Minor Requirements

Students in the College with an interest in the languages, cultures and archaeology of the Middle East or of the ancient Near East may pursue a minor in NELC. Completion of this minor certifies that your undergraduate course work at the University of Chicago has prepared you with language skills, field-specific knowledge and methods, and cultural competency that can give you an advantage on the job market for a wide variety of careers—in business, in medicine or law, in the public sector, or in museums and cultural heritage.

The requirements for the NELC minor are described below. The Director of Undergraduate Studies and the NELC department staff are available to answer questions, discuss programs of study, and support students as they make their way through the minor in NELC.

Students who wish to take a minor in NELC must meet with the DUS before the end of Spring Quarter of their third year to declare their intention to complete the minor. Students must submit the Consent to Complete a Minor form to their College adviser by the deadline above.

Students are encouraged to track their progress through requirements by using our minor worksheet.

Six courses are required for a NELC minor. Students may choose one of three tracks; Language, Culture, or Archaeology. The first two tracks require a two- or three-quarter NELC civilization sequence (see Major Requirements for more detail on civilization sequences). However, students using a NELC sequence to satisfy the general education requirement in civilization studies may, with DUS approval, substitute additional NELC languages or NELC electives in place of a second civilization sequence.

The six courses in the minor may not be double counted with a student's major(s) or with other minors, and they may not be counted toward general education requirements. Courses in the minor must be taken for quality grades.

NELC students can receive credit towards major and minor requirements for language courses taken while studying abroad. Credit has to be approved by relevant NELC language faculty. Students should retain all syllabi, coursework, exams, etc. from study abroad language courses. Upon return to Chicago, students should complete this form, attaching all supporting materials, and submit to the NELC department administrator.

The Language Track includes at least three courses of one NELC language. If a NELC sequence is used for the general education requirement in civilization studies, a Language Track minor can also consist of six language courses in one or more related languages with DUS approval.

Language Track Sample Minor

Language Track Sample Minor

Language Track Sample Minor (for students who take a NELC sequence to satisfy civilization studies requirement)

*Consult the Director of Undergraduate Studies about the level of the language (introductory, intermediate, or advanced) required to meet the language track requirement. Credit may not be granted by examination to meet the language requirement for the minor program.

The Culture Track allows students to focus on topics such as, history, religion or literature in translation and does not have a language requirement. In addition to the two- or three-quarters Civilization sequence, students choose three or four NELC electives. If a NELC sequence is used for the general education requirement in civilization studies, a Culture Track minor can also consist of six relevant NELC electives with DUS approval.

Culture Track Sample Minor

The Archaeology Track requires NEAA 20100 (Introduction to Archaeology), one introductory course in Geographical Systems Analysis (either NEAA 20061: Ancient Landscapes 1, or GEOG 28202: Geographic Information Science 1), two methodologically oriented courses (see Major Requirements for more detail on these courses), and two elective courses in the archaeology, history, or culture of the region(s) of interest offered by NELC or another department.

Archaeology Track Sample Minor