, and what political and social conditions have shaped knowledge of the region. We will ultimately discover the ways in which ethnography is a complex embodied human practice.
This class has two primary learning objectives. First, to teach students how to do ethnographic fieldwork about the Middle East through assignments that mobilize various techniques, including participant observation, mapping a field-site, interviews, “deep hanging out,” gathering documents, producing genealogies and writing up field-notes. Over the course of the semester students will draw on these short assignments to produce a final ethnographic research paper on some aspect of social life. Second, alongside short fieldwork assignments, students will study the history and theoretical debates of ethnography in the Middle East, such as discussions about the politics of representation, the construction of ‘otherness’ in knowledge, colonialism and its relationship to the social sciences, gender and race theory, and the ethics of conducting research among different vulnerable groups.

2022-2023 Spring

NEHC 20042/30042 Medicine and Culture in the Middle East

This course examines the intersections of culture, politics, and biomedicine in the Middle East from a variety of theoretical and scholarly approaches. Students will study different conceptualizations of health, healing, the body, and personhood in the region, with a strong emphasis on biomedicine and contemporary state and governmental processes. Key topics covered in class include but are not limited to: the rise of western biomedicine in the region; religious perspectives of the body; Islam and organ trafficking and transplantation; racialized bodies in medical science; war and medicine, sex, gender, and reproductive technologies, and the impact of COVID-19 across the region.

2022-2023 Spring

NEAA 20061/30061 Ancient Landscapes of the Middle East I

(ANTH 26710,ANTH 36710,GEOG 25400,GEOG 35400,NEAA 30061)

This is a two-course sequence that introduces students to theory and method in landscape studies and the use of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) to analyze archaeological, anthropological, historical, and environmental data. Course one covers the theoretical and methodological background necessary to understand spatial approaches to landscape and the fundamentals of using ESRI's ArcGIS software, and further guides students in developing a research proposal. Course two covers more advanced GIS-based analysis (using vector, raster, and satellite remote sensing data) and guides students in carrying out their own spatial research project. In both courses, techniques are introduced through the discussion of case studies (focused on the archaeology of the Middle East) and through demonstration of software skills.
During supervised laboratory times, the various techniques and analyses covered will be applied to sample archaeological data and also to data from a region/topic chosen by the student.

2022-2023 Autumn

NEAA 20100/30100 Introduction to Archaeology

Archaeology is the study of the material evidence of past human activity. This course, which is offered every year in the Autumn Quarter, explores the history of archaeology as a discipline and the methods used by archaeologists to obtain evidence about past human activity via excavations, surface surveys, and remote-sensing technologies such as satellite imagery and ground-penetrating radar, with emphasis on archaeological fieldwork in the Middle East. This course also surveys the latest methods used to date, classify, and analyze various kinds of evidence after it has been obtained. And since archaeological data is always collected and interpreted within an intellectual framework of theoretical conceptions concerning human society, culture, and history, this course provides a brief overview of “archaeological theory,” i.e., the uses made by archaeologists of a wide range of different social theories that may lead to quite different interpretations of the same data. This topic is explored in more depth in a companion course on “Social Theory and Ancient Studies” (NEHC 20010/30010), which is offered in alternate years in the Winter Quarter.

2022-2023 Autumn

TURK 30101 Advanced Modern Turkish

Advanced Turkish students will develop their language skills in speaking, reading, translating, listening, and writing, while learning about Turkish society and culture at the same time. To address all of these aspects each class is divided into three sections which focuses on a specific skill.

Section one is the conversation part: it involves reading (or listening to) short (audio) pieces or phrases on a given topic; section two is reading and translation: students read and prepare pieces from Turkish literature, literature readings are short stories or selected parts from novels; section three is the listening part: by watching parts of a Turkish movie, students' skills in listening and understanding will get faster while we progress through the movie.

Prerequisites

TURK 20103

2022-2023 Autumn

TURK 30102 Advanced Turkish II

Advanced Turkish students will develop their language skills in speaking, reading, translating, listening, and writing, while learning about Turkish society and culture at the same time. To address all of these aspects each class is divided into three sections which focusses on a specific skill.

Section one is the conversation part: it involves reading (or listening to) short (audio) pieces or phrases on a given topic; section two is reading and translation: students read and prepare pieces from Turkish literature, literature readings are short stories or selected parts from novels; section three is the listening part: by watching parts of a Turkish movie, students' skills in listening and understanding will get faster while we progress through the movie.

2022-2023 Winter

TURK 30103 Advanced Turkish III

Advanced Turkish students will develop their language skills in speaking, reading, translating, listening, and writing, while learning about Turkish society and culture at the same time. To address all of these aspects each class is divided into three sections which focuses on a specific skill.
Section one is the conversation part: it involves reading (or listening to) short (audio) pieces or phrases on a given topic; section two is reading and translation: students read and prepare pieces from Turkish literature, literature readings are short stories or selected parts from novels; section three is the listening part: by watching parts of a Turkish movie, students' skills in listening and understanding will get faster while we progress through the movie.

Prerequisites

2 years of Turkish, or equivalent

2022-2023 Spring

EGPT 30120 Introduction to Demotic

(ANCM 32100)

This course provides a basic introduction to the grammar, vocabulary, and orthographic styles of the Egyptian language phase and script used for administrative, literary and some religious and magical texts from the Late Period (664-332 BCE) through the Graeco-Roman Periods (332 BCE - 298 CE).

Prerequisites

EGPT 10101-10103 or equivalent

2022-2023 Winter

EGPT 30121 Demotic Texts

Building on the basic grammar, vocabulary, and orthographic styles learned in EGPT 30120, this course focuses on the reading and analysis of various Demotic administrative, literary, religious and magical texts from the Late Period (664-332 BCE) through the Graeco-Roman Periods (332 BCE - 298 CE).

Prerequisites

EGPT 30120 or Consent of the Instructor

2022-2023 Spring

NEAA 20162/30162 Topics in Mesopotamian Prehistory II

The Uruk period (4th millennium BC) saw the emergence of the earliest known state societies, urbanism, kingship, writing, and colonial network extending from Mesopotamia across the Jazira and into neighboring resource zones in the Taurus and Zagros mountains. This seminar examines Uruk Mesopotamia and neighboring regions from several perspectives – an examination of key sites in Mesopotamia and contemporaneous local late chalcolithic polities in Syria, southeast Anatolia and Iran. The seminar also considers the main theoretical issues involved in understanding inter-regional interaction in the social, economic, and political organization of this period.
“This course fulfills the requirements of a survey course in Mesopotamian civilization as defined by the Ancient PhD programs in NELC and MA program in the CMES.”

Prerequisites

Any introductory course in Near Eastern archaeology.

2022-2023 Spring

NEHC 20194/30194 Gender and Sexuality in the Middle East

This course focuses on the ways in which anthropologists have approached gender in the modern Middle East and North Africa. In addition to providing a survey of key anthropological theories and debates about gender in the discipline of anthropology, it also centers on the writings of local authors, social scientists, and critical theorists, such as Islamic feminists and “native” scholars. Key themes will be: kinship, sexuality, and the body; women and nationalism; post-colonialism; violence, war and displacement; the politics of childhood and youth; and globalization and neoliberalism.

Rania Sweis
2022-2023 Autumn

NEHC 20201/30201 Islamicate Civilization I: 600 - 950

(HIST 15611,HIST 35621,ISLM 30201,MDVL 20201,RLST 20201)

This course covers the rise and spread of Islam, the Islamic empire under the Umayyad and early Abbasid caliphs, and the emergence of regional Islamic states from Afghanistan and eastern Iran to North Africa and Spain. The main focus will be on political, economic and social history.

2022-2023 Autumn

NEHC 20202/30202 Islamicate Civilization II: 950 - 1750

(HIST 15612,HIST 35622,ISLM 30202,MDVL 20202,RLST 20202)

This course, a continuation of Islamicate Civilization I, surveys intellectual, cultural, religious and political developments in the Islamic world from Andalusia to the South Asian sub-continent during the periods from ca. 950 to 1750. We trace the arrival and incorporation of the Steppe Peoples (Turks and Mongols) into the central Islamic lands; the splintering of the Abbasid Caliphate and the impact on political theory; the flowering of literature of Arabic, Turkic and Persian expression; the evolution of religious and legal scholarship and devotional life; transformations in the intellectual and philosophical traditions; the emergence of Shi`i states (Buyids and Fatimids); the Crusades and Mongol conquests; the Mamluks and Timurids, and the "gunpowder empires" of the Ottomans, Safavids, and Moghuls; the dynamics of gender and class relations; etc. This class partially fulfills the requirement for MA students in CMES, as well as for NELC majors and PhD students.

Prerequisites

Islamicate Civilization I (NEHC 20201) or Islamic Thought & Literature-1 (NEHC 20601), or the equivalent

2022-2023 Winter

NEHC 20203/30203 Islamicate Civilization III: 1750 - Present

(HIST 15613,HIST 35623,ISLM 30203,RLST 20203)

This course covers the period from ca. 1750 to the present, focusing on Western military, economic, and ideological encroachment; the impact of such ideas as nationalism and liberalism; efforts at reform in the Islamic states; the emergence of the "modern" Middle East after World War I; the struggle for liberation from Western colonial and imperial control; the Middle Eastern states in the cold war era; and local and regional conflicts.

Prerequisites

Islamicate Civilization II (NEHC 20202) or Islamic Thought & Literature-2 (NEHC 20602), or the equivalent

2022-2023 Spring

NEHC 20294/30294 Global Humanitarianism in the Middle East

Today, the Middle East is host to the world’s largest humanitarian crises since World War II. This course examines the politics and ethics of humanitarian intervention in the region, including emergency medical aid and global healthcare. It takes a critical approach to humanitarian action, focusing on long-term, lived effects as well as intentions, and foregrounds the experiences, voices, and perspectives of local aid recipients. In class we will examine works produced by leading Middle East scholars including anthropologist, sociologist, historians, philosophers, and political scientists. Beginning in the 1980s, with the rise of global humanitarianism, and leading up to the present day, topics covered in class include but are not limited to: the politics of vulnerability and innocence; the body in humanitarianism; war and refugees; food aid; children and global humanitarianism; and medical aid and global health.

Rania Sweis
2022-2023 Autumn

NELG 30325 Old South Arabian

(LGLN 30325)

This course is an introduction to the languages of the inscriptional material found in western South Arabia, todays Yemen. The inscriptions date from roughly the 8th century BCE to the 6th century CE and are written in four closely related languages, Sabaic, Minaic, Qatabanic, and Hadramitic. In this class we will read material from all major periods and languages of attestation.

2022-2023 Spring

NEAA 20352/30352 Digital Imaging and Modeling in Archaeology

(DIGS 20020,DIGS 30020)

3D technology has transformed the way we interact with ancient artifacts and archaeological sites, from initial documentation to public outreach. This course will provide an overview of the various digital recording technologies available and will explore how they can be used for analysis, map making, creating virtual museums, and replicating ancient objects for public outreach and education. Participants will learn how to use photogrammetry to transform archaeological sites and artifacts into 3D models and 3D-printed objects. We will cover data collection using both cameras and drones, data processing, digital inking in Photoshop, 3D model export, online presentation, 3D printing and model painting. We will also consider the ways in which digital tools can be used to for public outreach, education, and to make archaeology more equitable and accessible. The course will provide valuable training to students interested in archaeology, artifact studies, conservation, museum collections, and digital humanities.

2022-2023 Spring

AKKD 30363 Kassite Legal and Administrative Texts

We will read a choice of legal and administrative texts from the Kassite period (1400-1150 BC), including contracts, tables, receipts and letters. You will get an introduction to the Middle Babylonian dialect of Akkadian and learn how to approach those genres. We will also read unpublished material from photos, casts, and original tablets.

Prerequisites

1 year of Akkadian

2022-2023 Winter

ARAB 20390/30390 Arabic in Social Context

This is a course for the advanced student of Arabic, focusing on improving listening comprehension and instilling an awareness of the social associations accompanying different speech styles. Through intensive exposure to a variety of authentic oral texts (talk shows, songs, soap operas, films, news shows, ads, comedy skits, etc.), students will delve into current social and political issues, as well as become sensitive to code switching between MSA and colloquial (all the major dialects). Through these texts, we will examine the themes of diglossia and code-switching; gendered discourse; urban-rural differences; class differences; youth language. A heavily aural course, class activities will involve student presentations (group and solo), discussion groups, and a final oral presentation project.

2022-2023 Spring

TURK 30501 Ottoman Turkish I

A selection of Turkish printed texts in Arabic script from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries is introduced in order of difficulty. Hakan Karateke's unpublished "Ottoman Reader" serves as a text book. The texts are drawn from historical textbooks, official documents, novels, and other genres.

Prerequisites

2 years of Turkish, or equivalent

2022-2023 Autumn

HEBR 30501 Advanced Modern Hebrew I

(JWSC 25600)

This course, which builds upon Intermediate Modern Hebrew (second-year HEB) assumes that students have full mastery of the grammatical and lexical content of the intermediate level. The focus of instruction is on the further development of intermediate language skills in Modern Israeli Hebrew with special emphasis on oral and written communication. At the end of the course, all students are expected to reach an Advanced level of proficiency, as defined by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) in speaking, reading, and listening comprehension. The acquisition of cultural literacy will be an integral part of the curriculum throughout the semester.

Prerequisites

HEBR 20503 or equivalent

2022-2023 Autumn

TURK 30502 Ottoman Turkish II

A selection of Turkish printed texts in Arabic script from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries is introduced in order of difficulty. Hakan Karateke's unpublished "Ottoman Reader" serves as a text book. The texts are drawn from historical textbooks, official documents, novels, and other genres.

Prerequisites

TURK 30501

2022-2023 Winter

HEBR 30502 Advanced Modern Hebrew II

(JWSC 25700)

This course assumes that students have full mastery of the grammatical and lexical content of the intermediate level (second year Hebrew or the placement exam are prerequisites). The main objective is literary fluency. The texts used in this course include both academic prose, as well as literature. Students are exposed to semantics and morphology in addition to advanced grammar. Requirements include a weekly class presentation, regular essay writing, two take-home exams, and several quizzes per quarter.

Prerequisites

HEBR 30501 or consent of instructor

2022-2023 Winter

HEBR 30503 Advanced Modern Hebrew III

(JWSC 25800)

This course assumes that students have full mastery of the grammatical and lexical content of the intermediate level (second year Hebrew or the placement exam are prerequisites). The main objective is literary fluency. The texts used in this course include both academic prose, as well as literature. Students are exposed to semantics and morphology in addition to advanced grammar. Requirements include a weekly class presentation, regular essay writing, two take-home exams, and several quizzes per quarter.

Prerequisites

HEBR 30502 or consent of instructor

2022-2023 Spring

TURK 30503 Ottoman Turkish III

A selection of Turkish printed texts in Arabic script from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries is introduced in order of difficulty. Hakan Karateke's unpublished "Ottoman Reader" serves as a text book. The texts are drawn from historical textbooks, official documents, novels, and other genres.

Prerequisites

TURK 30502

2022-2023 Spring

NEAA 30524 Archaeogenetics and the Human Past

(KNOW 20005,KNOW 30524,NEAA 30524)

The rapidly growing field of paleogenomics has brought together researchers from a wide variety of fields and perspectives in the social and natural sciences. This survey course is designed for students from all backgrounds interested in developing practical skills in ancient DNA methods, contextual research, analysis and interpretation. We will also focus on exploring and discussing ethics in the field and the implications of the growing interest of public audiences with ancient DNA. Throughout the course, we will also explore a variety of related topics by taking a deep dive into the archaeology context and analytical approaches of published case studies. Throughout the course, there will be a number of laboratory and computational activities to apply ancient DNA research methods. For a final project, you will explore a site, topic or study of your choosing with the tools learned in this course and evaluate the potential for ancient DNA to uncover new findings there.

Hannah Moots
2022-2023 Winter

AANL 20600/30600 Women in Hittite Society

In this advanced Hittite course we will explore the roles and functions of women in Hittite society by comparing the image created by kings with the image that flows from their own writings and actions. Queens that will be discussed are the 'evil' Tawanannas and Queen Puduhepa, who had her own independent correspondence with the Great Kings and royals of other countries. We will also investigate the 'Wise Women', a class of diviners that seems to have operated as an advisory council to the king in matters of danger to the state.

2022-2023 Spring

ARME 30601 Advanced Mid Armenian I

This three-quarter sequence enables the students to reach an advanced level of proficiency in the Armenian language. Reading, discussion and writing assignments include a selection of original Armenian literature and excerpts from mass media. A considerable amount of historical-political and social-cultural issues about Armenia are skillfully built into the course for students who have intention to conduct research in Armenian Studies and related area studies or to pursue work in Armenia.

Prerequisites

ARME 20103 or equivalent

2022-2023 Autumn

ARME 30602 Advanced Mid Armenian II

This three-quarter sequence enables the students to reach an advanced level of proficiency in the Armenian language. Reading, discussion and writing assignments include a selection of original Armenian literature and excerpts from mass media. A considerable amount of historical-political and social-cultural issues about Armenia are skillfully built into the course for students who have intention to conduct research in Armenian Studies and related area studies or to pursue work in Armenia.

2022-2023 Winter

ARME 30603 Advanced Mid Armenian III

This three-quarter sequence enables the students to reach an advanced level of proficiency in the Armenian language. Reading, discussion and writing assignments include a selection of original Armenian literature and excerpts from mass media. A considerable amount of historical-political and social-cultural issues about Armenia are skillfully built into the course for students who have intention to conduct research in Armenian Studies and related area studies or to pursue work in Armenia.

Prerequisites

ARME 20103 or equivalent.

2022-2023 Spring

NEHC 20645/30645 History of the Fatimid Caliphate

(HIST 24401,HIST 34401,MDVL 20645)

This course will cover the history of the Fatimid (Shiite) caliphate, from its foundation in the North Africa about 909 until its end in Egypt 1171. Most of the material will be presented in classroom lectures. Sections of the course deal with Fatimid history treated chronologically and others with separate institutions and problems as they changed and developed throughout the whole time period. Readings heavily favored or highly recommended are all in English.

2022-2023 Winter

NEHC 20692/30692 Armenian History Through Art and Culture

(ARCH 20692,ARTH 20692,HIST 25711)

Who are the Armenians and where do they come from? What is the cultural contribution of Armenians to their neighbors and overall world heritage? This crash-course will try to answer these and many other similar questions while surveying Armenian history and elements of culture (mythology, religion, manuscript illumination, art, architecture, etc.). It also will discuss transformations of Armenian identity and symbols of 'Armenianness' through time, based on such elements of national identity as language, religion, art, or shared history. Due to the greatest artistic quality and the transcultural nature of its monuments and artifacts, Armenia has much to offer in the field of art history, especially when we think about global transculturation and appropriation among cultures as a result of peoples’ movements and contacts. The course is recommended for students with interest in Armenian studies or related fields, in area or civilizations studies, art and cultural studies, etc.

2022-2023 Autumn

GEEZ 20700/30700 Advanced Readings in Classical Ethiopic (Ge'ez)

(BIBL 30700,LING 22700,LING 32700,RLST 17700)

In this course we will read excerpts from literature written in Classical Ethiopic (Ge'ez), such as Enoch, Jubilees, Kebra Nagast, Beauty of Creation, and others, and review some basic grammatical structures of the language. Students will need a good grasp of the basic grammar of Ge'ez in order to take the class.

Prerequisites

GEEZ 1-3 or equivalent

2022-2023 Autumn

NEHC 20765/30765 Introduction to the Musical Folklore of Central Asia

(ANTH 25905,MUSI 23503,MUSI 33503,REES 25001,REES 35001)

This course explores the musical traditions of the peoples of Central Asia, both in terms of historical development and cultural significance. Topics include the music of the epic tradition, the use of music for healing, instrumental genres, and Central Asian folk and classical traditions. Basic field methods for ethnomusicology are also covered. Extensive use is made of recordings of musical performances and of live performances in the area.

2022-2023 Spring

NEHC 20383/30838 Further Topics in Late Ottoman History-1

This course will introduce students to a number of important topics in Eighteenth and nineteenth century Ottoman history, such as the nature of the great local notables, the growing importance of proteges, and the bureaucratic reform.

Holly Shissler
2022-2023 Autumn

NEHC 30852 Ottoman World in the Age of Suleyman I

(CMES 30852,HIST 58302,ISLM 30852,NEHC 20862)

This seminar/colloquim focuses on the transformation of the Muslim Ottoman principality into an imperial entity--after the conquest of Constantinople in 1453--that laid claim to inheritance of Alexandrine, Roman/Byzantine, Mongol/Chinggisid, and Islamic models of Old World Empire at the dawn of the early modern era. Usually taught as a two-quarter reseach seminar, this year only the first quarter is offered, with a 15-20 paper due at the end. Special attention is paid to the transformation of Ottoman imperialism in the reign of Sultan Süleyman the Lawgiver (1520-1566), who appeared to give the Empire its "classical" form. Topics include: the Mongol legacy; the reformulation of the relationship between political and religious institutions; mysticism and the creation of divine kingship; Muslim-Christian competition (with special reference to Spain and Italy) and the formation of early modernity; the articulation of bureaucratized hierarchy; and comparison of Muslim Ottoman, Iranian Safavid, and Christian European imperialisms. The quarter-long colloquium comprises a chronological overview of major themes in Ottoman history, 1300-1600. In addition to papers, students will be required to give an oral presentation on a designated primary or secondary source in the course of the seminar.

2022-2023 Autumn

NEHC 30853 Ottoman World/Suleyman II

(CMES 38052
HIST 58303)

This two-quarter seminar focuses on the transformation of the Muslim Ottoman principality into an imperial entity--after the conquest of Constantinople in 1453--that laid claim to inheritance of Alexandrine, Roman/Byzantine, Mongol/Chinggisid, and Islamic models of Old World Empire at the dawn of the early modern era. Special attention is paid to the transformation of Ottoman imperialism in the reign of Sultan Süleyman the Lawgiver (1520-1566), who appeared to give the Empire its “classical” form. Topics include: the Mongol legacy; the reformulation of the relationship between political and religious institutions; mysticism and the creation of divine kingship; Muslim-Christian competition (with special reference to Spain and Italy) and the formation of early modernity; the articulation of bureaucratized hierarchy; and comparison of Muslim Ottoman, Iranian Safavid, and Christian European imperialisms. The first quarter comprises a chronological overview of major themes in Ottoman history, 1300-1600; the second quarter is divided between the examination of particular themes in comparative perspective (for example, the dissolution and recreation of religious institutions in Islamdom and Christendom) and student presentations of research for the seminar paper. In addition to seminar papers, students will be required to give an oral presentation on a designated primary or secondary source in the course of the seminar.

2022-2023 Winter

NEHC 30888 Evliya Çelebi

An Ottoman Perception 1

2022-2023 Autumn

NEHC 30889 Introduction to Ottoman Poetry

Ottoman poetry is notoriously very difficult to understand. This course is designed as an introduction to the technical and aesthetic aspects of the genre. We will also try to understand the culture around the social milieu of Ottoman poets”

2022-2023 Autumn

NEHC 30937 Nationalism & Colonialism in the Middle East

This graduate seminar offers a historiographical overview of the approaches to sect, religion, minority and gender in colonial and postcolonial contexts in the Middle East. We will discuss the conceptualizations of nationalism by different social scientists; explore the characteristics of Iranian, Turkish and Arab nationalism[s] in the years 1860-1979; examine the history of science and technology in the region and its influence on perceptions of Islamic modernity,; and ask whether sectarianism an old phenomenon or a new one, paying heed to the relationship between minorities and religions in the region.

2022-2023 Autumn

NEHC 21215/31215 Abraham's Sacrifice of Isaac in Multiple Perspectives

(BIBL 31215,HIJD 31215,ISLM 31215,JWSC 21215,RLST 21215)

The story of Abraham’s (near) sacrifice of his son, Isaac, found in Genesis 22:1-19, is one of the most influential and enduring stories in Western literature and art. It is part of the living tradition of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam and its meaning and implications have been repeatedly explored in the communities defined by these religions, and has, in turn, helped to shape the self-perception of those communities. This course will consider the multiple perspectives from which this story has been viewed and the multiple interpretations which this story has generated, starting with its earliest incorporation into the Hebrew Bible, moving to its role in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, and concluding with its influence on modern works. No knowledge of Hebrew is required.

2022-2023 Spring

HEBR 33301 Reading Academic Hebrew

(BIBL 38301,JWSC 25881)

The course concentrates on the written language and aims at enabling students to use Modern Hebrew for research purposes. The course is designed to enable students to read Hebrew freely. Major grammatical & syntactical aspects will be covered, and students will acquire substantial vocabulary with attention paid to lexical collocations and semantic fields. By the end of the course, students are expected not only to be able to successfully satisfy their departmental language requirements but also to have a great set of skills that would allow them to read any given text, written in Modern Hebrew. (The tern “Modern Hebrew” covers primarily literature from the mid 20th century to current time).

Prerequisites

Two years or more of either Biblical or Modern Hebrew. Ability to read non-vocalized tets as well as to be able to read cursive.

2022-2023 Autumn

HEBR 33302 Reading Academic Hebrew

This is a two-quarter seminar. The course concentrates on the written language and aims at enabling students to use Modern Hebrew for research purposes. The course is designed to prepares students to read and do research using scholarly texts. Students will build on their fundamental knowledge of Hebrew grammar and the most common vocabulary terms used in scholarly writing, while developing reading comprehension skills and working intensively with academic texts in their areas of research . By the end of the course, students are expected not only to be able to successfully satisfy their departmental language requirements but also to have a great set of skills that would allow them to read any given text, written in Modern Hebrew. (The tern “Modern Hebrew” covers primarily literature from the mid 20th century to current time)

2022-2023 Winter

NEHC 25020/35020 Culture and Zionism

(CMLT 25020,CMLT 35020,HIJD 35020,JWSC 25020)

This seminar will examine the intersection of culture and Zionism. We will begin by considering the historical formation referred to as "cultural Zionism" and examining its ideological underpinnings. Other topics include: Hebrew revival, the role of culture in the Zionist revolution, Israeli culture as Zionist culture. Readings include: Ahad Haam, Haim Nahman Bialik, S.Y. Agnon, Orly Kastel-Blum, Edward Said, Benjamin Harshav.

2022-2023 Autumn

NEHC 39400 The History of Sunnism

(ISLM 39400,NEHC 29400,RLST 20400)

This course surveys primary and secondary scholarship to answer the deceptively simple questions of what Sunnism is, when it began, and how it developed. We will read primary sources from the fields of history, theology, and hadith studies, and compare these texts with influential narratives of Sunni history in secondary scholarship

Prerequisites

3 years of Arabic

2022-2023 Winter

ARAB 40200 Advanced Readings in Arabic I

Advanced Readings in Arabic

2022-2023 Autumn

ARAB 40201 Advanced Readings in Arabic II

Advanced Readings in Arabic - 2nd quarter

2022-2023 Winter

ARAB 40202 Advanced Readings in Arabic III

Advanced Readings in Arabic - 3rd quarter

Prerequisites

Advanced reading level as determined by instructor

2022-2023 Spring

ARAB 40356 The Modern Arabic Novel

This is a graduate level survey course of the rise and development of the modern Arabic novel. It will cover texts from the nahḍa to the late twentieth century. We will read these texts with particular attention not only to the ways they engage the key social and political issues of their day, but also to the manner in which they probe central questions of form, genre, and language. By reading the novels alongside theoretical readings in English and Arabic that frame them, we will also interrogate the processes of the formation of the modern Arabic literary canon.
Approved Specialized Attribute

Prerequisites

3 years of Arabic at U of C or their equivalent.

2022-2023 Autumn

ARAB 40383 Seminar: Poetry (Al-Mutanabbi)

(ISLM 40383)

Al-Mutanabbī is arguably the best known and most quoted poet of the Arabic language. Scores of streets and bookstores in the Arab Middle East are named after him, as are schools, poetry festivals, markets, and even ships. What did al-Mutanabbī do to merit this enormous fame? Was it the power of the panegyrics that he composed celebrating the victories of important kings and princes? Or was it the biting humor of the satires that he wrote censuring these same potentates? Indeed, his poems provoked great political, lexical, critical, and grammatical debate, during his lifetime and beyond. A close reading of a selection of al-Mutanabbī’s poetry in various genres and medieval critique of his alleged “sariqāt,” will—inshaallah!—illuminate some of the answers.

2022-2023 Autumn

TURK 40589 Advanced Ottoman Historical Texts

(HIST 58301)

Based on selected readings from major Ottoman chronicles from the fifteenth to the seventeenth centuries, the course provides an introduction to the use of primary narrative materials and an overview of the development and range of Ottoman historical writing. Knowledge of modern and Ottoman Turkish required.

Prerequisites

TURK 20103 or equivalent

Cornell Fleischer
2022-2023 Autumn

ARAB 40629 Nahj al-balagha: Virtue and Piety in the Teachings of Ali

(FNDL 22629,ISLM 40629)

First Shiʿa Imam, and fourth Sunni caliph, Ali ibn Abi Talib (d. 40/661) is the acknowledged master of Arabic eloquence, revered by both Sunni and Shiʿa Muslims for his piety and wisdom. Through the centuries, his words have been collected, studied, and cited by generations of Muslims as well as non-Muslim Arabs, and have inspired both litterateurs and sages. Through a close reading and analysis of his orations, epistles, and sayings from Sharīf Raḍī’s (d. 406/1016) Nahj al-balaghah compilation, this course will explore an early stage of the development of these three important prose genres of classical Arabic literature, and Ali’s key themes and stylistic features. Secondary literature will be read and discussed for context and analysis. A main focus of the class will be on themes of virtue and piety.

Prerequisites

3 years of Arabic. Open to qualified undergraduates with Instructor's permission.

2022-2023 Winter

AKKD 44000 Old Akkadian

This class is designed to provide an advanced grammar course focusing on syntactic topics for students who have intermediate or advanced knowledge of Akkadian. The class will read texts from different periods and genres to compare the treatment of certain syntactic structures.

Prerequisites

Intermediate Akkadian

2022-2023 Spring

TURK 49900 TURK Reading/Research (independent study)

TURK Reading/Research

2022-2023 Spring

HEBR 49900 Advanced Reading Course

(BIBL 48900)

This course assumes that students have full mastery of the grammatical and lexical content of the advanced level. The main objective is literary fluency. By the end of the course, students should have an excellent command of Hebrew. The course concentrates on the written language, especially scientific writing, as well as elements of Biblical Hebrew, literature from earlier periods and sophisticated journalistic writing. Students read the various Israeli daily newspapers as well as Israeli literature, scientific articles and legal documents (with the help of a dictionary) of varying lengths. They have a good command of synonyms and idiomatic Hebrew, and also understand the subtle differences between words. Their already substantial vocabularies now include many words from a wide variety of genres. Students considerably improve their ability to write long essays in Hebrew on a wide range of topics, incorporating idiomatic language.

Prerequisites

Students should have at least four years of Modern Hebrew studies and/or passing grade of a reading eam and/or graduated the Reading Hebrew for Research Purposes.

2022-2023 Spring

HEBR 10101 Elementary Classical Hebrew I

The purpose of this three-quarter sequence is to enable the student to acquire a knowledge of the vocabulary and grammar of Classical Hebrew sufficient to read prose texts with the occasional assistance of a dictionary. The first quarter focuses on the inflection of nouns and adjectives and begins the inflection of verbs. It includes written translation to and from Hebrew, oral exercises, and grammatical analysis of forms.

2021-2022 Autumn

TURK 10101 Elementary Turkish 1

This sequence features proficiency-based instruction emphasizing grammar in modern Turkish. This sequence consists of reading and listening comprehension, as well as grammar exercises and basic writing in Turkish. Modern stories and contemporary articles are read at the end of the courses.

2021-2022 Autumn

PERS 10101 Elementary Persian I

This sequence concentrates on all skills of language acquisition (reading, writing, listening, and speaking). The class begins with the Persian alphabet, and moves to words, phrases, short sentences, and finally short paragraphs. The goal is to enable the students towards the end of the sequence to read, understand, and translate simple texts in modern standard Persian and engage in short everyday conversations. All the basic grammatical structures are covered in this sequence. Introducing the Iranian culture through the texts is also a goal. The class meets four hours a week with the instructor and one hour with a native informant who conducts grammatical drills and Persian conversation.

2021-2022 Autumn

AANL 10101 Elementary Hittite

As part of a three quarter sequence, this course familiarizes the student with about 3/4 of Hittite grammar. The principles of the cuneiform writing system are taught and the student will learn some 100 signs of the basic syllabary and most important logograms. Also, a begin is made of introducing the student to the basic tools of the field.

2021-2022 Autumn

ARAB 10101 Elementary Arabic I

This sequence concentrates on the acquisition of speaking, reading, and aural skills in modern formal Arabic.

EGPT 10101 Intro to Middle Egyptian Hieroglyphs 1

This course and its sequel EGPT 10102 provide an introduction to the hieroglyphic writing system, vocabulary and grammar of Middle Egyptian, the 'classic' phase of the Egyptian language developed during the Middle Kingdom (circa 2025-1773 BCE) and used until the disappearance of hieroglyphs over two thousand years later.

2021-2022 Autumn

ARME 10101 Elementary Modern Armenian I

This three-quarter sequence focuses on the acquisition of basic speaking, listening, reading and writing skills in modern formal and spoken Armenian. The course utilizes the most advanced computer technology and audio-visual aids enabling students to master the alphabet, a core vocabulary, and some basic grammatical structures in order to communicate their basic survivor's needs in Armenian, understand simple texts and to achieve a minimal level of proficiency in modern formal and spoken Armenian. A considerable amount of historical-political and social-cultural issues about Armenia are skillfully built into the course for students who have intention to conduct research in Armenian Studies or related fields, to visit or to pursue work in Armenia. A language competency exam is offered at the end of spring quarter for those taking this course as college language requirement.

2021-2022 Autumn

GEEZ 10101 Elementary Ge'ez I

This course introduces the fundamentals of Ge’ez (Classical Ethiopic) with an overview of grammar and the writing system, as well as exercises in reading early monumental and simple narrative texts.

2021-2022 Autumn

SUMR 10103 Elementary Sumerian 3

We will read different groups of Sumerian Legal Texts including the laws of Ur-Namma, court records, and legal documents. Students will learn how to read and interpret texts concerning family law (marriage, divorce, rules concerning widows, and adoptions) and slave law. We will also touch on capital delicts. While reading we practice Cuneiform signs and analyzing Sumerian grammar.

2021-2022 Autumn

NEHC 10122 Nations in Crisis, Nations in Diaspora

This class compares between Iraqi and Palestinian histories. While Iraq was a strong state until the 2000s, and Palestine has yet to gain a sovereign statehood, both have much in common; both were British mandates; both maintained strong transnational relationships, and both suffered tremendously from Western intervention and modern forms of imperialism and colonization. Both Iraqis and Palestinians became radicalized in the postcolonial period and use radicalism to challenge both Arab states and Western domination in the region. We will discuss both structural similarities and actual interactions. Conceptually, we will work with ideas about nationalism, transnationalism and Diaspora and try to challenge narratives about Palestinian and/or Iraqi exceptionality.

2021-2022 Autumn

ARAB 10250 Colloquial Levantine Arabic I

Spoken Levantine Arabic is a proficiency-based course designed to develop the linguistic skills necessary for personal day-to-day life. The course focuses on spoken rather than Standard written Arabic, and will therefore target primarily the oral/aural skills. Through the knowledge of Modern Standard Arabic and the introduction of colloquial vocabulary, expressions and grammar, the course will build the students’ competence in spoken Arabic. Students will also be introduced to the Levantine culture of Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and Palestine.

2021-2022 Autumn

ARAM 10401 Elementary Syriac I

The purpose of this three-quarter sequence is to enable the student to read Syriac literature with a high degree of comprehension. The sequence is divided into two segments. The first two quarters are devoted to acquiring the essentials of Syriac grammar and vocabulary. The third quarter is spent reading a variety of Syriac prose and poetic texts and includes a review of grammar.

2021-2022 Autumn

HEBR 10501 Introductory Modern Hebrew

The beginner’s course is the first of three sequential courses offered to students at the university. The course aims to introduce students to reading, writing and speaking Modern Hebrew. Toward that end all four-language skills are emphasized: comprehension of written and oral materials; reading of non-diacritical text; writing of directed sentences, paragraphs, and compositions; speaking. You will learn the Hebrew root pattern system, and by the end of the year you will have mastered the five (active) basic verb conjugations in both the past and present tenses (as well as simple future). This grammatical knowledge is complemented by an 800+ word vocabulary, which is presented with an eye toward the major syntactic structures, including the proper use of prepositions. At the end of the year, you will conduct short conversations in Hebrew; read materials designed to this level and write short compositions.

2021-2022 Autumn

TURK 10501 Introduction to Turkic Languages

The first quarter of a two-section course in which Elementary Kazakh and Elementary Uzbek will be offered as one class, with the option for students to study one or the other, or both simultaneously.

2021-2022 Autumn

AKKD 10501 Introduction to Babylonian I

Introduction to the grammar of Akkadian, specifically to the Old Babylonian dialect. The class covers the first half of the Old Babylonian grammar, an introduction to the cuneiform script, and easy translation exercises.

2021-2022 Autumn

HEBR 20001 Hebrew Inscriptions

Initiation to the reading and interpretation of pre-exilic Hebrew and Transjordanian inscriptions. This course involves reading and analysis of the inscriptional material from Palestine written during the first millennium BC (including texts from Transjordan).

2021-2022 Autumn

NEHC 20004 Ancient Near Eastern Thought and Literature I: Mesopotamian Literature

This course gives an overview of the richness of Mesopotamian Literature (modern Iraq) written in the 3rd-1st millennium BC. We will read myths and epics written on clay tablets in the Sumerian and Akkadian language in English translation and discuss content and style, but also the religious, cultural and historic implications. Particular focus will be on the development of stories over time, the historical context of the literature and mythological figures. The texts treated cover not only the famous Epic of Gilgamesh, but also various legends of Sumerian and Akkadian kings, stories about Creation and World Order, and destruction. The topics covered range from the quest for immortality, epic heroes and monsters, sexuality and love.

2021-2022 Autumn

NEHC 20012 Ancient Empires II: The Ottoman Empire

The Ottomans ruled in Anatolia, the Middle East, South East Europe and North Africa for over six hundred years. The objective of this course is to understand the society and culture of this bygone Empire whose legacy continues, in one way or another, in some twenty-five contemporary successor states from the Balkans to the Arabian Peninsula. The course is designed as an introduction to the Ottoman World with a focus on the cultural history of the Ottoman society. It explores identities and mentalities, customs and rituals, status of minorities, mystical orders and religious establishments, literacy and the use of the public sphere.

2021-2022 Autumn

TURK 20101 Intermediate Turkish I

This sequence features proficiency-based instruction emphasizing speaking and writing skills as well as reading and listening comprehension at the intermediate to advanced levels in modern Turkish. Modern short stories, novel excerpts, academic and journalistic articles form the basis for an introduction to modern Turkish literature. Cultural units consisting of films and web-based materials are also used extensively in this course, which is designed to bring the intermediate speaker to an advanced level of proficiency. Prerequisite(s): TURK 10103, or equivalent with intermediate level proficiency test.

2021-2022 Autumn

PERS 20101 Intermediate Persian I

This sequence deepens and expands the students' knowledge of modern Persian. The goal is to enable the students to gain proficiency in all skills of language acquisition at a higher level. In this sequence, the students learn more complex grammatical structures and gain wider vocabulary through reading paragraph-length texts on a variety of topics related to Persian language, literature, and culture. Students will also be familiarized with Persian news and media terminology. Class meets four hours a week with the instructor and one hour with a native informant who conducts grammatical drills and Persian conversation.

2021-2022 Autumn

EGPT 20101 Middle Egyptian Texts 2

This course features readings in a variety of genres, including historical, literary, and scientific texts.

2021-2022 Autumn

ARME 20101 Intermediate Modern Armenian I

The course is aiming to enable students to reach a reasonable level of proficiency in the Armenian language. The curriculum is heavily based on real life situations. Each class session includes a healthy balance of real-life like conversations (shopping, placing an order in a restaurant, asking directions, talking with natives, getting around in the city, banking, etc.), readings (dialogues, jokes, stories, news, etc.) and writings (essays on selected topics, filling forms, etc.). The students can also communicate in Armenian well beyond basic needs about the daily life and obtain some level of fluency in their professional interests. This sequence covers a wider-range vocabulary and more complex grammatical structures in modern formal and colloquial Armenian. Reading assignments also include a selection of simple original Armenian literature. A considerable amount of historical-political and social-cultural issues about Armenia are skillfully built into the course for students who have intention to conduct research in Armenian Studies or related fields, or to pursue work in Armenia.

2021-2022 Autumn

HEBR 20104 Intermediate Classical Hebrew I

Review basic Hebrew grammar, emphasis on morphology and basic syntax; Review/acquire historical morphology; Acquire facility in reading Biblical Hebrew prose

2021-2022 Autumn

AANL 20450 Hittite Mythological Texts

What we call Hittite mythology is in fact a cover term for rather disparate strands of tradition: one at home in central Anatolia and often providing the etiology for rituals or religious festivals, and one derived from Hurrian speaking societies in northern Mesopotamia. We will read texts from both traditions and explore not only the differences in content and literary style, but also their Sitz im Leben.

2021-2022 Autumn

HEBR 20501 Intermediate Modern Hebrew

The course, which builds upon Introductory Modern Hebrew (first year HEB) focuses on the acquisition of proficiency and communicative skills in Modern Hebrew. The purpose of this class is to expand and strengthen beginners' Hebrew skills so that they become more self-assured, communicative, and versatile when they listen to, read, speak, and write Hebrew. It emphasizes both communicative and cultural themes and focuses on developing a rich and active vocabulary in several language domains.

2021-2022 Autumn

HEBR 20601 High Intermediate Modern Hebrew

This course, which builds upon Intermediate Modern Hebrew (second year HEB) assumes that students have full mastery of the grammatical and lexical content of the intermediate level. The focus of instruction is on further development of intermediate language skills in Modern Israeli Hebrew with special emphasis on oral and written communication. At the end of the course, all students are expected to reach the intermediate-high level of proficiency, as defined by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) in speaking, reading, and listening comprehension. The acquisition of cultural literacy will be an integral part of the curriculum throughout the semester.

2021-2022 Autumn

ARAB 20601 High Intermediate Arabic (Modern)

This course is part of a sequence that is designed to take students to a solid Advanced proficiency in Modern Standard Arabic. It does this by clustering materials that serve all 4 language skills around three cultural themes. The class adheres to a 90% Arabic instruction. Students will move forward in their ability to listen to and understand spoken MSA, to read a variety of authentic texts (literary and other), and to speak and write more easily on topics of general and professional interest. By the end of the course, and surely, by the end of the academic year, students should be comfortable functioning at the Intermediate High-Advanced Low level of language proficiency. See the descriptions of the ACTFL standards and levels here: https://www.actfl.org/sites/default/files/pdfs/public/ACTFLProficiencyG…

2021-2022 Autumn

NEHC 20601 Islamic Thought and Literature I

This course explores the intellectual history of the Islamic world from the coming of Islam in the seventh century CE through the development and spread of its civilization in the middle of the tenth. (It is followed in the Winter and Spring quarters by Islamic Thought and Literature II & III). The course covers the historical events of the period in question, the emergence of Islam, and the life of Muhammad, and then moves on to explore Islamic thought and literature: scripture, theology, law, mysticism, philosophy, poetry, and belletrist prose. In addition to lectures and secondary background readings, students read and discuss samples of key primary texts, with a view to exploring Islamic civilization in the direct voices of the people who participated in its creation. All readings are provided in English translation. No prior background in the subject is required.

Staff
2021-2022 Autumn

AKKD 20603 Intermediate Akkadian: Neo-Assyrian Royal Inscriptions

This course is specifically aimed at students having completed the first year of Elementary Akkadian (AKKD 10101–10103), but can be taken by more advanced students as well. Building on the knowledge acquired in the Elementary sequence, this course will explore the Standard Babylonian dialect and the Neo-Assyrian cuneiform script, through a detailed analysis of the Annals of king Sennacherib (704–681 BCE) as they are represented in the ‘Chicago Prism' acquired by J. H. Breasted in 1920 and currently on display in the Assyrian gallery of the Oriental Institute Museum. These include, among other military and building exploits of the king, his campaign to the Levant against Ezekiah, king of Judah — an episode also recounted in the Hebrew Bible (books of Second Kings, Isaiah and Chronicles), Herodotus' Histories and Josephus' Judean Antiquities.

2021-2022 Autumn

NEHC 22500 Intersections of Gender and Race in the Modern Middle East

This course will explore how parts of the modern Middle East confronted questions and definitions of race and gender that were often first defined in the west. Organized thematically and covering a region that spans from North Africa to Iran, we will use the analytics of race and gender in an intersecting way to explore topics in the Middle East such as: colonialism, slavery, Arab Nationalism, Zionism, whiteness, racism, eugenics and scientific racism, and global solidarity movements. In so doing, our course will reveal that race is an operative category in the study of Middle East history, the historical racial logics operating in various Middle Eastern countries, and how race and gender intersect at the site of individual as well as the effects of this. This course is designed for anyone interested in race theory, gender theory, intersectionality, and Middle East history. By the end of this course, students will have the tools to think in a gendered and raced multidimensional way about aspects of Middle East history that do not often receive such an intersectional treatment. Additionally, they will develop the methodological tools to discern local race and gender logics that might be different than what they’re most familiar with. Finally, through coming to understand their relationship to the knowledge of our course, students will also be able to use the course as a springboard for continued learning in other courses that treat race, gender, and the Middle East.

2021-2022 Autumn

TURK 30501 Ottoman Turkish I

A selection of Turkish printed texts in Arabic script from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries is introduced in order of difficulty. Hakan Karateke's unpublished "Ottoman Reader" serves as a text book. The texts are drawn from historical textbooks, official documents, novels, and other genres.

2021-2022 Autumn

NEHC 10101 Introduction to the Middle East

Prior knowledge of the Middle East not required. This course aims to facilitate a general understanding of some key factors that have shaped life in this region, with primary emphasis on modern conditions and their background, and to provide exposure to some of the region's rich cultural diversity. This course can serve as a basis for the further study of the history, politics, and civilizations of the Middle East.

2021-2022 Spring

EGPT 10103 Middle Egyptian Texts 1

This course continues an introduction to ancient Egyptian culture and society through a close reading of its 'classic' literature from the Middle Kingdom (circa 2025-1773 BCE) and beyond, until the disappearance of hieroglyphs over two thousand years later.

2021-2022 Spring

HEBR 10103 Elementary Classical Hebrew III

The purpose of this three-quarter sequence is to enable the student to acquire a knowledge of the vocabulary and grammar of Classical Hebrew sufficient to read prose texts with the occasional assistance of a dictionary. The first half of the third quarter finishes verb inflection and includes translation to and from Hebrew, oral exercises, and grammatical analysis. The second half of the quarter consists of selected readings from the prose texts of the Hebrew Bible.

2021-2022 Spring

TURK 10103 Elementary Turkish 3

1st Year Turkish 3rd Quarter

2021-2022 Spring

PERS 10103 Elementary Persian III

This sequence concentrates on all skills of language acquisition (reading, writing, listening, and speaking). The class begins with the Persian alphabet, and moves to words, phrases, short sentences, and finally short paragraphs. The goal is to enable the students towards the end of the sequence to read, understand, and translate simple texts in modern standard Persian and engage in short everyday conversations. All the basic grammatical structures are covered in this sequence. Introducing the Iranian culture through the texts is also a goal. The class meets four hours a week with the instructor and one hour with a native informant who conducts grammatical drills and Persian conversation.

2021-2022 Spring

ARAB 10103 Elementary Arabic III

This sequence concentrates on the acquisition of speaking, reading, and aural skills in modern formal Arabic.

ARME 10103 Elementary Modern Armenian III

This three-quarter sequence focuses on the acquisition of basic speaking, listening, reading and writing skills in modern formal and spoken Armenian. The course utilizes the most advanced computer technology and audio-visual aids enabling students to master the alphabet, a core vocabulary, and some basic grammatical structures in order to communicate their basic survivor's needs in Armenian, understand simple texts and to achieve a minimal level of proficiency in modern formal and spoken Armenian. A considerable amount of historical-political and social-cultural issues about Armenia are skillfully built into the course for students who have intention to conduct research in Armenian Studies or related fields, to visit or to pursue work in Armenia. A language competency exam is offered at the end of spring quarter for those taking this course as college language requirement.

2021-2022 Spring

GEEZ 10103 Readings: Classical Ethiopic

In this course, we will finish the grammar of Classical Ethiopic (Ge'ez) and start readings in Classical Ethiopic literature.

2021-2022 Spring

ARAM 10403 Elementary Syriac 3

The purpose of this three-quarter sequence is to enable the student to read Syriac literature with a high degree of comprehension. The sequence is divided into two segments. The first two quarters are devoted to acquiring the essentials of Syriac grammar and vocabulary. The third quarter is spent reading a variety of Syriac prose and poetic texts and includes a review of grammar.

2021-2022 Spring

HEBR 10503 Introductory Modern Hebrew

The beginner’s course is the third of three sequential courses offered to students at the university. The course aims to introduce students to reading, writing and speaking Modern Hebrew. Toward that end all four-language skills are emphasized: comprehension of written and oral materials; reading of non-diacritical text; writing of directed sentences, paragraphs, and compositions; speaking. You will learn the Hebrew root pattern system, and by the end of the year you will have mastered the five (active) basic verb conjugations in both the past and present tenses (as well as simple future). This grammatical knowledge is complemented by an 800+ word vocabulary, which is presented with an eye toward the major syntactic structures, including the proper use of prepositions. At the end of the year, you will conduct short conversations in Hebrew; read materials designed to this level and write short compositions.

2021-2022 Spring

AKKD 10503 Introduction to Babylonian III: Divinatory Texts

This course represents the third and final section in the introductory sequence to the ancient Babylonian language and script. Akkadian readings in a wide variety of divinatory cuneiform texts, including omens from extispicy, teratology, libanomancy, medical diagnosis, and lunar eclipses, among others. Students are graded based on their preparation and mastery of cuneiform script—Old Babylonian cursive, in particular—and Akkadian philology.

2021-2022 Spring

HEBR 20003 Punic Inscriptions

Initiation to the reading and interpretation of Punic inscriptions. Texts resulting from the Phoenician expansion into the Western Mediterranean (primarily North Africa) are studied.

2021-2022 Spring

NEHC 20005 Ancient Near Eastern Thought and Literature: Anatolian Literature

The goal of this class is to get an overview of Hittite literature, as “defined” by the Hittites themselves, in the wider historical-cultural context of the Ancient Near East. Some of the most important questions we can ask ourselves in reading ancient texts are: why were they written down, why were they kept, for whom were they intended, and what do the answers to these questions (apart from the primary content of the texts themselves) tell us about — in our case — Hittite society?

2021-2022 Spring

NEHC 20013 Ancient Empires 3

For most of the duration of the New Kingdom (1550-1069 BC), the ancient Egyptians were able to establish a vast empire and becoming one of the key powers within the Near East. This course will investigate in detail the development of Egyptian foreign policies and military expansion which affected parts of the Near East and Nubia. We will examine and discuss topics such as ideology, imperial identity, political struggle and motivation for conquest and control of wider regions surrounding the Egyptian state as well as the relationship with other powers and their perspective on Egyptian rulers as for example described in the Amarna letters.

Doug Inglis
2021-2022 Spring

NEHC 20055 Iran Between Constitutional and Islamic Revolutions: 1905-1979

Why did the Islamic Revolution take place? What were its causes? Iran was the site of two of the most important revolutions in the Middle East in the 20th century: the Constitutional (1905-1911) and Islamic Revolutions (1979). What was the historical relationship between them? This course is intended to answer these questions by exploring the history of Iran from late Qajar period until the early 1980s. We will examine the complex socio-economic and religio-political developments such as the Tobacco Protest, oil nationalization and student movements. We will emphasize long-term changes with a particular attention to the diverse actors and influences of the revolutions (tribes, landowners, foreign governments, merchants, religious scholars, political dissidents, urban poor, intellectuals). We will use a wide swath of primary sources including films, comic books, posters, footages and poems. No prior background in the subject is required.

2021-2022 Spring

ARME 20103 Intermediate Modern Armenian III

The course is aiming to enable students to reach a reasonable level of proficiency in the Armenian language. The curriculum is heavily based on real life situations. Each class session includes a healthy balance of real-life like conversations (shopping, placing an order in a restaurant, asking directions, talking with natives, getting around in the city, banking, etc.), readings (dialogues, jokes, stories, news, etc.) and writings (essays on selected topics, filling forms, etc.). The students can also communicate in Armenian well beyond basic needs about the daily life and obtain some level of fluency in their professional interests. This sequence covers a wider-range vocabulary and more complex grammatical structures in modern formal and colloquial Armenian. Reading assignments also include a selection of simple original Armenian literature. A considerable amount of historical-political and social-cultural issues about Armenia are skillfully built into the course for students who have intention to conduct research in Armenian Studies or related fields, or to pursue work in Armenia.

2021-2022 Spring

TURK 20103 Intermediate Turkish III

This sequence features proficiency-based instruction emphasizing speaking and writing skills as well as reading and listening comprehension at the intermediate to advanced levels in modern Turkish. Modern short stories, novel excerpts, academic and journalistic articles form the basis for an introduction to modern Turkish literature. Cultural units consisting of films and web-based materials are also used extensively in this course, which is designed to bring the intermediate speaker to an advanced level of proficiency.

2021-2022 Spring

PERS 20103 Intermediate Persian III

This sequence deepens and expands the students' knowledge of modern Persian. The goal is to enable the students to gain proficiency in all skills of language acquisition at a higher level. In this sequence, the students learn more complex grammatical structures and gain wider vocabulary through reading paragraph-length texts on a variety of topics related to Persian language, literature, and culture. Students will also be familiarized with Persian news and media terminology. Class meets four hours a week with the instructor and one hour with a native informant who conducts grammatical drills and Persian conversation.

2021-2022 Spring

ARAB 20103 Intermediate Arabic III

ARAB 20103 is the spring quarter continuation of the Intermediate Arabic sequence that began with ARAB 20101 last fall, and continued with ARAB 20102 in the winter. We will continue to work through the second half of Al-Kitaab Part 2. As in any language course, we address all four of the fundamental skills: reading, writing, listening, and speaking. A particular focus of this sequence, however, is ensuring that students have a solid, comprehensive understanding of the rules of Arabic syntax. In addition to readings and exercises from the textbook, we will increasingly make use of articles from Arabic-language news media.

2021-2022 Spring

HEBR 20106 Intermediate Classical Hebrew III

Continue acquisition of basic Biblical Hebrew, emphasis on syntax; Increase familiarity with Biblical Hebrew poetry, emphasis on prophets; Continue acquisition of basic historical morphology; Reading ancient manuscripts.

2021-2022 Spring

EGPT 20110 Old Egyptian

This course provides an introduction to the hieroglyphic writing system, vocabulary and grammar of Old Egyptian, the phase of the Egyptian language used during the Old Kingdom (circa 2686-2181 BCE). It also provides an introduction to the culture and society of Egypt's 'Pyramid Age' through a close reading of monumental texts from private tombs, royal and private stelae, administrative decrees, economic documents, and Pyramid texts. Some attention is given to Old Egyptian texts written in cursive Hieratic.

2021-2022 Spring

AANL 20127 Advanced Readings in Hittite: Historical Texts

Advanced Readings in Hittite historical texts

2021-2022 Spring

EGPT 20211 Late Egyptian Texts

Building on the basics of grammar, vocabulary, and orthographic styles learned in EGPT 20210, this course focuses on the reading and analysis of Late Egyptian texts from the various genres.

2021-2022 Spring

AANL 20401 Lydian, Carian, Sidetic and Pisidian

Lydian (7th-3rd c. BCE), Carian (7th-4th c. BCE), Sidetic (5th-2nd c. BCE) and Pisidian (1st-2nd c. CE) are small corpus languages, all written in their own alphabet. They all belong to the Anatolian branch of the Indo-European language family. This course offers an overview of the histories, texts, alphabets and grammars, and prepares the student for further independent study.

2021-2022 Spring

PERS 20500 Media Persian

This course provides students with an opportunity to read authentic texts in Persian. Through various exercises, the students will be familiar with the news terminology as well as other complex expressions and proverbs used throughout the news articles that encompass different themes related to Iran’s politics, literature, culture, economy, etc. During this course, you will read a variety of news excerpts from the newspapers printed inside Iran (Ettelā’āt, Keyhān, Sharq, E’temād, Irān, and Mardomsālāri) and follow their current status as reflected in today’s media. Class meets three hours a week with the instructor and one hour with a native informant who conducts grammatical drills and Persian conversation.

2021-2022 Spring

HEBR 20503 Intermediate Modern Hebrew

The course, which builds upon Introductory Modern Hebrew (first year HEB) focuses on the acquisition of proficiency and communicative skills in Modern Hebrew. The purpose of this class is to expand and strengthen beginners' Hebrew skills so that they become more self-assured, communicative, and versatile when they listen to, read, speak, and write Hebrew. It emphasizes both communicative and cultural themes and focuses on developing a rich and active vocabulary in several language domains.

2021-2022 Spring

ARAB 20588 Media Arabic

Media Arabic is a course designed for the advanced student of Modern Standard Arabic. The course objective is to improve students' listening comprehension and writing skills. Students will advance toward this goal through listening to and reading a variety of authentic materials from Arabic Media (on politics, literature, economics, education, women, youth, etc.).

2021-2022 Spring

SUMR 20601 Advanced Sumerian: Epigraphy

In this class students will learn to produce line drawings of cuneiform texts first with pen and paper and then using newer technologies. We will study different styles and approaches to line drawings and focus first on the Neo-Sumerian then on the Old Babylonian epigraphy.

2021-2022 Spring

NEHC 20603 Islamic Thought and Literature III

This course covers the period from ca. 1750-1990, surveying works of literature, theology, philosophy, politics, history, etc., originally written in Arabic, Persian and Turkish, with specific emphasis at reform and modernization efforts and response to the same.

2021-2022 Spring

HEBR 20603 High Intermediate Modern Hebrew

This course, which builds upon Intermediate Modern Hebrew (second year HEB) assumes that students have full mastery of the grammatical and lexical content of the intermediate level. The focus of instruction is on further development of intermediate language skills in Modern Israeli Hebrew with special emphasis on oral and written communication. At the end of the course, all students are expected to reach the intermediate-high level of proficiency, as defined by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) in speaking, reading, and listening comprehension. The acquisition of cultural literacy will be an integral part of the curriculum throughout the semester.

2021-2022 Spring

ARAB 20603 High Intermediate Arabic (Modern)

In this course, students will read a whole work, most often, but not exclusively, a novel or play. Nevertheless, the course advances student proficiency in all 4 skills. Naturally, reading is a central activity of this course. Students in the Intermediate High range* can expect to either feel more solidly comfortable in that level, or to go beyond it to the Advanced level. Students will improve their writing through a number of essays/reflections on the novel. The course is taught in Arabic, so, students will be negotiating meaning amongst themselves by discussing the novel. In addition, the presentational mode will be exercised in a series of prepared class presentations. To improve their listening skills, students will work on video materials connected to the novel, testing their abilities through worksheets. While no new grammar will be introduced in a formal manner, as students read the novel and use the writing book, they will be reviewing grammar studied earlier. In addition to the novel, students will benefit from guest speakers in our classroom.

2021-2022 Spring

NEHC 21202 Israeli Society through Media: The Four Tribes of Israel

From the outside, Israeli society might seem homogeneous and cohesive, bound together by the outside challenges and threats that have defined its eight decades of existence. However, in a recent public speech, President Reuben Rivlin warned Israelis of the tribal schisms tearing contemporary Israeli society and defined a ‘new Israeli order’ splitting the state into 4 groups: Arabs, ultra-Orthodox Jews, national religious Jews and secular Jews.

Using the president’s description of the “four tribes of Israel” as our framework, this course focuses on representations of the different groups in Israeli media and popular culture.
We will ask:
• What distinguishes each of these tribes?
• What is the narrative held by each tribe to describe itself and the 'other' tribes?
• How do the different tribes interact?
• Is modern Israel a successful immigration society or a failed experiment at creating a melting pot?

Using Israeli society as a case study, we will also consider prevailing ideas about mediation and reconciliation in fragmented societies.

If there is student interest, the course may include a section for advanced Hebrew learners.

2021-2022 Spring

KAZK 29700 Kazakh Independent Study

Independent Study: Kazakh. Continuation of Introduction to Turkic Languages

2021-2022 Spring

UZBK 29700 Uzbek Independent Study/Reading & Research

Independent Study: Uzbek. Continuation of Introduction to Turkic Languages

2021-2022 Spring

TURK 30102 Advanced Turkish II

Advanced Turkish students will develop their language skills in speaking, reading, translating, listening, and writing, while learning about Turkish society and culture at the same time. To address all of these aspects each class is divided into three sections which focusses on a specific skill. Section one is the conversation part: it involves reading (or listening to) short (audio) pieces or phrases on a given topic; section two is reading and translation: students read and prepare pieces from Turkish literature, literature readings are short stories or selected parts from novels; section three is the listening part: by watching parts of a Turkish movie, students' skills in listening and understanding will get faster while we progress through the movie.

2021-2022 Spring

TURK 30503 Ottoman Turkish III

A selection of Turkish printed texts in Arabic script from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries is introduced in order of difficulty. Hakan Karateke's unpublished "Ottoman Reader" serves as a text book. The texts are drawn from historical textbooks, official documents, novels, and other genres.

2021-2022 Spring

HEBR 10102 Elementary Classical Hebrew II

The purpose of this three-quarter sequence is to enable the student to acquire a knowledge of the vocabulary and grammar of Classical Hebrew sufficient to read prose texts with the occasional assistance of a dictionary. The second quarter focuses on verb inflection and verbal sequences and includes written translation to and from Hebrew, oral exercises, and grammatical analysis of forms.

2021-2022 Winter

TURK 10102 Elementary Turkish 2

1st Year Turkish 2nd quarter

2021-2022 Winter

PERS 10102 Elementary Persian II

This sequence concentrates on all skills of language acquisition (reading, writing, listening, and speaking). The class begins with the Persian alphabet, and moves to words, phrases, short sentences, and finally short paragraphs. The goal is to enable the students towards the end of the sequence to read, understand, and translate simple texts in modern standard Persian and engage in short everyday conversations. All the basic grammatical structures are covered in this sequence. Introducing the Iranian culture through the texts is also a goal. The class meets four hours a week with the instructor and one hour with a native informant who conducts grammatical drills and Persian conversation.

2021-2022 Winter

AANL 10102 Elementary Hittite 2

As part of a three-quarter sequence, this second quarter we finish the grammar and start reading Hittite texts, introducing the student to the various genres that Hittite literature has to offer. We will continue the introduction of important tools of the field and students will acquire further routine in reading cuneiform.

2021-2022 Winter

ARAB 10102 Elementary Arabic II

This sequence concentrates on the acquisition of speaking, reading, and aural skills in modern formal Arabic.

ARME 10102 Elementary Modern Armenian II

This three-quarter sequence focuses on the acquisition of basic speaking, listening, reading and writing skills in modern formal and spoken Armenian. The course utilizes the most advanced computer technology and audio-visual aids enabling students to master the alphabet, a core vocabulary, and some basic grammatical structures in order to communicate their basic survivor's needs in Armenian, understand simple texts and to achieve a minimal level of proficiency in modern formal and spoken Armenian. A considerable amount of historical-political and social-cultural issues about Armenia are skillfully built into the course for students who have intention to conduct research in Armenian Studies or related fields, to visit or to pursue work in Armenia. A language competency exam is offered at the end of spring quarter for those taking this course as college language requirement.

2021-2022 Winter

EGPT 10102 Intro to Middle Egyptian Hieroglyphs 2

This course completes an introduction to the hieroglyphic writing system, vocabulary and grammar of Middle Egyptian, the 'classic' phase of the Egyptian language developed during the Middle Kingdom (circa 2025-1773 BCE) and used until the disappearance of hieroglyphs over two thousand years later. It also begins an introduction to ancient Egyptian culture and society through a close reading of its 'classic' literature.

2021-2022 Winter

GEEZ 10102 Elementary Ge'ez II

This course provides an introduction to the grammar and script of Classical Ethiopic (Ge'ez).

2021-2022 Winter

ARAB 10257 Colloquial Levantine Arabic II

Colloquial Levantine Arabic is a proficiency-based course designed to develop the linguistic skills necessary for personal day-to-day life. The course focuses on spoken rather than Standard written Arabic, and will therefore target primarily the oral/aural skills. Through the knowledge of Modern Standard Arabic and the introduction of colloquial vocabulary, expressions, and grammar, the course will build the students’ competence in spoken Arabic. Students will also be introduced to the Levantine culture.

2021-2022 Winter

ARAM 10402 Elementary Syriac 2

The purpose of this three-quarter sequence is to enable the student to read Syriac literature with a high degree of comprehension. The sequence is divided into two segments. The first two quarters are devoted to acquiring the essentials of Syriac grammar and vocabulary. The third quarter is spent reading a variety of Syriac prose and poetic texts and includes a review of grammar.

2021-2022 Winter

HEBR 10502 Introductory Modern Hebrew

The beginner’s course is the second of three sequential courses offered to students at the university. The course aims to introduce students to reading, writing and speaking Modern Hebrew. Toward that end all four-language skills are emphasized: comprehension of written and oral materials; reading of non-diacritical text; writing of directed sentences, paragraphs, and compositions; speaking. You will learn the Hebrew root pattern system, and by the end of the year you will have mastered the five (active) basic verb conjugations in both the past and present tenses (as well as simple future). This grammatical knowledge is complemented by an 800+ word vocabulary, which is presented with an eye toward the major syntactic structures, including the proper use of prepositions. At the end of the year, you will conduct short conversations in Hebrew; read materials designed to this level and write short compositions.

2021-2022 Winter

TURK 10502 Introduction to Turkic Languages 2

The second quarter of a two-section course in which Elementary Kazakh and Elementary Uzbek will be offered as one class, with the option for students to study one or the other, or both simultaneously.

2021-2022 Winter

AKKD 10502 Introduction to Babylonian 2

This course is the second quarter of the annual introductory sequence to the Babylonian language and the Cuneiform script. Students will further explore the grammar of Babylonian in its Old Babylonian dialect (19th-16th c. BCE) and read ancient inscriptions (especially the Laws of Hammu-rabi) in the Old Babylonian monumental script. They will also be introduced to the Old Babylonian cursive used in letters and the documents of everyday life.

2021-2022 Winter

HEBR 20002 Phoenician Inscriptions

This course involves reading and analysis of the inscriptions, primarily on stone and primarily from the Phoenician homeland, that belong to the early and middle first millennium BC.

2021-2022 Winter

NEHC 20006 Ancient Near Eastern Thought & Literature III

This course employs English translations of ancient Egyptian literary texts to explore the genres, conventions and techniques of ancient Egyptian literature. Discussions of texts examine how the ancient Egyptians conceptualized and constructed their equivalent of literature, as well as the fuzzy boundaries and subtle interplay between autobiography, history, myth, and fiction.

2021-2022 Winter

NEHC 20011 Ancient Empires 1: The Hittite Empire

This course introduces students to the Hittite Empire of ancient Anatolia. In existence from roughly 1650-1200 BCE, and spanning across modern Turkey and beyond, the Hittite Empire is one of the oldest and largest kingdoms of the ancient world. We will be examining their history and their political and cultural accomplishments through analysis of their written records – composed in Hittite, the world’s first recorded Indo-European language – and their archaeological remains. In the process, we will also be examining the concept of “empire” itself: What is an empire, and how do anthropologists, archaeologists, and historians study this unique kind of political formation? This course therefore has two goals. First, students should emerge with a broad familiarity of the historical trajectory of the Hittite Empire and its neighbors from the beginning of written records to the empire’s post-collapse cultural regeneration in the early first millennium BCE. Second, students should acquire a sense of imperialism as a general phenomenon for analysis. No prior knowledge of Anatolian or Near Eastern history is required.

2021-2022 Winter

NEAA 20070 Introduction to the Archaeology of Afghanistan

Afghanistan is the quintessential “crossroads of cultures” where the civilizations of the Near East, Central Asia, South Asia and China interacted over the millennia in a constantly shifting mixture of trade, emulation, migration, imperial formations, and periodic conflict. This complex history of contacts gave rise to some of the most important archaeological, artistic, architectural, and textual treasures in world cultural heritage – encompassing cultures as diverse as the Bronze Age cities of Bactria, the Persian Empire, the easternmost colonies founded by Alexander the Great and his Hellenistic successors, the Kushan empire astride the Silk Road, and the monumental Buddhas of Bamiyan. Although the first excavations began in the 1920’s, there has been only limited fieldwork in Afghanistan, and even this was truncated by the Soviet invasion in 1979 and the subsequent 40 years of continuous conflict in that country. This course presents an introduction to the archaeology of Afghanistan from the Neolithic through the Medieval Islamic periods, focusing on sites in Afghanistan and the region’s cultural linkages to neighboring areas such as Iran, Central Asia, and South Asia. The final portion of the course will discuss the threats to Afghan cultural heritage, and current effort to preserve this patrimony. The course is intended for both graduate and undergraduate students, ideally for those who have had at least one introductory course in archaeology, but it is open to all.

2021-2022 Winter

NEHC 20085 BIG: Monumental Buildings and Sculptures in the Past and Present

The building of sculpted monuments and monumental architecture seems to be a universal human trait in all parts of the world, from the pyramids of ancient Egypt to the inuksuit cairns of the artic Inuit. What explains our urge to create monumental things? Why are monuments built, and how do we experience them? This course explores various answers to these questions through the disciplines that most frequently address monuments: archaeology, architecture, and art history. In the process, we will encounter a number of the major trends that have characterized the humanities and social sciences in the past century. This course examines humankind’s monumental record through a series of famous case studies from around the world to investigate the social significance of monuments in their original ancient or modern contexts. We will also determine whether lessons learned from th¬e past can be applied to the study of monuments today, and whether studying modern monuments – including those from our immediate surroundings in Chicago – can help us understand those of the past.

2021-2022 Winter

TURK 20102 Intermediate Turkish II

This sequence features proficiency-based instruction emphasizing speaking and writing skills as well as reading and listening comprehension at the intermediate to advanced levels in modern Turkish. Modern short stories, novel excerpts, academic and journalistic articles form the basis for an introduction to modern Turkish literature. Cultural units consisting of films and web-based materials are also used extensively in this course, which is designed to bring the intermediate speaker to an advanced level of proficiency.

2021-2022 Winter

PERS 20102 Intermediate Persian II

This sequence deepens and expands the students' knowledge of modern Persian. The goal is to enable the students to gain proficiency in all skills of language acquisition at a higher level. In this sequence, the students learn more complex grammatical structures and gain wider vocabulary through reading paragraph-length texts on a variety of topics related to Persian language, literature, and culture. Students will also be familiarized with Persian news and media terminology. Class meets four hours a week with the instructor and one hour with a native informant who conducts grammatical drills and Persian conversation.

2021-2022 Winter

EGPT 20102 Intro to Hieratic

This course introduces the cursive literary and administrative script of Middle Egyptian (corresponding to the Middle Kingdom period in Egypt) and is intended to provide familiarity with a variety of texts written in hieratic (e.g., literary tales, religious compositions, wisdom literature, letters, accounts, graffiti).

2021-2022 Winter

ARME 20102 Intermediate Modern Armenian II

The course is aiming to enable students to reach a reasonable level of proficiency in the Armenian language. The curriculum is heavily based on real life situations. Each class session includes a healthy balance of real-life like conversations (shopping, placing an order in a restaurant, asking directions, talking with natives, getting around in the city, banking, etc.), readings (dialogues, jokes, stories, news, etc.) and writings (essays on selected topics, filling forms, etc.). The students can also communicate in Armenian well beyond basic needs about the daily life and obtain some level of fluency in their professional interests. This sequence covers a wider-range vocabulary and more complex grammatical structures in modern formal and colloquial Armenian. Reading assignments also include a selection of simple original Armenian literature. A considerable amount of historical-political and social-cultural issues about Armenia are skillfully built into the course for students who have intention to conduct research in Armenian Studies or related fields, or to pursue work in Armenia.

2021-2022 Winter

HEBR 20105 Intermediate Classical Hebrew II

Continue acquisition of basic Biblical Hebrew; Continue acquisition of basic notions of historical grammar; Acquire the rudiments of analysis of Biblical Hebrew poetry.

2021-2022 Winter

AKKD 20405 Mesopotamian Wisdom Literature

This course explores a variety of key issues in ancient wisdom literature, through Akkadian readings in The Counsels of Wisdom, Advice to a Prince, Poem of the Righteous Sufferer, The Babylonian Theodicy, The Dialogue of Pessimism, among other compositions, as well as individual proverbs.

2021-2022 Winter

NEHC 20464 Did Climate Doom the Ancients?

This course offers a critical introduction to the study of the relationship between human societies and their environment, with a specific focus on situations of rapid climatic change (RCC) in early historical periods. Students will be invited to reflect on discourses about climate and its influence on human societies from Herodotus to the IPCC; on notions such as environmental or social determinism, possibilism and reductionism, societal collapse and resilience; and on recent academic trends at the crossroads of Humanities, Social Sciences and Environmental Studies. Alternating lectures (Tu) and discussion sessions (Th), the first half of the quarter introduces the notion of “climate,” from its origins in Classical Greece to the present, and how this concept has been (and still is) used to define human groups and their history; it also offers an overview of the theories and methods that shape our current understanding of climate change and its effect on societies (past and present). The second half of the quarter is devoted to case studies, with a specific focus on the Ancient Near East (from prehistory to the first millennium BCE). Students will be asked to present the readings and participate in classroom discussions; write an article summary; and conduct a personal research (midterm annotated bibliography and research proposal; final essay) on a topic of their choice, which needs not be limited to the Ancient Near East.

2021-2022 Winter

SUMR 20501 Old Sumerian

We will first read a selection of royal inscriptions mainly from the 1st Dynasty of Lagash. Then we read selected excerpts of the earliest literary texts. The goal of the class is to familiarize students with the sign forms, orthography, and grammatical particularities of Old Sumerian.

2021-2022 Winter

HEBR 20502 Intermediate Modern Hebrew

The course, which builds upon Introductory Modern Hebrew (first year HEB) focuses on the acquisition of proficiency and communicative skills in Modern Hebrew. The purpose of this class is to expand and strengthen beginners' Hebrew skills so that they become more self-assured, communicative, and versatile when they listen to, read, speak, and write Hebrew. It emphasizes both communicative and cultural themes and focuses on developing a rich and active vocabulary in several language domains.

2021-2022 Winter

AANL 20550 Hittite Official Correspondance

The Hittite king and queen maintained a regular correspondence with their peers in Egypt and Babylon. Officials of the Hittite administration wrote to their subordinates and superiors, and scribes often added piggy-back letters for their colleagues on the 'other' side. These letters provide great insight in the international power dynamics of the Late Bronze Age, the workings of the Hittite administration, and the political struggles in the Hittite Kingdom.

2021-2022 Winter

HEBR 20602 High Intermediate Hebrew

This course, which builds upon Intermediate Modern Hebrew (second year HEB) assumes that students have full mastery of the grammatical and lexical content of the intermediate level. The focus of instruction is on further development of intermediate language skills in Modern Israeli Hebrew with special emphasis on oral and written communication. At the end of the course, all students are expected to reach the intermediate-high level of proficiency, as defined by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) in speaking, reading, and listening comprehension. The acquisition of cultural literacy will be an integral part of the curriculum throughout the semester.

2021-2022 Winter

ARAB 20602 High Intermediate Arabic (Modern)

Taking debate as its central fulcrum, the course will develop all 4 language skills. Its language goals are served through preparing students to debate a number of issues of public interest. Why “debate”? a) Because debating, arguing, making claims, supporting claims with evidence, are all authentic activities that we all practice on a daily basis; debating is a relevant real-life skill; b) Because the debate process pulls practitioners into all 4 language skills: debaters must read on the proposition topic, they must prepare their arguments in writing, they must clearly speak to an audience, and they must listen carefully to their team mates and to the arguments of the opposing team. In the process, they will be immersed in Arab culture (targeted expressions and historical references, of-the-moment issues, etc.) Course Objectives a) Expanding student vocabulary and structures into the abstract, analytic realm, i.e., placing them solidly in the advanced ACTFL levels (see the descriptions of the ACTFL standards and levels here: https://www.actfl.org/sites/default/files/pdfs/public/ACTFLProficiencyG… b) Improving student speech techniques: pronunciation, intonation/voice modulation, pausing, emphasis, gesturing, visual communication; c) Improving listening and writing skills and expanding them to include topics of general and academic interest; d) Through a thoughtful selection of debate propositions, exposing students to some salient social, cultural, and political themes of importance to the Arab public. e) Sharpening the logical argumentative skills of students.

2021-2022 Winter

NEHC 20602 Islamic Thought & Literature II (ca. 950 - 1750)

What are the major developments in thinking and in literature in the Islamic world of the “middle periods” (c. 950-1800 C.E.). How did noteworthy Muslims at various points and places think through questions of life and death, man and God, faith and belief, the sacred and the profane, law and ethics, tradition vs. innovation, power and politics, class and gender, self and other? How did they wage war; make love; shape the built environment; eat and drink; tell stories; educate their youth; preserve the past; imagine the future; perform piety, devotion, and spirituality; construe the virtuous life and righteous community, etc.? How did these ideas change over time? What are some of the famous, funny, naughty, and nice books read in the pre-modern Muslim world? We will survey a broad geographic area stretching from Morocco and Iberia to the Maldives and India--even into the New World--through lectures, secondary readings, and discussion. We will engage with a variety of primary texts in English translation, as well as various visual, aural, and material artifacts.

2021-2022 Winter

TURK 30502 Ottoman Turkish II

A selection of Turkish printed texts in Arabic script from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries is introduced in order of difficulty. Hakan Karateke's unpublished "Ottoman Reader" serves as a text book. The texts are drawn from historical textbooks, official documents, novels, and other genres.

2021-2022 Winter

NEHC 20766/ 30766 Shamans and Oral Poets of Central Asia

Anthropological/Ethnographic Survey of Pre-Modern Central Asian Cultures. This course explores the rituals, oral literature, and music associated with the nomadic cultures of Central Eurasia.

2021-2022 Spring

NEHC 20010/30010 Social Theory and Ancient Studies

This course introduces the main paradigms of social thought and their philosophical basis and examines their impact on archaeology and historical studies. Theoretical views, whether acknowledged or merely implicit, strongly affect scholarly interpretations of empirical data. The data do not speak for themselves but are interpreted quite differently depending on the theoretical paradigm at work in the interpretation. In this course, we will focus on the ways in which various social theories have shaped scholarly views of social and economic life in the ancient Near East, in particular.

2021-2022 Winter

NEAA 20035/30035 Introduction to Zooarchaeology

This course provides undergraduate and graduate students with an introduction to the use of animal bones in archaeological research. Students will gain hands-on experience analyzing faunal remains from an archaeological site in the Near East. The class will address theoretical and methodological issues involved in the use of animal bones as a source of information about prehistoric societies. The course consists of lectures, laboratory sessions, and original research projects using collections of animal bone from archaeological excavations in southeast Turkey. Topics covered include: 1) identifying, ageing and sexing animal bones; 2) zooarchaeological sampling, measurement, quantification, and problems of taphonomy; 3) analysis of animal bone data; 4) reconstructing prehistoric hunting and pastoral economies, especially: animal domestication, hunting strategies, herding systems, seasonality, and pastoral production in complex societies.

2021-2022 Spring

NEAA 20100/30100 Introduction to Archaeology

Archaeology is the study of the material evidence of past human activity. In the first half of this course we will discuss the history of archaeology as a discipline and the methods used by archaeologists to obtain evidence about past human activity via excavations, surface surveys, and remote-sensing technologies. We will also discuss the methods used to date, classify, and analyze various kinds of evidence after it has been obtained. In the second half of the course we will discuss the various paradigms of social theory that have shaped archaeological interpretations and narratives concerning the past.

2021-2022 Autumn

TURK 30101 Advanced Turkish 1

Advanced Turkish students will develop their language skills in speaking, reading, translating, listening, and writing, while learning about Turkish society and culture at the same time. To address all of these aspects each class is divided into three sections which focuses on a specific skill. Section one is the conversation part: it involves reading (or listening to) short (audio) pieces or phrases on a given topic; section two is reading and translation: students read and prepare pieces from Turkish literature, literature readings are short stories or selected parts from novels; section three is the listening part: by watching parts of a Turkish movie, students' skills in listening and understanding will get faster while we progress through the movie.

2021-2022 Autumn

NEHC 20200/30200 Ancient Egyptian History

This course surveys the political, social, and economic history of ancient Egypt from pre-dynastic times (ca. 3400 B.C.) until the advent of Islam in the seventh century of our era.

2021-2022 Autumn

NEAA 20332/30332 Trade, Exchange, and Politics in the Ancient Near East

This is a discussion-oriented seminar that introduces students to the evidence, issues, and debates concerning ancient trade and exchange, with a focus on the economic institutions of the ancient Near East and especially those of the Bronze and Iron Age Levant and Eastern Mediterranean.

2021-2022 Winter

NEAA 20333/30333 Gordion and its Neighbors: Central Anatolia during the Iron Age

This class is an in-depth study of central Anatolia's most important archaeological site during the early first millennium BCE: Gordion, the capital city of the kingdom of Phrygia. In addition to learning the archaeology of this site in great detail, we will also use it as a foundation to explore neighboring excavations in the region, including the Iron Age levels of Hattusha, Kaman-Kalehöyük, Kınık Höyük, and others.

2021-2022 Autumn

EGPT 30630 Egyptian Mathematical Texts

Although Egyptians demonstrated use of sophisticated mathematics, including geometry, already in the Old Kingdom, the oldest preserved mathematical texts date from the Middle Kingdom. In this course we will read sections of several of these MK hieratic texts, including problems involving a wide range of math skills and applications; we will then read portions of the so-called Demotic mathematical papyri to see how Egyptian math evolved into the Ptolemaic period. No special background is required although comfort with numbers will be an asset

2021-2022 Autumn

NEHC 20692/30692 Armenian History through Art and Culture

Who are the Armenians and where do they come from? What is the cultural contribution of Armenians to their neighbors and overall world heritage? This crash-course will try to answer these and many other similar questions while surveying Armenian history and elements of culture (mythology, religion, manuscript illumination, art, architecture, etc.). It also will discuss transformations of Armenian identity and symbols of 'Armenianness' through time, based on such elements of national identity as language, religion, art, or shared history. Due to the greatest artistic quality and the transcultural nature of its monuments and artifacts, Armenia has much to offer in the field of Art History, especially when we think about global transculturation and appropriation among cultures as a result of peoples' movements and contacts. The course is recommended for students with interest in Armenian Studies or related fields, in Area or Civilizations Studies, Art and Cultural Studies, etc.

2021-2022 Autumn

AKKD 20702/30702 Advanced Akkadian: Neo-Babylonian Letters

Students at the intermediate (with a minimum of one year of Akkadian) and advanced levels are introduced to first millennium BC Mesopotamian language, vocabulary, grammar, and social and political history through examination of Babylonian and Assyrian private letters and diplomatic correspondence.

2021-2022 Autumn

NEHC 20840/30840 Radical Islamic Pieties 1200-1600

Radical Islamic Pieties 1200-1600

2021-2022 Spring

NEHC 30852 The Ottoman World in the Age of Suleyman the Lawgiver-1

Seminar, Historical exploration of genesis and consolidation of Ottoman state, empire, 1300-1600

2021-2022 Autumn

NEHC 30937 Nationalism & Colonialism in the Middle East

The seminar covers the history of the region during the 19th and 20th centuries. It looks at how the modern historiography of modern Middle Eastern studies shaped, and was shaped by, post-colonial studies, subaltern studies, and historical perceptions of urbanity, modernity, Orientlaism, and class. The class will pay heed to the fluid and constructed nature of Arab national culture, and the terminology used by Arab nationalists concerning "revival," and "rebirth." We will explore various "golden ages" Arab nationalists envisioned, like pre-Islamic Semitic empires, the first Islamic state under the leadership of the Prophet Muhammad, the Ummayds, the Abbasids and Muslim Spain, as a way of analyzing the the constructed and temporal nature of national discourses. We will finally examine the distinction between Pan-Arab nationalism (qawmiyya), which considered Arab culture, history, and language as markers of one's national identity, and often strove for political unity with other Arab states; and territorial-patriotic nationalism (wataniyya), which hailed the national cultures of particular Arab states (Egyptian, Iraqi, Lebanese), focusing on their geography, archaeology, and history the key features of national identity.

2021-2022 Autumn

NEHC 21000/31000 Before the Zodiac: Astronomy and Mathematics as Ancient Culture

Taking as its central theme the cultural situatedness of the earliest systems of mathematics and astronomy -- from their origins in ancient Mesopotamia (Iraq, c. 3400 BCE) until the Common Era (CE) -- this course explores topics in mathematical language and script, metrology, geometry and topology, music theory, definitions of time, models of stars and planets, medical astrology, and pan-astronomical hermeneutics in literature and an ancient board game. Pushing against boundaries separating the humanities and social and physical sciences, students discover how histories of science and mathematics could be decisively shaped not merely by sensory experience or axiomatic definition, but also by ideas and imagery derived from the cultures, societies, and aesthetics of their day.

2021-2022 Spring

NEHC 21012/31012 The Age of Empires in the Ancient Near East

This course offers a critical appraisal of the concepts of empire and imperialism in the historiography of ancient Mesopotamia and Iran to address political formations that developed (and vanished) during the first millennium BCE, with a focus on the Neo-Assyrian, Neo-Babylonian, and Achaemenid empires. This seminar will explore the nature of power, control, and resource management in these early empires, and how they served as the blueprint for the later imperial formations of Classical and Late Antiquity. Students will address a substantial part of Mesopotamian and Iranian history and study in depth some key historiography issues for the history of Antiquity. Primary documents will be read in translation and the course has no ancient language requirements. However, some readings of secondary literature in common academic languages (especially French and German) are to be expected. Students will be asked to present the readings and participate in classroom discussions; write a book review; and conduct a personal research on a topic of their choice (midterm annotated bibliography and research proposal; final essay). This course fulfills the requirements of a survey course in Mesopotamian civilization as defined by the Ancient PhD programs in NELC and the MA program in the CMES.

2021-2022 Spring

NEHC 21215/31215 Abraham's Sacrifice of Isaac in Multiple Perspectives

The story of Abraham’s (near) sacrifice of his son, Isaac, found in Genesis 22:1-19, is one of the most influential and enduring stories in Western literature and art. It is part of the living tradition of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam and its meaning and implications have been repeatedly explored in the communities defined by these religions, and has, in turn, helped to shape the self-perception of those communities. This course will consider the multiple perspectives from which this story has been viewed and the multiple interpretations which this story has generated, starting with its earliest incorporation into the Hebrew Bible, moving to its role in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, and concluding with its influence on modern works. No knowledge of Hebrew is required.

2021-2022 Spring

HEBR 33300 Reading Hebrew for Research Purposes

The course concentrates on the written language and aims at enabling students to use Modern Hebrew for research purposes. The course is designed to enable students to read Hebrew freely. Major grammatical & syntactical aspects will be covered, and students will acquire substantial vocabulary with attention paid to lexical collocations and semantic fields. By the end of the course, students are expected not only to be able to successfully satisfy their departmental language requirements but also to have a great set of skills that would allow them to read any given text, written in Modern Hebrew. (The tern “Modern Hebrew” covers primarily literature from the mid 20th century to current time).

2021-2022 Autumn

HEBR 33301 Reading Hebrew for Research Purposes

The course concentrates on the written language and aims at enabling students to use Modern Hebrew for research purposes. The course is designed to enable students to read Hebrew freely. Major grammatical & syntactical aspects will be covered, and students will acquire substantial vocabulary with attention paid to lexical collocations and semantic fields. By the end of the course, students are expected not only to be able to successfully satisfy their departmental language requirements but also to have a great set of skills that would allow them to read any given text, written in Modern Hebrew. (The tern “Modern Hebrew” covers primarily literature from the mid 20th century to current time).

2021-2022 Winter

NEAA 10020/40020 Ceramic Analysis in Archaeology

At archaeological sites following the invention of pottery roughly 10,000 BCE, ceramics are the single most frequent and ubiquitous class of artefact that archaeologists uncover. This class, which will be conducted in the Oriental Institute Museum as a combination of lectures, discussions, and hands-on interactions with ancient and modern ceramics, surveys the methods and interpretive techniques that archaeologists use when studying this important category of material culture. Specific topics include manufacturing techniques, craft specialization, typology and chronology, production and exchange, scientific analyses, stylistic and functional analysis, and socio-political organization.

2021-2022 Autumn

ARAB 40101 Advanced Arabic Syntax I

This two-quarter sequence is an introduction to the classical Arabic language. It is useful for students whose research includes the reading of classical Arabic texts in varied fields such as literature, history, political science, theology and philosophy. In the class 1) rules of Arabic grammar are studied intensively, topic by topic; 2) parsing (i'rab) is an important component, with a view to understanding the structure of the language; 3) brief texts from different fields of classical Arabic are read focusing on their grammatical structure, and 4) some theory about the development of the grammatical genre is introduced, as are the basic features of prosody ('arud) and rhetoric (balagha).

2021-2022 Autumn

ARAB 40102 Advanced Arabic Syntax 2

This two-quarter sequence is an introduction to the classical Arabic language. It is useful for students whose research includes the reading of classical Arabic texts in varied fields such as literature, history, political science, theology and philosophy. In the class 1) rules of Arabic grammar are studied intensively, topic by topic; 2) parsing (i'rab) is an important component, with a view to understanding the structure of the language; 3) brief texts from different fields of classical Arabic are read focusing on their grammatical structure, and 4) some theory about the development of the grammatical genre is introduced, as are the basic features of prosody ('arud) and rhetoric (balagha).

2021-2022 Spring

ARAB 40200 Advanced Readings

The goal of Advanced Readings in Arabic (1 and 2) is that students achieve the advanced-low level of reading proficiency, at least, by the end of the two terms, while improving their ability to write and speak fluently in MSA. To accomplish this, we will read, discuss, and enjoy a variety of short modern fiction in Arabic (short stories, novellas, and novels) by twentieth- and twenty-first-century writers. Open to students who have taken Arabic 30203 or 30303 or who have reached a commensurate level.

2021-2022 Autumn

ARAB 40384 Pre-Islamic Poetry: Mu'allaqat, Sa'alik, Ritha'

Pre-Islamic poetry laid the foundation for all subsequent Arabic poetry, and formed a key referent for Arabic grammar and Qurʾān exegesis. Its structure, motifs, and images constituted a literary model for Umayyad, Abbasid, Fatimid, Andalusian, and Mamluk poetry, and its grammatical and lexical usages formed a tool to understand the Qurʾānic message and to measure the purity of later Arabic expressions. In this class, we will read closely some of the best known poems of the pre-Islamic period. An assessment by the medieval critics of our poets and some of their poetic theory will also be introduced. Secondary literature will be assigned in order to provide a theoretical framework for the material.

2021-2022 Autumn

AKKD 40399 Eblaite

In this course we will read Semitic texts from the ancient Syrian site of Ebla dating to the middle of the 24th century BCE. The texts consist of several genres, such as administrative texts, chancellery texts, and a few ritual texts and incantations. Special focus will be on the language used since the status of "Eblaite" and its position within the Semitic language family is still a matter of debate. We will further look at the broader linguistic an cultural context of the Eblaite material by comparing it to Mesopotamian texts from the same period.

2021-2022 Spring

TURK 40586 Advanced Ottoman Reading

This course introduces the students to difficult Ottoman narratives from different periods. Please be in touch with the instructor if you are not sure of your level.

2021-2022 Autumn

TURK 40589 Readings in Advanced Ottoman Historical Texts

Readings in Advanced Ottoman Historical Texts

2021-2022 Autumn

HEBR 49900 Advanced Reading Course

This course assumes that students have full mastery of the grammatical and lexical content of the advanced level. The main objective is literary fluency. By the end of the course, students should have an excellent command of Hebrew. The course concentrates on the written language, especially scientific writing, as well as elements of Biblical Hebrew, literature from earlier periods and sophisticated journalistic writing. Students read the various Israeli daily newspapers as well as Israeli literature, scientific articles and legal documents (with the help of a dictionary) of varying lengths. They have a good command of synonyms and idiomatic Hebrew, and also understand the subtle differences between words. Their already substantial vocabularies now include many words from a wide variety of genres. Students considerably improve their ability to write long essays in Hebrew on a wide range of topics, incorporating idiomatic language.

2021-2022 Spring

TURK 49901 Introduction to Old Turkic

An introduction to the language, texts and historical and cultural context of the 8th-9th Century Turkic inscriptions.

2021-2022 Autumn

TURK 49901 Introduction to Old Turkic

An introduction to the language, texts and historical and cultural context of the 8th-9th Century Turkic inscriptions.

2021-2022 Spring

TURK 49901 Introduction to Old Turkic

An introduction to the language, texts and historical and cultural context of the 8th-9th Century Turkic inscriptions.

2021-2022 Winter

ARME 29703/49903 Independent Study: Advanced Mid Armenian

The course focuses on the improvement of speaking, listening, reading and writing skills in modern formal and spoken Armenian. The course covers a rich vocabulary in modern formal and colloquial Armenian, and the most complex grammatical structures and frames. The main objective is literary fluency. Reading assignments include a variety of texts (literary works, newspaper articles, etc.). Students practice the vocabulary (newly acquired in their readings) through discussions and critical analysis of texts in Armenian. There are also enhanced writing assignments: essays on given topics, writing blogs or wiki pages, etc. The goal is to achieve an advanced level of proficiency in modern formal and spoken Armenian. A considerable amount of historical-political and social-cultural issues about Armenia are skillfully built into the course for students who have intention to conduct research in Armenian Studies or related fields, or to pursue work in Armenia.

2021-2022 Autumn

ARME 29703/49903 Independent Study: Advanced Mid Armenian

The course focuses on the improvement of speaking, listening, reading and writing skills in modern formal and spoken Armenian. The course covers a rich vocabulary in modern formal and colloquial Armenian, and the most complex grammatical structures and frames. The main objective is literary fluency. Reading assignments include a variety of texts (literary works, newspaper articles, etc.). Students practice the vocabulary (newly acquired in their readings) through discussions and critical analysis of texts in Armenian. There are also enhanced writing assignments: essays on given topics, writing blogs or wiki pages, etc. The goal is to achieve an advanced level of proficiency in modern formal and spoken Armenian. A considerable amount of historical-political and social-cultural issues about Armenia are skillfully built into the course for students who have intention to conduct research in Armenian Studies or related fields, or to pursue work in Armenia.

2021-2022 Spring

ARME 29703/49903 Independent Study: Advanced Mid Armenian

The course focuses on the improvement of speaking, listening, reading and writing skills in modern formal and spoken Armenian. The course covers a rich vocabulary in modern formal and colloquial Armenian, and the most complex grammatical structures and frames. The main objective is literary fluency. Reading assignments include a variety of texts (literary works, newspaper articles, etc.). Students practice the vocabulary (newly acquired in their readings) through discussions and critical analysis of texts in Armenian. There are also enhanced writing assignments: essays on given topics, writing blogs or wiki pages, etc. The goal is to achieve an advanced level of proficiency in modern formal and spoken Armenian. A considerable amount of historical-political and social-cultural issues about Armenia are skillfully built into the course for students who have intention to conduct research in Armenian Studies or related fields, or to pursue work in Armenia.

2021-2022 Winter

NEHC 20012 Ancient Empires-II (Ottoman Empire)

(HIST 15603, CLCV 25800)

The Ottomans ruled in Anatolia, the Middle East, South East Europe and North Africa for over six hundred years. The objective of this course is to understand the society and culture of this bygone Empire whose legacy continues, in one way or another, in some twenty-five contemporary successor states from the Balkans to the Arabian Peninsula. The course is designed as an introduction to the Ottoman World with a focus on the cultural history of the Ottoman society. It explores identities and mentalities, customs and rituals, status of minorities, mystical orders and religious establishments, literacy and the use of the public sphere.

NEHC 20601 Islamic Thought and Literature I

This sequence explores the thought and literature of the Islamic world from the coming of Islam in the seventh century C.E. through the development and spread of its civilization in the medieval period and into the modern world. Including historical framework to establish chronology and geography, the course focuses on key aspects of Islamic intellectual history: scripture, law, theology, philosophy, literature, mysticism, political thought, historical writing, and archaeology. In addition to lectures and secondary background readings, students read and discuss samples of key primary texts, with a view to exploring Islamic civilization in the direct voices of the people who participated in creating it. All readings are in English translation. No prior background in the subject is required. This course sequence meets the general education requirement in civilization studies.

2020-2021 Autumn

NEHC 26151 History of Iraq in the 20th Century

The class explores the history of Iraq during the years 1917-2015. We will discuss the rise of the Iraqi nation state, Iraqi and Pan-Arab nationalism, and Iraqi authoritarianism. The class will focus on the unique histories of particular group in Iraqi society; religious groups (Shiis, Sunnis, Jews), ethnic groups (especially Kurds), classes (the urban poor, the educated middle classes, the landed and tribal elites), Iraqi women, and Iraqi tribesmen. Other classes will explore the ideologies that became prominent in the Iraqi public sphere, from communism to Islamic radicalism. We will likewise discuss how colonialism and imperialism shaped major trends in Iraqi history. The reading materials for the class are based on a combination of primary and secondary sources: we will read together Iraqi novels, memoirs and poems (in translation), as well as British and American diplomatic documents about to Iraq.

2020-2021 Autumn

NEHC 29899 Research Colloquium

Required of fourth-year students who are majoring in NELC. This is a workshop course designed to survey the fields represented by NELC and to assist students in researching andcompleting their Research Project. Students must get a Reading and Research form from their College Adviser and complete the form in order to be registered. Signatures are needed from the adviser and Director of Undergraduate Studies. Please indicate on the form that you wish to register for NEHC 29899 Section 01.

2020-2021 Autumn

NEHC 10101 Introduction to the Middle East

(HIST 15801)

Prior knowledge of the Middle East not required. This course aims to facilitate a general understanding of some key factors that have shaped life in this region, with primary emphasis on modern conditions and their background, and to provide exposure to some of the region's rich cultural diversity. This course can serve as a basis for the further study of the history, politics, and civilizations of the Middle East.

2020-2021 Spring

NEHC 20005 Ancient Near Eastern Thought & Literature: 2. Anatolian Literature

The goal of this class is to get an overview of Hittite literature, as “defined” by the Hittites themselves, in the wider historical-cultural context of the Ancient Near East. Some of the most important questions we can ask ourselves in reading ancient texts are: why were they written down, why were they kept, for whom were they intended, and what do the answers to these questions (apart from the primary content of the texts themselves) tell us about — in our case — Hittite society?

2020-2021 Spring

NEHC 20013 Ancient Empires: The Egyptian Empire of the New Kingdom

For most of the duration of the New Kingdom (1550-1069 BCE), the ancient Egyptians were able to establish a vast empire and become one of the key powers within the Near East. This course will investigate in detail the development of Egyptian foreign policies and military expansion, which affected parts of the Near East and Nubia. We will examine and discuss topics such as ideology, imperial identity, political struggle and motivation for conquest and control of wider regions surrounding the Egyptian state as well as the relationship with other powers and their perspective on Egyptian rulers as for example described in the Amarna letters.

2020-2021 Spring

NEHC 20305 Language, Creation, and Translation in Jewish Thought and Literature

Starting with two stories from Genesis - the creation story and the story of the Tower of Babel in chapter 11 – this course considers the intertwined dynamics of language, creation, and translation in Jewish thought and literature. In addition to commentaries on both of these key texts, we will read philosophical and literary texts that illuminate the workings of language as a creative force and the dynamics of multilingualism and translation in the creation of Jewish culture. Through this lens, we will consider topics such as Gender and Sexuality, Jewish national identity, Zionism, the revival of the Hebrew language, Jewish responses to the Holocaust, and contemporary American Jewish culture.

2020-2021 Spring

NEHC 20603 Islamic Thought and Literature III

This course covers the period from ca. 1700 to the present. It explores Muslim intellectuals’ engagement with tradition and modernity in the realms of religion, politics, literature, and law. We discuss debates concerning the role of religion in a modern society, perceptions of Europe and European influence, the challenges of maintain religious and cultural authenticity, and Muslim views of nation-states and nationalism in the Middle East. We also give consideration to the modern developments of transnational jihadism and the Arab Spring. This course sequence meets the general education requirement in civilization studies.

2020-2021 Spring

NEHC 20006 Ancient Near Eastern Thought & Literature-3. Egypt

This course employs English translations of ancient Egyptian literary texts to explore the genres, conventions and techniques of ancient Egyptian literature. Discussions of texts examine how the ancient Egyptians conceptualized and constructed their equivalent of literature, as well as the fuzzy boundaries and subtle interplay between autobiography, history, myth and fiction.

2020-2021 Winter

NEHC 20011 ANCIENT EMPIRES 1: THE HITTITE EMPIRE

This course introduces students to the Hittite Empire of ancient Anatolia. In existence from roughly 1650-1200 BCE, and spanning across modern Turkey and beyond, the Hittite Empire is one of the oldest and largest kingdoms of the ancient world. We will be examining their history and their political and cultural accomplishments through analysis of their written records – composed in Hittite, the world’s first recorded Indo-European language – and their archaeological remains. In the process, we will also be examining the concept of “empire” itself: What is an empire, and how do anthropologists, archaeologists, and historians study this unique kind of political formation?

2020-2021 Winter

NEHC 20602 Islamic Thought & Literature II

What were the famous and funny, nice and naughty, sacred and profane, scholarly and popular, silly and profound books read in the pre-modern Muslim world? How did people understand their status in the cosmos, their place in the world, their role in society, their relation to other peoples?
This course provides an overview of the thought and literature of the Islamic world as it developed across a broad geographic area stretching across the central Islamic lands from Morocco and Iberia to the Maldives and India – even into the New World – during the “middle periods” (c. 950 – 1750 C.E.). We engage with a wide variety of primary texts in English translation, as well as various visual, aural and material artifacts, contextualizing them through lectures, secondary readings and discussion. We trace a range of ideas, institutions, and literary works, considering them both on their own merits, and how they evolved in response to changing historical, demographic and religious circumstances. We explore the interaction of culture, ethnicity, history, politics and religion in the creation of individual Muslim identities and a multi-faceted Islamicate civilization (consisting of its intellectual milieu; literary, artistic and musical production; social organization; scientific, philosophical and theological thought; religious, educational, governmental, commercial and social institutions; geographic, ethnic, confessional, gender, social and spatial constructs). In brief, how did noteworthy Muslims at various points and places think through questions of life & death, man & God, faith & belief, the sacred & the profane, law & ethics, tradition vs. innovation, power & politics, class & gender, self & other? How did they wage war; make love; shape the built environment; eat & drink; tell stories; educate their youth; preserve the past; imagine the future; perform piety, devotion and spirituality; construe the virtuous life and righteous community, etc.? How did these ideas change over time?

Prerequisites

Islamic Thought & Lit-1 or Islamic History and Society -1 or the equivalent

2020-2021 Winter

NEHC 21010 The Age of Innovation - Famous Firsts 5,000 Years Ago

"The first man on moon", "the first Thanksgiving," or "the first kiss"--our society is still fascinated and remembers the exact moment something happened for the first time. The history of the Ancient Near East, especially the ancient civilization of Mesopotamia (modern Iraq), is quite rich of such "firsts in history." From the moment, writing is discovered there is an abundance of textual record, covering the first documents about politics, law, and economics. The first private documents allow us a glimpse into what living and dying were like more than 5,000 years ago. This course will explore what the cultural conditions of those innovations were, how innovations transform societies, and why it matters to study ancient civilizations. By discovering primary sources (in English translation), the fascination of reading those texts for the "first" time will be experienced. Visits at the Oriental Institute Museum will link textual record and object-based inquiry.

2020-2021 Winter

NEHC 29995 Research Project

In consultation with a faculty research adviser and with consent of the Director of Undergraduate Studies, students devote the equivalent of a one-quarter course to the preparation of their Research Project. Students are required to submit the College Reading and Research Course Form. Please indicate that you wish to register for NEHC 29995 Section 01 with the Director of Undergraduate Studies. 

2020-2021 Winter

HEBR 10101 Elementary Classical Hebrew I

The purpose of this three-quarter sequence is to enable the student to acquire a knowledge of the vocabulary and grammar of Classical Hebrew sufficient to read prose texts with the occasional assistance of a dictionary. The first quarter focuses on the inflection of nouns and adjectives and begins the inflection of verbs. It includes written translation to and from Hebrew, oral exercises, and grammatical analysis of forms.

Prerequisites

none

2020-2021 Autumn

EGPT 10101 Introduction to Middle Egyptian Hieroglyphs 1

This course and its sequel EGPT 10102 provide an introduction to the hieroglyphic writing system, vocabulary and grammar of Middle Egyptian, the 'classic' phase of the Egyptian language developed during the Middle Kingdom (circa 2025-1773 BCE) and used until the disappearance of hieroglyphs over two thousand years later.

2020-2021 Autumn

ARAM 10101 Biblical Aramaic

This course provides a thorough introduction to the grammar of the Aramaic portions of the Hebrew Bible during the first few weeks. The remainder of the course is spent reading texts from the books of Daniel and Ezra.

Prerequisites

HEBR 10103 or equivalent

2020-2021 Autumn

ARME 10101 Elementary Modern Armenian-1

This three-quarter sequence focuses on the acquisition of basic speaking, listening, reading and writing skills in modern formal and spoken Armenian. The course utilizes the most advanced computer technology and audio-visual aids enabling students to master the alphabet, a core vocabulary, and some basic grammatical structures in order to communicate their basic survivor’s needs in Armenian, understand simple texts and to achieve a minimal level of proficiency in modern formal and spoken Armenian.
A considerable amount of historical-political and social-cultural issues about Armenia are skillfully built into the course for students who have intention to conduct research in Armenian Studies or related fields, to visit or to pursue work in Armenia. A language competency exam is offered at the end of spring quarter for those taking this course as college language requirement.

2020-2021 Autumn

TURK 10101 First Year Turkish I

This sequence features proficiency-based instruction emphasizing grammar in modern Turkish. This sequence consists of reading and listening comprehension, as well as grammar exercises and basic writing in Turkish. Modern stories and contemporary articles are read at the end of the courses.

Prerequisites

None

2020-2021 Autumn

ARAB 10101 Elementary Arabic I

This sequence concentrates on the acquisition of speaking, reading, and aural skills in modern formal Arabic.

Prerequisites

None

PERS 10101 Elementary Persian-1

This sequence concentrates on modern written Persian as well as modern colloquial usage. Towards the end of the sequence the students will be able to read, write and speak Persian at an elementary level. Introducing the Iranian culture is also a goal. The class meets three hours a week with the instructor and two hours with a native informant who conducts grammatical drills and Persian conversation.

Prerequisites

None

2020-2021 Autumn

AANL 10101 Elementary Hittite 1

As part of a three quarter sequence, this course familiarizes the student with about 3/4 of Hittite grammar. The principles of the cuneiform writing system are taught and the student will learn some 100 signs of the basic syllabary and most important logograms. Also, a begin is made of introducing the student to the basic tools of the field.

Prerequisites

none

2020-2021 Autumn

SUMR 10101 Elementary Sumerian I

This course covers the first section of Elementary Sumerian.

Prerequisites

AKKD 10101

2020-2021 Winter

SUMR 10102 Elementary Sumerian II

This course covers the second section of Elementary Sumerian.

Prerequisites

SUMR 10101

2020-2021 Spring

AANL 10102 Elementary Hittite 2

As part of a three-quarter sequence, this second quarter we finish the grammar and start reading Hittite texts, introducing the student to the various genres that Hittite literature has to offer. We will continue the introduction of important tools of the field and students will acquire further routine in reading cuneiform.

Prerequisites

none

2020-2021 Winter

EGPT 10102 Introduction to Middle Egyptian Hieroglyphs 2

This course completes an introduction to the hieroglyphic writing system, vocabulary and grammar of Middle Egyptian, the 'classic' phase of the Egyptian language developed during the Middle Kingdom (circa 2025-1773 BCE) and used until the disappearance of hieroglyphs over two thousand years later. It also begins an introduction to ancient Egyptian culture and society through a close reading of its 'classic' literature.

Prerequisites

EGPT 10101 or equivalent

2020-2021 Winter

HEBR 10102 Elementary Classical Hebrew II

The purpose of this three-quarter sequence is to enable the student to acquire a knowledge of the vocabulary and grammar of Classical Hebrew sufficient to read prose texts with the occasional assistance of a dictionary. The second quarter focuses on verb inflection and verbal sequences and includes written translation to and from Hebrew, oral exercises, and grammatical analysis of forms.

Prerequisites

HEBR 10101 or equivalent

2020-2021 Winter

ARAM 10102 Old Aramaic Inscriptions

Selected monumental inscriptions from the Old Aramaic period (c. 1000-600 BCE) are read with special attention to the dialectal differences among various subgroups of texts.

Prerequisites

ARAM 10101

2020-2021 Winter

ARAB 10102 Elementary Arabic II

This sequence concentrates on the acquisition of speaking, reading, and aural skills in modern formal Arabic.

Prerequisites

ARAB 10101 or equivalent

ARME 10102 Elementary Modern Armenian-2

This three-quarter sequence focuses on the acquisition of basic speaking, listening, reading and writing skills in modern formal and spoken Armenian. The course utilizes the most advanced computer technology and audio-visual aids enabling students to master the alphabet, a core vocabulary, and some basic grammatical structures in order to communicate their basic survivor’s needs in Armenian, understand simple texts and to achieve a minimal level of proficiency in modern formal and spoken Armenian.
A considerable amount of historical-political and social-cultural issues about Armenia are skillfully built into the course for students who have intention to conduct research in Armenian Studies or related fields, to visit or to pursue work in Armenia. A language competency exam is offered at the end of spring quarter for those taking this course as college language requirement.

Prerequisites

ARME 10101 or equivalent

2020-2021 Winter

TURK 10102 First Year Turkish II

This sequence features proficiency-based instruction emphasizing grammar in modern Turkish. This sequence consists of reading and listening comprehension, as well as grammar exercises and basic writing in Turkish. Modern stories and contemporary articles are read at the end of the courses.

Prerequisites

TURK 10101

2020-2021 Winter

PERS 10102 Elementary Persian-2

This sequence deepens and expands the students' knowledge of modern Persian at all levels of reading, writing and speaking. Grammar will be taught at a higher level and a wider vocabulary will enable the students to read stories, articles and poetry and be introduced to examples of classical literature towards the end of the sequence. Introducing the Iranian culture will be continued. Class meets three hours a week with the instructor and (with enough students) two hours with a native informant who conducts grammatical drills and Persian conversation.

Prerequisites

Elementary Persian-1

2020-2021 Winter

EGPT 10103 Middle Egyptian Texts 1

This course continues an introduction to ancient Egyptian culture and society through a close reading of its 'classic' literature from the Middle Kingdom (circa 2025-1773 BCE) and beyond, until the disappearance of hieroglyphs over two thousand years later.

Prerequisites

EGPT 10102 or equivalent

2020-2021 Spring

AANL 10103 Elementary Hittite III

This is the third in a three-quarter sequence that covers the basic grammar and cuneiform writing system of the Hittite language. It also familiarizes the student with the field's tools (i.e., dictionaries, lexica, sign list). Readings come from all periods of Hittite history (1650 to 1180 B.C.).

2020-2021 Spring

HEBR 10103 Elementary Classical Hebrew III

The purpose of this three-quarter sequence is to enable the student to acquire a knowledge of the vocabulary and grammar of Classical Hebrew sufficient to read prose texts with the occasional assistance of a dictionary. The first half of the third quarter concludes the study of verb inflection and the second half is spent reading prose narrative texts with specific attention to the grammatical analysis of those texts.

Prerequisites

HEBR 10102 or equivalent

2020-2021 Spring

ARAM 10103 Imperial Aramaic

Selected letters and contracts from the Imperial Aramaic period (c. 600-200 BCE) are read with special attention to the historical development of the grammar of Aramaic during this time period.

Prerequisites

ARAM 10102

2020-2021 Spring

ARME 10103 Elementary Modern Armenian-3

This three-quarter sequence focuses on the acquisition of basic speaking, listening, reading and writing skills in modern formal and spoken Armenian. The course utilizes the most advanced computer technology and audio-visual aids enabling students to master the alphabet, a core vocabulary, and some basic grammatical structures in order to communicate their basic survivor’s needs in Armenian, understand simple texts and to achieve a minimal level of proficiency in modern formal and spoken Armenian.
A considerable amount of historical-political and social-cultural issues about Armenia are skillfully built into the course for students who have intention to conduct research in Armenian Studies or related fields, to visit or to pursue work in Armenia. A language competency exam is offered at the end of spring quarter for those taking this course as college language requirement.

Prerequisites

ARME 10102 or equivalent

2020-2021 Spring

TURK 10103 First Year Turkish III

This sequence features proficiency-based instruction emphasizing grammar in modern Turkish. This sequence consists of reading and listening comprehension, as well as grammar exercises and basic writing in Turkish. Modern stories and contemporary articles are read at the end of the courses.

Prerequisites

TURK 10102 and TURK 10103

2020-2021 Spring

ARAB 10103 Elementary Arabic III

This sequence concentrates on the acquisition of speaking, reading, and aural skills in modern formal Arabic.

Prerequisites

ARAB 10102 or equivalent

PERS 10103 Elementary Persian-3

This sequence concentrates on modern written Persian as well as modern colloquial usage. Towards the end of the sequence the students will be able to read, write and speak Persian at an elementary level. Introducing the Iranian culture is also a goal. The class meets three hours a week with the instructor and two hours with a native informant who conducts grammatical drills and Persian conversation.

Prerequisites

Elementary Persian-2

2020-2021 Spring

ARAB 10250 Colloquial Levantine Arabic I

Spoken Levantine Arabic is a proficiency-based course designed to develop the linguistic skills necessary for personal day-to-day life. The course focuses on spoken rather than Standard written Arabic, and will therefore target primarily the oral/aural skills. Through the knowledge of Modern Standard Arabic and the introduction of colloquial vocabulary, expressions and grammar, the course will build the students’ competence in spoken Arabic. Students will also be introduced to the Levantine culture of Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and Palestine.

2020-2021 Autumn

ARAB 10257 Colloquial Levantine Arabic II

Colloquial Levantine Arabic is a proficiency-based course designed to develop the linguistic skills necessary for personal day-to-day life. The course focuses on spoken rather than Standard written Arabic, and will therefore target primarily the oral/aural skills. Through the knowledge of Modern Standard Arabic and the introduction of colloquial vocabulary, expressions, and grammar, the course will build the students’ competence in spoken Arabic. Students will also be introduced to the Levantine culture.

2020-2021 Winter

HEBR 10501 Introductory Modern Hebrew

a three-quarter course designed primarily for college students. Meets three times a week: two 1:20hr sessions with the instructor and one 50-minute tutorial with a TA.
This course would follow the existing model. It will focus on gaining basic command in the four language skills: speaking, reading, listening, and writing, in that order.

Prerequisites

None

2020-2021 Autumn

AKKD 10501 Introduction to Babylonian I

Introduction to the grammar of Akkadian, specifically to the Old Babylonian dialect. The class covers the first half of the Old Babylonian grammar, an introduction to the cuneiform script, and easy translation exercises.

Prerequisites

None.

2020-2021 Autumn

AKKD 10502 Introduction to Babylonian 2

This course is the second quarter of the annual introductory sequence to the Babylonian language and the Cuneiform script. Students will further explore the grammar of Babylonian in its Old Babylonian dialect (19th-16th c. BCE) and read ancient inscriptions (especially the Laws of Hammu-rabi) in the Old Babylonian monumental script. They will also be introduced to the Old Babylonian cursive used in letters and the documents of everyday life.

Prerequisites

AKKD 10501. Introduction to Babylonian 1

2020-2021 Winter

HEBR 10502 Introductory Modern Hebrew

a three-quarter course designed primarily for college students. Meets three times a week: two 1:20hr sessions with the instructor and one 50-minute tutorial with a TA.
This course would follow the existing model. It will focus on gaining basic command in the four language skills: speaking, reading, listening, and writing, in that order.

Prerequisites

none

2020-2021 Winter

AKKD 10503 Introduction to Babylonian III: Divinatory Texts

Akkadian readings in a wide variety of divinatory cuneiform texts, including omens from extispicy, teratology, libanomancy, medical diagnosis, and lunar eclipses, among others. Students are graded based on their preparation and mastery of cuneiform script—Old Babylonian cursive, in particular—and Akkadian philology.

Prerequisites

Introduction to Babylonian in preceding Fall and Winter quarters

2020-2021 Spring

HEBR 10503 Introductory Modern Hebrew

a three-quarter course designed primarily for college students. Meets three times a week: two 1:20hr sessions with the instructor and one 50-minute tutorial with a TA.
This course would follow the existing model. It will focus on gaining basic command in the four language skills: speaking, reading, listening, and writing, in that order.

Prerequisites

none

2020-2021 Spring

UGAR 20101 Ugaritic I

An introduction to the Ugaritic language (epigraphy and grammar) and literature from an inductive perspective, readings from a mythological text

Prerequisites

Intermediate Classical Hebrew I-III or equivalent

2020-2021 Autumn

ARME 20101 Intermediate Modern Armenian-1

The course is aiming to enable students to reach a reasonable level of proficiency in the Armenian language. The curriculum is heavily based on real life situations. Each class session includes a healthy balance of real-life like conversations (shopping, placing an order in a restaurant, asking directions, talking with natives, getting around in the city, banking, etc.), readings (dialogues, jokes, stories, news, etc.) and writings (essays on selected topics, filling forms, etc.). The students can also communicate in Armenian well beyond basic needs about the daily life and obtain some level of fluency in their professional interests. This sequence covers a wider-range vocabulary and more complex grammatical structures in modern formal and colloquial Armenian. Reading assignments also include a selection of simple original Armenian literature.
A considerable amount of historical-political and social-cultural issues about Armenia are skillfully built into the course for students who have intention to conduct research in Armenian Studies or related fields, or to pursue work in Armenia.

Prerequisites

ARME 10103 or equivalent

2020-2021 Autumn

ARAB 20101 Intermediate Arabic I

The first quarter of Intermediate Arabic

Prerequisites

ARAB 10103 or equivalent

2020-2021 Autumn

PERS 20101 Intermediate Persian-1

This sequence deepens and expands the students' knowledge of modern Persian at all levels of reading, writing and speaking. Grammar will be taught at a higher level and a wider vocabulary will enable the students to read stories, articles and poetry and be introduced to examples of classical literature towards the end of the sequence. Introducing the Iranian culture will be continued. Class meets three hours a week with the instructor and (with enough students) two hours with a native informant who conducts grammatical drills and Persian conversation.

Prerequisites

Elementary Persian-3

2020-2021 Autumn

TURK 20101 Intermediate Turkish I

This sequence features proficiency-based instruction emphasizing speaking and writing skills as well as reading and listening comprehension at the intermediate to advanced levels in modern Turkish. Modern short stories, novel excerpts, academic and journalistic articles form the basis for an introduction to modern Turkish literature. Cultural units consisting of films and web-based materials are also used extensively in this course, which is designed to bring the intermediate speaker to an advanced level of proficiency. Prerequisite(s): TURK 10103, or equivalent with intermediate level proficiency test.

Prerequisites

TURK 10103, or equivalent with intermediate level proficiency test

2020-2021 Autumn

PERS 20102 Intermediate Persian-2

This sequence deepens and expands the students' knowledge of modern Persian at all levels of reading, writing and speaking. Grammar will be taught at a higher level and a wider vocabulary will enable the students to read stories, articles and poetry and be introduced to examples of classical literature towards the end of the sequence. Introducing the Iranian culture will be continued. Class meets three hours a week with the instructor and (with enough students) two hours with a native informant who conducts grammatical drills and Persian conversation.

Prerequisites

Intermediate Persian-1

2020-2021 Winter

TURK 20102 Intermediate Turkish II

This sequence features proficiency-based instruction emphasizing speaking and writing skills as well as reading and listening comprehension at the intermediate to advanced levels in modern Turkish. Modern short stories, novel excerpts, academic and journalistic articles form the basis for an introduction to modern Turkish literature. Cultural units consisting of films and web-based materials are also used extensively in this course, which is designed to bring the intermediate speaker to an advanced level of proficiency.

2020-2021 Winter

UGAR 20102 Ugaritic II

Continutation of Ugaritic I, epigraphy and grammar, readings from prose texts.

Prerequisites

Ugaritic I

2020-2021 Winter

ARME 20102 Intermediate Modern Armenian-2

The course is aiming to enable students to reach a reasonable level of proficiency in the Armenian language. The curriculum is heavily based on real life situations. Each class session includes a healthy balance of real-life like conversations (shopping, placing an order in a restaurant, asking directions, talking with natives, getting around in the city, banking, etc.), readings (dialogues, jokes, stories, news, etc.) and writings (essays on selected topics, filling forms, etc.). The students can also communicate in Armenian well beyond basic needs about the daily life and obtain some level of fluency in their professional interests. This sequence covers a wider-range vocabulary and more complex grammatical structures in modern formal and colloquial Armenian. Reading assignments also include a selection of simple original Armenian literature.
A considerable amount of historical-political and social-cultural issues about Armenia are skillfully built into the course for students who have intention to conduct research in Armenian Studies or related fields, or to pursue work in Armenia.

Prerequisites

ARME 20101 or equivalent

2020-2021 Winter

ARAB 20102 Intermediate Arabic II

The second quarter of Intermediate Arabic

Prerequisites

ARAB 20101 or equivalent

2020-2021 Winter

UGAR 20103 Ugaritic III

Continuation of Ugaritic I-II, epigraphy and grammar, readings open

Prerequisites

Ugaritic I-II

2020-2021 Spring

ARME 20103 Intermediate Modern Armenian-3

The course is aiming to enable students to reach a reasonable level of proficiency in the Armenian language. The curriculum is heavily based on real life situations. Each class session includes a healthy balance of real-life like conversations (shopping, placing an order in a restaurant, asking directions, talking with natives, getting around in the city, banking, etc.), readings (dialogues, jokes, stories, news, etc.) and writings (essays on selected topics, filling forms, etc.). The students can also communicate in Armenian well beyond basic needs about the daily life and obtain some level of fluency in their professional interests. This sequence covers a wider-range vocabulary and more complex grammatical structures in modern formal and colloquial Armenian. Reading assignments also include a selection of simple original Armenian literature.
A considerable amount of historical-political and social-cultural issues about Armenia are skillfully built into the course for students who have intention to conduct research in Armenian Studies or related fields, or to pursue work in Armenia.

Prerequisites

ARME 20102 or equivalent

2020-2021 Spring

PERS 20103 Intermediate Persian-3

This sequence deepens and expands the students' knowledge of modern Persian at all levels of reading, writing and speaking. Grammar will be taught at a higher level and a wider vocabulary will enable the students to read stories, articles and poetry and be introduced to examples of classical literature towards the end of the sequence. Introducing the Iranian culture will be continued. Class meets three hours a week with the instructor and (with enough students) two hours with a native informant who conducts grammatical drills and Persian conversation.

Prerequisites

Intermediate Persian-2

2020-2021 Spring

ARAB 20103 Intermediate Arabic III

ARAB 20103 is the spring quarter continuation of the Intermediate Arabic sequence that began with ARAB 20101 last fall, and continued with ARAB 20102 in the winter. We will continue to work through the second half of Al-Kitaab Part 2. As in any language course, we address all four of the fundamental skills: reading, writing, listening, and speaking. A particular focus of this sequence, however, is ensuring that students have a solid, comprehensive understanding of the rules of Arabic syntax. In addition to readings and exercises from the textbook, we will increasingly make use of articles from Arabic-language news media.

Prerequisites

ARAB 20102 or equivalent

2020-2021 Spring

TURK 20103 Intermediate Turkish III

This sequence features proficiency-based instruction emphasizing speaking and writing skills as well as reading and listening comprehension at the intermediate to advanced levels in modern Turkish. Modern short stories, novel excerpts, academic and journalistic articles form the basis for an introduction to modern Turkish literature. Cultural units consisting of films and web-based materials are also used extensively in this course, which is designed to bring the intermediate speaker to an advanced level of proficiency.

2020-2021 Spring

HEBR 20104 Intermediate Classical Hebrew I

Continuation of Elementary Classical Hebrew, including review of grammar, reading new prose texts, and an introduction to historical grammar

Prerequisites

Elementary Classical Hebrew I-III or equivalent

2020-2021 Autumn

HEBR 20105 Intermediate Classical Hebrew II

Continuation of Intermediate Classical Hebrew I, including strengthening of skills in grammar, introduction to Biblical Hebrew poetry, and continuation of introduction to historical grammar

Prerequisites

Intermediate Classical Hebrew I

2020-2021 Winter

HEBR 20106 Intermediate Classical Hebrew III

Continuation of Intermediate Classical Hebrew I and II, including strengthening skills in grammar, emphasis on syntax; continuation of study of Biblical Hebrew poetry, selections from prophets; introduction to reading from an original Massoretic text; introduction to reading from the Dead Sea Scrolls, biblical manuscripts; continuation of introduction to historical grammar

Prerequisites

Intermediate Classical Hebrew II

2020-2021 Spring

EGPT 20110 Introduction to Old Egyptian

This course provides an introduction to the hieroglyphic writing system, vocabulary and grammar of Old Egyptian, the phase of the Egyptian language used during the Old Kingdom (circa 2686-2181 BCE). It also provides an introduction to the culture and society of Egypt's 'Pyramid Age' through a close reading of monumental texts from private tombs, royal and private stelae, administrative decrees, economic documents, and Pyramid texts. Some attention is given to Old Egyptian texts written in cursive Hieratic.

Prerequisites

EGPT 10101-10103 or equivalent

2020-2021 Autumn

AANL 20125 Advanced Readings in Hittite

This course focuses on a particular genre of Hittite texts. The Hittite texts are read in cuneiform and placed it in their social-historical context and the reading hones the student's philological skills.

Prerequisites

AANL 10101-10102-10103

2020-2021 Autumn

HEBR 20202 Reading Hebrew for Research Purposes

The main objective is to teach students a broad range of skills necessary to read scholarly articles and primary materials in students’ fields of study, written in Modern Hebrew.

Due to the fact that the background of each student is different as far as his or hers past experience with Hebrew, a grammar survey is going to be the first step.

The goal of this course is for the students to achieve high comprehension level. (Please note: This course does not intend to teach official rules and forms of translation). By the end of the course, students should feel confident in their ability to read any given Hebrew text, fiction and non-fiction.

Prerequisites

Students should have at least two years of Modern Hebrew and/or one year of Biblical Hebrew. Students should be able to read Hebrew texts without vowels as well as cursive Hebrew

Staff
2020-2021 Winter

EGPT 20220 Texts and Society in the Nubian Kingdom of Napata

This course examines the culture and society of the Nubian kingdom of Napata (circa 750-350 BCE) through a close reading of its texts written in the ancient Egyptian language and hieroglyphic script. We will also review the language and script of the Nubian kingdom of Meroe (circa 350 BCE - 350 CE), in order to look for possible language contact in the Napatan texts written in ancient Egyptian.

Prerequisites

EGPT 10101-10103 or equivalent

2020-2021 Autumn

AANL 20302 Luwian-2: Second Millennium Texts

This course focuses on the Hieroglyphic and Cuneiform Luwian inscriptions of the second millennium BC. Since Hieroglyphic Luwian I (AANL 20301) is a prerequisite, this course will only offer a very brief grammatical refresher, and will immediately start with the texts. We will read the large 13th century hieroglyphic texts of Tudhaliya IV and a few Cuneiform Luwian rituals from the 15th and 14th century.

Prerequisites

AANL 20301/1 Hieroglyphic Luwian I

2020-2021 Winter

SUMR 20311 Sumerian Literary Texts II

This course is a continuation of Sumerian Literary Texts I.  We will continue, and finish, reading Gilgamesh and Huwawa A, and then continue on to Gilgamesh, Enkidu, and the Netherworld before reading Enki and Ninhursag. 

Prerequisites

Sumerian Literary Texts I (SUMR 20310) and the full-year Sumerian A sequence (SUMR 10101) 

2020-2021 Autumn

ARAB 20390 Arabic in Social Context

This is a course for the advanced student of Arabic, focusing on improving listening comprehension and instilling an awareness of the social associations accompanying different speech styles. Through intensive exposure to a variety of authentic oral texts (talk shows, songs, soap operas, films, news shows, ads, comedy skits, etc.), students will delve into current social and political issues, as well as become sensitive to code switching between MSA and colloquial (all the major dialects). Through these texts, we will examine the themes of diglossia and code-switching; gendered discourse; urban-rural differences; class differences; youth language. A heavily aural course, class activities will involve student presentations (group and solo), discussion groups, and a final oral presentation project.

Prerequisites

Two Years of Arabic study or consent of instructor

2020-2021 Winter

AANL 20501 Lycian

This course introduces the grammar and writing system of the Lycian language of the first millennium BC (ca. 500 to 300). After reading a series of tomb inscriptions, we venture into the larger historical inscriptions that include the Lycian-Greek-Aramaic trilingual of Xanthos.

Prerequisites

Elementary Hittite or consent from instructor

2020-2021 Spring

HEBR 20502 Intermediate Modern Hebrew

The course aims to consolidate and broadens all four skills in order to help with the transition from easy Hebrew to regular Hebrew.

Prerequisites

Students should have at least one year of Modern Hebrew

Staff
2020-2021 Winter

HEBR 20503 Intermediate Modern Hebrew

The course aims to consolidate and broadens all four skills in order to help with the transition from easy Hebrew to regular Hebrew.

Prerequisites

Students should have at least one year of Modern Hebrew

Staff
2020-2021 Spring

ARAB 20588 Media Arabic

Media Arabic is a course designed for the advanced student of Modern Standard Arabic. The course objective is to improve students' listening comprehension and writing skills. Students will advance toward this goal through listening to and reading a variety of authentic materials from Arabic Media (on politics, literature, economics, education, women, youth, etc.).

Prerequisites

At least two years of Modern Standard Arabic

2020-2021 Spring

AKKD 20601 Intermediate Akkadian: Myths of Creation and Destruction

Akkadian readings of passages, mainly from the Babylonian Creation Epic (enuma elish) and the Babylonian Flood Story (Atrahasis), as well as from the Babylonian Theodicy, Gilgamesh, and the Myth of Seven Sages. Students are expected to master grammatical and narratival content, become familiar with the use of modern dictionaries and other Assyriological resources, and improve their proficiency in reading directly from Assyrian and Babylonian cursive cuneiform scripts.

Prerequisites

1 year of Introduction to Babylonian

2020-2021 Autumn

NEHC 20692 Armenian History through Art and Culture

(HIST 25711, ARTH 20692)

Who are the Armenians and where do they come from? What is the cultural contribution of Armenians to their neighbors and overall world heritage? This crash-course will try to answer these and many other similar questions while surveying Armenian history and elements of culture (mythology, religion, manuscript illumination, art, architecture, etc.). It also will discuss transformations of Armenian identity and symbols of 'Armenianness' through time, based on such elements of national identity as language, religion, art, or shared history. Due to the greatest artistic quality and the transcultural nature of its monuments and artifacts, Armenia has much to offer in the field of Art History, especially when we think about global transculturation and appropriation among cultures as a result of peoples' movements and contacts. The course is recommended for students with interest in Armenian Studies or related fields, in Area or Civilizations Studies, Art and Cultural Studies, etc.

2020-2021 Winter

AANL 20901 Hurrian

This class introduces the student to the grammar and texts of the Hurrian language. In addition we will read a number of representative texts in Hurrian.

Prerequisites

none

2020-2021 Spring

TURK 29701 Introduction to Old Turkic

Introduction to the Old Turkic Language, Culture & History through the reading of the Orkhon Inscriptions (8th Century AD).

2020-2021 Autumn

NEAA 20002/30002 Archaeology of the Ancient Near East 2: Anatolia

This course will survey the archaeological record of ancient Anatolia (modern Turkey) from the start of the Pre-Pottery Neolithic period (ca. 9500 BCE) to the end of the Iron Age (ca. 550 BCE). The material will cover a selection of significant archaeological sites designed to illustrate the diversity of cultures in Anatolia and to demonstrate broader regional patterns and themes. The presentation of sites will be accompanied by readings and discussions on the interpretation of archaeological data.

2020-2021 Spring

NEAA 20003/30003 Art & Archaeology of the Near East 3: The Levant

This course surveys the archaeology of the Levant from the Stone Age to the early Roman period, with emphasis on the Bronze and Iron Ages. For the periods after the Iron Age, the focus will be on the Southern Levant.

Prerequisites

None

2020-2021 Winter

NEHC 20004/30004 Ancient Near Eastern Thought and Literature I: Mesopotamian Literature

This course gives an overview of the richness of Mesopotamian Literature (modern Iraq) written in the 3rd-1st millennium BC. We will read myths and epics written on clay tablets in the Sumerian and Akkadian language in English translation and discuss content and style, but also the religious, cultural and historic implications. Particular focus will be on the development of stories over time, the historical context of the literature and mythological figures. The texts treated cover not only the famous Epic of Gilgamesh, but also various legends of Sumerian and Akkadian kings, stories about Creation and World Order, and destruction. The topics covered range from the quest for immortality, epic heroes and monsters, sexuality and love.

Prerequisites

None

2020-2021 Autumn

NEAA 20006/30006 Archaeology of the Ancient Near East VI: Egypt

This sequence provides a thorough survey in lecture format of the art and archaeology of ancient Egypt from the late Pre-dynastic era through the Roman period.

2020-2021 Autumn

NEHC 20019/30019 Mesopotamian Law

NEHC 20019 (= NEHC 30019, SIGN 26022, LLSO 20019) Mesopotamian Law.

Ancient Mesopotamia -- the home of the Sumerians, Babylonians, and Assyrians who wrote in cuneiform script on durable clay tablets -- was the locus of many of history's firsts. No development, however, may be as important as the formations of legal systems and legal principles revealed in contracts, trial records, and law collections (codes), among which The Laws of Hammurabi (r. 1792-1750 BC) stands as most important for understanding subsequent legal practice and thought of Mesopotamia's cultural heirs in the Middle East and Europe until today. This course will explore the rich source materials of the Laws and relevant judicial and administration documents (all in English translations) to investigate topics of legal, social, and economic practice including family formation and dissolution, crime and punishment (sympathetic or talionic eye for an eye, pecuniary, corporal), and procedure (contracts, trials, ordeals).

Prerequisites

none

2020-2021 Winter

NEAA 20030/30030 Rise of the State in the Ancient Near East

This course provides an introduction to the background and development of the first urbanized civilizations in the Near East in the period from 9000 to 2200 BC. In the first half of the course we will examine the archaeological evidence for the "Neolithic Revolution" - the first domestication of plants and animals and the earliest Neolithic village communities in the "fertile crescent" - the Levant, Anatolia, Mesopotamia and western Iran. The second half of the course will focus on the "Urban Revolution" - the economic and social transformations which took place during the development from, village based communities to the emergence of the urbanized civilizations of the Sumerians and neighboring groups in Mesopotamia during the fourth and third millennia BC.

Prerequisites

No pre-requisites

2020-2021 Winter

NEAA 20035/30035 Introduction to Zooarchaeology

This course provides undergraduate and graduate students with an introduction to the use of animal bones in archaeological research. Students will gain hands-on experience analyzing faunal remains from an archaeological site in the Near East. The class will address theoretical and methodological issues involved in the use of animal bones as a source of information about prehistoric societies. The course consists of lectures, laboratory sessions, and original research projects using collections of animal bone from archaeological excavations in southeast Turkey. Topics covered include: 1) identifying, ageing and sexing animal bones; 2) zooarchaeological sampling, measurement, quantification, and problems of taphonomy; 3) analysis of animal bone data; 4) reconstructing prehistoric hunting and pastoral economies, especially: animal domestication, hunting strategies, herding systems, seasonality, and pastoral production in complex societies.

Prerequisites

no prerequisites

2020-2021 Spring

NEHC 30055 Topics in Medieval and Early Modern Historiography

The course will take its start from combing the “Histories” and “Politics” sections, and their commentaries, and listings of the recently published Inventory of the Ottoman Palace Library of Sultan Bayezid II of 1502-1503 (Treasures of Knowledge:  An Inventory of the Ottoman Palace Library (1502-1503/1503-1504), eds. G. Necipoglu, C. Kafadar, C.H. Fleischer, 2 vols., Brill 2019), to develop a map of the Arabic, Persian, and Turkish historiographical and political theoretical terrain that formed the foundation of the early modern Islamic understanding of history as science, and its mobilization in the interest of reestablishment of universalist sovereignty in the sixteenth century and beyond.  It will then proceed to selected readings in original languages, selections to be determined by linguistic capacities and focus of participants.

2020-2021 Autumn

NEAA 20100/30100 Archaeological Methods and Interpretations

The first part of this course surveys the history of archaeology as a discipline and the methods used by archaeologists to obtain evidence about past human activity via excavations, surface surveys, and remote-sensing technologies; and also surveys the methods used to date, classify, and analyze various kinds of evidence after it has been obtained. The second half of the course surveys the main paradigms in social theory and examines the theoretical concepts and assumptions archaeologists have used to make sense of what they find.

Prerequisites

None

2020-2021 Winter

TURK 30101 Advanced Turkish I

Advanced Turkish students will develop their language skills in speaking, reading, translating, listening, and writing, while learning about Turkish society and culture at the same time. To address all of these aspects each class is divided into three sections which focuses on a specific skill.

Section one is conversation: it involves reading (or listening to) short (audio) pieces or phrases on a given topic; section two is reading and translation: students read and prepare pieces from Turkish literature, literature readings are short stories or selected parts from novels; section three is listening: by watching parts of a Turkish movie, students' skills in listening and understanding will get faster while we progress through the film.

Prerequisites

First and Second Year Turkish

2020-2021 Autumn

TURK 30102 Advanced Turkish II

Advanced Turkish students will develop their language skills in speaking, reading, translating, listening, and writing, while learning about Turkish society and culture at the same time. To address all of these aspects each class is divided into three sections which focusses on a specific skill. Section one is the conversation part: it involves reading (or listening to) short (audio) pieces or phrases on a given topic; section two is reading and translation: students read and prepare pieces from Turkish literature, literature readings are short stories or selected parts from novels; section three is the listening part: by watching parts of a Turkish movie, students' skills in listening and understanding will get faster while we progress through the movie.

2020-2021 Winter

NEHC 30120 The History of Muslim Histories

This course surveys Muslim history-writing in Arabic from its beginnings to the nineteenth century. Through reading the work of historians such as al-Baladhuri, al-Tabari, Miskawayh, Ibn ‘Asakir, Ibn Khaldun, and al-Jabarti, we investigate different genres of historical writing and examine the various methodologies employed by Muslim historians.

Prerequisites

3 years of Arabic or the equivalent

2020-2021 Winter

EGPT 30120 Introduction to Demotic

This course provides a basic introduction to the grammar, vocabulary, and orthographic styles of the Egyptian language phase and script used for administrative, literary and some religious and magical texts from the Late Period (664-332 BCE) through the Graeco-Roman Periods (332 BCE - 298 CE).

Prerequisites

EGPT 10101-10103 or equivalent

2020-2021 Winter

EGPT 30121 Demotic Texts

Building on the basic grammar, vocabulary, and orthographic styles learned in EGPT 30120, this course focuses on the reading and analysis of various Demotic administrative, literary, religious and magical texts from the Late Period (664-332 BCE) through the Graeco-Roman Periods (332 BCE - 298 CE).

Prerequisites

EGPT 30120 or equivalent

2020-2021 Spring

NEHC 30123 Islamic Doxography

This course explores the Islamic tradition of doxography—the study of sectarian differences. We read works by al-Balkhi, (pseudo?)al-Jubba’i, al-Ash‘ari, al-Nawbakhti, al-Shahrastani, and Ibn Hazm to understand what the genre of doxography consisted of, which methods its authors deployed, and how they envisioned the Muslim community and sectarian identities within it.

Prerequisites

3 years of Arabic or the equivalent

2020-2021 Spring

NEHC 20201/30201 Islamicate Civilization I: 600-950

This course covers the rise and spread of Islam, the Islamic empire under the Umayyad and early Abbasid caliphs, and the emergence of regional Islamic states from Afghanistan and eastern Iran to North Africa and Spain. The main focus will be on political, economic and social history.

NOTE TO UNDERGRADS: This course does not fulfill Civilization Studies requirements in the College.

Prerequisites

none

2020-2021 Autumn

ARAB 30201 High Intermediate Arabic (Modern)

This course is part of a sequence that is designed to take students to a solid Advanced proficiency in Modern Standard Arabic. It does this by clustering materials that serve all 4 language skills around three cultural themes. The class adheres to a 90% Arabic instruction. Students will move forward in their ability to listen to and understand spoken MSA, to read a variety of authentic texts (literary and other), and to speak and write more easily on topics of general and professional interest. By the end of the course, and surely, by the end of the academic year, students should be comfortable functioning at the Intermediate High-Advanced Low level of language proficiency. See the descriptions of the ACTFL standards and levels here: https://www.actfl.org/sites/default/files/pdfs/public/ACTFLProficiencyG…

Prerequisites

Two years of MSA, ACTFL Intermediate High level

2020-2021 Autumn

NEHC 20202/30202 Islamicate Civilization II: 950-1750

This course, a continuation of Islamicate Civilization I, surveys intellectual, cultural, religious and political developments in the Islamic world from Andalusia to the South Asian sub-continent during the periods from ca. 950 to 1750. We trace the arrival and incorporation of the Steppe Peoples (Turks and Mongols) into the central Islamic lands; the splintering of the Abbasid Caliphate and the impact on political theory; the flowering of literature of Arabic, Turkic and Persian expression; the evolution of religious and legal scholarship and devotional life; transformations in the intellectual and philosophical traditions; the emergence of Shi`i states (Buyids and Fatimids); the Crusades and Mongol conquests; the Mamluks and Timurids, and the "gunpowder empires" of the Ottomans, Safavids, and Moghuls; the dynamics of gender and class relations; etc. This class partially fulfills the requirement for MA students in CMES, as well as for NELC majors and PhD students.

NOTE TO UNDERGRADS: This course does not fulfill Civilization Studies requirements in the College.

Prerequisites

Islamicate Civilization I (NEHC 20201) or Islamic Thought & Literature-1 (NEHC 20601), or the equivalent

2020-2021 Winter

ARAB 30202 High Intermediate Arabic (Modern)

Arabic Through Debate

Taking debate as its central fulcrum, the course will develop all 4 language skills. Its language goals are served through preparing students to debate a number of issues of public interest.
Why “debate”?
a) Because debating, arguing, making claims, supporting claims with evidence, are all authentic activities that we all practice on a daily basis; debating is a relevant real-life skill;
b) Because the debate process pulls practitioners into all 4 language skills: debaters must read on the proposition topic, they must prepare their arguments in writing, they must clearly speak to an audience, and they must listen carefully to their team mates and to the arguments of the opposing team. In the process, they will be immersed in Arab culture (targeted expressions and historical references, of-the-moment issues, etc.)

Course Objectives
a) Expanding student vocabulary and structures into the abstract, analytic realm, i.e., placing them solidly in the advanced ACTFL levels (see the descriptions of the ACTFL standards and levels here: https://www.actfl.org/sites/default/files/pdfs/public/ACTFLProficiencyG…
b) Improving student speech techniques: pronunciation, intonation/voice modulation, pausing, emphasis, gesturing, visual communication;
c) Improving listening and writing skills and expanding them to include topics of general and academic interest;
d) Through a thoughtful selection of debate propositions, exposing students to some salient social, cultural, and political themes of importance to the Arab public.
e) Sharpening the logical argumentative skills of students.

Prerequisites

Two years of Arabic or their equivalent, or, consent of instructor

2020-2021 Winter

NEHC 20203/30203 Islamicate Civilization III: 1750-Present

This course covers the period from ca. 1750 to the present, focusing on Western military, economic, and ideological encroachment; the impact of such ideas as nationalism and liberalism; efforts at reform in the Islamic states; the emergence of the "modern" Middle East after World War I; the struggle for liberation from Western colonial and imperial control; the Middle Eastern states in the cold war era; and local and regional conflicts.

NOTE TO UNDERGRADS: This course does not fulfill Civilization Studies requirements in the College.

Prerequisites

Islamicate Civilization II (NEHC 20202) or Islamic Thought & Literature-2 (NEHC 20602), or the equivalent

2020-2021 Spring

ARAB 30203 High Intermediate Arabic (Modern)

Arabic Through Extensive Reading
In this course, students will read a whole work, most often, but not exclusively, a novel or play. Nevertheless, the course advances student proficiency in all 4 skills.
Naturally, reading is a central activity of this course. Students in the Intermediate High range* can expect to either feel more solidly comfortable in that level, or to go beyond it to the Advanced level. Students will improve their writing through a number of essays/reflections on the novel.
The course is taught in Arabic, so, students will be negotiating meaning amongst themselves by discussing the novel. In addition, the presentational mode will be exercised in a series of prepared class presentations. To improve their listening skills, students will work on video materials connected to the novel, testing their abilities through worksheets.
While no new grammar will be introduced in a formal manner, as students read the novel and use the writing book, they will be reviewing grammar studied earlier.

In addition to the novel, students will benefit from guest speakers in our classroom.

Prerequisites

Two years of Arabic, or the equivalent, or, consent of instructor

2020-2021 Spring

NEHC 20235/30235 Imaging Armenia: Diaspora and the Constitution of Subjectivity

What does it mean to be “Armenian”? Despite centuries of dispersion and displacement, there has remained, in the Armenian diaspora, a sense of Armenian-ness—a sense, in other words, of being Armenian. This course will serve as an interrogation of and meditation on what that sense of being has looked like across time and space, as seen through the lens of pivotal musical and other artistic works from the post-genocide diaspora. Through in-depth analyses of these works and the discourses surrounding them, this course will trace the emergence, articulation, and negotiation of Armenian diasporic subjectivities and the ways in which those subjectivities have emerged in relation to and in conversation with power structures both internal and external to the Armenian communities under discussion. Diaspora, then, will be approached not as a fixed unit of analysis, but as something that emerges and is sustained through complex relationships and negotiations with sociopolitical forces both within and outside the diasporic community. Through this course, we will see that artistic expression in the Armenian diaspora functions as a site of agency: a site in which the question of what it is to be Armenian is explored in ways that shape, challenge, and upend notions and understandings of diasporic identity.

Sylvia Alajaji
2020-2021 Spring

NELG 20301/30301 Introduction to Comparative Semitics

This course examines the lexical, phonological, and morphological traits shared by the members of the Semitic language family. We also explore the historical relationships among these languages and the possibility of reconstructing features of the parent speech community.

Prerequisites

Knowledge of two Semitic languages or one Semitic language and Historical Linguistics.

2020-2021 Autumn

ARAB 30301 High Intermediate Arabic (Classical)

First quarter of Classical High Intermediate Arabic

Prerequisites

ARAB 20103 or equivalent

2020-2021 Autumn

ARAB 30302 High Intermediate Arabic (Classical)

Second quarter of Classical High Intermediate Arabic

Prerequisites

ARAB 30301 or equivalent

2020-2021 Winter

ARAB 30303 High Intermediate Arabic (Classical)

Third quarter of Classical High Intermediate Arabic

Prerequisites

ARAB 30302 or equivalent

2020-2021 Spring

NEAA 30330 The Neo-Hittite and Aramaean City-States

This seminar explores the city-state system that arose in the eastern Mediterranean at the beginning of the Iron Age, ca. 1200 B.C.E. Most commonly referred to as “Syro-Hittite,” these kingdoms thrived for roughly 500 years until their piecemeal destruction at the hands of the Assyrian Empire. We will examine models for how this city-state system arose following the collapse of the Late Bronze Age political economy, how statehood and social identity were enacted during the centuries of their greatest cultural expressions, and how and why their political structure and cultural patterns came to an end. Our sources will be contemporary inscriptions and the archaeological record of the region. Other topics will include religious practices, military history, and interregional connections with the Assyrian Empire, the Aegean, and Israel/Judah.

2020-2021 Spring

AKKD 20352/30350 Nuzi: Documents from a Late Bronze Age Town

More than 6000 cuneiform documents from a single Late Bronze Age site, ancient Nuzi, dating to a period of only about 150 years, yield unparalleled insights into everyday life in the ancient world. This course will use these resources to explore a series of legal and social phenomena, both private and public, including family/status (marriage, divorce, inheritance, adoption), judicial process (trials, lawsuits), public corruption, political events, and more.

Prerequisites

2 years Akkadian or permission of instructor

2020-2021 Spring

TURK 20350/30350 Readings in Ottoman Court Records

This course introduces the students to the scholarship on and the original texts of Ottoman court records. Thousands of registers with millions of court cases covering the period from the sixteenth century to modern times have survived to date. These documents are celebrated by modern historians as exceptional snapshots into the daily lives of common people. Monday sessions are reserved for the discussion of secondary literature; we will read from the original court records on Fridays.

Prerequisites

Some exposure to Ottoman texts

2020-2021 Winter

SUMR 20401/30401 A School in Nippur

Using the original tablets excavated by the Oriental Institute in Nippur, we will read different texts found in House F, an Old Babylonian School. The class will include introductions to typical genres like lexical texts, model contracts, and literary school texts.

Prerequisites

1 year of Sumerian

2020-2021 Winter

EGPT 30446 Ptolemaic Hieroglyphs

This advanced course examines grammar, scripts and texts typically called "Ptolemaic," but employed in formal, priestly inscriptions of both the Ptolemaic and Roman eras. Texts to be examined include, among others, synod decrees and inscriptions from Dendera, Philae, Edfu, and Esna.

Prerequisites

Prior study of Middle Egyptian through Coptic

2020-2021 Spring

NEHC 30455 Topics in Semitic Studies

In this course, we will investigate and discuss prevalent topics in the philological and linguistic study of Semitic languages. The weekly topics will touch on the major sub-categories of grammar and focus on methodology.

Prerequisites

Introduction to Comparative Semitics or equivalent (e.g. general intro to Linguistics). Consent of Instructor required.

2020-2021 Autumn

HEBR 30501 Advanced Modern hebrew

This course assumes that students have full mastery of the grammatical and lexical content of the intermediate level (second year Hebrew or the placement exam are prerequisites). The main objective is literary fluency. The texts used in this course include both academic prose, as well as literature. Students are exposed to semantics and morphology in addition to advanced grammar. Requirements include a weekly class presentation, regular essay writing, two take-home exams, and several quizzes per quarter.

Prerequisites

Students should have at least two years of Modern Hebrew or are placed here following the result of the College Placement Exam

2020-2021 Autumn

TURK 30501 Ottoman Turkish I

A selection of Turkish printed texts in Arabic script from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries is introduced in order of difficulty. Hakan Karateke's unpublished "Ottoman Reader" serves as a text book. The texts are drawn from historical textbooks, official documents, novels, and other genres.

Prerequisites

2 years of Turkish, or equivalent

2020-2021 Autumn

NEAA 20501/30501 Introduction to Islamic Archaeology

This course is intended as a survey of the regions of the Islamic world from Arabia to North Africa, from Central Asia to the Gulf. The aim will be a comparative stratigraphy for the archaeological periods of the last millennium. A primary focus will be the consideration of the historical archaeology of the Islamic lands, the interaction of history and archaeology, and the study of patterns of cultural interaction over this region, which may also amplify understanding of ancient archaeological periods in the Near East.

2020-2021 Winter

TURK 30502 Ottoman Turkish II

A selection of Turkish printed texts in Arabic script from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries is introduced in order of difficulty. Hakan Karateke's unpublished "Ottoman Reader" serves as a text book. The texts are drawn from historical textbooks, official documents, novels, and other genres.

2020-2021 Winter

HEBR 30502 Advanced Modern Hebrew

This course assumes that students have full mastery of the grammatical and lexical content of the intermediate level (second year Hebrew or the placement exam are prerequisites). The main objective is literary fluency. The texts used in this course include both academic prose, as well as literature. Students are exposed to semantics and morphology in addition to advanced grammar. Requirements include a weekly class presentation, regular essay writing, two take-home exams, and several quizzes per quarter.

Prerequisites

Student should have at least two years of Modern Hebrew or are following the results of the College Placement Exam

2020-2021 Winter

HEBR 30503 Advanced Modern Hebrew

This course assumes that students have full mastery of the grammatical and lexical content of the intermediate level (second year Hebrew or the placement exam are prerequisites). The main objective is literary fluency. The texts used in this course include both academic prose, as well as literature. Students are exposed to semantics and morphology in addition to advanced grammar. Requirements include a weekly class presentation, regular essay writing, two take-home exams, and several quizzes per quarter.

Prerequisites

Students should have at least 2 years of Modern Hebrew or were placed into this level by taking the Placement Exam.

2020-2021 Spring

TURK 30503 Ottoman Turkish III

A selection of Turkish printed texts in Arabic script from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries is introduced in order of difficulty. Hakan Karateke's unpublished "Ottoman Reader" serves as a text book. The texts are drawn from historical textbooks, official documents, novels, and other genres.

2020-2021 Spring

NEAA 20522/30522 Late Levant: Archaeology of Islamic Syria-Palestine

This course is an exploration of the cultural patterns in the Levant from the late Byzantine period down to modern times, a span of some 1500 years. While the subject matter will be archaeological sites of this period in Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Israel, the focus will be on the role of medieval archaeology in amplifying the history of economic and social systems. It is this connective quality of Islamic archaeology which contributes to an understanding of the earlier history and archaeology of this region.

Prerequisites

none

2020-2021 Spring

NEHC 20605/30605 Colloquium: Sources for the Study of Islamic History

This course is designed to acquaint students with the basic problems and concepts as well as the sources and methodology for the study of premodern Islamicate history. Sources will be read in English translation and the tools acquired will be applied to specific research projects to be submitted as term papers.

2020-2021 Winter

NEHC 20658/30658 Narrating Conflict in Modern Arabic Literature

This course is an exploration of conflict in the Arab world through literature, film and new media. In this course, we will discuss the influence of independence movements, wars, and revolts on Arabic literature: how do writers write about, or film, conflict? How does conflict affect language itself? How do these texts engage with issues of trauma and bearing witness? To answer these questions, we will look at a number of key moments of conflict in the Arab world, including the Arab-Israeli conflicts, the Algerian war of independence, the 2011 Egyptian revolution, the Lebanese and Iraq wars, and the ongoing war in Syria. Rather than follow a historical chronology of these events, we will read these texts thematically, beginning with texts that seek to present themselves as direct, sometimes eye-witness, accounts and then moving on to narratives that complicate the relationship between conflict and its narration.

2020-2021 Spring

NEHC /30659 The Task of the Self Translator

Walter Benjamin famously wrote that a translation issues from the “afterlife” of the original: “For a translation comes later than the original, and since the important works of world literature never find their chosen translators at the time of their origins, their translation marks their stage of continued life.” This graduate seminar focuses on the case of multilingual writers and their self-translations to raise questions concerning the temporality, directionality, and “afterlife” of translated works. The figure of the self-translator challenges models of translation and cross-cultural circulation that assume various cultural and historical gaps between the source and its translation. For one, self-translation calls into question the notions of originality or “the original” and of “fidelity,” and requires us to consider the overlap between translation and rewriting. What brought writers to produce the same texts in different languages, at times for similar audiences of multilingual readers? What theories of translation or world literature might be helpful when approaching the case of Jewish self-translation in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries? We will discuss these issues also in the context of comparative Jewish studies, considering the difference between internal, Hebrew-Yiddish, self-translation, and the translation between Hebrew or Yiddish and a third “non-Jewish” language, whether European or Middle-Eastern.

2020-2021 Autumn

NEHC 20737/30737 Imperialism before the Age of Empires?

This course offers a critical analysis of the use of concepts such as empire and imperialism in the historiography of ancient Mesopotamia to address political formations that developed (and vanished) from the Early to Late Bronze Ages (mid-3rd to late-2nd millennium BCE). Drawing from theoretical studies on imperialism and the imperial constructions that developed in the Iron Age and beyond (starting with the Neo-Assyrian and Neo-Babylonian empires), this seminar will explore the nature of power, control, and resource management in these early formations, and how they qualify (or not) as imperial policies. Students will address a substantial part of Mesopotamian history (from the Sargonic down to the Middle Assyrian and Babylonian periods) and study in depth some key historiographical issues for the history of Early Antiquity. Primary documents will be read in translation and the course has no ancient language requirements. However, readings of secondary literature in common academic languages (especially French and German) are to be expected.
This course fulfills the requirements of a survey course in Mesopotamian civilization as defined by the Ancient PhD programs in NELC and MA program in the CMES.

2020-2021 Winter

NEHC 30755 Research Topics in Ottoman History

This course will discuss current trends in research for 19th and early 20th C Ottoman and Turkish history

2020-2021 Autumn

NEHC 20765/30765 Introduction to the Musical Folklore of Central Asia

This course explores the musical traditions of the peoples of Central Asia, both in terms of historical development and cultural significance. Topics include the music of the epic tradition, the use of music for healing, instrumental genres, and Central Asian folk and classical traditions. Basic field methods for ethnomusicology are also covered. Extensive use is made of recordings of musical performances and of live performances in the area.

2020-2021 Spring

AKKD 30820 Readings in the letters from Tell el-Amarna

In this course, we will read Akkadian letters from the correspondence found at Tell el-Amarna, Egypt, that date to the 14th century BCE. We will read letters from various locations, including Babyonia, Assyria, Mitanni and Hatti, although the main focus of the class will be on the letters sent from Canaan. In all these corpora we will look at features that mark the language as different from core Babylonian and that reveal substrate influence from the native languages of the scribes.

Prerequisites

Two years of Akkadian

2020-2021 Winter

NEHC 30852 The Ottoman World in the Age of Suleyman the Magnificent

This seminar/colloquim focuses on the transformation of the Muslim Ottoman principality into an imperial entity--after the conquest of Constantinople in 1453--that laid claim to inheritance of Alexandrine, Roman/Byzantine, Mongol/Chinggisid, and Islamic models of Old World Empire at the dawn of the early modern era. Usually taught as a two-quarter reseach seminar, this year only the first quarter is offered, with a 15-20 paper due at the end. Special attention is paid to the transformation of Ottoman imperialism in the reign of Sultan Süleyman the Lawgiver (1520-1566), who appeared to give the Empire its "classical" form. Topics include: the Mongol legacy; the reformulation of the relationship between political and religious institutions; mysticism and the creation of divine kingship; Muslim-Christian competition (with special reference to Spain and Italy) and the formation of early modernity; the articulation of bureaucratized hierarchy; and comparison of Muslim Ottoman, Iranian Safavid, and Christian European imperialisms. The quarter-long colloquium comprises a chronological overview of major themes in Ottoman history, 1300-1600. In addition to papers, students will be required to give an oral presentation on a designated primary or secondary source in the course of the seminar.

2020-2021 Autumn

NEHC 30891 Sem: Intro to the Ottoman Press-1

Course introduces students to the historical context and specific characteristics of the mass printed press (newspapers, cultural and political journals, etc.) in the Ottoman Empire in the 19th C. We will investigate issues such as content, censorship, production, readership and distribution through secondary reading and the examination of period publications.

2020-2021 Winter

NEHC 30892 Introduction to the Ottoman Press-2

Students will develop their research papers, and we will continue to explore aspects of the late Ottoman press.

2020-2021 Spring

AKKD 20900/30900 Old Assyrian Letters and Documents

This course introduces students to the Assyrian dialect of the early second millennium BCE, as witnessed in the archives of Assyrian merchants operating in the ancient city of Kaneš (modern Kültepe, Turkey). Students will read through a selection of letters, legal texts and administrative documents pertaining to the merchants' activities between Northern Mesopotamia and Anatolia. They will be exposed to the earliest known attestation of the Northern dialect of Akkadian, which differs sensibly from the contemporary Old Babylonian and later Standard Babylonian dialects that are introduced in elementary and intermediate Akkadian courses. Similarly, Old Assyrian cursive paleography has its own rules for sign shapes and values, with some marked differences with contemporary Old Babylonian. Knowledge of the Old Babylonian grammar and cursive cuneiform script are therefore required to take this course, and knowledge of Standard Babylonian and the associated scripts are highly recommended. Due to the restrictions in classroom availabilities imposed by the current pandemic, this course will be offered remotely via Zoom. Evaluation will be based on participation (30%), a midterm take-home exam (30%) and a final take-home exam (40%).

Prerequisites

 Intermediate Akkadian (exceptions possible with instructor’s consent)

2020-2021 Autumn

NEHC 30937 Nationalism & Colonialism in the Middle East

This graduate seminar offers a historiographical overview of the approaches to sect, religion, minority and gender in colonial and postcolonial contexts in the Middle East. We will discuss the conceptualizations of nationalism by different social scientists; explore the characteristics of Iranian, Turkish and Arab nationalism[s] in the years 1860-1979; examine the history of science and technology in the region and its influence on perceptions of Islamic modernity,; and ask whether sectarianism an old phenomenon or a new one, paying heed to the relationship between minorities and religions in the region.

2020-2021 Autumn

NEHC 21000/31000 Before the Zodiac: Astronomy and Mathematics as Ancient Culture

Taking as its central theme the cultural situatedness of the earliest systems of mathematics and astronomy-from their origins in ancient Mesopotamia (Iraq, c. 3400 BCE) until the Common Era (CE)-this course explores topics in mathematical language and script, metrology, geometry and topology, music theory, definitions of time, models of stars and planets, medical astrology, and pan-astronomical hermeneutics in literature and an ancient board game. Pushing against boundaries separating the humanities and social and physical sciences, students discover how histories of science and mathematics could be decisively shaped not merely by sensory experience or axiomatic definition, but also by ideas and imagery derived from the cultures, societies, and aesthetics of their day.

Prerequisites

none

2020-2021 Spring

NEHC 21215/31215 Abraham's Sacrifice of Isaac in Multiple Perspectives

The story of Abraham’s (near) sacrifice of his son, Isaac, found in Genesis 22:1-19, is one of the most influential and enduring stories in Western literature and art.  It is part of the living tradition of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam and its meaning and implications have been repeatedly explored in the communities defined by these religions, and has, in turn, helped to shape the self-perception of those communities.  This course will consider the multiple perspectives from which this story has been viewed and the multiple interpretations which this story has generated, starting with its earliest incorporation into the Hebrew Bible, moving to its role in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, and concluding with its influence on modern works.  No knowledge of Hebrew is required.

Prerequisites

None

2020-2021 Spring

ARAB 40200 Advanced Readings

Advanced Readings in Arabic

2020-2021 Autumn

NELG 20901/40301 Advanced Seminar in Comparative Semitics

This course is an advanced seminar in comparative Semitics that critically discusses important secondary literature and linguistic methodologies concerning topics in the field, including topics in phonology, morphology, syntax, etc.

Prerequisites

Intro to Comparative Semitics. Undergraduates require consent of instructor.

2020-2021 Winter

EGPT 40480 Religious Texts

This advanced course entails reading Egyptian religious and magical compositions from the Pyramid Texts through Coptic magical incantations, including diachronic study of funerary literature, hymns and ritual texts. Knowledge of all stages of Egyptian is recommended.

Prerequisites

Prior study of Middle Egyptian through Coptic

2020-2021 Spring

TURK 40589 Advanced Ottoman Historical Texts

Based on selected readings from major Ottoman chronicles from the fifteenth to the seventeenth centuries, the course provides an introduction to the use of primary narrative materials and an overview of the development and range of Ottoman historical writing. Knowledge of modern and Ottoman Turkish required.

Prerequisites

2 years Modern Turkish, 1 year of Ottoman

2020-2021 Autumn

TURK 10101 Elementary Turkish

This sequence features proficiency-based instruction emphasizing grammar in modern Turkish. This sequence consists of reading and listening comprehension, as well as grammar exercises and basic writing in Turkish. Modern stories and contemporary articles are read at the end of the courses.

2019-2020 Autumn

AANL 10101 Elementary Hittite I

This is the first in a three-quarter sequence that covers the basic grammar and cuneiform writing system of the Hittite language. It also familiarizes the student with the field’s tools (i.e., dictionaries, lexica, sign list). Readings come from all periods of Hittite history (1650 to 1180 B.C.).

2019-2020 Autumn

GEEZ 10101 Elementary Ge'ez I

This course introduces the fundamentals of Ge'ez (Classical Ethiopic) with an overview of grammar and the writing system, as well as exercises in reading early monumental and simple narrative texts.

2019-2020 Autumn

KAZK 10101 Elementary Kazakh-1

This sequence introduces students to Kazakh, a Turkic language spoken in Kazakhstan and neighboring countries. The course teaches the fundamentals of grammar and it enables students to read, write, and speak Kazakh. Students will be exposed to the history and culture of Kazakhstan through modern and 19th-century literature, as well as to current events through mass media. The second and third quarters of this sequence and the Intermediate Kazakh sequence (KAZK 20101-20102-20103) are offered based on interest.

2019-2020 Autumn

ARME 10101 Elementary Modern Armenian I

This three-quarter sequence focuses on the acquisition of speaking, listening, reading and basic writing skills in modern formal and spoken Armenian. The course utilizes the most advanced computer technology and audio-visual aids enabling students to master a core vocabulary, the alphabet and the basic grammatical structures to communicate their basic needs in Armenian, understand simple texts and to achieve a minimal level of proficiency in modern formal and spoken Armenian.

A considerable amount of historical-political and social-cultural issues about Armenia are skillfully built into the course for students who have intention to conduct research in Armenian Studies or related fields, or to pursue work in Armenia. A language competency exam is offered at the end of spring quarter for those taking this course as college language requirement.

2019-2020 Autumn

PERS 10101 Elementary Persian I

This sequence emphasizes all skills of language acquisition (reading, writing, listening, speaking). The goal is to enable the student towards the end of the sequence to read, understand, and translate simple texts in modern standard Persian and engage in short everyday dialogs. All the basic grammatical structures are covered.

HEBR 10101 Elementary Classical Hebrew-1

The purpose of this three-quarter sequence is to enable the student to acquire a knowledge of the vocabulary and grammar of Classical Hebrew sufficient to read prose texts with the occasional assistance of a dictionary. The first quarter focuses on the inflection of nouns and adjectives and begins the inflection of verbs. It includes translation to and from Hebrew, oral exercises, and grammatical analysis of forms.

2019-2020 Autumn

EGPT 10101 Intro to Middle Egyptian Hieroglyphs I

This sequence examines hieroglyphic writing and the grammar of the language of classical Egyptian literature.

2019-2020 Autumn

ARAM 10401 Elementary Syriac I

The purpose of this three-quarter sequence is to enable the student to read Syriac literature with a high degree of comprehension. The course is divided into two segments. The first two quarters are devoted to acquiring the essentials of Syriac grammar and vocabulary. The third quarter is spent reading a variety of Syriac prose and poetic texts and includes a review of grammar.

Prerequisites

Second year standing

2019-2020 Autumn

TURK 10501 Intro to Turkic Languages I

(KAZK 10501)

The first quarter of a two-section course in which Elementary Kazakh and Elementary Uzbek will be offered as one class, with the option for students to study one or the other, or both simultaneously.

2019-2020 Autumn

AKKD 10501 Introduction to Babylonian I

Introduction to the grammar of Akkadian, specifically to the Old Babylonian dialect. The class covers the first half of the Old Babylonian grammar, an introduction to the cuneiform script, and easy translation exercises.

2019-2020 Autumn

HEBR 10501 Introduction to Modern Hebrew

The beginner’s course is the first of three sequential courses offered to students at the university. The course aims to introduce students to reading, writing and speaking Modern Hebrew. Toward that end all four-language skills are emphasized: comprehension of written and oral materials; reading of non-diacritical text; writing of directed sentences, paragraphs, and compositions; speaking. Students will learn the Hebrew root pattern system, and by the end of the year will have mastered the five (active) basic verb conjugations in both the past and present tenses (as well as simple future). This grammatical knowledge is complemented by an 800+ word vocabulary, which is presented with an eye toward the major syntactic structures, including the proper use of prepositions. At the end of the year, students will conduct short conversations in Hebrew; read materials designed to this level and write short compositions.

2019-2020 Autumn

HEBR 20001 Hebrew Letters and Inscriptions

Introduction to reading and analysis of pre-exilic Hebrew inscriptions, including Transjordanian dialects

Prerequisites

Intermediate Classical Hebrew I-III or equivalent

2019-2020 Autumn

NEHC 20012 Ancient Empires II

The Ottomans ruled in Anatolia, the Middle East, South East Europe and North Africa for over six hundred years. The objective of this course is to understand the society and culture of this bygone Empire whose legacy continues, in one way or another, in some twenty-five contemporary successor states from the Balkans to the Arabian Peninsula. The course is designed as an introduction to the Ottoman World with a focus on the cultural history of the Ottoman society. It explores identities and mentalities, customs and rituals, status of minorities, mystical orders and religious establishments, literacy and the use of the public sphere.

2019-2020 Autumn

NEAA 20061 Ancient Landscapes I

This is a two-course sequence that introduces students to theory and method in landscape studies and the use of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) to analyze archaeological, anthropological, historical, and environmental data. Course one covers the theoretical and methodological background necessary to understand spatial approaches to landscape and the fundamentals of using ESRI's ArcGIS software, and further guides students in developing a research proposal. Course two covers more advanced GIS-based analysis (using vector, raster, and satellite remote sensing data) and guides students in carrying out their own spatial research project. In both courses, techniques are introduced through the discussion of case studies (focused on the archaeology of the Middle East) and through demonstration of software skills. During supervised laboratory times, the various techniques and analyses covered will be applied to sample archaeological data and also to data from a region/topic chosen by the student.

Anthony Lauricella
2019-2020 Autumn

NEAA 20100/30100 Archaeological Methods and Interpretations

(NEHC 30100)

This course surveys (1) the wide range of methods used by archaeologists to recover and analyze evidence concerning the human past; and (2) the various theoretical paradigms archaeologists have employed to interpret their finds and reconstruct ancient societies and cultures.

2019-2020 Autumn

EGPT 20101 Middle Egyptian Texts II

This course features readings in a variety of genres, including historical, literary, and scientific texts.

2019-2020 Autumn

ARAB 20101 Intermediate Arabic

In this intermediate Arabic course, we will work through the second half of Al-Kitaab Part 2. As in any language course, we address all four of the fundamental skills: reading, writing, listening, and speaking. A particular focus of this sequence, however, is ensuring that students have a solid, comprehensive understanding of the rules of Arabic syntax. In addition to readings and exercises from the textbook, we will increasingly make use of articles from Arabic-language news media.

PERS 20101 Intermediate Persian I

The goal of this sequence is to enable the students to gain proficiency in all skills of language acquisition at a higher level. The student learns more complex grammatical structures, and gradually other levels of language (colloquial, literary) are introduced. Texts include selected articles, stories, and poetry (classical and modern).

Prerequisites

PERS 10103

ARME 20101 Intermediate Modern Armenian

The course is aiming to enable students to reach a reasonable level of proficiency in the Armenian language. The curriculum is heavily based on real life situations. Each class session includes a healthy balance of real-life like conversations (shopping, placing an order in a restaurant, asking directions, talking with natives, getting around in the city, banking, etc.), readings (e-mails, text messages, ads, news, etc.) and writings (messages, filling forms, etc). The students can also communicate in Armenian well beyond basic needs about the daily life and obtain some level of fluency in their professional interests. This sequence covers a wider-range vocabulary and complex grammatical structures in modern formal and colloquial Armenian. Reading assignments also include a selection of simple original Armenian literature and excerpts from mass media.

Prerequisites

ARME 10103 or an equivalent

2019-2020 Autumn

TURK 20101 Intermediate Turkish I

This sequence features proficiency-based instruction emphasizing speaking and writing skills as well as reading and listening comprehension at the intermediate to advanced levels in modern Turkish. Modern short stories, novel excerpts, academic and journalistic articles form the basis for an introduction to modern Turkish literature. Cultural units consisting of films and web-based materials are also used extensively in this course, which is designed to bring the intermediate speaker to an advanced level of proficiency

Prerequisites

TURK 10103, or equivalent with intermediate level proficiency test

2019-2020 Autumn

HEBR 20104 Intermediate Classical Hebrew I

Review basic Classical Hebrew grammar, emphasis on morphology and basic syntax; review/acquire historical morphology; acquire facility in reading Biblical Hebrew prose

Prerequisites

Elementary Classical Hebrew !-III or equivalent

2019-2020 Autumn

EGPT 20211 Late Egyptian Texts

Building on the basics of grammar, vocabulary, and orthographic styles learned in EGPT 20210, this course focuses on the reading and analysis of Late Egyptian texts from the various genres.

2019-2020 Autumn

AANL 20301 Hieroglyphic Luwian I

This course introduces the student to the grammar and hieroglyphic writing system of the Luwian language of Anatolia of the first millennium BC (1000 to 700). After a brief introduction of the grammar, we will start reading short hieroglyphic texts, increasing knowledge of both script and grammar until we are ready for the famous Karatepe text from Cilicia, the Phoenician-Luwian bilingual that was instrumental for the decipherment of both script and language.

2019-2020 Autumn

HEBR 20501 Intermediate Modern Hebrew I

The main objective of this sequence is to provide students with the skills necessary to approach modern Hebrew prose, both fiction and nonfiction. In order to achieve this task, students are provided with a systematic examination of the complete verb structure. Many syntactic structures are introduced (e.g., simple clauses, coordinate and compound sentences). At this level, students not only write and speak extensively but are also required to analyze grammatically and contextually all of material assigned.

2019-2020 Autumn

NEAA 20501 Intro to Islamic Archaeology

(NEHC 30501)

This course is an exploration of the continuities of Egyptian culture from the Ptolemaic period down to modern times, a span of over 2000 years. The emphasis will be on the archaeology of Coptic and Islamic Egypt. The focus will be on the role of medieval archaeology in amplifying the history of economic and social systems. It is this connective quality of archaeology which contributes to an understanding of Pharaonic culture and fills the gap between ancient and modern Egypt

2019-2020 Autumn

AKKD 20604 Intermediate Akkadian - The Standard Babylonian Gilgamesh Epic

We will read highlights of the Standard Babylonian Gilgamesh Epic including the creation and taming of Enkidu, the fight in the Cedar Forest, Gilgamesh and Ishtar, as well as the flood story. You will learn how to use advanced dictionaries and sign lists and to write score and composite editions of Mesopotamian literature.

Prerequisites

One year of Akkadian

2019-2020 Autumn

NEHC 20692 Armenian History through Art and Culture

This 10-week crash-course surveys Armenian history and elements of culture (religion, mythology and music, manuscript illumination, art and architecture) as well as offer a mosaic of traditions and customs (festivals and feasts, birth and wedding rituals, funerary cult) of Armenia. It also discusses transformations of Armenian identity and symbols of ‘Armenianness’ through time (especially in Soviet and post-Soviet eras) based on such elements of national identity, as language, religion, art or shared history. Recommended for students with interest in Armenian Studies or related fields, in Area or Civilizations Studies, Art and Cultural Studies, etc.

2019-2020 Autumn

NEHC 22010 Jewish Civilization I: Ancient Beginnings to Early Medieval Period

Jewish Civilization is a two-quarter sequence that explores the development of Jewish culture and tradition from its ancient beginnings through its rabbinic and medieval transformations to its modern manifestations. Through investigation of primary texts-biblical, Talmudic, philosophical, mystical, historical, documentary, and literary-students will acquire a broad overview of Jews, Judaism, and Jewishness while reflecting in greater depth on major themes, ideas, and events in Jewish history. The Autumn course will deal with antiquity to the early medieval periods. Its readings will include works from the Bible, the Dead Sea Scrolls, Philo, Josephus, the Rabbis, Yehudah Halevy, and Maimonides. All sections of each course will share a common core of readings; individual instructors will supplement with other materials. It is recommended, though not required, that students take these two courses in sequence. Students who register for the Autumn Quarter course will automatically be pre-registered for the winter segment.

2019-2020 Autumn

NEHC 29899 Research Colloquium

Required of fourth-year students who are majoring in NELC. This is a workshop course designed to survey the fields represented by NELC and to assist students in researching andcompleting their Research Project. Students must get a Reading and Research form from their College Adviser and complete the form in order to be registered. Signatures are needed from the adviser and Director of Undergraduate Studies. Please indicate on the form that you wish to register for NEHC 29899 Section 01.

2019-2020 Autumn

NEHC 10101 Intro to the Middle East

Prior knowledge of the Middle East not required. This course aims to facilitate a general understanding of some key factors that have shaped life in this region, with primary emphasis on modern conditions and their background, and to provide exposure to some of the region's rich cultural diversity. This course can serve as a basis for the further study of the history, politics, and civilizations of the Middle East.

2019-2020 Spring

ARAB 10103 Elementary Arabic

This sequence concentrates on the acquisition of speaking, reading, and aural skills in modern formal Arabic.

Osama Abu Eledam, Elkhidr Choudar, Zainab Hermes
2019-2020 Spring

TURK 10103 Elementary Turkish

This sequence features proficiency-based instruction emphasizing grammar in modern Turkish. This sequence consists of reading and listening comprehension, as well as grammar exercises and basic writing in Turkish. Modern stories and contemporary articles are read at the end of the courses.

2019-2020 Spring

AANL 10103 Elementary Hittite III

This is the first in a three-quarter sequence that covers the basic grammar and cuneiform writing system of the Hittite language. It also familiarizes the student with the field’s tools (i.e., dictionaries, lexica, sign list). Readings come from all periods of Hittite history (1650 to 1180 B.C.).

Prerequisites

Elementary Hittite - 2

2019-2020 Spring

GEEZ 10103 Readings in Classical Ethiopic

Please refer to previously existing course description

Prerequisites

Introduction to Classical Ethiopic I+II

2019-2020 Spring

ARME 10103 Elementary Modern Armenian III

This three-quarter sequence focuses on the acquisition of speaking, listening, reading and basic writing skills in modern formal and spoken Armenian. The course utilizes the most advanced computer technology and audio-visual aids enabling students to master a core vocabulary, the alphabet and the basic grammatical structures to communicate their basic needs in Armenian, understand simple texts and to achieve a minimal level of proficiency in modern formal and spoken Armenian. A considerable amount of historical-political
and social-cultural issues about Armenia are skillfully built into the course for students who have intention to conduct research in Armenian Studies or related fields, or to pursue work in Armenia. A language competency exam is offered at the end of spring quarter for those taking this course as college language requirement.

Prerequisites

ARME 10102 or an equivalent

2019-2020 Spring

PERS 10103 Elementary Persian III

This sequence emphasizes all skills of language acquisition (reading, writing, listening, speaking). The goal is to enable the student towards the end of the sequence to read, understand, and translate simple texts in modern standard Persian and engage in short everyday dialogs. All the basic grammatical structures are covered.

Prerequisites

PERS 10102

HEBR 10103 Elementary Classical Hebrew-3

The purpose of this three-quarter sequence is to enable the student to acquire a knowledge of the vocabulary and grammar of Classical Hebrew sufficient to read prose texts with the occasional assistance of a dictionary. The first half of the third quarter finishes verb inflection and includes translation to and from Hebrew, oral exercises, and grammatical analysis. The second half of the quarter consists of selected readings from the prose texts of the Hebrew Bible.

Prerequisites

HEBR 10102 or equivalent

2019-2020 Spring

EGPT 10103 Middle Egyptian Texts III

This course features readings in a variety of genres, including historical, literary, and scientific texts.

2019-2020 Spring

ARAB 10251 Colloquial Egyptian Arabic: Language and Culture

This course introduces the student to the spoken language of Egypt, particularly of Cairo. Through extensive engagement with films, songs, talk shows, and other media, as well as productive student activities (skits, songs, riddles, etc.) the student will improve their listening and speaking skills. In addition, the course will introduce the student to the new phenomenon of written colloquial, found on social media as well as in some new literature.

Prerequisites

Prerequisite: At least one year of MSA study. NOTE: contact instructor if interested in the course but it poses scheduling problems.

2019-2020 Spring

ARAM 10403 Elementary Syriac III

The purpose of this three-quarter sequence is to enable the student to read Syriac literature with a high degree of comprehension. The course is divided into two segments. The first two quarters are devoted to acquiring the essentials of Syriac grammar and vocabulary. The third quarter is spent reading a variety of Syriac prose and poetic texts and includes a review of grammar.

Prerequisites

ARAM 10402 or equivalent

2019-2020 Spring

AKKD 10503 Introduction to Babylonian III

Selected readings of Akkadian texts in the Standard Babylonian dialect of the 1st millennium BC

Colton Siegmund
2019-2020 Spring

HEBR 10503 Introduction to Modern Hebrew

The beginner’s course is the first of three sequential courses offered to students at the university. The course aims to introduce students to reading, writing and speaking Modern Hebrew. Toward that end all four-language skills are emphasized: comprehension of written and oral materials; reading of non-diacritical text; writing of directed sentences, paragraphs, and compositions; speaking. Students will learn the Hebrew root pattern system, and by the end of the year will have mastered the five (active) basic verb conjugations in both the past and present tenses (as well as simple future). This grammatical knowledge is complemented by an 800+ word vocabulary, which is presented with an eye toward the major syntactic structures, including the proper use of prepositions. At the end of the year, students will conduct short conversations in Hebrew; read materials designed to this level and write short compositions.

2019-2020 Spring

HEBR 20003 Punic Inscriptions

Introduction to reading and analysis of Punic inscriptions

Prerequisites

Phoenician Inscriptions

2019-2020 Spring

NEHC 20013 Ancient Empires III

For most of the duration of the New Kingdom (1550-1069 BC), the ancient Egyptians were able to establish a vast empire and becoming one of the key powers within the Near East. This course will investigate in detail the development of Egyptian foreign policies and military expansion which affected parts of the Near East and Nubia. We will examine and discuss topics such as ideology, imperial identity, political struggle and motivation for conquest and control of wider regions surrounding the Egyptian state as well as the relationship with other powers and their perspective on Egyptian rulers as for example described in the Amarna letters.

2019-2020 Spring

NEHC 20035 Babylonian Knowledge: The Mesopotamian Way of Thought

This course has two goals. The first is an interior goal, to introduce students to the major categories of knowledge created and employed in ancient Assyria and Babylonia, as the Mesopotamian “core curriculum.” This was the corpus of material that had to be mastered by scribes of the Neo-Sumerian and Neo-Assyrian periods, including proverbs, lists, omens, geographies, medicine, magic, law, mathematics, history, royal wisdom, and accounting.

The second goal is “exterior”: to examine the epistemological precepts on which knowledge was constructed. What was held to be knowable? What methods and techniques were used to identify and justify knowledge as valid or authentic? What roles did copying, editing, authorship, and literacy play in the production of knowledge texts? How the organization and preservation of texts create canons and curricula?

No prior knowledge of Mesopotamian history or literature is required. Students are asked to think with the primary texts, not to demonstrate mastery of them.

Seth Richardson
2019-2020 Spring

NEHC 20085 BIG: Monumental Buildings and Sculptures in the Past and Present

(SIGN 26000)

The building of sculpted monuments and monumental architecture seems to be a universal human trait in all parts of the world, from the pyramids of ancient Egypt to the inuksuit cairns of the arctic Inuit. What explains our urge to create monumental things? Why are monuments built, and how do we experience them? This course explores various answers to these questions through the disciplines that most frequently address monuments: archaeology, architecture, and art history. In the process, we will encounter a number of the major theoretical trends that have characterized the humanities and social sciences in the past century. This course examines humankind’s monumental record through a series of famous case studies from around the world to investigate the social significance of monuments in their original ancient or modern contexts. We will also determine whether lessons learned from th¬e past can be applied to the study of monuments today, and whether studying modern monuments – including those from our immediate surroundings in Chicago – can help us understand those of the past.

2019-2020 Spring

ARAB 20103 Intermediate Arabic

In this intermediate Arabic course, we will work through the second half of Al-Kitaab Part 2. As in any language course, we address all four of the fundamental skills: reading, writing, listening, and speaking. A particular focus of this sequence, however, is ensuring that students have a solid, comprehensive understanding of the rules of Arabic syntax. In addition to readings and exercises from the textbook, we will increasingly make use of articles from Arabic-language news media.

Osama Abu Eledam, Elkhidr Choudar, Zainab Hermes, Kay Heikkinen
2019-2020 Spring

PERS 20103 Intermediate Persian III

The goal of this sequence is to enable the students to gain proficiency in all skills of language acquisition at a higher level. The student learns more complex grammatical structures, and gradually other levels of language (colloquial, literary) are introduced. Texts include selected articles, stories, and poetry (classical and modern).

Prerequisites

PERS 20102-II

TURK 20103 Intermediate Turkish III

The course emphasizes comprehension by listening to parts of Turkish movies and songs, and self-expression both in written and spoken Turkish. Students write essays, summaries and scenarios. Turkish literature of increasing complexity will gradually be introduced.

2019-2020 Spring

HEBR 20106 Intermediate Classical Hebrew III

Continue acquisition of basic Classical Hebrew, emphasis on syntax; increase familiarity with Biblical Hebrew poetry, emphasis on prophets; continue acquisition of basic historical morphology; introduction to reading ancient manuscripts.

Prerequisites

Intermediate Classical Hebrew II or equivalent

2019-2020 Spring

EGPT 20210 Intro to Late Egyptian

This course is a comprehensive examination of the grammar, vocabulary, and orthographic styles of the nonliterary vernacular of New Kingdom Egypt (Dynasties XVII to XXIV), as exhibited by administrative and business documents, private letters, and official monuments. We also study the hybrid "literary Late Egyptian" used for tales and other compositions. Texts from the various genres are read and analyzed in EGPT 20211.

Rebecca Wang
2019-2020 Spring

NEHC 20214 Devils and Demons: Agents of Evil in the Bible and Ancient World

While the words “devil,” “demon,” and “Satan” usually conjure the image of a horned and hoofed archfiend, this has not always been the case. Students in this course will discover both the origins of and complications to dominant popular images of “the Devil” by engaging ancient Middle Eastern and Mediterranean texts, including Mesopotamian literature, the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament, and other early Christian and Jewish texts. We will discuss Satan’s origins as the biblical god Yahweh’s henchman, Mesopotamian and Greco-Roman conceptions of subordinate divine entities, Hellenistic and Roman-period tendencies towards cosmic dualism, and much more. Students will also have the opportunity to explore pop culture and political discourse to examine how Biblical and other ancient demons productively recur in such contexts. A guiding question will be why the category of “demon” has proven so productive and necessary to diverse religious worldviews and what the common features and actions of these figures reveal about persistent human anxieties.

2019-2020 Spring

NEHC 20222 Masculinities in pre-modern Middle Eastern Literature

Have you ever wondered what men looked like, how they lived and loved in the pre-modern Middle East? In this class, we will encounter cuckolded husbands, muscular heroes, angry kings, mad lovers, and chivalrous bandits – all fictional. We will analyze how masculinities are constructed in selected passages of Arabic, Persian, and Turkish literature in translation, and evaluate normative expectations, caricatures, and anxieties about masculinities in the cultural consciousness of the pre-modern Middle East.
In this course, you will become familiar with theoretical principles of the study of masculinities as well as acquire tools for literary analysis and close reading. Case studies will be drawn from a variety of literary sources, such as the Thousand and One Nights (Alf Layla wa-layla), the Persian Book of Kings (Shāhnāmeh), the love story of Laylā and Majnūn, as well as other texts.

Alexandra Hoffmann
2019-2020 Spring

SUMR 20310 Sumerian Literary texts

This course looks at Sumerian Literary Texts.

2019-2020 Spring

NEHC 20345 Marxists, Maoists, and the Middle East: the Arab left in the twentieth century

In this seminar, we will look at the development of political leftism in the Arab world over the course of the twentieth century. Like many of their comrades around the globe in the same period, Arab leftists adopted various forms of Marxism, Leninism, and, later, Maoism to address local political and social issues, particularly those stemming from continued foreign imperialism and local autocratic (bourgeois) rule in the region. In the transition from formal colonialism to Cold War politics, these individuals experimented with local communist parties, student unions, and armed guerrilla (fida’yyin) groups, often facing violent reactions from regional and foreign authorities. Arab leftists also contributed to and were shaped by global revolutionary discourses as they engaged in fierce intellectual debates about the nature of socio-economic change, labor, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the Vietnam War, and contemporary anti-colonial ideals regarding “Third World” solidarity.
2019-2020 Spring

HEBR 20503 Intermediate Modern Hebrew 3

The main objective of this sequence is to provide students with the skills necessary to approach modern Hebrew prose, both fiction and nonfiction. In order to achieve this task, students are provided with a systematic examination of the complete verb structure. Many syntactic structures are introduced (e.g., simple clauses, coordinate and compound sentences). At this level, students not only write and speak extensively but are also required to analyze grammatically and contextually all of material assigned.

2019-2020 Spring

NEAA 20522 Late Levant: Archaeology of Islamic Syria-Palestine

(NEHC 30522)

This course is an exploration of the cultural patterns in the Levant from the late Byzantine period down to modern times, a span of some 1500 years. While the subject matter will be archaeological sites of this period in Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Israel, the focus will be on the role of medieval archaeology in amplifying the history of economic and social systems. It is this connective quality of Islamic archaeology which contributes to an understanding of the earlier history and archaeology of this region.

2019-2020 Spring

ARAB 10102 Elementary Arabic

This sequence concentrates on the acquisition of speaking, reading, and aural skills in modern formal Arabic.

Osama Abu Eledam, Elkhidr Choudar, Zainab Hermes
2019-2020 Winter

TURK 10102 Elementary Turkish

This sequence features proficiency-based instruction emphasizing grammar in modern Turkish. This sequence consists of reading and listening comprehension, as well as grammar exercises and basic writing in Turkish. Modern stories and contemporary articles are read at the end of the courses.

2019-2020 Winter

AANL 10102 Elementary Hittite II

This is the first in a three-quarter sequence that covers the basic grammar and cuneiform writing system of the Hittite language. It also familiarizes the student with the field’s tools (i.e., dictionaries, lexica, sign list). Readings come from all periods of Hittite history (1650 to 1180 B.C.).

2019-2020 Winter

GEEZ 10102 Elementary Ge'ez II

Please refer to previously existing course description

Prerequisites

Introduction to Classical Ethiopic I

2019-2020 Winter

ARME 10102 Elementary Modern Armenian II

This three-quarter sequence focuses on the acquisition of speaking, listening, reading and basic writing skills in modern formal and spoken Armenian. The course utilizes the most advanced computer technology and audio-visual aids enabling students to master a core vocabulary, the alphabet and the basic grammatical structures to communicate their basic needs in Armenian, understand simple texts and to achieve a minimal level of proficiency in modern formal and spoken Armenian. A considerable amount of historical-political
and social-cultural issues about Armenia are skillfully built into the course for students who have intention to conduct research in Armenian Studies or related fields, or to pursue work in Armenia. A language competency exam is offered at the end of spring quarter for those taking this course as college language requirement.

Prerequisites

ARME 10101 or an equivalent

2019-2020 Winter

PERS 10102 Elementary Persian II

This sequence emphasizes all skills of language acquisition (reading, writing, listening, speaking). The goal is to enable the student towards the end of the sequence to read, understand, and translate simple texts in modern standard Persian and engage in short everyday dialogs. All the basic grammatical structures are covered.

Prerequisites

PERS 10101

HEBR 10102 Elementary Classical Hebrew-2

The purpose of this three-quarter sequence is to enable the student to acquire a knowledge of the vocabulary and grammar of Classical Hebrew sufficient to read prose texts with the occasional assistance of a dictionary. The second quarter focuses on verb inflection and verbal sequences and includes translation to and from Hebrew, oral exercises, and grammatical analysis.

Prerequisites

HEBR 10101 or equivalent

2019-2020 Winter

EGPT 10102 Intro to Middle Egyptian Hieroglyphs II

This sequence examines hieroglyphic writing and the grammar of the language of classical Egyptian literature.

2019-2020 Winter

SUMR 10103 Elementary Sumerian III

This sequence covers the elements of Sumerian grammar, with reading exercises in Ur III, pre-Sargonic, and elementary literary texts.

2019-2020 Winter

NEHC 10300 Ancient Middle Eastern Religions

This course is an introduction to the religions of the ancient Middle East—Egypt, the Levant, Anatolia, and Mesopotamia—with an emphasis on the variety to these religions and the ways regional religious expression and practice changed over time. We will read several famous myths, hymns, and other narrowly “religious” texts—including excerpts from the Akkadian creation myth Enūma eliš, the Egyptian Book of the Dead, and a Hittite myth of a disappearing god. But we will also explore visual art and other material culture sources and we will read letters, treaties, and other more mundane texts to define how these sources differently show how religion manifested “on the ground.” The social and political resonances of religion will be stressed, with examples ranging from kings dubiously claiming the rediscovery of important religious texts to international theft of divine statues. We will discuss the influence of ancient Middle Eastern religions on that of neighboring regions, especially the Greco-Roman world. Students will pursue creative projects with the goal of more deeply understanding ancient Middle Eastern religions; these may include adapting a known religious phenomenon to a different medium or genre or even fabricating new texts, images, or practices while demonstrating their innovative benefits and historical connections to skeptical adherents.

2019-2020 Winter

ARAM 10402 Elementary Syriac II

The purpose of this three-quarter sequence is to enable the student to read Syriac literature with a high degree of comprehension. The course is divided into two segments. The first two quarters are devoted to acquiring the essentials of Syriac grammar and vocabulary. The third quarter is spent reading a variety of Syriac prose and poetic texts and includes a review of grammar.

Prerequisites

ARAM 10401 or equivalent

2019-2020 Winter

ARME 10501 Intro To Classical Armenian

The course focuses on the basic grammatical structure and vocabulary of the Classical Armenian language, Grabar (one of the oldest Indo-European languages). It enables students to achieve basic reading skills in the Classical Armenian language. Reading assignments include a wide selection of original Armenian literature, mostly works by 5th century historians, as well as passages from the Bible, while a considerable amount of historical and cultural issues about Armenia are discussed and illustrated through the text interpretations. Recommended for students with interests in Armenian Studies, Classics, Divinity, Indo-European or General Linguistics.

2019-2020 Winter

TURK 10502 Intro to Turkic Languages II

The second quarter of a two-section course in which Elementary Kazakh and Elementary Uzbek will be offered as one class, with the option for students to study one or the other, or both simultaneously.

2019-2020 Winter

AKKD 10502 Introduction to Babylonian II

This course is the second quarter of the annual introductory sequence to the Babylonian language and the Cuneiform script. Students will further explore the grammar of Babylonian in its Old Babylonian dialect (19th-16th c. BCE) and read ancient inscriptions (especially the Laws of Hammu-rabi) in the Old Babylonian monumental script. They will also be introduced to the Old Babylonian cursive used in letters and the documents of everyday life.

2019-2020 Winter

HEBR 10502 Introduction to Modern Hebrew

The beginner’s course is the first of three sequential courses offered to students at the university. The course aims to introduce students to reading, writing and speaking Modern Hebrew. Toward that end all four-language skills are emphasized: comprehension of written and oral materials; reading of non-diacritical text; writing of directed sentences, paragraphs, and compositions; speaking. Students will learn the Hebrew root pattern system, and by the end of the year will have mastered the five (active) basic verb conjugations in both the past and present tenses (as well as simple future). This grammatical knowledge is complemented by an 800+ word vocabulary, which is presented with an eye toward the major syntactic structures, including the proper use of prepositions. At the end of the year, students will conduct short conversations in Hebrew; read materials designed to this level and write short compositions.

2019-2020 Winter

HEBR 20002 Phoenician Inscriptions

Introduction to reading and analysis of Phoenician inscriptions

Prerequisites

Hebrew Letters and Inscriptions

2019-2020 Winter

EGPT 20006 Egyptian Thought and Literature

This course employs English translations of ancient Egyptian literary texts to explore the genres, conventions and techniques of ancient Egyptian literature. Discussions of texts examine how the ancient Egyptians conceptualized and constructed their equivalent of literature, as well as the fuzzy boundaries and subtle interplay between autobiography, history, myth and fiction.

2019-2020 Winter

NEHC 20012 Ancient Empires II

This course introduces students to the Hittite Empire of ancient Anatolia. In existence from roughly 1750-1200 BCE, and spanning across modern Turkey and beyond, the Hittite Empire is one of the oldest and largest empires of the ancient world. We will be examining their history and their political and cultural accomplishments through analysis of their written records – composed in Hittite, the world’s first recorded Indo-European language – and their archaeological remains. In the process, we will also be examining the concept of “empire” itself: What is an empire, and how do anthropologists, archaeologists, and historians study this unique kind of political formation?

2019-2020 Winter

EGPT 20102 Intro to Hieratic

This course introduces the cursive literary and administrative script of Middle Egyptian (corresponding to the Middle Kingdom period in Egypt) and is intended to provide familiarity with a variety of texts written in hieratic (e.g., literary tales, religious compositions, wisdom literature, letters, accounts, graffiti).

Theresa Tiliakos
2019-2020 Winter

ARAB 20102 Intermediate Arabic

In this intermediate Arabic course, we will work through the second half of Al-Kitaab Part 2. As in any language course, we address all four of the fundamental skills: reading, writing, listening, and speaking. A particular focus of this sequence, however, is ensuring that students have a solid, comprehensive understanding of the rules of Arabic syntax. In addition to readings and exercises from the textbook, we will increasingly make use of articles from Arabic-language news media.

Osama Abu Eledam, Elkhidr Choudar, Zainab Hermes, Kay Heikkinen
2019-2020 Winter

PERS 20102 Intermediate Persian II

The goal of this sequence is to enable the students to gain proficiency in all skills of language acquisition at a higher level. The student learns more complex grammatical structures, and gradually other levels of language (colloquial, literary) are introduced. Texts include selected articles, stories, and poetry (classical and modern).

Prerequisites

PERS 20101

ARME 20102 Intermediate Modern Armenian II

The course is aiming to enable students to reach a reasonable level of proficiency in the Armenian language. The curriculum is heavily based on real life situations. Each class session includes a healthy balance of real-life like conversations (shopping, placing an order in a restaurant, asking directions, talking with natives, getting around in the city, banking, etc.), readings (e-mails, text messages, ads, news, etc.) and writings (messages, filling forms, etc). The students can also communicate in Armenian well beyond basic needs about the daily life and obtain some level of fluency in their professional interests. This sequence covers a wider-range vocabulary and complex grammatical structures in modern formal and colloquial Armenian. Reading assignments also include a selection of simple original Armenian literature and excerpts from mass media.

Prerequisites

ARME 20101 or the equivalent

2019-2020 Winter

TURK 20102 Intermediate Turkish II

This sequence features proficiency-based instruction emphasizing speaking and writing skills as well as reading and listening comprehension at the intermediate to advanced levels in modern Turkish. Modern short stories, novel excerpts, academic and journalistic articles form the basis for an introduction to modern Turkish literature. Cultural units consisting of films and web-based materials are also used extensively in this course, which is designed to bring the intermediate speaker to an advanced level of proficiency.

2019-2020 Winter

HEBR 20105 Intermediate Classical Hebrew II

Continue acquisition of basic Classical Hebrew; continue acquisition of basic notions of historical grammar; acquire the rudiments of analysis of Biblical Hebrew poetry.

Prerequisites

Intermediate Classical Hebrew II or erquivalent

2019-2020 Winter

NEHC 20344 Modern Shi'a Thought and Identity

This course provides an interdisciplinary survey of modern Shi’a thought and identity in the Middle East. It complicates dominant narratives and conventional understandings of sectarianism, Shi'a Islam, and geopolitical conflict in the Middle East by differentiating between distinct yet overlapping factors such as state competition (i.e. between Iran and Saudi Arabia), historical legacies of empire and state building, and actual substantive theological and intellectual differences between Shi’a and Sunni Islam. It looks at the origins of Shi’ism and who the Shi’a are today as the second largest denomination within Islam including their diverse ethnic, geographic, cultural, and political backgrounds. The course will focus on modern intellectual and political movements in Shi’a thought from the post-colonial period onwards including Shi'a revivalist thought and national liberation movements in the early 20th century; Shi’a clerical innovation and institutions (including wilayat al-faqih, the theocratic system dominant in Iran); mass pilgrimage practices and sociological changes in the Shi’a world; Iran's Islamic revolution; and, the transnational politics of Shi’a political parties and armed movements, such as the Lebanese Hezbollah, Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces (Hashd al-Sha’abi), and Yemen’s Ansarallah (the Houthis). The course will also cover the “Axis of Resistance” that has Iran, Syria, Hezbollah and other partners engaging in new socio-political and intellectual paradigms in the Middle East.

2019-2020 Winter

HEBR 20502 Intermediate Modern Hebrew 2

The main objective of this sequence is to provide students with the skills necessary to approach modern Hebrew prose, both fiction and nonfiction. In order to achieve this task, students are provided with a systematic examination of the complete verb structure. Many syntactic structures are introduced (e.g., simple clauses, coordinate and compound sentences). At this level, students not only write and speak extensively but are also required to analyze grammatically and contextually all of material assigned.

2019-2020 Winter

NEAA 20532 Problems in Islamic Archaeology: The Islamic City

(NEHC 30532)

This course is intended to present the dominant typologies of Islamic ceramics, most of which have been studied from an art historical approach. Specific archaeological typologies will be assembled from published reports and presented in seminar meetings. Half of the course will consist of analysis of sherd collections, observatory analysis of typological criteria, and training in drawing these artifacts.

2019-2020 Winter

NEHC 29995 Research Project

In consultation with a faculty research adviser and with consent of the Director of Undergraduate Studies, students devote the equivalent of a one-quarter course to the preparation of their Research Project. Students are required to submit the College Reading and Research Course Form. Please indicate that you wish to register for NEHC 29995 Section 01 with the Director of Undergraduate Studies.

2019-2020 Winter

NEHC 20001/30001 Ancient Near Eastern History and Society I

This course surveys the political, social, and economic history of ancient Egypt from pre-dynastic times (ca. 3400 B.C.) until the advent of Islam in the seventh century of our era.

Brian Muhs, Robert Ritner
2019-2020 Autumn

NEAA 20001/30001 Introduction to the Archaeology of the Ancient Near East I - Mesopotamia

This course will give an overview of the archaeology of ancient Mesopotamia. We will examine the material remains of various cultures in and around ancient Mesopotamia and engage with themes of social complexity, urbanism, collapse, and continuity/change through time. Students in this survey course will gain basic knowledge of the archaeological data used to create a picture of life in the Mesopotamian region in ancient times.

“This course fulfills the requirements of a survey course in Mesopotamian civilization as defined by the Ancient PhD programs in NELC and MA program in the CMES.”

 

2019-2020 Winter

NEHC 20002/30002 Ancient Near Eastern History and Society 2: Mesopotamia

This course offers an overview of the history of Mesopotamia from its origins down to the Achaemenid and Hellenistic periods, when Mesopotamia became part of larger empires. Weeks 1 to 5, preceding mid-term exam, cover the periods ranging from the late Chalcolithic down to the end of the Middle Bronze age (late fifth to mid-second millennia BCE). Weeks 6 to 10 study the developments of the Late Bronze and Iron Ages, from the period of the archives of El-Amarna in the fourteenth century BCE down to the time of Alexander the Great in the late fourth century BCE.

2019-2020 Winter

NEHC 20003/30003 History and Society of the Ancient Near East - 3

This course introduces students to the history of ancient Anatolia and its neighbors from the first historical texts around 2000 BCE, with a short detour through prehistory and the appearance of Proto-Indo-European culture, to the arrival of Alexander the Great. Some of the famous ancient Near Eastern civilizations that we encounter include the Assyrians, Hittites, Phrygians, Lydians, Persians, and Israelites. We will focus on the information provided by inscriptions - especially political and socioeconomic history - as well as the relevant archaeological and art historical records. No prior knowledge of Anatolian or Near Eastern history is required.

2019-2020 Spring

NEHC 20004/30004 Ancient Near Eastern Thought and Literature I: Mesopotamian Literature

This course gives an overview of the richness of Mesopotamian Literature (modern Iraq) written in the 3rd-1st millennium BC. We will read myths and epics written on clay tablets in the Sumerian and Akkadian language in English translation and discuss content and style, but also the religious, cultural and historic implications. Particular focus will be on the development of stories over time, the historical context of the literature and mythological figures. The texts treated cover not only the famous Epic of Gilgamesh, but also various legends of Sumerian and Akkadian kings, stories about Creation and World Order, and destruction. The topics covered range from the quest for immortality, epic heroes and monsters, sexuality and love.

2019-2020 Autumn

NEHC 20005/30005 Ancient Near Eastern Thought & Literature. Anatolian/Hittite Literature

This course will provide an overview of Anatolian/Hittite literature, as "defined" by the Hittites themselves, in the wider historical-cultural context of the Ancient Near East. In the course of discussions, we will try to answer some important questions about Hittite inscriptions, such as: why were they written down, why were they kept, for whom were they intended, and what do the answers to these questions (apart from the primary content of the texts themselves) tell us about Hittite society?

2019-2020 Spring

NEAA 30015 Pottery of Ancient Anatolia

This course is an in-depth survey of the various ceramic traditions that have characterized Anatolia from the invention of pottery in the Neolithic period to the Islamic period (time permitting). We will use collections in the Oriental Institute Museum to gain hands-on familiarity with these corpora, although the ceramic repertoire of Anatolia is so vast and diverse that the class will also involve lectures and student presentations on ceramics only available in scholarly literature. This class is structured less as a teacher-directed instructional, and more as a collaborative project in which we become masters of the Anatolian ceramic repertoire together.

2019-2020 Spring

NEHC 20034/30034 From the Harem to Helem: Gender and Sexuality in the Modern Middle East

This course will provide a historical and theoretical survey of issues pertaining to gender and sexuality in the modern Middle East. First, we will outline the colonial legacies of gender politics and gendered discourses in modern Middle Eastern history. We will discuss orientalist constructions of the harem and the veil (Allouche, Laila Ahmed, Lila Abu-Loghod), and their contested afterlives across the Middle East. We will also explore colonial (homo)sexuality, and attendant critiques (Najmabadi, Massad). We will pay especial attention to local discourses about gender and sexuality, and trouble facile assumptions of “writing back” while attending to the various specificities of local discourses of everyday life across various sites of the Middle East. Eschewing reductive traps for more nuanced explorations of the specifics of life in Beirut, Cairo, Istanbul, or Tehran – as well as to rural areas – we will show how gender and sexuality
are constructed and practiced in these locales. In addition to foundational scholarly texts in the field, we will also engage with an array of cultural texts (films, novels, poetry, comics) and – where possible – have conversations with activists who are working in these sites via Skype/teleconferencing.

2019-2020 Autumn

NEAA 20070/30070 The Archaeology of Afghanistan

Afghanistan is the quintessential “crossroads of cultures” where the civilizations of the Near East, Central Asia, South Asia and China interacted over the millennia in a constantly shifting mixture of trade, emulation, migration, imperial formations, and periodic conflict. This complex history of contacts gave rise to some of the most important archaeological, artistic, architectural, and textual treasures in world cultural heritage – encompassing cultures as diverse as the Bronze Age cities of Bactria, the Persian Empire, the easternmost colonies founded by Alexander the Great and his Hellenistic successors, the Kushan empire astride the Silk Road, and the monumental Buddhas of Bamiyan. Although the first excavations began in the 1920’s, there has been only limited fieldwork in Afghanistan, and even this was truncated by the Soviet invasion in 1979 and the subsequent 35 years of continuous war in that country.
This course presents an introduction to the archaeology of Afghanistan from the Neolithic through the Medieval Islamic periods, focusing on sites in Afghanistan and the region’s cultural linkages to neighboring areas such as Iran, Central Asia, and South Asia. The final portion of the course will discuss the threats to Afghan cultural heritage, and current effort to preserve this patrimony. The course is intended for Undergraduate;Graduate who have had at least one introductory course in archaeology.

Prerequisites

any introductory course in archaeology is desirable but not required

2019-2020 Winter

NEAA 30091 Field Archaeology

This course takes place outside of Chicago and can only be taken by arrangement with the instructor well in advance of the quarter in which it is offered.

2019-2020 Autumn

NEHC 20092/30092 Classical Arabic Linguistics

This course delves into debates in Arabic linguistics of the classical period (before the fifteenth century) on questions such as, What is the origin of language? How does language work? How do languages relate to one another? Where does the Arabic language come from? Is the distinction between literal and figurative uses of language real? We read writings by seminal Arabic linguists, such as al-Tabari, Abu Hilal al-‘Askari, Ibn Faris, al-Qadi ‘Abd al-Jabbar, and Ibn Taymiyya, addressing not only linguistics proper but also topics in fields such as Quranic exegesis, theology, and legal theory. We also discuss key works of secondary scholarship on the subject. Undergraduate students by instructor permission only.

Prerequisites

3 years of Arabic or the equivalent

2019-2020 Autumn

TURK 30101 Advanced Turkish I

Advanced Turkish students will develop their language skills in speaking, reading, translating, listening, and writing, while learning about Turkish society and culture at the same time. To address all of these aspects each class is divided into three sections which focuses on a specific skill.

2019-2020 Autumn

TURK 30102 Advanced Turkish II

Advanced Turkish students will develop their language skills in speaking, reading, translating, listening, and writing, while learning about Turkish society and culture at the same time. To address all of these aspects each class is divided into three sections which focuses on a specific skill.

Staff
2019-2020 Winter

TURK 30103 Advanced Turkish III

Advanced Turkish students will develop their language skills in speaking, reading, translating, listening, and writing, while learning about Turkish society and culture at the same time. To address all of these aspects each class is divided into three sections which focuses on a specific skill.

2019-2020 Spring

EGPT 30120 Intro to Demotic

This course provides a basic introduction to the grammar, vocabulary, and orthographic styles of the administrative and literary stage of the Egyptian language and script used in the Late Period (into the Roman Empire).

2019-2020 Winter

EGPT 30121 Demotic Texts

Building on the basic grammar, vocabulary, and orthographic styles learned in EGPT 30120, this course focuses on the reading and analysis of various Demotic texts.

2019-2020 Spring

AANL 20150/30150 Art and Iconography of the Hittite Kingdom

This course offers an overview of the art/visual culture from the period of the Hittite Kingdom (1650-1200 BC). We will explore all materials (stone, metal, ceramics, etc.), problems of dating, iconography and its possible developments, questions of audience.

2019-2020 Winter

NEAA 20162/30162 Topics: Mesopotamian History II: Uruk Mesopotamia and Neighbor

The Uruk period (4th millennium BC) saw the emergence of the earliest known state societies, urbanism, kingship, writing, and colonial network extending from Mesopotamia across the Jazira and into neighboring resource zones in the Taurus and Zagros mountains. This seminar examines Uruk Mesopotamia and neighboring regions from several perspectives â€" an examination of key sites in Mesopotamia and contemporaneous local late chalcolithic polities in Syria, southeast Anatolia and Iran. The seminar also considers the main theoretical issues involved in understanding inter-regional interaction in the social, economic, and political organization of this period.

2019-2020 Spring

TURK 30200 Colloquium: Sources for the Study of Ottoman World

This course introduces the students the major sources for the study of Ottoman history and culture.

2019-2020 Autumn

ARAB 30201 High Intermediate Modern Standard Arabic I

This is a course for the rising advanced student of Arabic who wants to improve their facility with oral argumentation on issues of public and academic interest. Students will read, listen to, and write arguments for or against a point of view. Students will engage in mini debates every week, culminating in a team debate at the end of the quarter.

2019-2020 Autumn

ARAB 30202 High Intermediate Modern Standard Arabic II

This is a course for the rising advanced student of Arabic who wants to improve their facility with oral argumentation on issues of public and academic interest. Students will read, listen to, and write arguments for or against a point of view. Students will engage in mini debates every week, culminating in a team debate at the end of the quarter.

2019-2020 Winter

ARAB 30203 High Intermediate Modern Standard Arabic III

This is a course for the rising advanced student of Arabic, focusing mostly on one well-known novel. In addition to a close reading of the work, students will lead discussions, give presentations, and engage with guest speakers around the cultural, historical and literary aspects of the work.

2019-2020 Spring

ARAB 30301 High Intermediate Classical Arabic I

This is a three-segment course offered in three quarters; Autumn, Winter and Spring. The main objective of the complete three segment is to develop strong pedagogical strategies in the four Arabic language skills to acquire proficiency in handling Arabic classical texts. By the end of the three quarters students should  know the distinctive features of classical Arabic texts and the various genres and sources of such texts. They will build strong command on expanded grammatical features and structural rules governing classical texts of different variations. Students will be able to produce written documents reflecting reading comprehension, personal opinions and text critique. Students should be able to make oral presentation and conduct research using electronic resources as well as traditional classical sources. The class is conducted entirely in Arabic with occasional use of English in translation and explanation of complex cultural and linguistic issues.

2019-2020 Autumn

ARAB 30302 High Intermediate Classical Arabic II

This is a three-segment course offered in three quarters; Autumn, Winter and Spring. The main objective of the complete three segment is to develop strong pedagogical strategies in the four Arabic language skills to acquire proficiency in handling Arabic classical texts. By the end of the three quarters students should  know the distinctive features of classical Arabic texts and the various genres and sources of such texts. They will build strong command on expanded grammatical features and structural rules governing classical texts of different variations. Students will be able to produce written documents reflecting reading comprehension, personal opinions and text critique. Students should be able to make oral presentation and conduct research using electronic resources as well as traditional classical sources. The class is conducted entirely in Arabic with occasional use of English in translation and explanation of complex cultural and linguistic issues.

2019-2020 Winter

ARAB 30303 High Intermediate Classical Arabic III

This is a three-segment course offered in three quarters; Autumn, Winter and Spring. The main objective of the complete three segment is to develop strong pedagogical strategies in the four Arabic language skills to acquire proficiency in handling Arabic classical texts. By the end of the three quarters students should  know the distinctive features of classical Arabic texts and the various genres and sources of such texts. They will build strong command on expanded grammatical features and structural rules governing classical texts of different variations. Students will be able to produce written documents reflecting reading comprehension, personal opinions and text critique. Students should be able to make oral presentation and conduct research using electronic resources as well as traditional classical sources. The class is conducted entirely in Arabic with occasional use of English in translation and explanation of complex cultural and linguistic issues.

2019-2020 Spring

PERS 30320 Ferdowsi's Shahnameh as Introduction to Persian Poetry

The Shahnameh, the Persian "Book of Kings," is generally classed as an epic or national epic. While it does not lack for battling champions and heroic saga, it also includes episodes in a variety of disparate genres and themes: creation narrative, mythology, folk tale, romance, royal chronicle, and political history.
In this course we gain familiarity with the style and language of Ferdowsi's Shahnameh by slow reading and discussion of select episodes in Persian, in tandem with a reading of the whole text in English translation. We approach the work as a foundational text of Iranian identity,; compendium of pre-Islamic mythology and lore; a centrifugal axis of Persianate civilization and Iranian monarchical tradition throughout Anatolia, Central Asia and South Asia; and as an instance of "world literature." We will read with an eye toward literary structure; genre; Indo-Iranian mythology; political theory and commentary; character psychology; ideals of masculinity, femininity and heroism; the interaction of text, oral tradition, illustration, scholarship, and translation in the shaping of the literary reception of the Shahnameh; and, of course, the meaning(s) of the work. We also address wider issues of textual scholarship: the sources of the Shahnameh, the scribal transmission of Ferdowsi’s text, and the production of modern critical editions and theories of textual editing.
Class discussions will be in English, though we will read together in class a limited selection of episodes in the Persian. The aim is to gain deep understanding of the language, the characters and the themes of the Shahnameh, as well as the philological skills necessary to read medieval Persian poetry.

Prerequisites

2 years of Persian or the equivalent

2019-2020 Autumn

PERS 30321 Persian Poetry: Shahnameh II

The Shahnameh, the Persian "Book of Kings," is generally classed as an epic or national epic. While it does not lack for battling champions and heroic saga, it also includes episodes in a variety of disparate genres and themes: creation narrative, mythology, folk tale, romance, royal chronicle, and political history.
In this course we gain familiarity with the style and language of Ferdowsi's Shahnameh by slow reading and discussion of select episodes in Persian, in tandem with a reading of the whole text in English translation. We approach the work as a foundational text of Iranian identity,; compendium of pre-Islamic mythology and lore; a centrifugal axis of Persianate civilization and Iranian monarchical tradition throughout Anatolia, Central Asia and South Asia; and as an instance of "world literature." We will read with an eye toward literary structure; genre; Indo-Iranian mythology; political theory and commentary; character psychology; ideals of masculinity, femininity and heroism; the interaction of text, oral tradition, illustration, scholarship, and translation in the shaping of the literary reception of the Shahnameh; and, of course, the meaning(s) of the work. We also address wider issues of textual scholarship: the sources of the Shahnameh, the scribal transmission of Ferdowsi’s text, and the production of modern critical editions and theories of textual editing.
Class discussions will be in English, though we will read together in class a limited selection of episodes in the Persian. The aim is to gain deep understanding of the language, the characters and the themes of the Shahnameh, as well as the philological skills necessary to read medieval Persian poetry.

Prerequisites

PERS 30320; 2 years of Persian or the equivalent.

2019-2020 Spring

AKKD 30330 Readings in the Semitic Texts from Ebla

In this class, we will read texts from the ancient Syrian site of Ebla, where thousands of texts dating to about the 24th century BCE were found. We will focus on those texts that were written in the local Semitic language, Eblaite, and discuss the grammar and orthography of these texts, especially in the light of how this language/dialect relates to Akkadian and other Semitic languages.

Prerequisites

Intermediate Akkadian

2019-2020 Spring

NEAA 20332/30332 Trade and Exchange in the Ancient Near East

In this course, we will discuss premodern modes of economic exchange and their systemic societal effects in light of their institutional embedding, with emphasis on trade and markets in the ancient Mediterranean and Middle East.

2019-2020 Winter

AKKD 30363 Kassite Legal and Administrative Texts

We will read a choice of legal and administrative texts from the Kassite period (1400-1150 BC), including contracts, tables, receipts and letters. You will get an introduction to the Middle Babylonian dialect of Akkadian and learn how to approach those genres. We will also read unpublished material from photos, casts, and original tablets.

Prerequisites

1 year of Akkadian

2019-2020 Winter

NEHC 20433/30433 Israeli Society from a Sociological Point of View

This course integrates between sociological themes such as stratification, gender, culture, ethnicity, race, religion, political sociology and economy in order to study the Israeli society with all its diversity. Israeli society is a unique case for sociological study. A young nation which on the one side has a successful economy, but on the other side is dealing with an ongoing conflict with its Arab and Palestinian neighbors. Inequality rates in Israel are among the highest in the OECD, based on class, gender, ethnicity and nationality. Israel is exhibiting opposite trends between promoting gay rights and becoming more religious. In its 70th year Israel is facing deep social and political dilemmas which intertwine with major sociological themes. This course wishes to reveal these dilemmas and their deep complexities. The course will be divided to meetings which in each of them sociological themes and theories will be explored and problematized vis-à-vis Israeli society.

Noa Lavie
2019-2020 Spring

NEHC 20435/30435 From Seclusion to Global Success: Creativity and Politics on Israeli Television

Television is one of the major media phenomena of the 20th and 21st centuries. Television had a significant part in the building of the modern nation-state and is, nowadays, one of the main manifestations of global capitalism. The Israeli television market went from one public channel, dominated by the government, to become a leading exporter of television content to the Western World. During the semester we will review the political history of global and Israeli TV, we will learn to distinguish between different TV genres such as soap opera, sitcom, "reality" TV and quality drama series. We will explain how the growth of various creative products and different genres reflected both the political and economic zeitgeist. Likewise, we will focus on how the unique characteristics of the Israeli television market brought about its international success. We will focus on the narratives of Israeli successful drama series such as Fauda (a series about an under-cover IDF unit aired on Netflix), In treatment (a psychological drama which was aired on HBO) and Homeland (an Israeli action format aired on Show-time) and try to explain their global success. We will also focus on how the various political minorities in Israel are represented on television and the political and social impact of their representation. In addition, we will discuss concepts such as "quality" and "trash" TV as concepts reflecting social, political and economic struggles. We will also discuss the changes which the digital era is bringing about and its impact on television at large and television in Israel.

2019-2020 Winter

TURK 30501 Ottoman Turkish I

A selection of Turkish printed texts in Arabic script from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries is introduced in order of difficulty. Hakan Karateke's unpublished "Ottoman Reader" serves as a text book. The texts are drawn from historical textbooks, official documents, novels, and other genres.

Prerequisites

2 years of Turkish, or equivalent

2019-2020 Autumn

NEHC 20501/30501 Islamic History and Society I

This course covers the period from ca. 600 to 1100, including the rise and spread of Islam, the Islamic empire under the Umayyad and Abbasid caliphs, and the emergence of regional Islamic states from Afghanistan and eastern Iran to North Africa and Spain.

2019-2020 Autumn

TURK 30502 Ottoman Turkish II

A selection of Turkish printed texts in Arabic script from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries is introduced in order of difficulty. Hakan Karateke's unpublished "Ottoman Reader" serves as a text book. The texts are drawn from historical textbooks, official documents, novels, and other genres.

2019-2020 Winter

NEHC 20502/30502 Islamic History and Society II

This course is the continuation of Islamic History and Society 1 and presumes a familiarity of early Islamic history, 600-1100. This course covers the period from roughly 1000 to 1750 and deals with, among other topics, the coming of the steppe people (Turks and Mongols), the Mongol successor states, and the rise of the great early modern Islamic empires (Ottomans, Safavids, and Mughals), the relation of Islamic political entities with Russia and China. Mid-term and final exam required for Undergraduates

2019-2020 Winter

TURK 30503 Ottoman Turkish III

A selection of Turkish printed texts in Arabic script from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries is introduced in order of difficulty. Hakan Karateke's unpublished "Ottoman Reader" serves as a text book. The texts are drawn from historical textbooks, official documents, novels, and other genres.

2019-2020 Spring

NEHC 20503/30503 Islamic History and Society III

This course covers the period from ca. 1750 to the present, focusing on Western military, economic, and ideological encroachment; the impact of such ideas as nationalism and liberalism; efforts at reform in the Islamic states; the emergence of the "modern" Middle East after World War I; the struggle for liberation from Western colonial and imperial control; the Middle Eastern states in the cold war era; and local and regional conflicts.

2019-2020 Spring

NEHC 20504/30504 Introduction to the Hebrew Bible

The Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) is a complex anthology of disparate texts and reflects a diversity of religious, political, and historical perspectives from ancient Israel, Judah, and Yehud. Because this collection of texts continues to play an important role in modern religions, new meanings are often imposed upon it. In this course, we will attempt to read biblical texts apart from modern preconceptions about them. We will also contextualize their ideas and goals through comparison with texts from ancient Mesopotamia, Syro-Palestine, and Egypt. Such comparisons will demonstrate that the Hebrew Bible is fully part of the cultural milieu of the Ancient Near East. To accomplish these goals, we will read a significant portion of the Hebrew Bible in English, along with representative selections from secondary literature. We will also spend some time thinking about the nature of biblical interpretation.

2019-2020 Autumn

ARAB 30588 Media Arabic

Media Arabic is a course designed for the advanced student of Modern Standard Arabic. The course objective is to improve students' listening comprehension and writing skills. Students will advance toward this goal through listening to and reading a variety of authentic materials from Arabic Media (on politics, literature, economics, education, women, youth, etc.).

2019-2020 Spring

NEHC 20601/30601 Islamic Thought & Literature I

This sequence explores the thought and literature of the Islamic world from the coming of Islam in the seventh century C.E. through the development and spread of its civilization in the medieval period and into the modern world. Including historical framework to establish chronology and geography, the course focuses on key aspects of Islamic intellectual history: scripture, law, theology, philosophy, literature, mysticism, political thought, historical writing, and archaeology. In addition to lectures and secondary background readings, students read and discuss samples of key primary texts, with a view to exploring Islamic civilization in the direct voices of the people who participated in creating it. All readings are in English translation. No prior background in the subject is required. This course sequence meets the general education requirement in civilization studies.

2019-2020 Autumn

NEHC 20602/30602 Islamic Thought and Literature II

What are the major developments in thinking and in literature in the Islamic world of the “middle periods” (c. 950 – 1800 C.E.). How did noteworthy Muslims at various points and places think through questions of life & death, man & God, faith & belief, the sacred & the profane, law & ethics, tradition vs. innovation, power & politics, class & gender, self & other? How did they wage war; make love; shape the built environment; eat & drink; tell stories; educate their youth; preserve the past; imagine the future; perform piety, devotion and spirituality; construe the virtuous life and righteous community, etc.? How did these ideas change over time? What are some of the famous, funny, naughty and nice books read in the pre-modern Muslim world?
We will survey a broad geographic area stretching from Morocco and Iberia to the Maldives and India – even into the New World – through lectures, secondary readings and discussion. You will engage with a variety of primary texts in English translation, as well as various visual, aural and material artifacts. How do the ideas, institutions, and literary works evolve in response to changing historical, demographic and religious circumstances? How do culture, ethnicity, gender, history, politics and religion interact to create individual Muslim identities and a multi-faceted intellectual milieu (consisting of the scientific, philosophical and theological production; the religious, educational, governmental, commercial and social institutions; the literary, artistic, musical, and constructs which together make up "Islamic Civilization).

Prerequisites

Islamic Thought & Lit-1 or

2019-2020 Winter

HEBR 30603 Advanced Reading Course

This course develops advanced language skills through the study of narratives, prose, and poetry from various periods in the development of Modern Hebrew. Students will present readings in their own field of study.

Prerequisites

Students should have at least 2 years of Modern Hebrew

staff
2019-2020 Spring

NEHC 20603/30603 Islamic thought and literature III

This class explores works of Muslim intellectuals, who interpreted various aspects of Islamic philosophy, political theory and law in the modern age. We will look at diverse interpretations concerning the role of religion in a modern society, at secularized and historicized approaches to religion and at the critique of both religious establishments and nation states as articulated by Middle Eastern intellectuals. Consequently, we will contextualize concepts like “woman,” “nation,” “East” and “jihad” as we follow the meanings assigned to these conceptions by different intellectuals at different historical moments. The class likewise examines the ways in which Muslim reformers synthesized cultural trends to revive the Islamic faith in face of Western economic and political hegemony. Our debate will focus on the influence of the colonial settings on the formation of these new readings and on the ways in which Muslim thinkers both appropriated and critiqued Western notions of civilization and guidance. We will consider the impact of these new ideas on political theory, and in particular on the political systems which emerged in the modern Middle East. Finally, the class will scrutinize the ways in which Muslim writers manipulated new means of communication such as the print media in order to propagate their ideas regarding the nature of their state and society. Generally, we shall discuss secondary literature first and the primary sources later.

2019-2020 Spring

NEHC 20605/30605 Sources for the Study of Islamic History

This course is designed to acquaint the student with the basic problems and concepts as well as the sources and methodology for the study of the premodern history of the Islamic world. Sources will be read in translation and discuss in class. The concepts and tools acquired will be applied to specific research projects to be submitted as term papers.

2019-2020 Autumn

NEHC 20613/30613 Dreams in the Ancient World

Dreams belong to the universals of human existence as human beings have always dreamt and will continue to dream across time and cultures. The questions where do dreams come from and how to unravel a dream have always preoccupied the human mind. In this course we will focus on dreams in the Greco-Roman and Greco-Egyptian cultural environments. We will cover dreams from three complementary perspectives: dreams as experience, dream interpretation and dream theory. The reading materials will include: (a) a selection of dream narratives from different sources, literary texts as well as documentary accounts of dreams; (b) texts which document the forms and contexts of dream interpretation in the Greco-Roman and Greco-Egyptian cultures and (c) texts which represent attempts to approach dreams from a more general perspective by among others explaining their genesis and defining dream-types.

2019-2020 Autumn

NEHC 30625 Approaches to the Study of the Ancient Near East

This is a required introductory course for all CMES ancient-track students.

2019-2020 Autumn

NEHC 20630/30630 Introduction to Islamic Philosophy

This course offers an introduction to the terms and concepts current in Arabic philosophical writings in the classical period of Islamic thought (roughly 9th to 17th century). It begins with the movement to translate Greek texts into Arabic and the debate among Muslims about the validity of philosophy versus revelation. From a close reading of key works (in English) by important philosophers such as al-Kindī, al-Rāzī, al-Sijistānī, al-Fārābī, Ibn Sīnā (Avicenna), al-Ghazzālī, Ibn Bājja, Ibn Tufayl, Ibn Rushd (Averroes), Suhrawardī, and Mullā Ṣadrā, a series of lectures will follow the career of philosophy in the Islamic world, first as a 'foreign' science and then, later, as selectively rejected but also substantially accepted as a natural component of sophisticated discourse.

2019-2020 Spring

NEHC 30631 Approaches to the Study of the Middle East

The course introduces beginning graduate students to the range of basic resources, methods, and analytical tools that must be mastered by those engaging in the study of the Islamic Middle East.  As such, it covers the period from the seventh century to the present and is focused on developing professional skills necessary for successful completion of a master's or doctoral program.

2019-2020 Autumn

NEHC 30643 Topics in Medieval Islamic Social History

The course reviews the issues and scholarship on various facets of the social history of the Islamic Near East, ca. 700-1500 CE), including Patterns of Social Organization (“class,” tribal or kinship ties, professional ties, ethnicity, etc.), the role of pastoral nomadism in Near Eastern societies, non-Muslim communities and their relations with Muslims, Women and Gender issues, Technology and Social Change, Historical Demography, and Urbanism.

Prerequisites

Islamic History & society or equivalent.

2019-2020 Autumn

NEHC 30692 Armenian History through Art and Culture

This 10-week crash-course surveys Armenian history and elements of culture (religion, mythology and music, manuscript illumination, art and architecture) as well as offer a mosaic of traditions and customs (festivals and feasts, birth and wedding rituals, funerary cult) of Armenia. It also discusses transformations of Armenian identity and symbols of 'Armenianness' through time (especially in Soviet and post-Soviet  eras) based on such elements of national identity, as language, religion, art or shared history. Recommended for students with interest in Armenian Studies or related fields, in Area or Civilizations Studies, Art and Cultural Studies, etc.

2019-2020 Autumn

AANL 30701 Linguistic Methods for Extinct Languages

This course explores the ways linguistic theory can be used in the study of extinct languages. We will investigate how to use typological data and the predictive force of modern theories to critically assess claims regarding grammatical issues in extinct languages. We will also start developing a method for fact-finding in extinct languages. The course will focus on topics that are relevant for several extinct languages of the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern area, covering many extinct languages, such as the (near)-isolates Sumerian, Elamite, or Hurrian, the Semitic languages (e.g., Akkadian, Phoenician, Ugaritic), the Indo-European languages (e.g., Latin, Greek, Hittite), and ancient Egyptian. Examples of such topics are (split)-ergativity, Topic and Focus (information structure), and lexical and grammatical aspect.

Prerequisites

Knowledge of an ancient language

2019-2020 Winter

NEHC 20766/30766 Shamans and Oral Poets of Central Asia

This course explores the rituals, oral literature, and music associated with the nomadic cultures of Central Eurasia.

2019-2020 Spring

ARAB 30800 Arabic for Heritage Learners

This course is meant to prepare heritage speakers of Arabic to enter either Arabic 202 or Arabic 302 in the Winter Quarter. By “heritage” learners, we mean those students who know the alphabet, speak or have spoken Arabic at home, are familiar with a broad vocabulary but lack the grammatical underpinnings of Arabic, its case system, its structure, verb forms, etc. As such, the course will train students in listening, speaking, reading and writing in Modern Standard Arabic, but with an overt and systematic focus on grammar. Materials used will be authentic, up-to-date, and relevant to student interests. In addition, the class will host guests from Chicago’s Arab community to visit and speak with the students.

2019-2020 Autumn

NEHC 20837/30837 Early Turkish Republic I

This course will examine the development of the Turkish state following WWI including questions of economy, institutions, and identity formation. The first quarter make be taken as a free-standing colloquium, or students may take both quarters and produce a research paper.

Prerequisites

open to graduate students and to upper division Undergraduates

2019-2020 Winter

NEHC 20840/30840 Radical Islamic Pieties, 1200–1600

This course examines responses to the Mongol destruction of the Abbasid caliphate in 1258 and the background to formation of regional Muslim empires. Topics include the opening of confessional boundaries; Ibn Arabi, Ibn Taymiyya, and Ibn Khaldun; the development of alternative spiritualities, mysticism, and messianism in the fifteenth century; and transconfessionalism, antinomianism, and the articulation of sacral sovereignties in the sixteenth century. All work in English. This course is offered in alternate years.

Prerequisites

Some knowledge of primary languages (i.e., Arabic, French, German, Greek, Latin, Persian, Spanish, Turkish) helpful.

2019-2020 Winter

NEHC 30847 History of the Early Turkish Republic II

This is the continuation of NEHC 20837/20837: History Early Turkish Republic I. Students will produce a seminar/research paper and meet to discuss selected readings on the transition from Ottoman Empire to Turkish Republic and the consolidation of the Republican regime.

2019-2020 Spring

NEHC 30852 The Ottoman World in the Age of Suleyman the Magnificent

This two-quarter seminar focuses on the transformation of the Muslim Ottoman principality into an imperial entity--after the conquest of Constantinople in 1453--that laid claim to inheritance of Alexandrine, Roman/Byzantine, Mongol/Chinggisid, and Islamic models of Old World Empire at the dawn of the early modern era. Special attention is paid to the transformation of Ottoman imperialism in the reign of Sultan Süleyman the Lawgiver (1520-1566), who appeared to give the Empire its “classical” form. Topics include: the Mongol legacy; the reformulation of the relationship between political and religious institutions; mysticism and the creation of divine kingship; Muslim-Christian competition (with special reference to Spain and Italy) and the formation of early modernity; the articulation of bureaucratized hierarchy; and comparison of Muslim Ottoman, Iranian Safavid, and Christian European imperialisms. The first quarter comprises a chronological overview of major themes in Ottoman history, 1300-1600; the second quarter is divided between the examination of particular themes in comparative perspective (for example, the dissolution and recreation of religious institutions in Islamdom and Christendom) and student presentations of research for the seminar paper. In addition to seminar papers, students will be required to give an oral presentation on a designated primary or secondary source in the course of the seminar.

Prerequisites

Upper level undergrads with consent only; reading knowledge of at least 1 European Language recommended

2019-2020 Autumn

NEHC 30853 The Ottoman World in the Age of Suleyman the Magnificent

This two-quarter seminar focuses on the transformation of the Muslim Ottoman principality into an imperial entity--after the conquest of Constantinople in 1453--that laid claim to inheritance of Alexandrine, Roman/Byzantine, Mongol/Chinggisid, and Islamic models of Old World Empire at the dawn of the early modern era. Special attention is paid to the transformation of Ottoman imperialism in the reign of Sultan Süleyman the Lawgiver (1520-1566), who appeared to give the Empire its “classical” form. Topics include: the Mongol legacy; the reformulation of the relationship between political and religious institutions; mysticism and the creation of divine kingship; Muslim-Christian competition (with special reference to Spain and Italy) and the formation of early modernity; the articulation of bureaucratized hierarchy; and comparison of Muslim Ottoman, Iranian Safavid, and Christian European imperialisms. The first quarter comprises a chronological overview of major themes in Ottoman history, 1300-1600; the second quarter is divided between the examination of particular themes in comparative perspective (for example, the dissolution and recreation of religious institutions in Islamdom and Christendom) and student presentations of research for the seminar paper. In addition to seminar papers, students will be required to give an oral presentation on a designated primary or secondary source in the course of the seminar.

Prerequisites

Upper level undergrads with consent only; reading knowledge of at least 1 European Language recommended

2019-2020 Winter

NEHC 30937 Nationalism, colonialism and post colonialism in the Middle East

This graduate seminar offers a historiographical overview of the approaches to sect, religion, minority and gender in colonial and postcolonial contexts in the Middle East. We will discuss the conceptualizations of nationalism by different social scientists; explore the characteristics of Iranian, Turkish and Arab nationalism[s] in the years 1860-1979; examine the history of science and technology in the region and its influence on perceptions of Islamic modernity,; and ask whether sectarianism an old phenomenon or a new one, paying heed to the relationship between minorities and religions in the region.

2019-2020 Autumn

NEHC 30943 Colloquium: Iran and Central Asia I-Safvid Iran

The first quarter will take the form of a colloquium on the sources for and the literature on the political, social, economic, technological, and cultural history of Western and Central Asia from approximately 1500 to 1750. Classroom presentations and a short paper are required.

2019-2020 Autumn

NEHC 25020/35020 Culture and Zionism

This seminar will examine the intersection of culture and Zionism. We will begin by considering the historical formation referred to as "cultural Zionism" and examining its ideological underpinnings. Other topics include: Hebrew revival, the role of culture in the Zionist revolution, Israeli culture as Zionist culture. Readings include: Ahad Haam, Haim Nahman Bialik, S.Y. Agnon, Orly Kastel-Blum, Edward Said, Benjamin Harshav.

2019-2020 Autumn

NEHC 25222/35222 Readings in Syriac Literature

This course provides the student with an introduction to the major authors and various genres of
Syriac literature, including chronicles and historical texts, hagiography, biblical
commentary, and letters/responsa. Following this introduction, selected portions of several
Syriac texts will be read in English translation and discussed in class. A brief (6-10 pages)
paper and class presentation will be required (topic subject to the approval of the
instructor). There will also be a final exam.

2019-2020 Spring

NEAA 40020 Ceramic Analysis in Archaeology

(ANTH 36200)

At archaeological sites following the invention of pottery roughly 10,000 BCE, ceramics are the single most frequent and ubiquitous class of artefact that archaeologists uncover. This class, which will be conducted in the Oriental Institute Museum as a combination of lectures, discussions, and hands-on interactions with ancient and modern ceramics, surveys the methods and interpretive techniques that archaeologists use when studying this important category of material culture. Specific topics include manufacturing techniques, craft specialization, typology and chronology, production and exchange, scientific analyses, stylistic and functional analysis, and socio-political organization.

Prerequisites

Any course in ancient history or archaeology

2019-2020 Winter

ARAB 40101 Advanced Arabic Syntax I

This two-quarter sequence is an introduction to the classical Arabic language. It is useful for students whose research includes the reading of classical Arabic texts in varied fields such as literature, history, political science, theology and philosophy. In the class 1) rules of Arabic grammar are studied intensively, topic by topic; 2) parsing (i'rab) is an important component, with a view to understanding the structure of the language; 3) brief texts from different fields of classical Arabic are read focusing on their grammatical structure, and 4) some theory about the development of the grammatical genre is introduced, as are the basic features of prosody ('arud) and rhetoric (balagha).

Prerequisites

3 years of Arabic or equivalent

2019-2020 Autumn

ARAB 40102 Advanced Arabic Syntax II

This two-quarter sequence is an introduction to the classical Arabic language. It is useful for students whose research includes the reading of classical Arabic texts in varied fields such as literature, history, political science, theology and philosophy. In the class 1) rules of Arabic grammar are studied intensively, topic by topic; 2) parsing (i'rab) is an important component, with a view to understanding the structure of the language; 3) brief texts from different fields of classical Arabic are read focusing on their grammatical structure, and 4) some theory about the development of the grammatical genre is introduced, as are the basic features of prosody ('arud) and rhetoric (balagha).

Prerequisites

ARAB 40101 or equivalent. This is the second part of a 2 quarter sequence; open to grads and undergrads

2019-2020 Spring

NEHC 40122 Nations in Crisis, Nations in Diaspora - a Comparative study of the histories of modern Iraq and Palestine in the 20th century

The class compares the histories of both Iraq and Palestine to explore questions relating to colonialism, nationalism and resistance in the modern Middle East. Each class will take up a theme, ranging from arm resistance to gender roles in post colonialist contextS, and will compare the Iraqi to the Palestinian case. GRADUATE Seminar, three hours,

2019-2020 Spring

ARAB 40200 Advanced Readings

The goal of Advanced Readings in Arabic (1 and 2) is that students achieve the advanced-low level of reading proficiency, at least, by the end of the two terms, while improving their ability to write and speak fluently in MSA. To accomplish this, we will read, discuss, and enjoy a variety of short modern fiction in Arabic (short stories, novellas, and novels) by twentieth- and twenty-first-century writers. Open to students who have taken Arabic 30203 or 30303 or who have reached a commensurate level.

2019-2020 Autumn

ARAB 40200 Advanced Readings

Advanced Readings in Arabic

2019-2020 Winter

ARAB 40388 Readings in Early Islamic Apocalyptic Literature

The course explores the role of eschatological and apocalyptic ideas in the inception and early history of the Islamic community, through readings of relevant Arabic sources from the seventh through ninth centuries CE, and modern scholarship exploring these issues.

Prerequisites

at least 2, preferably 3, years of Arabic. Undergrads admitted with my permission.

2019-2020 Spring

TURK 40589 Colloquium: Advanced Ottoman Historical Texts

Based on selected readings from major Ottoman chronicles from the fifteenth to the seventeenth centuries, the course provides an introduction to the use of primary narrative materials and an overview of the development and range of Ottoman historical writing. Knowledge of modern and Ottoman Turkish required.

2019-2020 Autumn

NEHC 10666/40666 Hell! Discussion about Hell in Middle Eastern Cultures

The class looks at images of, and narratives about, hell, from depictions of hell in the Quran to depictions of contemporary refugee camps as modern infernos. We will also study the construction of the image of Satan (Iblis) and of demons (jins) in various Islamic texts. The class will focus on reading of primary sources in translation (The Quran, Ibn 'Arabi, Abu al-'Ala al-Ma'ari, Nagib Mahfouz, Ghassan Kanfani) and the text book "Locating Hell in Islamic Traditions" , edited by Christian Lange (Brill, 2015, open online access)

2019-2020 Autumn

ARAB 40925 Readings in Islamic Law

This course provides a survey of the primary literatures of Islamic law and their treatment in modern scholarship. Primary texts read and discussed in class cover the following genres: compendium (mukhtasar), commentary (sharh), legal disputation (jadal), legal theory (usul al-fiqh), legal maxims (qawa'id fiqhiyya), handbooks for judges (adab al-qadi), handbooks for muftis (adab al-mufti), and legal responsa (fatawa). We will read closely selected excerpts from each of these genres and discuss relevant secondary literature in order to contextualize the primary texts thematically and historically and to examine critically the research questions that have thus far animated the modern study of Islamic law. Undergraduate students by instructor permission only.

Prerequisites

3 years of Arabic or the equivalent

2019-2020 Autumn

NEHC 40925 Readings in Islamic Law

This course provides a survey of the primary literatures of Islamic law and their treatment in modern scholarship. Primary texts read and discussed in class cover the following genres: compendium (mukhtasar), commentary (sharh), legal disputation (jadal), legal theory (usul al-fiqh), legal maxims (qawa’id fiqhiyya), handbooks for judges (adab al-qadi), handbooks for muftis (adab al-mufti), and legal responsa (fatawa). We will read closely selected excerpts from each of these genres and discuss relevant secondary literature in order to contextualize the primary texts thematically and historically and to examine critically the research questions that have thus far animated the modern study of Islamic law. Undergraduate students by instructor permission only.

Prerequisites

3 years of Arabic or the equivalent

2019-2020 Autumn

NEHC 20011 Ancient Empires-1: The Hittite Empire

(CLCV 25700, HIST 15602)

This sequence meets the general education requirement in civilization studies. This sequence introduces three great empires of the ancient world. Each course in the sequence focuses on one empire, with attention to the similarities and differences among the empires being considered. By exploring the rich legacy of documents and monuments that these empires produced, students are introduced to ways of understanding imperialism and its cultural and societal effects—both on the imperial elites and on those they conquered.

2018-2019 Autumn

NEHC 10101 Intro To The Middle East

(HIST 15801)

Designed for those with no previous knowledge of the Middle East, this course aims to facilitate a general understanding of some key factors that have shaped life in this region, with primary emphasis on modern conditions and their background, and to provide exposure to some of the region's rich cultural diversity. The course can serve as a basis for the further study of the history, politics, and civilizations of the Middle East.

2018-2019 Spring

NEHC 20013 Ancient Empires-3: The Egyptian Empire of the New Kingdom

(CLCV 25900, HIST 15604)

This sequence introduces three great empires of the ancient world. Each course in the sequence focuses on one empire, with attention to the similarities and differences among the empires being considered. By exploring the rich legacy of documents and monuments that these empires produced, students are introduced to ways of understanding imperialism and its cultural and societal effects—both on the imperial elites and on those they conquered.

For most of the duration of the New Kingdom (1550-1069 BC), the ancient Egyptians were able to establish a vast empire and becoming one of the key powers within the Near East. This course will investigate in detail the development of Egyptian foreign policies and military expansion which affected parts of the Near East and Nubia. We will examine and discuss topics such as ideology, imperial identity, political struggle and motivation for conquest and control of wider regions surrounding the Egyptian state as well as the relationship with other powers and their perspective on Egyptian rulers as for example described in the Amarna letters.

2018-2019 Spring

NEHC 20464 Climate, Culture and Society in the Ancient Near East

(HIST 20310)

This course is part of the new curricular initiative Course Cluster on Climate Change, Culture and Society. Using primarily case studies from the Ancient Near East (from prehistory to the first millennium BCE) as a basis for discussion, the course will investigate the nature of the relationship between human societies and their environment, with a specific focus on situations of climatic change. Students will be invited to reflect on discourses on human-environment interactions from Herodotus to the IPCC, on notions such as environmental or social determinism, possibilism and reductionism, societal collapse and resilience, and on recent academic trends at the crossroads of Humanities, Social Sciences and Environmental Studies. This will allow them to develop critical skills that nurture their reflexions on current debates on anthropogenic climate change and the Anthropocene.

2018-2019 Spring

NEHC 31000 Before the Zodiac: Astronomy and Mathematics as Ancient Culture

(SIGN 26045)

Taking as its central theme the cultural situatedness of the earliest systems of mathematics and astronomy—from their origins in ancient Mesopotamia (Iraq, c. 3400 BCE) until the Common Era (CE)—this course explores topics in mathematical language and script, metrology, geometry and topology, music theory, definitions of time, models of stars and planets, medical astrology, and pan-astronomical hermeneutics in literature and an ancient board game. Pushing against boundaries separating the humanities and social and physical sciences, students discover how histories of science and mathematics could be decisively shaped not merely by sensory experience or axiomatic definition, but also by ideas and imagery derived from the cultures, societies, and aesthetics of their day.

2018-2019 Spring

NEHC 20012 Ancient Empires: The Ottoman Empire

(CLCV 25800, HIST 15603)

This sequence introduces three great empires of the ancient world. Each course in the sequence focuses on one empire, with attention to the similarities and differences among the empires being considered. By exploring the rich legacy of documents and monuments that these empires produced, students are introduced to ways of understanding imperialism and its cultural and societal effects—both on the imperial elites and on those they conquered.

2018-2019 Winter

NEHC 20735 Persia: The First World Empire

(CLCV 23518)

Stretching from Pakistan to Egypt and Greece, the Achaemenid Persian Empire dominated the Middle East for over 200 years (559-330 BCE) and was the first world empire in history. The Persian Empire brought diverse cultures, such as those of Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Greece, under a single rule, and witnessed transformations in the economies, religions, and political structures of the ancient world. In this course, we will trace the rise and fall of the Persian Empire and its afterlife, as the history of the Persian Empire continues to affect how we conceive of the Middle East today.

2018-2019 Winter

ARAB 30381 Introduction to Arabic Poetry

(ISLM 30381)

This course is an introduction to the texts, contexts, functions and rhythms of Arabic poetry. Students read, translate, and analyze the most eloquent verse of the Arabic poetic canon, with a view to understanding its themes, metaphors, and forms. Among the genres studied are brigand poetry, love lyrics, court panegyrics, satires, and mystical poetry. In addition, students study the prosody and rhetoric that underpins these texts in order to acquire a feel for its music and aesthetics. Focus is on the classical material, but modern poetry is also introduced. Excerpts from poetry texts are read in the original Arabic, and full poems in translation.

Prerequisites

Prerequisites: Two years of Arabic

2018-2019 Winter

ARAM 10101 Biblical Aramaic

(JWSC 11000-01)

This course provides a thorough introduction to the grammar of the Aramaic portions of the Hebrew Bible during the first few weeks. The remainder of the course is spent reading texts from the books of Daniel and Ezra.

Prerequisites

Prerequisites: HEBR 10103 or equivalent

2018-2019 Autumn

TURK 10101 Elementary Modern Turkish - 1

First Quarter of 1st Year Modern Turkish

2018-2019 Autumn

EGPT 10101 Intro to Middle Egyptian Hieroglyphs 1

(ANCM 30500)

Beginning intro to Egyptian grammar and script

2018-2019 Autumn

AANL 10101 Elementary Hittite 1

(LGLN 24600,LGLN 34600)

This is the first in a three-quarter sequence that covers the basic grammar and cuneiform writing system of the Hittite language. It also familiarizes the student with the field's tools (i.e., dictionaries, lexica, sign list). Readings come from all periods of Hittite history (1650 to 1180 B.C.).

Prerequisites

Prerequisite: Second-year standing

2018-2019 Autumn

PERS 10101 Elementary Persian-1

This sequence concentrates on modern written Persian as well as modern colloquial usage. Towards the end of the sequence the students will be able to read, write and speak Persian at an elementary level. Introducing the Iranian culture is also a goal. The class meets three hours a week with the instructor and two hours with a native informant who conducts grammatical drills and Persian conversation.

KAZK 10101 Elementary Kazakh

1st year of Modern Kazakh language.

2018-2019 Autumn

ARME 10101 Elementary Modern Armenian-1

(EEUR 21100,EEUR 31100,LGLN 10101)

This three-quarter sequence utilizes the most advanced computer technology and audio-visual aids enabling the students to master a core vocabulary, the alphabet and basic grammatical structures and to achieve a reasonable level of proficiency in modern formal and spoken Armenian (one of the oldest Indo-European languages). A considerable amount of historical-political and social-cultural issues about Armenia are skillfully built into the course for students who have intention to conduct research in Armenian Studies and related area studies or to pursue work in Armenia.

2018-2019 Autumn

HEBR 10101 Elementary Classical Hebrew-1

(JWSC 22000-01 JWSG 30100-01)

The first two quarters are devoted to acquiring the essentials of descriptive and historical grammar (including translation to and from Hebrew, oral exercises, and grammatical analysis).

2018-2019 Autumn

SUMR 10101 Elementary Sumerian-1

The first quarter of Elementary Sumerian.

2018-2019 Winter

SUMR 10102 Elementary Sumerian-2

The second quarter of Elementary Sumerian.

2018-2019 Spring

ARAM 10102 Old Aramaic Inscriptions

(JWSC 11100)

Texts from the Old Aramaic period (c. 1000-600 BCE) are read with special attention to the dialectal differences among various subgroups of texts.

Prerequisites

Prerequisites: ARAM 10101

2018-2019 Spring

HEBR 10102 Elementary Classical Hebrew-2

(JWSC 22100, JWSG 30100)

The first two quarters are devoted to acquiring the essentials of descriptive and historical grammar (including translation to and from Hebrew, oral exercises, and grammatical analysis).

Prerequisites

Prerequisites: HEBR 10101

2018-2019 Winter

TURK 10102 Elementary Modern Turkish-2

2nd quarter of Elementary Modern Turkish.

Prerequisites

Prerequisites: TURK 10101 or equivalent

2018-2019 Winter

EGPT 10102 Intro to Middle Egyptian Hieroglyphs 2

(ANCM 30501)

Beginning intro to Egyptian grammar and script

2018-2019 Winter

AANL 10102 Elementary Hittite 2

(LGLN 24700, LGLN 34700)

This is the second in a three-quarter sequence that covers the basic grammar and cuneiform writing system of the Hittite language. It also familiarizes the student with the field's tools (i.e., dictionaries, lexica, sign list). Readings come from all periods of Hittite history (1650 to 1180 B.C.).

Prerequisites

Prerequisites: AANL 10101

2018-2019 Winter

PERS 10102 Elementary Persian-2

This sequence concentrates on modern written Persian as well as modern colloquial usage. Towards the end of the sequence the students will be able to read, write and speak Persian at an elementary level. Introducing the Iranian culture is also a goal. The class meets three hours a week with the instructor and two hours with a native informant who conducts grammatical drills and Persian conversation.

Prerequisites

Prerequisites: PERS 10101

KAZK 10102 Elementary Kazakh 2

Second Quarter of Elementary Modern Kazakh.

Prerequisites

KAZK 10101 at U of Chicago, or eqivalent coursework with placement test and proficiency evaluation.

2018-2019 Winter

ARME 10102 Elementary Modern Armenian-2

(EEUR 21100,EEUR 31100,LGLN 10102)

This three-quarter sequence utilizes the most advanced computer technology and audio-visual aids enabling the students to master a core vocabulary, the alphabet and basic grammatical structures and to achieve a reasonable level of proficiency in modern formal and spoken Armenian (one of the oldest Indo-European languages). A considerable amount of historical-political and social-cultural issues about Armenia are skillfully built into the course for students who have intention to conduct research in Armenian Studies and related area studies or to pursue work in Armenia.

Prerequisites

Prerequisites: ARME 10101 or equivalent

2018-2019 Winter

HEBR 10103 Elementary Classical Hebrew-3

(JWSC 22200,JWSG 30300)

The third quarter is spent examining prose passages from the Hebrew Bible and includes a review of grammar.

Prerequisites

Prerequisites: HEBR 10102

2018-2019 Spring

TURK 10103 Elementary Modern Turkish-3

Third Quarter of Elementary Modern Turkish Language.

Prerequisites

Prerequisites: TURK 10101 and 10102 at U of Chicago, or equivalent coursework with placement test and proficiency evaluation.

2018-2019 Spring

EGPT 10103 Middle Egyptian Texts I

This course features readings in a variety of genres, including historical, literary, and scientific texts.

Prerequisites

Prerequisites: EGPT 10101-10102 or consent of the instructor

2018-2019 Spring

AANL 10103 Elementary Hittite-3

(LGLN 24800,LGLN 34800)

This is the third in a three-quarter sequence that covers the basic grammar and cuneiform writing system of the Hittite language. It also familiarizes the student with the field's tools (i.e., dictionaries, lexica, sign list). Readings come from all periods of Hittite history (1650 to 1180 B.C.).

2018-2019 Spring

PERS 10103 Elementary Persian-3

This sequence concentrates on modern written Persian as well as modern colloquial usage. Towards the end of the sequence the students will be able to read, write and speak Persian at an elementary level. Introducing the Iranian culture is also a goal. The class meets three hours a week with the instructor and two hours with a native informant who conducts grammatical drills and Persian conversation

Prerequisites

Prerequisites: PERS 10102

ARME 10103 Elementary Modern Armenian-3

(EEUR 21100,EEUR 31100,LGLN 10103)

This three-quarter sequence utilizes the most advanced computer technology and audio-visual aids enabling the students to master a core vocabulary, the alphabet and basic grammatical structures and to achieve a reasonable level of proficiency in modern formal and spoken Armenian (one of the oldest Indo-European languages). A considerable amount of historical-political and social-cultural issues about Armenia are skillfully built into the course for students who have intention to conduct research in Armenian Studies and related area studies or to pursue work in Armenia.

Prerequisites

Prerequisites: ARME 10102 or equivalent

2018-2019 Spring

ARAM 10103 Imperial Aramaic

(JWSC 11200-01)

Texts from the Imperial Aramaic period (c. 600-200 BCE) are read with special attention to the historical development of the grammar of Aramaic during this time period.

Prerequisites

Prerequisites: Second-year standing and ARAM 10101

2018-2019 Winter

EGPT 10201 Intro to Coptic

This course introduces the last native language of Egypt, which was in common use during the late Roman, Byzantine, and early Islamic periods (fourth to tenth centuries CE). Grammar and vocabulary of the standard Sahidic dialect are presented in preparation for reading biblical, monastic, and Gnostic literature, as well as a variety of historical and social documents.

2018-2019 Autumn

EGPT 10202 Coptic Texts

This course builds on the basics of grammar learned in EGPT 10201 and provides readings in a variety of Coptic texts (e.g., monastic texts, biblical excerpts, tales, Gnostic literature).

2018-2019 Winter

ARAB 10250 Colloquial Levantine 1

This is a proficiency-based course designed to develop the linguistic skills necessary for personal day-to-day life. The course focuses on spoken rather than Standard written Arabic, and will therefore target primarily the oral/aural skills. Through the knowledge of Modern Standard Arabic and the introduction of colloquial vocabulary, expressions and grammar, the course will build the students' competence in spoken Arabic. Students will also be introduced to the Levantine culture of Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and Palestine.

2018-2019 Winter

ARAB 10251 Colloquial Egyptian Arabic: Language and Culture

This course is meant to supplement the Novice-High student of Modern Standard Arabic with the spoken Arabic of Egypt (more precisely, of urban Egypt). As the largest Arab country (over 90 million), and with a vibrant presence on the cultural scene, the spoken language of Egypt will be introduced to students through this vibrant cultural production. We will use songs and films as well as social media exchanges, both written and oral, to bring Egyptian culture and spoken language to the student.

2018-2019 Spring

AKKD 10501 Introduction to Babylonian 1

This class provides an introduction to the Babylonian language (Akkadian), a Semitic language spoken and written in Mesopotamia from 2250-50 BCE. The participants will be introduced to grammar of the Old Babylonian period (ca. 19th to 16th BCE) and learn how to read cuneiform script. The reference grammar used for this course is John Huehnergard's A Grammar of Akkadian (third edition).

2018-2019 Autumn

HEBR 10501 Introductory Modern Hebrew

(JWSC 25000)

The beginner's class is the first of three sequential courses, offered through one academic year. The course aims to introduce students to reading, writing and speaking Modern Hebrew. Students gain experience with a variety of skills: • Comprehension: Reading & Listening to short texts and recorded conversations
• Conversation: Simple dialogues and stories
• Reading: dialogues and texts in non-diacritical easy Hebrew on various topics
• Writing: Short dialogues and passages on the topics taught in class
• Grammatical Skills: Elementary grammatical structures, inflection of the strong and some weak verb in the past and present tenses. Basic semantic and syntactic topics are also introduced.
By the end of that course, students usually know 800-1000 words and are expected to be able to conduct short conversations in Hebrew; read materials designed to this level and write short compositions.
Final grade is based on attendance, class participation, homework, quizzes and tests, oral exam.

2018-2019 Autumn

ARME 10501 Introduction to Classical Armenian

The course focuses on the basic grammatical structure and vocabulary of the Classical Armenian language, Grabar (one of the oldest Indo-European languages). It enables students to achieve basic reading skills in the Classical Armenian language. Reading assignments include a wide selection of original Armenian literature, mostly works by 5th century historians, as well as passages from the Bible, while a considerable amount of historical and cultural issues about Armenia are discussed and illustrated through the text interpretations. Recommended for students with interests in Armenian Studies, Classics, Divinity, Indo-European or General Linguistics.

Prerequisites

Knowledge of Modern Armenian is preferred but not required.

2018-2019 Winter

AKKD 10502 Introduction to Babylonian 2

This course is the second quarter of the annual introductory sequence to the Babylonian language and the Cuneiform script. Students will further explore the grammar of Babylonian in its Old Babylonian dialect (19th–16th c. BCE) and read ancient inscriptions (especially the Laws of Hammu-rabi) in the Old Babylonian monumental script. The reference grammar used for this course is John Huehnergard's A Grammar of Akkadian (third edition), 2011.

Prerequisites

Prerequisites: Introduction to Babylonian 1

2018-2019 Winter

HEBR 10502 Introductory Modern Hebrew - 2

(JWSC 25100)

The beginner's class is the first of three sequential courses, offered through one academic year. The course aims to introduce students to reading, writing and speaking Modern Hebrew. Students gain experience with a variety of skills: • Comprehension: Reading & Listening to short texts and recorded conversations
• Conversation: Simple dialogues and stories
• Reading: dialogues and texts in non-diacritical easy Hebrew on various topics
• Writing: Short dialogues and passages on the topics taught in class
• Grammatical Skills: Elementary grammatical structures, inflection of the strong and some weak verb in the past and present tenses. Basic semantic and syntactic topics are also introduced.
By the end of that course, students usually know 800-1000 words and are expected to be able to conduct short conversations in Hebrew; read materials designed to this level and write short compositions.
Final grade is based on attendance, class participation, homework, quizzes and tests, oral exam.

2018-2019 Winter

AKKD 10503 Introduction to Babylonian 3

Selected readings of Akkadian texts in the Standard Babylonian dialect of the 1st millennium BC.

Prerequisites

Prerequisites: AKKD 10501 and AKKD 10502

2018-2019 Spring

HEBR 10503 Introductory Modern Hebrew - 3

(JWSC 25200)

The beginner's class is the first of three sequential courses, offered through one academic year. The course aims to introduce students to reading, writing and speaking Modern Hebrew. Students gain experience with a variety of skills: • Comprehension: Reading & Listening to short texts and recorded conversations
• Conversation: Simple dialogues and stories
• Reading: dialogues and texts in non-diacritical easy Hebrew on various topics
• Writing: Short dialogues and passages on the topics taught in class
• Grammatical Skills: Elementary grammatical structures, inflection of the strong and some weak verb in the past and present tenses. Basic semantic and syntactic topics are also introduced.
By the end of that course, students usually know 800-1000 words and are expected to be able to conduct short conversations in Hebrew; read materials designed to this level and write short compositions.
Final grade is based on attendance, class participation, homework, quizzes and tests, oral exam.

2018-2019 Spring

NEHC 20005 Ancient Near Eastern Thought & Literature-2: Anatolian Lit

(NEHC 30005)

This course will provide an overview of Anatolian/Hittite literature, as “defined” by the Hittites themselves, in the wider historical-cultural context of the Ancient Near East. In the course of discussions, we will try to answer some important questions about Hittite inscriptions, such as: why were they written down, why were they kept, for whom were they intended, and what do the answers to these questions (apart from the primary content of the texts themselves) tell us about Hittite society?

2018-2019 Spring

NEHC 20006 Ancient Near Eastern Thought and Literature 3 : Egyptian Lit

(EGPT 30006, NEHC 30006)

This course employs English translations of ancient Egyptian literary texts to explore the genres, conventions and techniques of ancient Egyptian literature. Discussions of texts examine how the ancient Egyptians conceptualized and constructed their equivalent of literature, as well as the fuzzy boundaries and subtle interplay between autobiography, history, myth and fiction.

2018-2019 Autumn

NEAA 20006 Archaeology of the Ancient Near East-6; Egypt

(NEAA 30006-01)

This is the general introduction to Egyptian Archaeology which is part of the Archaeology of the Ancient Near East sequence.
This course will examine in detail the archaeology of ancient Egypt. The aim is to give a detailed overview of major sites and discoveries as well as including as much as possible material from recent excavations. Additionally, problems and priorities concerning fieldwork in Egypt will be discussed throughout this course.

Gregory Marouard
2018-2019 Winter

NEAA 20061 Ancient Landscapes 1

This is a two-course sequence that introduces students to theory and method in landscape studies and the use of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) to analyze archaeological, anthropological, historical, and environmental data. Course one covers the theoretical and methodological background necessary to understand spatial approaches to landscape and the fundamentals of using ESRI's ArcGIS software, and further guides students in developing a research proposal. Course two covers more advanced GIS-based analysis (using vector, raster, and satellite remote sensing data) and guides students in carrying out their own spatial research project. In both courses, techniques are introduced through the discussion of case studies (focused on the archaeology of the Middle East) and through demonstration of software skills. During supervised laboratory times, the various techniques and analyses covered will be applied to sample archaeological data and also to data from a region/topic chosen by the student.

Anthony Lauricella
2018-2019 Autumn

NEAA 20062 Ancient Landscapes 2

This is a two-course sequence that introduces students to theory and method in landscape studies and the use of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) to analyze archaeological, anthropological, historical, and environmental data. Course one covers the theoretical and methodological background necessary to understand spatial approaches to landscape and the fundamentals of using ESRI's ArcGIS software, and further guides students in developing a research proposal. Course two covers more advanced GIS-based analysis (using vector, raster, and satellite remote sensing data) and guides students in carrying out their own spatial research project. In both courses, techniques are introduced through the discussion of case studies (focused on the archaeology of the Middle East) and through demonstration of software skills. During supervised laboratory times, the various techniques and analyses covered will be applied to sample archaeological data and also to data from a region/topic chosen by the student.

Anthony Lauricella
2018-2019 Winter

NEHC 20091 Al-Ghazali

(ISLM 30091, NEHC 30091)

This course introduces students to the figure of Abu Hamid al-Ghazali and his enormously influential contributions to philosophy, theology, Sufism, and law. In addition to reading his writings, we examine al-Ghazali's reception in secondary scholarship and the various roles attributed to him – extinguisher of reason, proponent of double truth, architect of a grand synthesis. Open to undergraduates with sufficient Arabic and instructor permission.

Prerequisites

Prerequisites: Two years of Arabic or the equivalent

2018-2019 Winter

ARME 20101 Intermediate Modern Armenian-1

(EEUR 21100,EEUR 31100,LGLN 20101)

This three-quarter sequence enables the students to reach an Intermediate level of proficiency in the Armenian language. The course covers a rich vocabulary and complex grammatical structures in modern formal and colloquial Armenian. Reading assignments include a selection of original Armenian literature and excerpts from mass media. A considerable amount of historical-political and social-cultural issues about Armenia are skillfully built into the course for students who have intention to conduct research in Armenian Studies and related area studies or to pursue work in Armenia.

Prerequisites

Prerequisites: ARME 10103 or equivalent

2018-2019 Autumn

UGAR 20101 Ugaritic-1

First readings in texts in the Ugaritic language (1250-1185BC).

Prerequisites

Prerequisites: HEBR 20106 or equivalent

2018-2019 Autumn

TURK 20101 Intermediate Turkish-1

This sequence features proficiency-based instruction emphasizing speaking and writing skills as well as reading and listening comprehension at the intermediate to advanced levels in modern Turkish. Modern short stories, novel excerpts, academic and journalistic articles form the basis for an introduction to modern Turkish literature. Cultural units consisting of films and web-based materials are also used extensively in this course, which is designed to bring the intermediate speaker to an advanced level of proficiency. 

Prerequisites

Prerequisites: TURK 10103, or equivalent with intermediate level proficiency test.

2018-2019 Autumn

EGPT 20101 Middle Egyptian Texts II

This course features readings in a variety of genres, including historical, literary, and scientific texts.

2018-2019 Autumn

PERS 20101 Intermediate Persian-1

This sequence deepens and expands the students' knowledge of modern Persian at all levels of reading, writing and speaking. Grammar will be taught at a higher level and a wider vocabulary will enable the students to read stories, articles and poetry and be introduced to examples of classical literature towards the end of the sequence. Introducing the Iranian culture will be continued. Class meets three hours a week with the instructor and (with enough students) two hours with a native informant who conducts grammatical drills and Persian conversation.

Prerequisites

Prerequisites: PERS 10103

PERS 20102 Intermediate Persian-2

This sequence deepens and expands the students' knowledge of modern Persian at all levels of reading, writing and speaking. Grammar will be taught at a higher level and a wider vocabulary will enable the students to read stories, articles and poetry and be introduced to examples of classical literature towards the end of the sequence. Introducing the Iranian culture will be continued. Class meets three hours a week with the instructor and (with enough students) two hours with a native informant who conducts grammatical drills and Persian conversation

Prerequisites

Prerequisites: PERS 20101

ARME 20102 Intermediate Modern Armenian-2

(EEUR 21100,EEUR 21100,LGLN 20102)

This three-quarter sequence enables the students to reach an Intermediate level of proficiency in the Armenian language. The course covers a rich vocabulary and complex grammatical structures in modern formal and colloquial Armenian. Reading assignments include a selection of original Armenian literature and excerpts from mass media. A considerable amount of historical-political and social-cultural issues about Armenia are skillfully built into the course for students who have intention to conduct research in Armenian Studies and related area studies or to pursue work in Armenia.

Prerequisites

ARME 20101 or equivalent.

2018-2019 Winter

UGAR 20102 Ugaritic-2

Continued reading of texts in the Ugaritic language, emphasis on prose texts.

2018-2019 Winter

EGPT 20102 Intro to Hieratic

This course introduces the cursive literary and administrative script of Middle Egyptian (corresponding to the Middle Kingdom period in Egypt) and is intended to provide familiarity with a variety of texts written in hieratic (e.g., literary tales, religious compositions, wisdom literature, letters, accounts, graffiti).

Prerequisites

EGPT 10101-10102-10103 or equivalent required; EGPT 20101 recommended

2018-2019 Winter

TURK 20102 Intermediate Turkish-2

This sequence features proficiency-based instruction emphasizing speaking and writing skills as well as reading and listening comprehension at the intermediate to advanced levels in modern Turkish. Modern short stories, novel excerpts, academic and journalistic articles form the basis for an introduction to modern Turkish literature. Cultural units consisting of films and web-based materials are also used extensively in this course, which is designed to bring the intermediate speaker to an advanced level of proficiency. 

Prerequisites

Prerequisite: TURK 10103, or equivalent with intermediate level proficiency test.

2018-2019 Winter

PERS 20103 Intermediate Persian-3

This sequence deepens and expands the students' knowledge of modern Persian at all levels of reading, writing and speaking. Grammar will be taught at a higher level and a wider vocabulary will enable the students to read stories, articles and poetry and be introduced to examples of classical literature towards the end of the sequence. Introducing the Iranian culture will be continued. Class meets three hours a week with the instructor and (with enough students) two hours with a native informant who conducts grammatical drills and Persian conversation.

ARME 20103 Intermediate Modern Armenian-3

(EEUR 21100,EEUR 31100,LGLN 20103)

This three-quarter sequence enables the students to reach an Intermediate level of proficiency in the Armenian language. The course covers a rich vocabulary and complex grammatical structures in modern formal and colloquial Armenian. Reading assignments include a selection of original Armenian literature and excerpts from mass media. A considerable amount of historical-political and social-cultural issues about Armenia are skillfully built into the course for students who have intention to conduct research in Armenian Studies and related area studies or to pursue work in Armenia.

Prerequisites

Prerequisites: ARME 20102 or equivalent.

2018-2019 Spring

UGAR 20103 Ugaritic-3

Continued reading of texts in the Ugaritic language.

2018-2019 Spring

TURK 20103 Intermediate Turkish 3

This sequence features proficiency-based instruction emphasizing speaking and writing skills as well as reading and listening comprehension at the intermediate to advanced levels in modern Turkish. Modern short stories, novel excerpts, academic and journalistic articles form the basis for an introduction to modern Turkish literature. Cultural units consisting of films and web-based materials are also used extensively in this course, which is designed to bring the intermediate speaker to an advanced level of proficiency.

Prerequisites

Prerequisites: TURK 10103, or equivalent with intermediate level proficiency test.

2018-2019 Spring

HEBR 20104 Intermediate Classical Hebrew I

(JWSC 22300-01)

A continuation of Elementary Classical Hebrew. The first quarter consists of reviewing grammar, and of reading and analyzing further prose texts. The last two quarters are devoted to an introduction to Hebrew poetry with readings from Psalms, Proverbs, and the prophets

Prerequisites

Prerequisites: HEBR 10103 or equivalent.

2018-2019 Autumn

HEBR 20105 Intermediate Classical Hebrew-2

(JWSC 22400-01)

A continuation of Elementary Classical Hebrew. The first quarter consists of reviewing grammar, and of reading and analyzing further prose texts. The last two quarters are devoted to an introduction to Hebrew poetry with readings from Psalms, Proverbs, and the prophets

Prerequisites

Prerequisites: HEBR 20104 or equivalent.

2018-2019 Winter

HEBR 20106 Intermediate Classical Hebrew-3

(JWSC 22500)

A continuation of Elementary Classical Hebrew. The first quarter consists of reviewing grammar, and of reading and analyzing further prose texts. The last two quarters are devoted to an introduction to Hebrew poetry with readings from Psalms, Proverbs, and the prophets.

Prerequisites

Prerequisites: HEBR 20105 or equivalent

2018-2019 Spring

EGPT 20110 Old Egyptian

Intro to OE texts and grammar

2018-2019 Spring

NEHC 20212 Introduction to Egyptian Religion and Magic

(NEHC 30122)

The course provides a general introduction to the theology and ritual practice of Ancient Egypt from the Predynastic Period to the late Roman Empire (ca. 3100 BC to AD 543).  Illustrated lectures will  survey primary mythology, the nature of Egyptian “magic,” the evolving role of the priesthood, the function of temple and tomb architecture, mummification and funerary rites, the Amarna revolution and the origins of monotheism, as well as the impact of Egyptian religion on neighboring belief systems.  Students will read a wide array of original texts in translation in addition to modern interpretive studies.  Course requirements include two (2) papers and a final exam.  In the first paper the student should discuss in 5-10 pages a specific deity or temple site.  The second paper should contain a concise analysis (5-10 pages) of a theological issue pertinent to class discussion and readings.  All topics must be cleared in advance with the instructor. Proper bibliographies and footnotes are expected, and any internet sources must be cleared with the instructor.

2018-2019 Spring

NELG 20301 Intro To Comparative Semitics

(NELG 30301)

This course is an introduction to the methodologies of Comparative and Historical Linguistics and basic data used for the reconstruction of the Semitic languages.

Prerequisites

Prerequisites: Knowledge of two Semitic languages or one Semitic language and Historical Linguistics.

2018-2019 Autumn

NEHC 20501 Islamic History and Society-1:The Rise of Islam & the Caliphate

This course covers the period from ca. 600 to 1100, including the rise and spread of Islam, the Islamic empire under the Umayyad and Abbasid caliphs, and the emergence of regional Islamic states from Afghanistan and eastern Iran to North Africa and Spain.

2018-2019 Autumn

NEHC 20502 Islamic History and Society-2: The Middle Periods

(NEHC 30502, HIST 25804, HIST 35804)

This course covers the period from ca. 1100 to 1750, including the arrival of the Steppe Peoples (Turks and Mongols), the Mongol successor states, and the Mamluks of Egypt and Syria. We also study the foundation of the great Islamic regional empires of the Ottomans, Safavids, and Moghuls.

Prerequisites

Taking these courses in sequence is recommended but not required. This sequence meets the general education requirement in civilization studies.

2018-2019 Winter

NEHC 20503 Islamic History and Society -3: The Modern Middle East

This course covers the period from ca. 1750 to the present, focusing on Western military, economic, and ideological encroachment; the impact of such ideas as nationalism and liberalism; efforts at reform in the Islamic states; the emergence of the "modern" Middle East after World War I; the struggle for liberation from Western colonial and imperial control; the Middle Eastern states in the cold war era; and local and regional conflicts.

2018-2019 Spring

NEAA 20512 Egypt after the Pharaohs: Archaeology of Coptic and Islamic Egy

(NEAA 30512)

This course is an exploration of the continuities of Egyptian culture from the Ptolemaic period down to modern times, a span of over 2000 years.  The emphasis will be on the archaeology of Coptic and Islamic Egypt.  The focus will be on the role of medieval archaeology in amplifying the history of economic and social systems.  It is this connective quality of archaeology which contributes to an understanding of Pharaonic culture and fills the gap between ancient and modern Egypt.

2018-2019 Spring

HEBR 20521 Lower Intermediate Hebrew Through Israeli Media

This one quarter course is designed to provide students with skills for viewing original movies, reading short newspaper articles as well as watching T.V. shows - all dealing with cultural and social issues in Israel. The learning stages include reading and listening comprehension, oral and written expression, vocabulary and grammar enrichment. The movies, articles and shows are supplemented with a simultaneous script and a dictionary. This courseware is suitable for students who had at least one year of Modern Hebrew studies or were placed into Intermediate Modern Hebrew. Consent of instructor is required.

2018-2019 Spring

NEHC 20601 Islamic Thought & Literature-1

(NEHC 30601-01, SOSC 22000-01, RLST 20401-01, ISLM 30601-01, CMES 30601-01)

This sequence explores the thought and literature of the Islamic world from the coming of Islam in the seventh century C.E. through the development and spread of its civilization in the medieval period and into the modern world. Including historical framework to establish chronology and geography, the course focuses on key aspects of Islamic intellectual history: scripture, law, theology, philosophy, literature, mysticism, political thought, historical writing, and archaeology. In addition to lectures and secondary background readings, students read and discuss samples of key primary texts, with a view to exploring Islamic civilization in the direct voices of the people who participated in creating it. All readings are in English translation. No prior background in the subject is required. This course sequence meets the general education requirement in civilization studies.

Prerequisites

Students can meet the general education requirement in civilization studies by taking NEHC 20601 and either 20602 or 20603.

2018-2019 Autumn

NEHC 20602 Islamic Thought & Literature-2

(SOSC, RLST, ISLM)

This course covers the period from ca. 950 to 1700. We survey works of literature, theology, philosophy, Sufism, politics, and history that were written in Arabic, Persian, and Turkish. We also consider the art, architecture, and music of the Islamicate traditions. Through primary texts, secondary sources, and lectures, we trace the cultural, social, religious, political, and institutional evolution through the period of the Fatimids, the Crusades, the Mongol invasions, and the “gunpowder empires” (Ottomans, Safavids, Mughals).

This sequence explores the thought and literature of the Islamic world from the coming of Islam in the seventh century C.E. through the development and spread of its civilization in the medieval period and into the modern world. Including historical framework to establish chronology and geography, the course focuses on key aspects of Islamic intellectual history: scripture, law, theology, philosophy, literature, mysticism, political thought, historical writing, and archaeology. In addition to lectures and secondary background readings, students read and discuss samples of key primary texts, with a view to exploring Islamic civilization in the direct voices of the people who participated in creating it. All readings are in English translation. No prior background in the subject is required. This course sequence meets the general education requirement in civilization studies.

Prerequisites

NEHC 20601 (Islamic Thought and Lit–1) or NEHC 20501 (Islamic Hist and Soc–1). Partially fulfills Civilizational Studies requirement of the College.

2018-2019 Winter

NEHC 20603 Islamic Thought and Literature-3

(SOSC, RLST, ISLM)

This course covers the period from ca. 1700 to the present. It explores Muslim intellectuals' engagement with tradition and modernity in the realms of religion, politics, literature, and law. We discuss debates concerning the role of religion in a modern society, perceptions of Europe and European influence, the challenges of maintain religious and cultural authenticity, and Muslim views of nation-states and nationalism in the Middle East. We also give consideration to the modern developments of transnational jihadism and the Arab Spring.

This sequence explores the thought and literature of the Islamic world from the coming of Islam in the seventh century C.E. through the development and spread of its civilization in the medieval period and into the modern world. Including historical framework to establish chronology and geography, the course focuses on key aspects of Islamic intellectual history: scripture, law, theology, philosophy, literature, mysticism, political thought, historical writing, and archaeology. In addition to lectures and secondary background readings, students read and discuss samples of key primary texts, with a view to exploring Islamic civilization in the direct voices of the people who participated in creating it. All readings are in English translation. No prior background in the subject is required. This course sequence meets the general education requirement in civilization studies.

Prerequisites

This sequence meets the general education requirement in civilization studies. Taking these courses in sequence is recommended but not required.

2018-2019 Spring

NEHC 20615 Drawn Together: Comics Culture in the Middle East

(NEHC 30615)

This is a course about the rise of the graphic novel and comics culture in the Middle East. We will apply key theoretical materials from the field of comics studies to help us understand the influences, motivations and interventions of these graphic narratives in their cultural contexts. While we will primarily focus on the Arabic-speaking regions of the Middle East, the course will also include texts from Iran, Turkey, and the US and Europe.

Prerequisites

In English. No prerequisites.

2018-2019 Spring

NEHC 20765 Introduction to the Musical Folklore of Central Asia

(ANTH ,NEHC 20765 ,EEUR ,EEUR 30766, EALC, MUSI)

An ethnomusicological survey of the traditional musical cultures associated with the indigenous inhabitants of Central Eurasia.

2018-2019 Spring

NEHC 20840 Radical Islamic Pieties, 1200–1600

(NEHC 30840, HIST 25901, HIST 35901)

This course examines responses to the Mongol destruction of the Abbasid caliphate in 1258 and the background to formation of regional Muslim empires. Topics include the opening of confessional boundaries; Ibn Arabi, Ibn Taymiyya, and Ibn Khaldun; the development of alternative spiritualities, mysticism, and messianism in the fifteenth century; and transconfessionalism, antinomianism, and the articulation of sacral sovereignties in the sixteenth century. All work in English. This course is offered in alternate years.

Prerequisites

Some knowledge of primary languages (i.e., Arabic, French, German, Greek, Latin, Persian, Spanish, Turkish) helpful.

2018-2019 Winter

NEHC 20895 The Construction of Jewish History in Israel

The course concerns the ways Jewish history has been constructed and conceptualized in the State of Israel since 1948. It will examine academic and para academic research, popular history books, TV series, educational programs, national archives and public ceremonies.

2018-2019 Autumn

NEHC 20896 The Mizrahi Discourse in Israel

(HIST 25905, NEHC 30896)

The course concerns the many ways Oriental Jews are represented in Israeli discourse: in academic writings, in history curricula, in Israeli novels and films, in ethnic museums and in political discourse. It will also discuss Mizrahi self-identities as manifested in protest movements, civil organizations, and political parties. The course will take a chronological path and will follow the changes that occurred in the discourse about ethnicity from the state`s early years until recent days.

Miriam Frenkel, Miriam Frenkel
2018-2019 Winter

NELG 20901 Advanced Seminar in Comparative Semitic Linguistics

(NELG 40301, LGLN 20901)

This course is an advanced seminar in Comparative Semitics that critically discusses important secondary literature and linguistic methodologies concerning topics in the field, including topics in phonology, morphology, syntax, etc.

Prerequisites

Prerequisites: Introduction to Comparative Semitics. Undergraduates require consent of instructor.

2018-2019 Winter

NEHC 20937 Nationalism, colonialism and post-colonialism in the Middle East

(NEHC 30937)

The seminar covers the history of the region during the 19th and 20th centuries. It looks at how the modern historiography of modern Middle Eastern studies shaped, and was shaped by, post-colonial studies, subaltern studies, and historical perceptions of urbanity, modernity, Orientlaism, and class. The class will pay heed to the fluid and constructed nature of Arab national culture, and the terminology used by Arab nationalists concerning ""nahda," “revival,” and “rebirth.” We will explore various "golden ages" Arab nationalists envisioned, like pre-Islamic Semitic empires, the first Islamic state under the leadership of the Prophet Muhammad, the Ummayds, the Abbasids and Muslim Spain, as a way of analyzing the the constructed and temporal nature of national discourses. We will finally examine the distinction between Pan-Arab nationalism (qawmiyya), which considered Arab culture, history, and language as markers of one's national identity, and often strove for political unity with other Arab states; and territorial-patriotic nationalism (wataniyya), which hailed the national cultures of particular Arab states (Egyptian, Iraqi, Lebanese), focusing on their geography, archaeology, and history the key features of national identity.

2018-2019 Autumn

NEHC 21010 The Age of Innovation – Famous Firsts 5000 years ago

(SIGN 26016)

“The first man on moon”, “the first Thanksgiving” or “the first kiss” – our society is still fascinated and remembers the exact moment something happened for the first time. The history of the Ancient Near East, especially the ancient civilization of Mesopotamia (modern Iraq), is quite rich of such “firsts in history”.
From the moment, writing is discovered there is an abundance of textual record, covering the first documents about politics, law, and economics. The first private documents allow us a glimpse into what living and dying were life like more 5000 years ago.

This class will explore what the cultural conditions of those innovations are and how innovations transform societies and why it matters to study ancient civilizations.

By discovering primary sources (in English translation), the fascination of reading those texts for the “first” time will be experienced. Visits at the Oriental Institute Museum will link textual record and object-based inquiry.

2018-2019 Spring

ARAB 29001 Arabic Through Film

This course immerses the student in Arabic through the genre of film, specifically, Egyptian film, a potent and pervasive medium since Arabs started making films in the 1920s, but more pervasive with the advent of television in the early 1960s. Proceeding chronologically, we examine the Egyptian film through distinct stages, from the early musicals and romantic comedies of the forties and fifties, to the slew of post-1952 films offering new notions of the nation, of citizens, of womanhood, to the films of the 1970s with their commentary on the new capitalist society Sadat espoused, to the nuanced realism and focus on individual angst of the 1980s and 90s, to the gritty realism of the pre and post Arab Spring period.

2018-2019 Autumn

HEBR 30001 Intensive Modern Hebrew

In this intensive, three-quarter sequence course student will gain skills corresponding to two full years of study. The course brings students to high-intermediate levels in all four skills: reading, writing, comprehension and grammar so that students can enter third-year level courses in Reading Modern Hebrew. With the main emphasis this course places on grammar, students that graduates this course successfully can enter third-year level courses in Reading Modern Hebrew

2018-2019 Autumn

NEAA 20002/30002 Archaeology of the Ancient Near East-2: Anatolia

This sequence does not meet the general education requirement in civilization studies. This sequence surveys the archaeology and art of the Near East from prehistoric times to the Hellenistic and Roman periods. Each course in the sequence focuses on a particular cultural region.

2018-2019 Autumn

HEBR 30002 Intensive Modern Hebrew

In this intensive, three-quarter sequence course student will gain skills corresponding to two full years of study. The course brings students to high-intermediate levels in all four skills: reading, writing, comprehension and grammar so that students can enter third-year level courses in Reading Modern Hebrew. With the main emphasis this course places on grammar, students that graduates this course successfully can enter third-year level courses in Reading Modern Hebrew

2018-2019 Winter

HEBR 30003 Intensive Modern Hebrew

In this intensive, three-quarter sequence course student will gain skills corresponding to two full years of study. The course brings students to high-intermediate levels in all four skills: reading, writing, comprehension and grammar so that students can enter third-year level courses in Reading Modern Hebrew. With the main emphasis this course places on grammar, students that graduates this course successfully can enter third-year level courses in Reading Modern Hebrew

2018-2019 Spring

NEHC 20004/30004 Ancient Near Eastern Thought & Literature-1: Mesopotamia

This course gives an overview over the richness of Mesopotamian Literature (modern Iraq) written in the 3rd-1st millennium BC. We will read myths and epics written on clay tablets in Sumerian and Akkadian language in English translation and discuss content and style, but also the religious, cultural and historic implications. Special focus will be on the development of stories over time, historical context of the literature and mythological figures. The texts treated cover not only the famous Epic of Gilgamesh, but also various legends of Sumerian and Akkadian kings, stories about Creation and World Order, and destruction. The topics covered range from the quest for immortality, epic heros and monsters, sexuality and love.

2018-2019 Winter

NEHC 30019 Mesopotamian Law

(SIGN 26022, law and letters (Ask dennis hutchinson))

NEHC 30019. Mesopotamian Law, LLSO 20019 SIGN 26002. Ancient Mesopotamia -- the home of the Sumerians, Babylonians, and Assyrians who wrote in cuneiform script on durable clay tablets -- was the locus of many of history's firsts. No development, however, may be as important as the formations of legal systems and legal principles revealed in contracts, trial records, and law collections (codes), among which The Laws of Hammurabi (r. 1792-1750 BC) stands as most important for understanding subsequent legal practice and thought of Mesopotamia's cultural heirs in the Middle East and Europe until today. This course will explore the rich source materials of the Laws and relevant judicial and administration documents (all in English translations) to investigate topics of legal, social, and economic practice including family formation and dissolution, crime and punishment (sympathetic or talionic eye for an eye, pecuniary, corporal), and procedure (contracts, trials, ordeals).

2018-2019 Winter

NEHC 20025/30025 Introduction to Islamic Law

Is Islam a religion or a political ideology? What is sharīʿa and what is sharīʿa law? What do Muslims mean when they use terms like sharīʿa, fiqh and Islamic law? Does Islamic law represent a challenge to the authority of the nation-state? In this course, we will examine all of these issues and more.In this course, we will approach Islamic law from three main angles, jurisprudence, substantive law, and the judiciary. The substantive areas of Islamic law to be covered include the following: ritual worship, family and personal status law, criminal law, contract law, constitutional & international law. We will also be dealing with the challenges posed by the advent of modernity and colonialism to Muslims' understanding and practice of Islamic law. The course will combine readings in primary and secondary literature with case studies to illustrate the workings of Islamic law. The main textbooks will be Wael Hallaq's Introduction to Islamic Law and Knut Vikor's Between God and the Sultan: A History of Islamic Law. Supplemental readings will be provided from other works. Students will be required to write three 3-4 page response papers, take a midterm and a final exam. The final exam will comprise take home essay questions.

2018-2019 Winter

NEHC 30032 Imagining the Text: Books and Manuscripts in the Ancient ME

(NEHC 20032)

Imagining the Text: Books and Manuscripts in the Ancient Middle East offers a unique perspective within the larger paradigm of approaches to the written word known as the “History of the Book.” While many such courses look only briefly at pre-printed textual material, this course will provide an overview on the use of texts from antiquity (from the earliest writing to the Middle Ages) in the Middle East. Site visits to local repositories will provide hands-on experience with papyri, clay tablets, parchment, vellum, and rare books. Readings and discussions will explore what is meant by the term “text” in order to deeply investigate the methodologies of book history and textual criticism.The course will be organized around two primary themes: methodology and pre-print manuscript culture. During the first five weeks, we will look at how texts are studied, thereby setting a foundation for looking at actual examples in the second part of the course. The central component of the course will be spent deeply studying the pre-print manuscript culture from across the ancient Middle East in a roughly chronological order. We will devote significant time to the transmission of texts in the ancient Mediterranean world, an area of particular interest to me that is rarely covered with such depth in a "book history" class. During this time, we will have several site visits to area institutions to see firsthand treasures from their collections, including cuneiform tablets preserving the epic of Gilgamesh, papyrus copies of the Egyptian Book of the Dead, fragments of the Dead Sea Scrolls, Coptic prayer books, Syriac hagiographies, ancient Greek biblical manuscripts, medieval monastic literature, and much more. In the final weeks of the course, we will turn to the early revolution of paper and print technology.

2018-2019 Autumn

NEAA 30071 Texts in Context

This course investigates public and private buildings in which ancient records have been found in situ, seeking to find correlations based on architecture, artifacts, and the contents of texts. Often, in the past, the findspots of texts have not been meticulously recorded, resulting in the loss of valuable information on the function of specific buildings or even rooms in buildings; the layout of a building can also give information that can add significantly to the interpretation of the texts.

2018-2019 Spring

NEAA 30091 Field Archaeology

This course takes place outside of Chicago and can only be taken by arrangement with the instructor well in advance of the quarter in which it is offered.

2018-2019 Autumn

TURK 30101 Advanced Turkish-1

Advanced Turkish / Ottoman Turkish class is designed for students with at least two years of Turkish or equivalent experience. The course is organized in two modules. The first module aims to develop advanced language skills in Modern Turkish through reading, writing, listening, and speaking, with special emphasis on the proper usage of vocabulary and idiomatic expressions. In the second module, the students will be introduced to the Ottoman Turkish language through primary sources. This module aims to provide students with Ottoman reading, transliteration and translation skills primarily for printed material, and to introduce them to Ottoman grammar. Students will be given the option to follow only one of the modules upon consultation with the instructor.

Prerequisites

Prerequisites: TURK 20103 or equivalent.

2018-2019 Autumn

TURK 30102 Advanced Turkish-2

Advanced Turkish / Ottoman Turkish class is designed for students with at least two years of Turkish or equivalent experience. The course is organized in two modules. The first module aims to develop advanced language skills in Modern Turkish through reading, writing, listening, and speaking, with special emphasis on the proper usage of vocabulary and idiomatic expressions. In the second module, the students will be introduced to the Ottoman Turkish language through primary sources. This module aims to provide students with Ottoman reading, transliteration and translation skills primarily for printed material, and to introduce them to Ottoman grammar. Students will be given the option to follow only one of the modules upon consultation with the instructor.

Prerequisites

Prerequisites: TURK 30101 or equivalent.

2018-2019 Winter

EGPT 30120 Intro to Demotic

Intro to Demotic script and grammar

2018-2019 Winter

EGPT 30121 Demotic Texts

Reading course in Demotic texts

2018-2019 Spring

AANL 30130 Advanced Readings in Hittite: Rituals

2018-2019 Autumn

ARAB 30201 High Intermediate Modern Arabic

This is a three course sequence in High Intermediate Modern Standard Arabic.

2018-2019 Autumn

ARAB 30202 High Intermediate Modern Arabic

This is a three course sequence in High Intermediate Modern Standard Arabic.

2018-2019 Winter

ARAB 30203 High Intermediate Modern ARabic

This is a three course sequence in High Intermediate Modern Standard Arabic.

2018-2019 Spring

ARAB 30301 High Intermediate Classical Arabic 1

This is a three-segment course offered in three quarters; Autumn, Winter and Spring. The main objective of the complete three segment is to develop strong pedagogical strategies in the four Arabic language skills to acquire proficiency in handling Arabic classical texts. By the end of the three quarters students should know the distinctive features of classical Arabic texts and the various genres and sources of such texts. They will build strong command on expanded grammatical features and structural rules governing classical texts of different variations. Students will be able to produce written documents reflecting reading comprehension, personal opinions and text critique. Students should be able to make oral presentation and conduct research using electronic resources as well as traditional classical sources. The class is conducted entirely in Arabic with occasional use of English in translation and explanation of complex cultural and linguistic issues. Prerequisite(s): ARAB 20103 or equivalen

2018-2019 Autumn

ARAB 30302 High Intermediate Classical Arabic 2

This is a three-segment course offered in three quarters; Autumn, Winter and Spring. The main objective of the complete three segment is to develop strong pedagogical strategies in the four Arabic language skills to acquire proficiency in handling Arabic classical texts. By the end of the three quarters students should know the distinctive features of classical Arabic texts and the various genres and sources of such texts. They will build strong command on expanded grammatical features and structural rules governing classical texts of different variations. Students will be able to produce written documents reflecting reading comprehension, personal opinions and text critique. Students should be able to make oral presentation and conduct research using electronic resources as well as traditional classical sources. The class is conducted entirely in Arabic with occasional use of English in translation and explanation of complex cultural and linguistic issues. Prerequisite(s): ARAB 20103 or equivalen

2018-2019 Winter

ARAB 30303 High Intermediate Classical Arabic 3

This is a three-segment course offered in three quarters; Autumn, Winter and Spring. The main objective of the complete three segment is to develop strong pedagogical strategies in the four Arabic language skills to acquire proficiency in handling Arabic classical texts. By the end of the three quarters students should know the distinctive features of classical Arabic texts and the various genres and sources of such texts. They will build strong command on expanded grammatical features and structural rules governing classical texts of different variations. Students will be able to produce written documents reflecting reading comprehension, personal opinions and text critique. Students should be able to make oral presentation and conduct research using electronic resources as well as traditional classical sources. The class is conducted entirely in Arabic with occasional use of English in translation and explanation of complex cultural and linguistic issues. Prerequisite(s): ARAB 20103 or equivalen

2018-2019 Spring

NEAA 30331 Households, Kinship, and Demography in the Ancient Levant

In this course we will read widely in the archaeological, historical, and sociological literature pertaining to ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern households, kinship, and demography, with attention to methodological issues involved in interpreting relevant archaeological and textual evidence.

2018-2019 Winter

AKKD 30375 Akkadian Literature: Late Period

This course explores a variety of key issues in ancient narrative, by means of investigating the role of literature as history in the Erra Epic, features of orality or aurality such as verse, meter, and prosody in The Poor Man of Nippur, as well as the appropriation and reinterpretation of metaphors and other figurative imagery in Marduk's Address to the Demons and its ancient commentary.

Prerequisites

Prerequisites: One year of Akkadian.

2018-2019 Winter

NEHC 30466 Coping with Changing Climates in Early Antiquity I

This two-quarter seminar is offered as part of an ongoing collaborative research project called “Coping with Changing Climates in Early Antiquity: Comparative Approaches Between Empiricism and Theory,” developped jointly at the University of Chicago, the University of Michigan and Purdue University. Using a shared syllabus at the three institutions, and some joint sessions in the form of webinars, the seminar will cover the theoretical framework that allows for an in-depth understanding of the relations between human societies and their environments, and on social response to change in their social, political and environmental climates (Winter quarter); it will present a series of case studies in three key geographic areas: Egypt and Nubia; the Eastern Mediterranean and Anatolia; and Mesopotamia (Spring quarter). Students will be exposed to cross-cultural approaches and will be able to interact with partners at other institutions through an online discussion group. Students will have the opportunity to work collaboratively (2-3 students) within their institution and across institutions on a research project of their choice, whose results will be presented at a poster session during the project's final conference in 2020, and will then be exhibited at the three partner institutions in the course of Academic Year 2020-2021.

2018-2019 Winter

NEHC 30467 Coping with Changing Climates in Early Antiquity II

This two-quarter seminar is offered as part of an ongoing collaborative research project called “Coping with Changing Climates in Early Antiquity: Comparative Approaches Between Empiricism and Theory,” developped jointly at the University of Chicago, the University of Michigan and Purdue University. Using a shared syllabus at the three institutions, and some joint sessions in the form of webinars, the seminar will cover the theoretical framework that allows for an in-depth understanding of the relations between human societies and their environments, and on social response to change in their social, political and environmental climates (Winter quarter); it will present a series of case studies in three key geographic areas: Egypt and Nubia; the Eastern Mediterranean and Anatolia; and Mesopotamia (Spring quarter). Students will be exposed to cross-cultural approaches and will be able to interact with partners at other institutions through an online discussion group. Students will have the opportunity to work collaboratively (2-3 students) within their institution and across institutions on a research project of their choice, whose results will be presented at a poster session during the project's final conference in 2020, and will then be exhibited at the three partner institutions in the course of Academic Year 2020-2021.

2018-2019 Spring

NEHC 20470/30470 Fashioning Identities in Ancient Egypt

The rich material and visual culture of Ancient Egypt provide an opportunity to study costume from various perspectives and through a variety of sources. Contact with different groups of foreigners was always omnipresent in Egypt, and when they ruled the country (e.g. Hyksos, Libyan, Kushites, Assyrians, Persian, Greeks, Roman), they exposed Egypt to outward culture and fashion. This presents an opportunity to inquire if and how the political situation affected the way Egyptian dressed, as costume is a powerful means to assimilate and acculturate a wearer in society.
This course will give a quick overview of the Egyptian costume through the lens of art historical sources as well as of the organic remains of textiles. It will demonstrate how to use clothing as a tool to investigate a distant civilization. By analyzing the clothing of Egyptians and foreigners, it will familiarize students with ancient wardrobe, as well as provide an overview of Egyptian art and material culture. It will investigate the importance of clothing as a marker of the self and its role as an expression and negotiation of identity. The attire will be set in a broad socio-cultural perspective where the meaning of dress in terms of various identities, whether social (including gender and ethnicity), political, and/or religious, will be questioned. 
Aleksandra Hallman
2018-2019 Spring

TURK 30501 Ottoman Turkish-1

A selection of Turkish printed texts in Arabic script from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries is introduced in order of difficulty. Hakan Karateke's unpublished "Ottoman Reader" serves as a text book. The texts are drawn from historical textbooks, official documents, novels, and other genres.

2018-2019 Autumn

TURK 30502 Ottoman Turkish-2

A selection of Turkish printed texts in Arabic script from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries is introduced in order of difficulty. Hakan Karateke's unpublished "Ottoman Reader" serves as a text book. The texts are drawn from historical textbooks, official documents, novels, and other genres.

2018-2019 Winter

TURK 30503 Ottoman Turkish-3

A selection of Turkish printed texts in Arabic script from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries is introduced in order of difficulty. Hakan Karateke's unpublished "Ottoman Reader" serves as a text book. The texts are drawn from historical textbooks, official documents, novels, and other genres.

2018-2019 Spring

ARAB 30588 Media Arabic

Media Arabic is a course designed for the advanced student of Modern Standard Arabic. The course objective is to improve students' listening comprehension skills. Students will advance toward this goal through listening to a variety of authentic materials from Arabic TV (on politics, literature, economics, education, women, youth, etc.).

2018-2019 Winter

ARME 30601 Advanced Mid Armenian-1

This three-quarter sequence enables the students to reach an advanced level of proficiency in the Armenian language. Reading, discussion and writing assignments include a selection of original Armenian literature and excerpts from mass media. A considerable amount of historical-political and social-cultural issues about Armenia are skillfully built into the course for students who have intention to conduct research in Armenian Studies and related area studies or to pursue work in Armenia.

2018-2019 Autumn

ARME 30602 Advanced Mid Armenian-2

This three-quarter sequence enables the students to reach an advanced level of proficiency in the Armenian language. Reading, discussion and writing assignments include a selection of original Armenian literature and excerpts from mass media. A considerable amount of historical-political and social-cultural issues about Armenia are skillfully built into the course for students who have intention to conduct research in Armenian Studies and related area studies or to pursue work in Armenia.

Prerequisites

ARME 30601

2018-2019 Winter

AKKD 20603/30603 Intermediate Akkadian: Neo-Assyrian Royal Inscriptions

This course is specifically aimed at students having completed the first year of Elementary Akkadian (AKKD 10101–10103), but can be taken by more advanced students as well. Building on the knowledge acquired in the Elementary sequence, this course will further explore the Standard Babylonian dialect and Neo-Assyrian Cuneiform scripts, through a detailed analysis of the Annals of king Sennacherib (704–681 BCE) as they are represented in the ‘Chicago Prism' acquired by J. H. Breasted in 1920 and currently on display in the Assyrian gallery of the Oriental Institute Museum. These include, among other military and building exploits of the king, his campaign to the Levant against Ezekiah, king of Judah — an episode also recounted in the Hebrew Bible (books of Second Kings, Isaiah and Chronicles) and Josephus' Judean Antiquities.

Prerequisites

Prerequisites: One year of Elementary Akkadian/Intro to Babylonian

2018-2019 Autumn

NEHC 30605 Coll: Sources for the Study of Islamic History

(NEHC 20605, HIST 26005, HIST 36005)

This course is designed to acquaint the student with the basic problems and concepts as well as the sources and methodology for the study of premodern Islamic history. Sources will be read in English translation and the tools acquired will be applied to specific research projects to be submitted as term papers. Offered in alternate years.

2018-2019 Autumn

NEHC 30645 History of the Fatimid Caliphate

(NEHC 20645, HIST 34401, 24401.)

This course will cover the history of the Fatimid (Shiite) caliphate, from its foundation in the North Africa about 909 until its end in Egypt 1171. Most of the material will be presented in classroom lectures. Sections of the course deal with Fatimid history treated chronologically and others with separate institutions and problems as they changed and developed throughout the whole time period. Readings heavily favored or highly recommended are all in English.

2018-2019 Spring

NEHC 20677/30677 Beyond Genocide & Diaspora: Armenians in the Middle East

Despite the genocide, Armenians have known thriving political, sociocultural, ideological, and ecclesiastical centers in the twentieth century. The seminar Beyond Genocide & Diaspora: Armenians in the Middle East focuses on such centers: in Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, Egypt, Iran, and Turkey, amongst others. This will not be a journey of loss or simple rebirth, perspectives omnipresent in writings on modern Armenian history. Rather, we will be analyzing the history of power: on how Armenians experienced the everyday and the ordinary in the Middle East,  making these places their own, and how they manipulated and managed loss and renewal. At the same time, this seminar asks: what can we learn about these spaces, and the region more broadly, by looking at it through the lens of everyday Armenian sociopolitics? This analysis of Armenians does not only contribute to the study of Armenians, then. Rather, it shows how Armenians in the Middle East experienced politics everyday, and what those experiences can teach us about interlinked national and global events. This course also examines changing aspects of belonging, and explores how these concepts travel over time and space.

2018-2019 Winter

ARAB 30800 Arabic for Heritage Learners

This course is meant to prepare heritage speakers of Arabic to enter either Arabic 202 or Arabic 302 in the Winter Quarter. By “heritage” learners, we mean those students who know the alphabet, speak or have spoken Arabic at home, are familiar with a broad vocabulary but lack the grammatical underpinnings of Arabic, its case system, its structure, verb forms, etc. As such, the course will train students in listening, speaking, reading and writing in Modern Standard Arabic, but with an overt and systematic focus on grammar. Materials used will be authentic, up-to-date, and relevant to student interests.

2018-2019 Autumn

AKKD 20801/30801 Reforms and Edicts of the Old Babylonian Kings

Prerequisites

Minimum 1 Year Akkadian

2018-2019 Autumn

NEHC 30832 Topics in Late Ottoman History

This course will examine important themes in late Ottoman history such as institutional reform, the development of consultative structures, taxation, capitulations, and nationalism.

Prerequisites

Qualified undergrads may register with instructor consent

2018-2019 Winter

NEHC 30852 The Ottoman World in the Age of Suleyman the Magnificent

(HIST 58302)

This two-quarter seminar focuses on the transformation of the Muslim Ottoman principality into an imperial entity--after the conquest of Constantinople in 1453--that laid claim to inheritance of Alexandrine, Roman/Byzantine, Mongol/Chinggisid, and Islamic models of Old World Empire at the dawn of the early modern era. Special attention is paid to the transformation of Ottoman imperialism in the reign of Sultan Süleyman the Lawgiver (1520-1566), who appeared to give the Empire its “classical” form. Topics include: the Mongol legacy; the reformulation of the relationship between political and religious institutions; mysticism and the creation of divine kingship; Muslim-Christian competition (with special reference to Spain and Italy) and the formation of early modernity; the articulation of bureaucratized hierarchy; and comparison of Muslim Ottoman, Iranian Safavid, and Christian European imperialisms. The first quarter comprises a chronological overview of major themes in Ottoman history, 1300-1600; the second quarter is divided between the examination of particular themes in comparative perspective (for example, the dissolution and recreation of religious institutions in Islamdom and Christendom) and student presentations of research for the seminar paper. In addition to seminar papers, students will be required to give an oral presentation on a designated primary or secondary source in the course of the seminar.

Prerequisites

Upper level undergrads with consent only; reading knowledge of at least 1 European Language recommended

2018-2019 Autumn

NEHC 30853 The Ottoman World in the Age of Suleyman the Magnificent

(HIST 58303)

This two-quarter seminar focuses on the transformation of the Muslim Ottoman principality into an imperial entity--after the conquest of Constantinople in 1453--that laid claim to inheritance of Alexandrine, Roman/Byzantine, Mongol/Chinggisid, and Islamic models of Old World Empire at the dawn of the early modern era. Special attention is paid to the transformation of Ottoman imperialism in the reign of Sultan Süleyman the Lawgiver (1520-1566), who appeared to give the Empire its “classical” form. Topics include: the Mongol legacy; the reformulation of the relationship between political and religious institutions; mysticism and the creation of divine kingship; Muslim-Christian competition (with special reference to Spain and Italy) and the formation of early modernity; the articulation of bureaucratized hierarchy; and comparison of Muslim Ottoman, Iranian Safavid, and Christian European imperialisms. The first quarter comprises a chronological overview of major themes in Ottoman history, 1300-1600; the second quarter is divided between the examination of particular themes in comparative perspective (for example, the dissolution and recreation of religious institutions in Islamdom and Christendom) and student presentations of research for the seminar paper. In addition to seminar papers, students will be required to give an oral presentation on a designated primary or secondary source in the course of the seminar.

Prerequisites

Upper level undergrads with consent only; reading knowledge of at least 1 European Language recommended

2018-2019 Winter

PERS 20921/30921 Satire Against Tyranny: 20th C. Iran in Satirical Works

This is not just a literature course: it is at the same time an exploration of Iran’s recent history as mirrored in satirical works. Against the background of Iran’s recent history, from late Qajar period to present, this course will focus on a selection of satirical works (mainly in verse, but also some prose) in Persian language. Apart from a thorough review of the recent history, and apart from providing a lot of fun through satirical works, the students will be introduced to more advanced Persian. The secondary sources recommended will include articles, interviews and reviews in both Persian and English. 

NEHC 30943 Sem: Iran and Central Asia-1

(HIST 58601)

The first quarter will take the form of a colloquium on the sources for and the literature on the political, social, economic, technological, and cultural history of Western and Central Asia from 900 to 1750. Specific topics will vary and focus on the Turks and the Islamic world, the Mongol universal empire, the age of Timur and the Turkmens, and the development of the "Gunpowder Empires." The second quarter will be devoted to the preparation of a major research paper.

2018-2019 Autumn

NEHC 30944 Sem: Iran and Central Asia-2

(HIST 58602)

The second quarter will be devoted to the preparation of a major research paper.

2018-2019 Winter

ARAB 40200 Advanced Readings in Arabic

Advanced Readings in Arabic

2018-2019 Autumn

AKKD 40200 War, Trade, and Curses: Akkadian Treaties

Treaties written in Akkadian are one of the oldest surviving witnesses of international law. Furthermore, those texts give an insight in the organization of international trade, the treatment of fugitives, and state organization. The curse – an integral part to protect the legal arrangements – give us furthermore information about religion, fears and believes, and forms of divine punishments. In this class we will read and discuss selected treaties from different periods of Mesopotamian history: we will start with Old Babylonian and Old Assyrian documents, read texts from the so-called “International Age”, and end with the Neo-Assyrian Succession Treaty of Esarhaddon.

Prerequisites

Prerequisites: One year of Akkadian and Intermediate Akkadian.

2018-2019 Spring

ARAB 40356 The Modern Arabic Novel

This is a graduate level survey course of the rise and development of the modern Arabic novel. It will cover texts from the nahḍa to the late twentieth century. We will read these texts with particular attention not only to the ways they engage the key social and political issues of their day, but also to the manner in which they probe central questions of form, genre, and language. By reading the novels alongside theoretical readings in English and Arabic that frame them, we will also interrogate the processes of the formation of the modern Arabic literary canon.

Prerequisites

Prerequisites: Three years of Arabic at UChicago or their equivalent.

2018-2019 Autumn

TURK 40589 Colloquium: Advanced Ottoman Historical Texts

(HIST 58301)

Based on selected readings from major Ottoman chronicles from the fifteenth to the seventeenth centuries, the course provides an introduction to the use of primary narrative materials and an overview of the development and range of Ottoman historical writing. Knowledge of modern and Ottoman Turkish required.

2018-2019 Autumn

ARAB 40629 Nahj al-balagha: Virtue and Piety in the Teachings of Ali

(ISLM 40629, FNDL 22629)

Through a close reading and analysis of the orations, epistles and words of wisdom attributed to Ali ibn Abi Talib in the Nahj al-balagha, this course will explore an early stage of the development of these three important prose genres of classical Arabic literature, and Ali's key themes and stylistic features. A main focus of the class will be on themes of virtue and piety.

Prerequisites

Prerequisites: Three years of Arabic. Open to qualified undergraduates with Instructor's permission.

2018-2019 Autumn

NEHC 40630 Early Islamic Texts

(ISLM 49630)

The course introduces students to Islamic texts of the first two centuries, covering early Islamic poetry, history, sira, hadith collections, law, theology, and political polemics. In the process, we address the overall questions of how and to what extent historical events and ideas of the early period can be reconstructed, what hitherto un- or underused sources might be at our disposal, and what approaches and methods could be appropriate for examining these sources.

Prerequisites

Prerequisites: Two years of Arabic or the equivalent.

2018-2019 Autumn

ARAB 40630 Balagha Seminar: Jurjani’s Asrar al-Balagha & Dala’il al-I’jaz

(ISLM 40631, FNDL 22630)

This course on classical Arabic literary theory will focus on close reading of sections from the seminal works of Abd al-Qahir al-Jurjani: Asrar al-balagha and Dala'il al-Ijaz.

Prerequisites

Prerequisites: Three years of Arabic. Open to qualified undergraduates with instructor's permission.

2018-2019 Winter

AKKD 44000 Old Akkadian

This class is designed to provide an advanced grammar course focusing on syntactic topics for students who have intermediate or advanced knowledge of Akkadian. The class will read texts from different periods and genres to compare the treatment of certain syntactic structures.

Prerequisites

Prerequisites: Intermediate Akkadian.

2018-2019 Spring

UZBK 29700/49900 Independent Study: Uzbek

2018-2019 Autumn

KAZK 29700/49900 Independent Study: Kazakh

2018-2019 Spring

UZBK 29700/49900 Independent Study: Uzbek

2018-2019 Spring

UZBK 29700/49900 Independent Study: Uzbek

2018-2019 Winter

TURK 29710/49901 Independent Study: Old Turkic

2018-2019 Autumn

TURK 29701/49901 Independent Study: Old Turkic

An introductory course in the written language of the Orkhon Inscriptions, dating back to the 5th-8th Century Kök Türk State of Central Eurasia, and of related inscriptions from the Yenisei River area, Mongolia, Central Asia and Eastern Europe. The language of the inscriptions is considered to be the ancestor of the majority of Turkic languages spoken today, and uses a distinctive alphabet sometimes known as the Old Turkic Runiform Alphabet. The course covers a brief historic overview, basic grammar, reading selections from the inscriptions in the original and in translation, and familiarization with the alphabet itself. 

2018-2019 Spring

TURK 29710/49901 Independent Study: Old Turkic

2018-2019 Winter

NEHC 20001 Ancient Near Eastern History 1 : Egypt

(NEHC 30001)

This course surveys the political, social, and economic history of ancient Egypt from pre-dynastic times (ca. 3400 B.C.) until the advent of Islam in the seventh century of our era.

NEHC 20011 Ancient Empires-1.

(HIST 15602,CLCV 25700)

This sequence meets the general education requirement in civilization studies. This sequence introduces three great empires of the ancient world. Each course in the sequence focuses on one empire, with attention to the similarities and differences among the empires being considered. By exploring the rich legacy of documents and monuments that these empires produced, students are introduced to ways of understanding imperialism and its cultural and societal effects—both on the imperial elites and on those they conquered.

Prerequisites

Topic: Hittite Empire. This sequence meets the general education requirement in civilization studies

2017-2018 Autumn

NEHC 20944 Who owns the past?

Humans across cultures have historically attached great religious, cultural, political, and social value to a variety of cultural artifacts and sites, usually with significant immediate and historical consequences. Political ideologies, such as colonialism and nationalism, wars, poverty, a thriving illicit antiquities market: all of these are entwined with the ways in which the knowledge about the past is manipulated, collected, interpreted, presented, preserved, and destroyed to create meaning in the present. This course explores this relationship between past cultural heritage and the present through a cross-cultural and cross-disciplinary survey of the human obsession with the past. We will consider a variety of topics such as the history of archaeology, the antiquities trade, and disputes over cultural ownership, along with a discussion of the repatriation of artifacts and current controversies surrounding antiquities around the globe.

Monica Phillips
2017-2018 Autumn

NEHC 27001 Introduction to the History of Central Asia

(HIST 25803,NEHC 37001)

This course will explore the narrative history of Central Asia from rise of the nomadism up to the end of the Central Asian Timurids in the fifteenth century. We will discuss the people who lived there, the political entities that ruled, and the region's role in the pre-modern world. This course assumes that Central Asia can be studied as a cohesive unit of historical inquiry and that its peoples, civilizations, and cultures share common elements that make this approach possible. We will devote considerable effort to problems of historiography and methodology and will explore possible solutions to these problems.

Rong Fan
2017-2018 Autumn

NEHC 29800 BA Thesis

Required of fourth-year students who are majoring in NELC. This is a workshop course designed to survey the fields represented by NELC and to assist students in researching and writing the BA paper. Students must get a Reading and Research form from their College Adviser and complete the form in order to be registered. Signatures are needed from the adviser and Director of Undergraduate Studies. Please indicate on the form that you wish to register for NEHC 29800 Section 01.

2017-2018 Autumn

NEHC 10101 Intro To The Middle East

(HIST 15801)

Designed for those with no previous knowledge of the Middle East, this course aims to facilitate a general understanding of some key factors that have shaped life in this region, with primary emphasis on modern conditions and their background, and to provide exposure to some of the region’s rich cultural diversity. The course can serve as a basis for the further study of the history, politics, and civilizations of the Middle East.

2017-2018 Spring

NEHC 20013 Ancient Empires-3: The Egyptian Empire of the New Kingdom

(CLCV 25900, HIST 15604)

<p>This sequence introduces three great empires of the ancient world. Each course in the sequence focuses on one empire, with attention to the similarities and differences among the empires being considered. By exploring the rich legacy of documents and monuments that these empires produced, students are introduced to ways of understanding imperialism and its cultural and societal effects—both on the imperial elites and on those they conquered.</p><p>For most of the duration of the New Kingdom (1550-1069 BC), the ancient Egyptians were able to establish a vast empire and becoming one of the key powers within the Near East. This course will investigate in detail the development of Egyptian foreign policies and military expansion which affected parts of the Near East and Nubia. We will examine and discuss topics such as ideology, imperial identity, political struggle and motivation for conquest and control of wider regions surrounding the Egyptian state as well as the relationship with other powers and their perspective on Egyptian rulers as for example described in the Amarna letters.</p>

Prerequisites

This sequence meets the general education requirement in civilization studies. ENROLLMENT LIMIT: 60

2017-2018 Spring

NEHC 20033 Monsters and Magic in the Ancient Near East

Students in this course will explore and engage two categories frequently deployed in the study of ancient and modern societies—“magic” and “monsters”—through interaction with textual and iconographic material from the ancient 

Matthew Richey
2017-2018 Spring

HEBR 40410 Modern Hebrew in the Israeli media

The course includes readings in modern Hebrew prose, poetry and non-fiction; TV broadcasts and movies, with emphasis on cultural & social issues.

Prerequisites

Student should have at least 4 years of Modern Hebrew studies.

2017-2018 Spring

AANL 10102 Elementary Hittite

This three-quarter sequence covers basic grammar and cuneiform writing system of the Hittite language. It also familiarizes the student with the field's tools (i.e. dictionaries, lexica, sign list). Readings come from all periods of Hittite History (1650 to 1180 B.C.).

Emily Smith
2017-2018 Winter

NEHC 20006 Ancient Near Eastern Thought & Literature-3: Egypt

(EGPT 20006)

This course employs English translations of ancient Egyptian literary texts to explore the genres, conventions and techniques of ancient Egyptian literature. Discussions of texts examine how the ancient Egyptians conceptualized and constructed their equivalent of literature, as well as the fuzzy boundaries and subtle interplay between autobiography, history, myth and fiction. 

2017-2018 Winter

NEHC 20012 Ancient Empires-1.

This sequence meets the general education requirement in civilization studies. This sequence introduces three great empires of the ancient world. Each course in the sequence focuses on one empire, with attention to the similarities and differences among the empires being considered. By exploring the rich legacy of documents and monuments that these empires produced, students are introduced to ways of understanding imperialism and its cultural and societal effects—both on the imperial elites and on those they conquered.

Prerequisites

Topic: Hittite Empire. This sequence meets the general education requirement in civilization studies

2017-2018 Winter

NEHC 20060 The discovery of Egypt in the age of European Enlightenment

(SIGN 26032)

The interests by Europeans in Egypt extends back to famous scholars such as Athanasius Kircher in the 17th century and was fueled by the mysteries of the Orient and seeking to understand the birth of civilization. While the beginnings of exploring the land of the Nile can be traced as least as far back as the Renaissance, it is within the context of the age of Enlightenment that Europeans sponsored research expeditions into this so far little known territory. By the late 18th century interests in Egypt, particularly by the French and British, had evolved considerably and were motivated by a diverse number of factors (political, colonial, economic, scientific). However, it was Napoleon Bonaparte’s campaign to Egypt in 1798 that took the first initiative to explore this distant land from a scientific point of view through the involvement of a group of leading French scientists (savants) who were tasked to document and analyze all aspects of this fascinating country and its past. This went beyond the recording of ancient monuments but also included the natural environment, extensive cartography as well observations of modern life of Muslim society. The results of this albeit failed military expedition featured in the famous multi-volume work ‘La Déscription de l’Égypte’ which became incredibly popular among European scientists but also the general public. It awakened a never before seen fascination with Egypt, which had dire consequences for the removal and plundering of artifacts and monuments in the long run, but also saw the birth of a scientific Institute, l’Institut d’Égypte, in Cairo (recently severely damaged during the revolution).

2017-2018 Winter

NEAA 20373 Forensic Archaeology

What is forensic science and how do archaeologists fit into the equation? Where forensics generally refers to the application of scientific principles to matters of criminal justice, forensic archaeology is the application of archaeological methods and theories to questions of medicolegal significance. In this course, we will explore the history and development of the role of the archaeologist in forensic investigations of ancient and modern origin, on both local and global scales. We will follow the processes undertaken by forensic archaeologists during their inquiries and examine the methods utilized in a number of cases ranging from mass graves and mass disasters, to crime scenes and crimes against humanity. We will explore the role of the forensic archaeologist in the study of warfare, examine forgeries like the Piltdown Man, and analyze the process of investigation from identification and survey, to recovery, and the analysis and reporting of evidence. Finally, we will consider the ethical responsibilities and standards of archaeologists in their methodologies and the legal implications of their findings. This class is intended for both archaeologists who want to understand how their methods finds purpose and meaning in modern contexts and for students who are more generally interested in the impact of forensic archaeology on contemporary medical and legal landscapes.  

Sasha Rohret
2017-2018 Winter

HEBR 10101 Elementary Classical Hebrew-1

(JWSC 22000-01 JWSG 30100-01)

The purpose of this three-quarter sequence is to enable the student to read biblical Hebrew prose with a high degree of comprehension. The course is divided into two segments. The first two and one-half quarters are devoted to acquiring the essentials of Hebrew grammar. The last half of the third quarter is spent reading prose passages from the Hebrew Bible.

2017-2018 Autumn

ARME 10101 Elementary Modern Armenian-1

(LGLN 10101)

This three-quarter sequence utilizes the most advanced computer technology and audio-visual aids enabling the students to master a core vocabulary, the alphabet and basic grammatical structures and to achieve a reasonable level of proficiency in modern formal and spoken Armenian (one of the oldest Indo-European languages). A considerable amount of historical-political and social-cultural issues about Armenia are skillfully built into the course for students who have intention to conduct research in Armenian Studies and related area studies or to pursue work in Armenia.

2017-2018 Autumn

PERS 10101 Elementary Persian-1

This sequence concentrates on modern written Persian as well as modern colloquial usage. Towards the end of the sequence the students will be able to read, write and speak Persian at an elementary level. Introducing the Iranian culture is also a goal. The class meets three hours a week with the instructor and two hours with a native informant who conducts grammatical drills and Persian conversation.

AANL 10101 Elementary Hittite

This three-quarter sequence covers basic grammar and cuneiform writing system of the Hittite language. It also familiarizes the student with the field's tools (i.e. dictionaries, lexica, sign list). Readings come from all periods of Hittite History (1650 to 1180 B.C.).

Thalia Lysen
2017-2018 Autumn

EGPT 10101 Intro to ME Hiero 1

(ANCM 30500)

This sequence examines hieroglyphic writing and the grammar of the language of classical Egyptian literature. Prerequisite(s): Second-year standing Equivalent Course(s): ANCM 30500

Prerequisites

Not open to 1st yr UG

2017-2018 Autumn

TURK 10101 Elementary Turkish-1

First Quarter of 1st Year Modern Turkish

2017-2018 Autumn

AKKD 10101 Elementary Akkadian-1

The first two quarters of this sequence cover the elements of Babylonian grammar and the cuneiform writing system, with reading exercises in Old Babylonian texts (ca. 1900 to 1600 B.C.), such as the Laws of Hammurabi. The third quarter introduces Standard Babylonian, the literary language of ca. 1200 to 600 B.C., with readings in royal inscriptions and literary texts. Introduction to the grammar of Akkadian, specifically to the Old Babylonian dialect. 

2017-2018 Autumn

ARAB 10101 Elementary Arabic-1

This sequence concentrates on the acquisition of speaking, reading, and aural skills in modern formal Arabic.

2017-2018 Autumn

GEEZ 10101 Elementary Ge'ez-1

(LGLN 21101)

This course provides an introduction into the grammar and writing system of Classical Ethiopic (Ge'ez), a language still used for liturgical purposes in Ethiopia today.

2017-2018 Autumn

KAZK 10102 Elementary Kazakh

2017-2018 Spring

ARME 10102 Elementary Modern Armenian-2

(LGLN 10102)

This three-quarter sequence utilizes the most advanced computer technology and audio-visual aids enabling the students to master a core vocabulary, the alphabet and basic grammatical structures and to achieve a reasonable level of proficiency in modern formal and spoken Armenian (one of the oldest Indo-European languages). A considerable amount of historical-political and social-cultural issues about Armenia are skillfully built into the course for students who have intention to conduct research in Armenian Studies and related area studies or to pursue work in Armenia.

Prerequisites

ARME 10101 or equivalent

2017-2018 Winter

PERS 10102 Elementary Persian-2

This sequence concentrates on modern written Persian as well as modern colloquial usage. Towards the end of the sequence the students will be able to read, write and speak Persian at an elementary level. Introducing the Iranian culture is also a goal. The class meets three hours a week with the instructor and two hours with a native informant who conducts grammatical drills and Persian conversation.

Prerequisites

PERS 10101

AKKD 10102 Elementary Akkadian-2

Readings from the Code of Hammurapi, in the Old Babylonian dialect of Akkadian.

Prerequisites

AKKD 10102

Ami Huang
2017-2018 Winter

EGPT 10102 Intro to ME Hiero 2

(ANCM 30501)

This course examines hieroglyphic writing and the grammar of the language of classical Egyptian literature.

Prerequisites

Not open to 1st yr UG

2017-2018 Winter

TURK 10102 Elementary Turkish-2

Second Quarter of 1st Year Modern Turkish

2017-2018 Winter

ARAB 10102 Elementary Arabic-2

This sequence concentrates on the acquisition of speaking, reading, and aural skills in modern formal Arabic.

2017-2018 Winter

GEEZ 10102 Elementary Ge'ez-2

(LGLN 21102)

This course is the continuation of Ge'ez 10101. Ge'ez 10101 is a prerequisite for participating in this course.

Prerequisites

Ge'ez 10101

2017-2018 Winter

HEBR 10102 Elementary Classical Hebrew-2

(JWSC 22100, JWSG 30100)

The purpose of this three-quarter sequence is to enable the student to read biblical Hebrew prose with a high degree of comprehension. The course is divided into two segments. The first two and one-half quarters are devoted to acquiring the essentials of Hebrew grammar. The last half of the third quarter is spent reading prose passages from the Hebrew Bible.

Prerequisites

HEBR 10101

2017-2018 Winter

KAZK 10102 Elementary Kazakh

This sequence introduces students to Kazakh, a Turkic language spoken in Kazakhstan and neighboring countries. The course teaches the fundamentals of grammar and it enables students to read, write, and speak Kazakh. Students will be exposed to the history and culture of Kazakhstan through modern and 19th-century literature, as well as to current events through mass media. The second and third quarters of this sequence and the Intermediate Kazakh sequence (KAZK 20101-20102-20103) are offered based on interest.

2017-2018 Winter

SUMR 10103 Elementary Sumerian-3

This sequence covers the elements of Sumerian grammar, with reading exercises in Ur III, pre-Sargonic, and elementary literary texts.

Prerequisites

SUMR 10102

2017-2018 Autumn

TURK 10103 Elementary Turkish-3

Third Quarter of 1st Year Modern Turkish

2017-2018 Spring

AKKD 10103 Elementary Akkadian-3

The third quarter of the Elementary Akkadian sequence continues with the learning of the Akkadian language and the cuneiform script. As in the previous quarters, readings and exercises are from John Huehnergard, A Grammar of Akkadian (3rd edition), Winona Lake: Eisenbrauns, 2011.

Prerequisites

AKKD 10102

2017-2018 Spring

GEEZ 10103 Readings: Classical Ethiopic

(LGLN 21103)

In this course, we will finish the grammar of Classical Ethiopic (Ge'ez) and start readings in Classical Ethiopic literature.

Prerequisites

GEEZ 10102

2017-2018 Spring

ARAB 10103 Elementary Arabic-3

This sequence concentrates on the acquisition of speaking, reading, and aural skills in modern formal Arabic.

2017-2018 Spring

HEBR 10103 Elementary Classical Hebrew-3

(JWSC 22200,JWSG 30300)

The purpose of this three-quarter sequence is to enable the student to read biblical Hebrew prose with a high degree of comprehension. The course is divided into two segments. The first two and one-half quarters are devoted to acquiring the essentials of Hebrew grammar. The last half of the third quarter is spent reading prose passages from the Hebrew Bible.

Prerequisites

HEBR 10102

2017-2018 Spring

ARME 10103 Elementary Modern Armenian-3

This three-quarter sequence utilizes the most advanced computer technology and audio-visual aids enabling the students to master a core vocabulary, the alphabet and basic grammatical structures and to achieve a reasonable level of proficiency in modern formal and spoken Armenian (one of the oldest Indo-European languages). A considerable amount of historical-political and social-cultural issues about Armenia are skillfully built into the course for students who have intention to conduct research in Armenian Studies and related area studies or to pursue work in Armenia.

Prerequisites

ARME 10102 or equivalent

2017-2018 Spring

PERS 10103 Elementary Persian-3

This sequence concentrates on modern written Persian as well as modern colloquial usage. Towards the end of the sequence the students will be able to read, write and speak Persian at an elementary level. Introducing the Iranian culture is also a goal. The class meets three hours a week with the instructor and two hours with a native informant who conducts grammatical drills and Persian conversation

Prerequisites

PERS 10102

AANL 10103 Elementary Hittite-3

This three-quarter sequence covers basic grammar and cuneiform writing system of the Hittite language. It also familiarizes the student with the field's tools (i.e. dictionaries, lexica, sign list). Readings come from all periods of Hittite History (1650 to 1180 B.C.).

Prerequisites

AANL 10102 or equivalent

2017-2018 Spring

EGPT 10103 ME Texts 1

This course features readings in a variety of genres, including historical, literary, and scientific texts.

Prerequisites

EGPT 10102

2017-2018 Spring

TURK 10106 Intro to Old Turkic

An introductory sequence in the written language of the Orkhon Inscriptions, dating back to the fifth-to-eighth-century Kök Türk State of Central Eurasia, and of related inscriptions from the Yenisei River area, Mongolia, Central Asia, and Eastern Europe. The language of the inscriptions is considered to be the ancestor of the majority of Turkic languages spoken today and uses a distinctive alphabet sometimes known as the Old Turkic Runiform Alphabet. The sequence covers a brief historic overview, basic grammar, reading selections from the inscriptions in the original and in translation, and familiarization with the alphabet itself. An introductory sequence in the written language of the Orkhon Inscriptions, dating back to the fifth-to-eighth-century Kök Türk State of Central Eurasia, and of related inscriptions from the Yenisei River area, Mongolia, Central Asia, and Eastern Europe. The language of the inscriptions is considered to be the ancestor of the majority of Turkic languages spoken today and uses a distinctive alphabet sometimes known as the Old Turkic Runiform Alphabet. The sequence covers a brief historic overview, basic grammar, reading selections from the inscriptions in the original and in translation, and familiarization with the alphabet itself.

Prerequisites

One year of a Turkic language or the equivalent, and/or consent of the instructor

2017-2018 Spring

TURK 10106 Intro to Old Turkic

2017-2018 Winter

EGPT 10201 Intro to Coptic

This course introduces the last native language of Egypt, which was in common use during the late Roman, Byzantine, and early Islamic periods (fourth to tenth centuries CE). Grammar and vocabulary of the standard Sahidic dialect are presented in preparation for reading biblical, monastic, and Gnostic literature, as well as a variety of historical and social documents.

Prerequisites

Second year standing.

2017-2018 Autumn

EGPT 10202 Coptic Texts

This course builds on the basics of grammar learned in EGPT 10201 and provides readings in a variety of Coptic texts (e.g., monastic texts, biblical excerpts, tales, Gnostic literature).

Prerequisites

EGPT 10201

2017-2018 Winter

ARAB 10250 Colloquial Levantine Arabic

Colloquial Levantine Arabic is a proficiency-based course designed to develop the linguistic skills necessary for personal day-to-day life. The course focuses on spoken rather than Standard written Arabic, and will therefore target primarily the oral/aural skills. Through the knowledge of Modern Standard Arabic and the introduction of colloquial vocabulary, expressions and grammar, the course will build the students’ competence in spoken Arabic. Students will also be introduced to the Levantine culture.

Prerequisites

ARAB 10103 or equivalent

2017-2018 Spring

ARAB 10250 Colloquial Levantine Arabic

Colloquial Levantine Arabic is a proficiency-based course designed to develop the linguistic skills necessary for personal day-to-day life. The course focuses on spoken rather than Standard written Arabic, and will therefore target primarily the oral/aural skills. Through the knowledge of Modern Standard Arabic and the introduction of colloquial vocabulary, expressions and grammar, the course will build the students’ competence in spoken Arabic. Students will also be introduced to the Levantine culture.

Prerequisites

ARAB 10103 or equivalent

2017-2018 Winter

ARAM 10401 Elementary Syriac-1

The purpose of this three-quarter sequence is to enable the student to read Syriac literature with a high degree of comprehension. The course is divided into two segments. The first two quarters are devoted to acquiring the essentials of Syriac grammar and vocabulary. The third quarter is spent reading a variety of Syriac prose and poetic texts and includes a review of grammar.

Prerequisites

Second year standing

2017-2018 Autumn

ARAM 10402 Elementary Syriac-2

The purpose of this three-quarter sequence is to enable the student to read Syriac literature with a high degree of comprehension. The course is divided into two segments. The first two quarters are devoted to acquiring the essentials of Syriac grammar and vocabulary. The third quarter is spent reading a variety of Syriac prose and poetic texts and includes a review of grammar.

Prerequisites

ARAM 10401 or equivalent.

2017-2018 Winter

ARAM 10403 Elementary Syriac-3

The purpose of this three-quarter sequence is to enable the student to read Syriac literature with a high degree of comprehension. The course is divided into two segments. The first two quarters are devoted to acquiring the essentials of Syriac grammar and vocabulary. The third quarter is spent reading a variety of Syriac prose and poetic texts and includes a review of grammar.

Prerequisites

ARAM 10402 or equivalent

2017-2018 Spring

HEBR 10501 Introductory Modern Hebrew

(JWSC 25000)

<p>The beginner course is the last part of a three sequential courses. It aims to introduce students to the basic skills of reading, writing and pronunciation of Modern Hebrew. Students learn to read both vocalized and non-vocalized texts, to write simple sentences, and engage in simple conversation. In the field of grammar, students learn the Hebrew root pattern system as well as the basic present tense. At the end of the year, students can conduct short conversations in Hebrew, read materials designed to the students level of comprehension, and write short compositions.</p><p>Note: This course aims to meet the needs not only of undergraduate students but also of graduate students in programs such as Jewish Studies, Middle Eastern Studies, Near Eastern Languages and alike. It is recommended also for students who have at least one level of Biblical Hebrew and would like to learn Modern Hebrew.</p>

Prerequisites
2017-2018 Autumn

ARME 10501 Introduction to Classical Armenian

(ANCM 32212)

This course focuses on the basic structure and vocabulary of the Classical Armenian language of Grabar, which is one of the oldest Indo-European languages. Course work enables students to acquire the alphabet, phonology, and grammar to achieve basic reading skills in the Classical Armenian language. Reading assignments include a selection of original Armenian literature. This course is recommended for students who intend to conduct research in Armenian studies, Indo-European studies, or general linguistics.

2017-2018 Winter

HEBR 10502 Introductory Modern Hebrew - 2

(JWSC 25100)

<p>The beginner’s course is the first of three sequential courses offered to students at the university. The Introductory level course 2 aims to introduce students to reading, writing and speaking Modern Hebrew. Four-language skills are emphasized: comprehension of written and oral materials; reading of non-diacritical text; writing of directed sentences, paragraphs, and compositions; speaking. Students will learn the Hebrew root pattern system, and by the end of the year you will have mastered the five (active) basic verb conjugations in both the past and present tenses (as well as simple future). This grammatical knowledge is complemented by an 800+ word vocabulary, which is presented with an eye toward the major syntactic structures, including the proper use of prepositions. At the end of the year, you will conduct short conversations in Hebrew; read materials designed to this level and write short compositions.</p><p>The beginner course is the last part of a three sequential courses. It aims to introduce students to the basic skills of reading, writing and pronunciation of Modern Hebrew. Students learn to read both vocalized and non-vocalized texts, to write simple sentences, and engage in simple conversation. In the field of grammar, students learn the Hebrew root pattern system as well as the basic present tense. At the end of the year, students can conduct short conversations in Hebrew, read materials designed to the students level of comprehension, and write short compositions.</p><p>Note: This course aims to meet the needs not only of undergraduate students but also of graduate students in programs such as Jewish Studies, Middle Eastern Studies, Near Eastern Languages and alike. It is recommended also for students who have at least one level of Biblical Hebrew and would like to learn Modern Hebrew.</p>

Prerequisites

Students should have basic familiarity with the Hebrew Alef-Bet and basic grammatical structures.

2017-2018 Winter

HEBR 10503 Introductory Modern Hebrew - 3

(JWSC 25200)

<p>The beginner course is the last part of a three sequential courses. It aims to introduce students to the basic skills of reading, writing and pronunciation of Modern Hebrew. Students learn to read both vocalized and non-vocalized texts, to write simple sentences, and engage in simple conversation. In the field of grammar, students learn the Hebrew root pattern system as well as the basic present tense. At the end of the year, students can conduct short conversations in Hebrew, read materials designed to the students level of comprehension, and write short compositions.</p><p>Note: This course aims to meet the needs not only of undergraduate students but also of graduate students in programs such as Jewish Studies, Middle Eastern Studies, Near Eastern Languages and alike. It is recommended also for students who have at least one level of Biblical Hebrew and would like to learn Modern Hebrew.</p>

Prerequisites

Students should have basic familiarity with the Hebrew Alef-Bet and basic grammatical structures. Should consult with instructor regarding materials the class has already studied in the first two quarters.

2017-2018 Spring

HEBR 20001 Hebrew Letters/Inscriptions

This course involves reading and analysis of the inscriptional material from Palestine written during the first millennium BC (including texts from Transjordan). This course is offered in alternate years.

Prerequisites

Hebr 20106 or equivalent.

2017-2018 Autumn

NEAA 20001 Archaeology of the Ancient Near East

(NEAA 30001)

This course surveys the archaeology and art of Mesopotamia.

2017-2018 Autumn

NEHC 20002 Ancient Near Eastern History: Anatolia

(NEHC 30002)

This course introduces students to the history of ancient Anatolia and its neighbors from the first historical texts around 2000 BCE to the arrival of Alexander the Great. Some of the famous ancient Near Eastern civilizations that we encounter include the Assyrians, Hittites, Phrygians, Lydians, Persians, and Israelites. We will focus on the information provided by inscriptions - especially political and socioeconomic history - as well as the relevant archaeological and art historical records. No prior knowledge of Anatolian or Near Eastern history is required.

2017-2018 Winter

HEBR 20002 Phoenician Inscriptions

Reading and analysis of the inscriptions, primarily on stone and primarily from the Phoenician homeland, that belong to the early and middle first millennium B.C.

Prerequisites

Hebr 20001 or equivalent.

2017-2018 Winter

NEHC 20003 Ancient Near Eastern History and Society-3

(NEHC 30001)

This course provides an introduction to the social, political, and cultural history of Mesopotamia, from the origins of writing and cities in Sumer (ca. 3200 B.C.), through the great empires of Assyria, Babylon, and Persia.

Prerequisites

Taking these courses in sequence is not required. This sequence meets the general education requirement in civilization studies.

2017-2018 Spring

HEBR 20003 Punic Inscriptions

A continuation of HEBR 20002, studying the texts resulting from the Phoenician expansion into the Western Mediterranean (primarily North Africa).

Prerequisites

HEBR 20002

2017-2018 Spring

NEAA 20003 Archaeology of the Levant

(NEAA 30003)
2017-2018 Winter

NEHC 20004 Ancient Near Eastern Thought & Literature-1: Gilgamesh

(NEHC 30004)

This course takes as its topic the literary tradition surrounding Gilgamesh, the legendary king of the Mesopotamian city-state of Uruk. The course will focus on the Babylonian Epic of Gilgamesh and its Sumerian forerunners, and their cultural and historical contexts. We will also read a number of Sumerian and Akkadian compositions that are thematically related to the Gilgamesh tradition, including Atrahasis, the Sumerian Flood story, and the Epics of Enmerkar and Lugalbanda, also of first dynasty of Uruk.

Prerequisites

(Enrollment 25)

2017-2018 Autumn

NEHC 20005 Ancient Near Eastern Thought & Literature-2: Anatolian Lit

(NEHC 3005)

This course will provide an overview of Anatolian/Hittite literature, as “defined” by the Hittites themselves, in the wider historical-cultural context of the Ancient Near East. In the course of discussions, we will try to answer some important questions about Hittite inscriptions, such as: why were they written down, why were they kept, for whom were they intended, and what do the answers to these questions (apart from the primary content of the texts themselves) tell us about Hittite society?

Prerequisites

This sequence meets the general education requirement in civilization studies.

2017-2018 Spring

ARME 20101 Intermediate Modern Armenian-1

(LGLN 20101)

This three-quarter sequence enables the students to reach an Intermediate level of proficiency in the Armenian language. The course covers a rich vocabulary and complex grammatical structures in modern formal and colloquial Armenian. Reading assignments include a selection of original Armenian literature and excerpts from mass media. A considerable amount of historical-political and social-cultural issues about Armenia are skillfully built into the course for students who have intention to conduct research in Armenian Studies and related area studies or to pursue work in Armenia.

Prerequisites

ARME 10103 or equivalent

2017-2018 Autumn

PERS 20101 Intermediate Persian-1

This sequence deepens and expands the students' knowledge of modern Persian at all levels of reading, writing and speaking. Grammar will be taught at a higher level and a wider vocabulary will enable the students to read stories, articles and poetry and be introduced to examples of classical literature towards the end of the sequence. Introducing the Iranian culture will be continued. Class meets three hours a week with the instructor and (with enough students) two hours with a native informant who conducts grammatical drills and Persian conversation.

Prerequisites

PERS 10103

TURK 20101 Intermediate Turkish-1

First Quarter of Intermediate Modern Turkish.

2017-2018 Autumn

EGPT 20101 ME Texts II

This course features readings in a variety of genres, including historical, literary, and scientific texts.

Prerequisites

EGPT 10101-10103

2017-2018 Autumn

ARAB 20101 Intermediate Arabic-1

The first quarter of Intermediate Modern Standard Arabic

Prerequisites

ARAB 10103 OR EQUIVALENT

2017-2018 Autumn

ARME 20102 Intermediate Modern Armenian-2

(LGLN 10102)

This three-quarter sequence enables the students to reach an Intermediate level of proficiency in the Armenian language. The course covers a rich vocabulary and complex grammatical structures in modern formal and colloquial Armenian. Reading assignments include a selection of original Armenian literature and excerpts from mass media. A considerable amount of historical-political and social-cultural issues about Armenia are skillfully built into the course for students who have intention to conduct research in Armenian Studies and related area studies or to pursue work in Armenia.

Prerequisites

ARME 20101 or equivalent.

2017-2018 Winter

PERS 20102 Intermediate Persian-2

This sequence deepens and expands the students' knowledge of modern Persian at all levels of reading, writing and speaking. Grammar will be taught at a higher level and a wider vocabulary will enable the students to read stories, articles and poetry and be introduced to examples of classical literature towards the end of the sequence. Introducing the Iranian culture will be continued. Class meets three hours a week with the instructor and (with enough students) two hours with a native informant who conducts grammatical drills and Persian conversation

Prerequisites

PERS 20101

EGPT 20102 Intro to Hieratic

This course is an introduction to the cursive literary and administrative script of Middle Egyptian (corresponding to the Middle Kingdom period in Egypt) and is intended to provide the student with a familiarity with a variety of texts written in Hieratic, including literary tales, religious compositions, wisdom literature, letters, accounts, and graffiti.

Prerequisites

EGPT 20101

Rebecca Wang
2017-2018 Winter

TURK 20102 Intermediate Turkish-2

Second Quarter of Intermediate Modern Turkish.

2017-2018 Winter

ARAB 20102 Intermediate Arabic-2

ARAB 20102 is the winter quarter continuation of the Intermediate Arabic course that began with ARAB 20101 last fall. We are working through the central chapters of Al-Kitaab Part 2. As in any language class, we address all four of the fundamental skills: reading, writing, listening, and speaking. A particular focus this quarter is making sure that students have a solid, comprehensive understanding of the rules of Arabic syntax. In addition to readings and exercises from the textbook, we often look at articles from Arabic-language news media.

Prerequisites

ARAB 10103 OR EQUIVALENT

2017-2018 Winter

TURK 20103 Intermediate Turkish-3

Third Quarter of Intermediate Modern Turkish.

2017-2018 Spring

ARAB 20103 Intermediate Arabic-3

ARAB 20103 is the spring quarter continuation of the Intermediate Arabic sequence that began with ARAB 20101 last fall, and continued with ARAB 20102 in the winter. We will continue to work through the second half of Al-Kitaab Part 2. As in any language course, we address all four of the fundamental skills: reading, writing, listening, and speaking. A particular focus of this sequence, however, is ensuring that students have a solid, comprehensive understanding of the rules of Arabic syntax. In addition to readings and exercises from the textbook, we will increasingly make use of articles from Arabic-language news media.

Prerequisites

ARAB 10103 OR EQUIVALENT

2017-2018 Spring

ARME 20103 Intermediate Modern Armenian-3

This three-quarter sequence enables the students to reach an Intermediate level of proficiency in the Armenian language. The course covers a rich vocabulary and complex grammatical structures in modern formal and colloquial Armenian. Reading assignments include a selection of original Armenian literature and excerpts from mass media. A considerable amount of historical-political and social-cultural issues about Armenia are skillfully built into the course for students who have intention to conduct research in Armenian Studies and related area studies or to pursue work in Armenia.

Prerequisites

ARME 20102 or equivalent.

2017-2018 Spring

PERS 20103 Intermediate Persian-3

This sequence deepens and expands the students' knowledge of modern Persian at all levels of reading, writing and speaking. Grammar will be taught at a higher level and a wider vocabulary will enable the students to read stories, articles and poetry and be introduced to examples of classical literature towards the end of the sequence. Introducing the Iranian culture will be continued. Class meets three hours a week with the instructor and (with enough students) two hours with a native informant who conducts grammatical drills and Persian conversation.

Prerequisites

PERS 20102

HEBR 20104 Intermediate Classical Hebrew I

(JWSC 22300-01)

<ol><li>Review basic Hebrew grammar, emphasis on morphology and basic syntax</li><li>Review/acquire historical morphology</li><li>Acquire facility in reading Biblical Hebrew prose</li></ol>

Prerequisites

HEBR 10103 or equivalent.

2017-2018 Autumn

HEBR 20105 Intermed Classical Hebrew-2

(JWSC 22400-01)

A continuation of Elementary Classical Hebrew. The first quarter consists of reviewing grammar, and of reading and analyzing further prose texts. The last two quarters are devoted to an introduction to Hebrew poetry with readings from Psalms, Proverbs, and the prophets

Prerequisites

Hebr 20104 or equivalent.

2017-2018 Winter

HEBR 20106 Intermed Classical Hebrew-3

(JWSC 22500)

A continuation of Elementary Classical Hebrew. The first quarter consists of reviewing grammar, and of reading and analyzing further prose texts. The last two quarters are devoted to an introduction to Hebrew poetry with readings from Psalms, Proverbs, and the prophets.

Prerequisites

HEBR 20105 or equivalent

2017-2018 Spring

EGPT 20110 Old Egyptian

This course examines the hieroglyphic writing and grammar of the Old Kingdom (Egypt's "Pyramid Age"), focusing on monumental readings from private tombs, royal and private stelae, administrative decrees, economic documents, and Pyramid texts. Some attention is given to Old Egyptian texts written in cursive Hieratic.

Prerequisites

EGPT 20101

2017-2018 Spring

NEAA 20123 Mesopotamian Archaeology 3

(NEAA 30123)
Prerequisites

NEAA 20001/30001

2017-2018 Winter

AANL 20125 Advanced Readings: Hittite

Advanced Readings in Hittite (Letters)

2017-2018 Autumn

AANL 20125 Advanced Readings: Hittite

Advanced Readings in Hittite (Letters)

2017-2018 Winter

NEHC 20160 Central Asia Past and Present

(NEHC 30160)

Central Asia Past and Present serves as a multi-disciplinary course, spanning anthropology, history and political science. This course introduces students to the fluid, political-geographic concept of Central Asia as well as to the historical and cultural dimensions of this particular and oft-redefined world.  My understanding of Central Asia comes from studies of ex-Soviet Central Asia, which includes five independent countries (since 1991) within central Eurasia--the former U.S.S.R. Thus the course encompasses Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan in addition to parts of northern Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, and western China (Xinjiang/Sinkiang).  Students will familiarize themselves with universal and divergent factors among the Central Asian peoples based on phenomena such as human migrations, cross-cultural influences, historical events, and the economic organization of peoples based on local ecology and natural boundaries. Working together and as individuals, we will study maps and atlases to gain a fuller understanding of historical movements and settlements of the Central Asian peoples.  In addition to lectures and book discussions, I will present photographs, slides, and video from fieldwork in Central Asia as well as professional documentary and art films about the societies of this area. 

Russell Zanca
2017-2018 Winter

EGPT 20210 Intro to Late Egyptian

This course is a comprehensive examination of the grammar, vocabulary, and orthographic styles of the nonliterary vernacular of New Kingdom Egypt (Dynasties XVII to XXIV), as exhibited by administrative and business documents, private letters, and official monuments. We also study the hybrid "literary Late Egyptian" used for tales and other compositions. Texts from the various genres are read and analyzed in EGPT 20211.

Prerequisites

EGPT 20102

Ariel Singer
2017-2018 Spring

EGPT 20211 LE Texts

Building on the basics of grammar, vocabulary, and orthographic styles learned in EGPT 20210, this course focuses on the reading and analysis of Late Egyptian texts from the various genres.

Prerequisites

EGPT 20210

2017-2018 Autumn

AANL 20401 Lydian and Carian

(ANCM 34117)

After an introduction to Lydian and Carian history, the position of Lydia and Caria in Anatolia and the relation of the Lydian and Carian language to each other as well as to other languages in the same area, we will go over the Lydian and Carian (alphabetic) scripts, their grammar, and we will read a number of relevant texts.

2017-2018 Spring

HEBR 20501 Intermediate Modern Hebrew

(JWSC 25300)

This is the first quarter of a three quarter sequential course. This course is designed for students who possess a basic knowledge of modern

2017-2018 Autumn

NEHC 20501 Islamic History & Society-1: The Rise of Islam & the Caliphate

(NEHC 30501-01, HIST 25704-01, HIST 35704-01, ISLM 30500-01, RLST 20501-01, CMES 30501-01)

This course will investigate the intellectual, political and socio-economic background of Europe’s discovery of Egypt within the framework of the Age of Enlightenment and the following transformative years of the birth of a new scientific discipline called Egyptology but also greatly influencing European archaeology. The aim for the students is to explore the reasoning, pre-conceptions and attitudes of the first explorers and scientists travelling to Egypt and the ensuing aftermath of ‘Egyptomania’ in Europe. The students will be introduced to the consequences of Napoleon’s campaign on European fashion, art and architecture and what inspired the ensuing cultural plunder to satisfy the growing European demand for things Egyptian. The course is structured around primary sources (in translation) but also secondary literature including theoretical works such as the influential monograph by Edward Said on Orientalism and its criticism.

Prerequisites

This sequence meets the general education requirement in civilization studies.

2017-2018 Autumn

NEHC 20502 Islamic History and Society 2

This sequence surveys the main trends in the political history of the Islamic world, with some attention to economic, social, and intellectual history. This course covers the period from ca. 1100 to 1750, including the arrival of the steppe peoples (Turks and Mongols), the Mongol successor states, and the Mamluks of Egypt and Syria. We also study the foundation of the great Islamic regional empires of the Ottomans, Safavids, and Moghuls.

2017-2018 Winter

HEBR 20502 Intermediate Modern Hebrew - 2

(JWSC 25400)

This is the second quarter of a three quarter sequential course. Intermediate course is designed for students who already have a basic knowledge of modern or Biblical Hebrew (either the first year course or the placement exam are prerequisites). The course is going to include/cover materials for two levels: Intermediate low & Intermediate high. The main objective is to provide the student with the skills necessary to approach Modern Hebrew prose, both fiction and non-fiction. The course aims at consolidating and broadens the grammatical structures and vocabulary studied in level Aleph. By the end of the course, the student is expected to be familiar with and have advanced knowledge of the basic structure of the Hebrew language:<ul><li>Comprehension: Listening to dialogues, texts and lectures in easy Hebrew</li><li>Conversation: Conversations, discussions and short presentations based on the passages read and heard.</li><li>Reading: Passages from stories and texts adapted into easy Hebrew; short newspaper articles as well as short stories, slightly edited.</li><li>Writing: Writing structured compositions and short passages on the topics studied</li><li>Grammatical Skills: Syntactic consolidation and elaboration of fundamental structures, inflection of the strong verbs in the future tense and frequent weak verbs.</li></ul>

2017-2018 Winter

NEHC 20503 Islamic History and Society 3

This sequence surveys the main trends in the political history of the Islamic world, with some attention to economic, social, and intellectual history. This course covers the period from ca. 1100 to 1750, including the arrival of the steppe peoples (Turks and Mongols), the Mongol successor states, and the Mamluks of Egypt and Syria. We also study the foundation of the great Islamic regional empires of the Ottomans, Safavids, and Moghuls.

Ekin Enacar
2017-2018 Spring

HEBR 20503 Intermediate Modern Hebrew- 3

(JWSC 25500)

<p>This is the third quarter of a three quarter sequential course. This is the first quarter of a three quarter sequential course. Intermediate course is designed for students who already have a basic knowledge of modern or Biblical Hebrew (either the first year course or the placement exam are prerequisites). The course is going to include/cover materials for two levels: Intermediate low & Intermediate high. The main objective is to provide the student with the skills necessary to approach Modern Hebrew prose, both fiction and non-fiction. The course aims at consolidating and broadens the grammatical structures and vocabulary studied in level Aleph. By the end of the course, the student is expected to be familiar with and have advanced knowledge of the basic structure of the Hebrew language:<ul><li>Comprehension: Listening to dialogues, texts and lectures in easy Hebrew</li><li>Conversation: Conversations, discussions and short presentations based on the passages read and heard.</li><li>Reading: Passages from stories and texts adapted into easy Hebrew; short newspaper articles as well as short stories, slightly edited.</li><li>Writing: Writing structured compositions and short passages on the topics studied</li><li>Grammatical Skills: Syntactic consolidation and elaboration of fundamental structures, inflection of the strong verbs in the future tense and frequent weak verbs.</li></ul>

2017-2018 Spring

NEAA 20522 Late Levant: Archaeology of Syria-Palestine

(NEAA 30522)

This course is an exploration of the cultural patterns in the Levant from the late Byzantine period down to modern times, a span of some 1500 years. While the subject matter will be archaeological sites of this period in Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Israel, the focus will be on the role of medieval archaeology in amplifying the history of economic and social systems. It is this connective quality of Islamic archaeology which contributes to an understanding of the earlier history and archaeology of this region.

2017-2018 Autumn

NEAA 20532 Problems in Islamic Archaeology: The Islamic City

(NEAA 30532)

This course is intended to follow the Introduction to Islamic archaeology, a survey of the regions of the fertile crescent from the 9th to the 19th century. Beginning with P. Wheatley's Places where Men Pray Together, the institution of the Islamic are examined in light of its beginnings and definitions. Emphasis is on archaeological remains from the Middle East.

2017-2018 Spring

NEAA 20541 Islamic Pottery as Historical Evidence

(NEAA 30541)

This course is intended to present the dominant typologies of Islamic ceramics, most of which have been studied from an art historical approach. Specific archaeological typologies will be assembled from published reports and presented in seminar meetings. Half of the course will consist of analysis of shred collections, observatory analysis of typological criteria, and training in drawing these artifacts.

2017-2018 Spring

NEHC 20601 Islamic Thought & Literature-1

(NEHC 30601-01, SOSC 22000-01, RLST 20401-01, ISLM 30601-01, CMES 30601-01, HIST 25610, and HIST 35610)

This sequence explores the thought and literature of the Islamic world from the coming of Islam in the seventh century C.E. through the development and spread of its civilization in the medieval period and into the modern world. Including historical framework to establish chronology and geography, the course focuses on key aspects of Islamic intellectual history: scripture, law, theology, philosophy, literature, mysticism, political thought, historical writing, and archaeology. In addition to lectures and secondary background readings, students read and discuss samples of key primary texts, with a view to exploring Islamic civilization in the direct voices of the people who participated in creating it. All readings are in English translation. No prior background in the subject is required. This course sequence meets the general education requirement in civilization studies.

Prerequisites

Students can meet the general education requirement in civilization studies by taking NEHC 20601 and either 20602 or 20603.

Rachel Schine
2017-2018 Autumn

AKKD 20602 Intermediate Akkadian: NB and NA Letters

Intermediate Akkadian

Prerequisites

1 year of Akkadian

2017-2018 Autumn

NEHC 20602 Islamic Thought & Literature-2

(NEHC 30602,SOSC 22100, RLST 20402, ISLM 30602, HIST 25615, HIST 35615)

<p>Survey of Islamic thought and literature during the “middle periods,” from 950 to 1750 C.E., stretching across a broad geographic area, from Morocco and Iberia to the Maldives and India, and even into the New World. The course engages with a broad selection of primary texts in English translation, and various visual, aural and material artifacts, contextualizing them through lectures, secondary readings and discussion. We explore the notion of Islamicate culture(s) and civilization in its many facets – the intellectual milieu; literary, artistic and musical production; political, social, scientific, philosophical and theological thought; concepts of the heroic, the beautiful, the good, the poetic; piety, devotion and spirituality; religious, educational, governmental, commercial and social institutions; geographic, ethnic, confessional, gender, social and spatial constructs. In brief, how did noteworthy Muslims at various points and places think through questions of life & death, man & God, faith & belief, the sacred & the profane, law & ethics, tradition vs. innovation, power & politics, class & gender, self & other? How did they think about and wage war, make love, eat & drink, tell stories, educate their youth, preserve the past, imagine the future, etc.?</p><p>This sequence explores the thought and literature of the Islamic world from the coming of Islam in the seventh century C.E. through the development and spread of its civilization in the medieval period and into the modern world. Including historical framework to establish chronology and geography, the course focuses on key aspects of Islamic intellectual history: scripture, law, theology, philosophy, literature, mysticism, political thought, historical writing, and archaeology. In addition to lectures and secondary background readings, students read and discuss samples of key primary texts, with a view to exploring Islamic civilization in the direct voices of the people who participated in creating it. All readings are in English translation. No prior background in the subject is required. This course sequence meets the general education requirement in civilization studies.</p>

Prerequisites

Prerequisites: NEHC 20601 (Islamic Thought and Lit–I) or NEHC 20501 (Islamic Hist and Soc–I). Partially fulfills Civilizational Studies requirement of the College.

2017-2018 Winter

NEHC 20603 Islamic Thought & Literature-3

(NEHC 30603,SOSC 22200, RLST 20403, ISLM 30603, HIST 25616, HIST 35616)

This course covers the period from ca. 1800 to the present, exploring the works of authors, film-makers, poets, intellectuals, political theorists, religious reformists and scholars of Islam who interpreted various aspects of Islam or Islamicate civilizations: the history of the former Dar al-Islam and the histories of modern Muslim-majority nation states; the encounter with colonialism and the West; attitudes toward "modernity"; calls for religious and social reform; ideas of political legitimacy; modern forms of spirituality; issues of gender, class, race, multiculturalism; the development of new genres of literature and art; etc. We focus primarily on Iran, Turkey, Egypt, Lebanon, Palestine and Israel.  The course focuses on encountering primary works (non-fiction, fiction, and poetry, films, music, etc.), contextualized through lectures, discussion and secondary readings.

Prerequisites

NEHC 20601 or 20602 (Islamic Thought and Lit-1 or -2), or NEHC 20501 or 20502 (Islamic History and Society-1 or -2) recommended. Partially fulfills Civilizational Studies requirement of the College, OR the requirements of the NELC Major/Minor." 

2017-2018 Spring

NEHC 20605 Coll: Sources for the Study of Islamic History

(NEHC 30605, HIST 26005, and HIST 36005)

This course is designed to acquaint the student with the basic problems and concepts as well as the sources and methodology for the study of premodern Islamic history. Sources will be read in English translation and the tools acquired will be applied to specific research projects to be submitted as term papers.

2017-2018 Autumn

NEHC 20630 Introduction to Islamic Philosophy

(NEHC 30630,ISLM 30630)

This course offers an introduction to the terms and concepts current in Arabic philosophical writings in the classical period of Islamic thought (roughly 9th to 17th century). It begins with the movement to translate Greek texts into Arabic and the debate among Muslims about the validity of philosophy versus revelation. From a close reading of key works (in English) by important philosophers such as al-Kindī, al-Rāzī, al-Sijistānī, al-Fārābī, Ibn Sīnā (Avicenna), al-Ghazzālī, Ibn Bājja, Ibn Tufayl, Ibn Rushd (Averroes), Suhrawardī, and Mullā Ṣadrā, a series of lectures will follow the career of philosophy in the Islamic world, first as a ‘foreign’ science and then, later, as selectively rejected but also substantially accepted as a natural component of sophisticated discourse.

2017-2018 Spring

NEHC 20840 Radical Islamic Pieties, 1200-1600

(NEHC 30840, HIST 25901, HIST 35901)

Course examines responses to the Mongol destruction of the Abbasid caliphate in 1258 and the background to formation of regional Muslim empires. Topics include the opening of confessional boundaries; Ibn Arabi, Ibn Taymiyya, and Ibn Khaldun; the development of alternative spiritualities, mysticism, and messianism in the fifteenth century; transconfessionalism, antinomianism, and the articulation of sacral sovereignties in the sixteenth century. Readings will be in English, though some acquaintance with primary languages (Arabic, French, German, Greek, Latin, Spanish, or Turkish) is desirable.

2017-2018 Winter

NEHC 26150 The Modern Discovery of the Ancient Middle East: Archaeology

(NEHC 36150)

The class studies the ways in which modern archaeology shaped discourses in the Middle East regarding nationalism, colonialism, culture, and modernity; we will likewise explore the rise of the discipline in Europe and the United States. We will begin our class studying Napoleon's occupation of Egypt (1798), and the archaeological activities it inspired and end our discussions with very recent debates about cultural heritage, pertinent to the Iraq War and the battle against the Islamic State. Great emphasis in the class will be placed on how Arab, Turkish, Iranian and Zionist national movements appropriated the ancient past in order to make modern claims about territoriality and ethnicity.

2017-2018 Winter

NEHC 26151 The history of Iraq in the 20th century

(NEHC 36151, SIGN 26028, HIST 26008)

The class explores the history of Iraq during the years 1917-2015. We will discuss the rise of the Iraqi nation state, Iraqi and Pan-Arab nationalism, and Iraqi authoritarianism. The class will focus on the unique histories of particular group in Iraqi society; religious groups (Shiis, Sunnis, Jews), ethnic groups (especially Kurds), classes (the urban poor, the educated middle classes, the landed and tribal elites), Iraqi women, and Iraqi tribesmen. Other classes will explore the ideologies that became prominent in the Iraqi public sphere, from communism to Islamic radicalism. We will likewise discuss how colonialism and imperialism shaped major trends in Iraqi history. The reading materials for the class are based on a combination of primary and secondary sources: we will read together Iraqi novels, memoirs and poems (in translation), as well as British and American diplomatic documents about to Iraq.

2017-2018 Winter

NEHC 30001 Ancient Near Eastern History 1 : Egypt

(NEHC 20001)

This course surveys the political, social, and economic history of ancient Egypt from pre-dynastic times (ca. 3400 B.C.) until the advent of Islam in the seventh century of our era.

NEHC 30006 Ancient Near Eastern Thought & Literature-3: Egypt

(EGPT 30006)
2017-2018 Winter

NEHC 30019 Mesopotamian Law

(LLSO 20019, SIGN 26022)

NEHC 30019. Mesopotamian Law (= LLSO 20019; SIGN 26002). Ancient Mesopotamia -- the home of the Sumerians, Babylonians, and Assyrians who wrote in cuneiform script on durable clay tablets -- was the locus of many of history’s “firsts.” No development, however, may be as important as the formations of legal systems and legal principles revealed in contracts, trial records, and law collections (“codes”), among which “The Laws of Hammurabi” (r. 1792-1750 BC) stands as most important for understanding subsequent legal practice and thought of Mesopotamia’s cultural heirs in the Middle East and Europe until today. This course will explore the rich source materials of the Laws and relevant judicial and administration documents (all in English translations) to investigate topics of legal, social, and economic practice including family formation and dissolution, crime and punishment (sympathetic or talionic “eye for an eye,” pecuniary, corporal), and procedure (contracts, trials, ordeals). M. Roth. Winter 2018.

2017-2018 Winter

NEAA 30091 Field Archaeology

Students may register for this course during quarters in which they are overseas participating in archaeological field projects.

Prerequisites

This course is for students that will be overseas participating in an Archaeological Field Project. Consent of instructor is required.

2017-2018 Autumn

ARME 30101 Advanced Modern Armenian-1

(LGLN 30101)

This three-quarter sequence enables the students to reach an advanced level of proficiency in the Armenian language. Reading, discussion and writing assignments include a selection of original Armenian literature and excerpts from mass media. A considerable amount of historical-political and social-cultural issues about Armenia are skillfully built into the course for students who have intention to conduct research in Armenian Studies and related area studies or to pursue work in Armenia.

Prerequisites

ARME 20103 or equivalent.

2017-2018 Autumn

TURK 30101 Advanced Turkish / Elementary Ottoman

(NELG 30101)

First quarter of Advanced Turkish / Elementary Ottoman

Ipek Huner-Cora
2017-2018 Autumn

ARME 30102 Advanced Modern Armenian-2

(LGLN 10103)

This three-quarter sequence enables the students to reach an advanced level of proficiency in the Armenian language. Reading, discussion and writing assignments include a selection of original Armenian literature and excerpts from mass media. A considerable amount of historical-political and social-cultural issues about Armenia are skillfully built into the course for students who have intention to conduct research in Armenian Studies and related area studies or to pursue work in Armenia.

Prerequisites

ARME 30101 or equivalent.

2017-2018 Winter

TURK 30102 Advanced Turkish / Elementary Ottoman

Second quarter of Advanced Turkish / Elementary Ottoman

Ipek Huner-Cora
2017-2018 Winter

TURK 30103 Advanced Turkish / Elementary Ottoman

Third quarter of Advanced Turkish / Elementary Ottoman

Ipek Huner-Cora
2017-2018 Spring

ARME 30103 Advanced Modern Armenian-3

This three-quarter sequence enables the students to reach an advanced level of proficiency in the Armenian language. Reading, discussion and writing assignments include a selection of original Armenian literature and excerpts from mass media. A considerable amount of historical-political and social-cultural issues about Armenia are skillfully built into the course for students who have intention to conduct research in Armenian Studies and related area studies or to pursue work in Armenia.

Prerequisites

ARME 30102 or equivalent.

2017-2018 Spring

NEAA 30131 Problems in Mesopotamian Arch

Prerequisites

At least Intro to Mesopotamian Arch AND Consent of Instructor

2017-2018 Winter

NEAA 30133 Readings in Mesopotamian Arch

This course is tailored to the needs of individual students, with a list of readings to be set depending on the interests and level of the student. The readings are meant to fill in gaps in knowledge of Mesopotamian Archaeology, and are often used by the student to refine the area to be selected for a doctoral dissertation.  The student meets with the professor once a week to discuss what has been read and decide what should be the next logical source to be read.  The student's detailed notes on all the reading or a paper summing up the quarter's findings, as well as the discussion sessions are the basis for grading.  The schedule of meetings is flexible and will be arranged with each student. 

Prerequisites

at least Introduction to Mesopotamian Archaeology, NEAA 2001/3001. 

2017-2018 Autumn

ARAB 30201 High Intermediate Modern Standard Arabic-1

The first quarter of High Intermediate Modern Standard Arabic

2017-2018 Autumn

ARAB 30202 High Intermediate Modern Standard Arabic-3

This course introduces the student to the language of Arabic media, both written and oral. Students will listen to and read a wide variety of authentic texts in modern standard Arabic, using these to continue to strengthen the four language skills and to become familiar with current issues discussed in today's Arab media. As the final course in the High Intermediate sequence, the course is meant for students who have completed at least two years of Arabic study and attained an Intermediate high level of proficiency.

2017-2018 Spring

ARAB 30202 High Intermediate Modern Standard Arabic-2

The first quarter of High Intermediate Modern Standard Arabic

2017-2018 Winter

NEAA 30211 Introduction to Ancient Egyptian Art

(NEAA 20211)

<p>This course will provide an introduction on Egyptian art focusing specifically on a diachronic analysis of statues, reliefs and paintings. The aim is acquire the basic stylistic overview of the material and the contexts as well as purpose of these objects. This is class is not designed as ‘material culture’ class and therefore cannot take into account other object categories which would simply be too much to cover in the available time frame.</p><p>For each class the readings will be discussed in depth with additional points concerning the cultural framework and context being provided by the instructor. In addition, there will be short visits to the OI museum galleries whenever appropriate. For the class presentations at the end of the Quarter, each student will select an object or a group of objects and do an in-depth analysis. This can be from a catalogue or from the OI museum / basement.</p>

Prerequisites

Suitable for undergraduates who have taken at least one of the following courses: Ancient Empires - 3: The Egyptian Empire of the New Kingdom, Ancient Near Eastern History and Society -1: Egypt, Archaeology of the Ancient Near East -6: Egypt.

2017-2018 Winter

PERS 30220 Poetics and Politics in Modern Iran

This course is intended for those students who have learned Persian well enough to start enjoying Persian poetry in the original language. Starting from the Constitutional Revolution of 1906, each session several new poems by one or more poets will be discussed against the socio-political background of the time. The poets will include some women poets also, and the poems range in form, style and subject matter from traditional to modern, from satirical to prison poems and issues of human/women’s rights. The students are expected to prepare for each session, participate actively in discussions, be ready for short presentations based on the assigned secondary literature, and write an essay.

Prerequisites

2 years Persian or Instructor's consent

NEAA 30224 Urbanism in Ancient Egypt

(NEAA 20224)

The aim of this seminar is to challenge prevailing views on Egypt's non-urban past and investigating Egypt as an early urban society. The emergence of urban features will be traced starting with the Predynastic Period up to the disintegration of the powerful Middle Kingdom state (ca. 3500–1650 BC). This seminar offers a synthesis of the archaeological data that sheds light on the different facets of urbanism in ancient Egypt. Drawing on evidence from recent excavations as well as a vast body of archaeological data, the changing settlement patterns will be explored by contrasting periods of strong political control against those of decentralization. On a microlevel, the characteristics of households and the layout of domestic architecture will be addressed, which are key elements for understanding how society functioned and evolved over time. In addition, settlement patterns will provide further insights into the formation of complex society and the role of the state in the urban development in ancient Egypt.

Prerequisites

Suitable for undergraduates who have taken at least one of the following courses: Ancient Empires - 3: The Egyptian Empire of the New Kingdom, Ancient Near Eastern History and Society -1: Egypt, Archaeology of the Ancient Near East -6: Egypt.

2017-2018 Spring

ARAB 30301 High Intermediate Classical Standard Arabic-1

The first quarter of High Intermediate Modern Standard Arabic

2017-2018 Autumn

ARAB 30302 High Intermediate Classical Standard Arabic-2

The first quarter of High Intermediate Modern Standard Arabic

2017-2018 Winter

ARAB 30303 High Intermediate Classical Standard Arabic-3

The main objective of the complete three-quarter segment is to develop strong pedagogical strategies in the four Arabic language skills to acquire proficiency in handling Arabic classical texts. By the end of the three quarters students should know the distinctive features of classical Arabic texts and the various genres and sources of such texts. They will build strong command on expanded grammatical features and structural rules governing classical texts of different variations. Students will be able to produce written documents reflecting reading comprehension, personal opinions and text critique. Students should be able to make oral presentation and conduct research using electronic resources as well as traditional classical sources. The class is conducted entirely in Arabic with occasional use of English in translation and explanation of complex cultural and linguistic issues.

2017-2018 Spring

AKKD 30326 Akkadian Medical Texts

This course consists of readings in cuneiform texts on therapeutic prescriptions, incantations, and rituals, pharmacopoeia, the Diagnostic Handbook, medical commentaries, and medical astrology, along with scholarly articles on various ancient medical topics. 

Prerequisites

1 year of Akkadian (but allow for exceptions when permission is given)

2017-2018 Winter

PERS 30332 Persian Sufi Texts

(ISLM 30339, RLST 20503, SALC 30332, PERS 30332)

Themes covered in this introductory course will include: Sufism as an interior personal response to the Qur’an and the numinous; Sufi visions; the psychology, spiritual disciplines and practices of Sufism; Sufism as a social reaction against legalism and literalism in religious institutions; the development of institutions and rituals within Sufism itself (shrines, lodges, orders, rules, etc.); saint worship and hagiographies; the body in Sufism; Sufi poetry; Sufi music; theological attacks against Sufism as an antinomian or heretical movement; modernist critiques of Sufism as escapism from political and social responsibility; and Sufism as perennial de-Islamicized theosophy in the modern middle east and in the west.  In addition to lectures and discussion, students will keep an introspective "sufi" diary, observe or participate in Sufi meditation/contemplation.

Prerequisites

2 years of Persian or the equivalent

2017-2018 Autumn

ARAB 30390 Arabic in Social Context

(ARAB 20390)

Designed for the advanced student of MSA, this course aims to improve listening comprehension and instill an awareness of the social associations accompanying different speech/writing styles. Students will intensively listen to  audio /video materials  clustered around the themes of diglossia and code-switching; gendered discourse; urban-rural; class. A heavily aural course, class activities will involve student presentations (group and solo), discussion groups, and to a lesser degree, textual analysis.

Prerequisites

2 years of Modern Standaard Arabic

2017-2018 Spring

EGPT 30446 Ptol Hiero

This advanced course examines grammar, scripts and texts typically called "Ptolemaic," but employed in formal, priestly inscriptions of both the Ptolemaic and Roman eras. Texts to be examined include, among others, synod decrees and inscriptions from Dendera, Philae, Edfu, and Esna.

Prerequisites

Consent of Professor, prior study of Late Egyptian and Coptic languages. Demotic helpful but not obligatory.

2017-2018 Spring

HEBR 30501 Advanced Modern Hebrew - 1

(JWSC 25600)

<p>This course assumes that students have full mastery of the grammatical and lexical content at the intermediate level. The main objective is literary fluency and is taught in Hebrew.</p><p>The course is intended to introduce students not only to “daily” Hebrew but also to different styles of writing such as newspaper articles and literary texts which include short stories and poetry. The course introduces students to documentaries and series produced in and broadcasted on Israeli T.V. Students are required to give short presentations on a weekly basis.</p>

Prerequisites

Students should have at least 2 years of Modern Hebrew studies.

2017-2018 Autumn

EGPT 30590 Gender in Ancient Egypt

(GNSE 40590, EGPT 20590)

This course explores the topic of gender in ancient Egypt, including translations and commentary about many texts involving women dating from the Old Kingdom into the Ptolemaic period.  This course is intended for people interested in women and gender but with no necessary background in study of the ancient Near East.  

Prerequisites

Me nec; LE preferable

2017-2018 Spring

SUMR 30608 Advanced Sumerian Literary Texts

Advanced seminar in Sumerian literary texts

Prerequisites

Introductory Sumerian sequence

2017-2018 Winter

NEHC 30641 Islamic Origins

(ISLM 30641)

The course examines a wide array of scholarship surveying the problems posed by the rise of Islam from the historical and historiographical points of view.

Prerequisites

NEHC 20501 or equivalent

2017-2018 Spring

ARAB 30680 Readings: Islamic Ritual Law

Close reading of classical Arabic texts on ‘ibādāt / Islamic ritual law, with some discussion of concepts of ritual.

Prerequisites

3rd year Arabic or instructor's permission.

2017-2018 Autumn

AANL 30701 Linguistic methods for extinct languages

(LING 31410)

<p>This course explores the ways linguistic theory can be used in the study of extinct languages.</p><p>We will investigate how to use typological data and the predictive force of modern theories to critically assess claims regarding grammatical issues in extinct languages. In case of a conflict between general linguistics and grammatical descriptions arising from the philological tradition, students will be expected to indicate how to remedy this situation, or even to solve the issue.</p><p>We will also start developing a method for fact-finding in extinct languages. In the absence of native speakers it becomes nearly impossible to judge the ungrammaticality of a sentence, because the absence of a construction may simply be an accident of transmission. So, instead of using form to arrive at judgments regarding structure, meaning, or use (the semasiological approach), we will reverse the process and start with well-defined concepts from the fields of morpho-syntax, semantics and pragmatics. Through this onomasiological approach we will be able to detect phenomena that may have gone unnoticed in the philological tradition.</p><p>The course will focus on three topics that are known to be relevant for several extinct languages of the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern area, covering many extinct languages ((near)-isolates, Sumerian, Elamite, Hurrian, Semitic (Akkadian, Ugaritic, Phoenician, Hebrew Aramaic), Indo-European (Hittite, Indo-Iranian, Greek, Latin, etc. etc.), Egyptian:<ol><li>Ergativity (typology, morpho-syntax, semantics)</li><li>Topic and Focus (morpho-syntax, information structure)</li><li>Lexical and grammatical aspect (semantics, morphology, discourse grammar)</li></ol>This list of topics may be modified depending on the interests of the students. Students have worked on Chukchi (N-E Russia), Kiriri (Amazon), Old French, Ancient Greek, Egyptian, Old Persian, Hittite, and Sumerian.</p>

Prerequisites

Course is consent only.

2017-2018 Spring

NEHC 30766 Shamans and Oral Poets of Central Asia

(NEHC 20766, ANTH 25906, EEUR 20766, EEUR 30766)

This course explores the rituals, oral literature, and music associated with the nomadic cultures of Central Eurasia. It is a continuation of the course titled "Intriduction to the Musical Folklore of Central Asia", offered on odd-numbered years in the Spring Quarter. The course covers the traditional musical performances, oral literature, and other oral performance genres of the Kazakhs, Kirghiz, Turkmens, Siberian peoples, and Mongols, and examines topics in Central Eurasian animist/shamanist/Tengriist cultural practices.

Prerequisites

No prerequisites. Interest in a Central Asian language, Turkic language, or a general interest in Central Asia may be helpful but not required.

2017-2018 Spring

AKKD 30811 Akkadian Astronomical Texts

This course consists of readings in cuneiform sources and scholarly literature on the classification of astronomical tablets, measurement of celestial time and space, invention of the zodiac, astronomical omen series and reports, the Mul-apin star compendium and astrolabes, astronomical diaries, goal year texts, horoscopes, and mathematical astronomy. 

Prerequisites

1 year of Akkadian (but allow for exceptions when permission is given)

2017-2018 Spring

AKKD 30820 Readings in the letters from Tell el-Amarna

In this course, we will read Akkadian letters from the correspondence found at Tell el-Amarna, Egypt, that date to the 14th century BCE. We will read letters from various locations, including Babyonia, Assyria, Mitanni and Hatti, although the main focus of the class will be on the letters sent from Canaan. In all these corpora we will look at features that mark the language as different from core Babylonian and that reveal substrate influence from the native languages of the scribes.

Prerequisites

Advanced knowledge of Akkadian. Knowledge of Hebrew or Aramaic would be an asset.

2017-2018 Winter

NEHC 30852 The Ottoman World in the Age of Suleyman the Magnificent

(HIST 58302, CMES 30852)

The course focuses on the formation of the Ottoman polity as an imperial entity following the conquest of Constantinople in 1453 and up to the end of the sixteenth century. Taking as its thematic center point the ideological, social, cultural, and administrative changes introduced by Sultan Suleyman (1520–1566), the seminar also provides a survey of the institutions of his most extensive of early modern Muslim empires. Themes of particular significance are the changing relationship of religion and state, the development of imperial culture, the rule of law, rivalry with contemporary Christian and Muslim powers, and the transition from universal to regional empire. Reading knowledge of at least one European language recommended.

Prerequisites

Consent of instructor; reading knowledge of Turkish, Arabic, Persian, French, Italian, German, Latin, or Greek desirable but not required.

2017-2018 Autumn

NEHC 30853 The Ottoman World in the Age of Suleyman the Magnificent

(HIST 58303, CMES 30852)

In the second quarter we focus on research topics for students writing the seminar paper.

Prerequisites

Hist 78201; Consent of instructor; reading knowledge of Turkish, Arabic, Persian, French, Italian, German, Latin, or Greek desirable but not required.

2017-2018 Winter

NEHC 30891 Sem: Intro to the Ottoman Press-1

(HIST 35707)

Course introduces students to the historical context and specific characteristics of the mass printed press (newspapers, cultural and political journals, etc.) in the Ottoman Empire in the 19th C. We will investigate issues such as content, censorship, production, readership and distribution through secondary reading and the examination of period publications.

Prerequisites

This will be offered as a single term seminar. Knowledge of a relevant research language, (Ottoman Turkish, Armenian, Greek, Arabic, Ladino, French...) required.

2017-2018 Autumn

NEHC 30914 History of Turkey and Iran in the 20th century

(NEHC 20904)

This course will offer a survey of the main political and social developments in Turkey and Iran since the end of WWI.

Prerequisites

Some basic knowledge of modern Middle Eastern history suggested.

2017-2018 Autumn

NEHC 30921 Arab America

(SIGN 26026)

In this course, we will read a variety of texts that imagine or represent the Arab experience of exile to and diaspora within the United States, focusing on the ways that these texts re-construct and imagine the key dialectic of home/diasporic space, specifically within the framework of the complicated and dynamic relationship between the Arab world and the United States. Throughout the quarter, the readings would enable us to engage with several key concepts related to the Arab (and broader) immigrant experience in the US, including race, memory and nostalgia, language, and second-generational post-memory, as well as the role of the immigrant community in forming the ‘homeland’s’ vision of itself. We would begin with a historical overview of emigration from the Arabic-speaking world, beginning with the vast emigration of Lebanese and Syrians from Mount Lebanon and Syria in the mid-nineteenth century, but will pay particular attention to moments in which this identity has been or become particularly fraught, for example, following such events as the 1967 war, the 9/11 attacks, or the recent Executive Order by the Trump Administration (1/2017).

2017-2018 Spring

NEHC 30937 Nationalism and Colonialism in the Middle East

2017-2018 Winter

31002 Approaches to the Study of the Ancient Near East

(NEHC 30625)

This is a required introductory course for all CMES ancient-track students.

2017-2018 Autumn

NEHC 37002 Introduction to the History Central Asia-2

(NEHC 27002,HIST 25805)

The focus of this class is on the social and political history of Central Eurasia from the end of the Timurid era to the present day, and will consider themes such as gender, ethnicity, religion, nation-building, nationalism, modernity discourse, language, and literature. Central Eurasia as a region is notoriously difficult to define, but in this course the geographic focus will span regions, which today comprise Mongolia, Xinjiang, Tibet, the former Soviet Republics, and will touch upon neighboring areas, including Anatolia, Iran, Siberia, and India. As a course developed to engage students with the historiographical themes within a specific regional context, we will be able to analyze the historical and cultural developments of a region crucial to Islamic history. There is no prerequisite to enroll in this course.

August Samie
2017-2018 Spring

NEHC 39501 Politics of Gender, Modernity, and Home: Armenians in the Late Ottoman Empite and Early Republican Turkey

(NEHC 29501, HIST 25708/35708, GNSE 39501)

This course takes gender as a critical analytical tool in the study of the late Ottoman and early Turkish republican Armenian history. It offers a close reading of a range of original Armenian texts in English translation (mostly from the manuscript of Feminism in Armenian: An Interpretive Anthology by Melissa Bilal and Lerna Ekmekçioğlu, forthcoming 2019). These texts are primary sources in the form of literary works and political essays written by Armenian women in their native Ottoman capital and in its diaspora. They document a century of Armenian feminist thinking and activism. They provide us with precious resources to examine the ways in which Armenian women of the period defined and tackled feminism, equality, womanhood, manhood, freedom, justice, solidarity, awakening, enlightenment, modernity, progress, power, oppression, society, nation, community, state, homeland, and related concepts. The course situates their fight for emancipation both as Armenians and as women within the global beginnings of women’s liberation cause. It also historicizes women’s writings within the contemporary Armenian social, political, and intellectual life and the late Ottoman and early republican politics of sex and ethnic/national/racial difference. Throughout the term, we will be contextualizing women’s responses and interventions to the patriarchal family, moral double standards regulating female sexuality, male dominance in communal decision-making bodies, and the overall politics of modern Armenian nationhood. Secondary sources will help us better frame Armenian women’s 2 interventions to the public opinion and discourses on the relationship between the sexes and between communities in periods of social change and transformation. They will also enable us raise critical questions about gender and production of knowledge, about historical consciousness, and about politics of memory. We will situate the history of Armenian feminism within the scholarship on feminist historiography of the Ottoman Empire and the Republic of Turkey and will address the formative silences in historical narratives.

Melissa Bilal
2017-2018 Spring

NEAA 40020 Ceramic Analysis for Archaeologists

(ANTH 36200)

Previously taught by Mickey Dietler in Anthropology as Anthro 36200; needs to be cross-listed with Anthro

2017-2018 Spring

ARAB 40101 Advanced Arabic Syntax

(ISLM 40101)

This two-quarter sequence is an introduction to the classical Arabic language. It is useful for students whose research includes the reading of classical Arabic texts in varied fields such as literature, history, political science, theology and philosophy. In the class 1) rules of Arabic grammar are studied intensively, topic by topic; 2) parsing (i'rab) is an important component, with a view to understanding the structure of the language; 3) brief texts from different fields of classical Arabic are read focusing on their grammatical structure, and 4) some theory about the development of the grammatical genre is introduced, as are the basic features of prosody ('arud) and rhetoric (balagha).

Prerequisites

Three years (or equivalent) of Modern Standard Arabic. Open to grads and undergrads.

2017-2018 Autumn

ARAB 40102 Advanced Arabic Syntax-2

This two-quarter sequence is an introduction to the classical Arabic language. It is useful for students whose research includes the reading of classical Arabic texts in varied fields such as literature, history, political science, theology and philosophy. In the class 1) rules of Arabic grammar are studied intensively, topic by topic; 2) parsing (i'rab) is an important component, with a view to understanding the structure of the language; 3) brief texts from different fields of classical Arabic are read focusing on their grammatical structure, and 4) some theory about the development of the grammatical genre is introduced, as are the basic features of prosody ('arud) and rhetoric (balagha).

Prerequisites

ARAB 40101 or equivalent. This is the second part of a 2 quarter sequence; open to grads and undergrads

2017-2018 Winter

ARAB 40200 Advanced Readings in Arabic

Advanced Readings in Arabic

Prerequisites

Prerequisite: Advanced reading level as determined by instructor

2017-2018 Autumn

ARAB 40200 Advanced Readings in Arabic

Advanced Readings in Arabic

Prerequisites

Prerequisite: Advanced reading level as determined by instructor

2017-2018 Spring

ARAB 40200 Advanced Readings in Arabic

Advanced Readings in Arabic

Prerequisites

Prerequisite: Advanced reading level as determined by instructor

2017-2018 Winter

ARAB 40250 The Literary Legacies of War in Lebanon

In this course, we will investigate the historical, theoretical, and literary contexts and aftermaths of the Lebanese civil war (1975-1990). We will explore an array of texts from the war period, then a selection of texts written in the immediate post-war period, and in the post-post war moment. We will interrogate the manner in which these texts deal with complex issues of violence, trauma, and memory and post-memory while framing them within local and global debates around these themes.

Prerequisites

Advanced Arabic

2017-2018 Autumn

ARAB 40383 Seminar: Poetry (Al-Mutanabbi)

Al-Mutanabbī is arguably the best known and most quoted poet of the Arabic language. Scores of streets and bookstores in the Arab Middle East are named after him, as are schools, poetry festivals, markets, and even ships. What did al-Mutanabbī do to merit this enormous fame? Was it the power of the panegyrics that he composed celebrating the victories of important kings and princes? Or was it the biting humor of the satires that he wrote censuring these same potentates? Indeed, his poems provoked great political, lexical, critical, and grammatical debate, during his lifetime and beyond. A close reading of a selection of al-Mutanabbī’s poetry in various genres and medieval critique of his alleged “sariqāt,” will—inshaallah!—illuminate some of the answers.

Prerequisites

also open to qualified undergrads with instructor permission

2017-2018 Winter

TURK 40589 Advanced Ottoman Historical Texts

(HIST 58301)

Based on selected readings from major Ottoman chronicles from the fifteenth to the seventeenth centuries, the course provides an introduction to the use of primary narrative materials and an overview of the development and range of Ottoman historical writing. Knowledge of modern and Ottoman Turkish required.

Prerequisites

Open to qualified undergraduates with consent of instructor.

2017-2018 Autumn