UW Bothell Course Descriptions
UW Tacoma Course Descriptions
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Detailed course offerings (Time Schedule) are available for
NEAR E 101 Gateway to the Middle East (5) SSc/A&H
Provides general introduction to the peoples, cultures, and languages of the Middle East, both past and present. No previous knowledge of the Middle East required.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 101
NEAR E 196 Introductory Studies in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations (1-5, max. 15) SSc
Offered occasionally by visitors or resident faculty. Content varies.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 196
NEAR E 199 Study Abroad (1-15, max. 15)
Credit for lower division NEAR E courses in an approved Study Abroad program. Requires credit evaluation by department or faculty. Does not automatically apply to major or minor requirements. Offered: AWSpS.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 199
NEAR E 201 Introduction to the Ancient Near East (5) SSc/A&H
Surveys the peoples, places, and events of the ancient Near East. Examines the cultures of Mesopotamia, Egypt, Canaan, and Israel with an eye to each culture's cultural contributions. Pays special attention to shared cultural elements as well as distinguishing characteristics of the peoples of these regions.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 201
NEAR E 203 Introduction to the Archaeology of Western Anatolia: Cross Roads of the Ancient World (5) SSc
An introduction to the archaeology the western coast of Anatolia and its often-neglected place in the ancient Near Eastern and Classical worlds. The class will cover the cities of Troy and Ephesus, and the civilizations of the Phrygians, Lydians, Carians, Lycians and the Ionians in Anatolia. Offered: AWSpS.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 203
NEAR E 207 Introduction to the Archaeology of Ancient Iran (5) SSc
Introduction to the archaeology of ancient Iran (Persia) from the earliest inhabitants to the end of Sasanian period (circa10,000 BDE-651 CE). Covers the archaeology from various time periods in chronological order, with an emphasis on the archaeology and culture of the Achaemendid (Persian) period.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 207
NEAR E 208 Introduction To Ancient Near Eastern Archeology (5) SSc/A&H
Archaeological cultures of the ancient Near East, from 10,000 BCE to 332 BCE, including the civilizations of Mesopotamia (modern day Iraq), Egypt, the Levant (modern day Israel, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon), Anatolia (modern day Turkey) and Persia (modern day Iran).
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 208
NEAR E 234 Introduction to Shi'i Islam (5) SSc
Basic beliefs of Shi'ism today, how they developed over time, the role of intellectuals in the development of Shi'i thought, and how major law schools of Shi'ism give expression to those beliefs.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 234
NEAR E 243 Iranian Culture and Civilization (5) SSc/A&H
Explores the culture and civilization of this Middle Eastern society through a multi-disciplinary approach that includes such manifestations as architecture, carpet-weaving, story-telling, and the composition of poetry.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 243
NEAR E 244 Voices of the Iranian Revolution (5) A&H/SSc
Includes critical readings of the 1979 Iranian Revolution as represented in essays, fiction, poetry, memoir, speeches, film, and other arts. Examines the ways that writers, artists, politicians, and intellectuals have depicted the origins and development of the Islamic Republic and the legacy of the revolution in Iranian society and culture today.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 244
NEAR E 257 Introduction to Central Asian Turkic Literature in Translation (5) A&H
Provides an overview of the major periods of Central Asian Turkic literature including: the Pre-Islamic Period (eighth-tenth centuries), the Islamic Period (tenth-twentieth centuries), the Modern Period (1905-1991), and the Post-Colonial period (1991-present). Centers on the Turkic peoples who lived under Russia and Soviet colonial rule.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 257
NEAR E 258 Introduction to Kyrgyz Writer Chingiz Aitmatov (5) SSc/A&H
Introduces the form and content of the work of the Kyrgyz writer, Chingiz Aitmatov, while also examining his life and influence on the people of Central Asia.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 258
NEAR E 259 Introduction to the Writers and Intellectuals of Central Asia under Soviet Colonialism (5) A&H/SSc, DIV
Discusses the lives and works of Kazakh, Kyrgyz Turkmen, and Uzbek poets and writers and intellectuals who lived during the Soviet period from 1917-1991.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 259
NEAR E 262 Central Asian Country Profiles: Introduction to Kazakhstan (5) A&H/SSc
Examines developments in Kazakhstan after the country gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. Part of a series on Central Asia.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 262
NEAR E 264 Central Asian Country Profiles: Introduction to Uzbekistan (5) A&H/SSc
Survey of the Uzbek people and their history. Examines developments in Uzbekistan after the country gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. Part of a series on Central Asia.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 264
NEAR E 265 Introduction to Central Asian Turkic Literature in Translation (3) A&H
Introduces the foundations of modern Uzbek literature; the common Turkic literature of the eighth-century and the more recent Chagatay-Uzbek literature. Focuses on post-Soviet literature since 1991. After independence Uzbek writers were able to express themselves without censorship and prosecution.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 265
NEAR E 266 The Modern Middle East and Central Asia (5) SSc
Ethnographic overview of Muslim societies in the middle east and central Asia from various anthropological perspectives. Examines the unity and diversity of Muslim communities and acquaints students with the significant linguistic, cultural, and political diversity of Muslim societies. Helps students develop an understanding of Islam as a lived experience.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 266
NEAR E 267 Folktales Along the Silk Road (3) A&H/SSc
Introduces student to the Silk Road connecting China and Europe through the cities of Samarkand, Bukhara, and Constantinople, now Istanbul. Applies comparative-historical and sociological method in folktale research, i.e. compares Western European stories and motifs with tales from the Silk Road while paying attention to the environment of storytelling.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 267
NEAR E 270 The Turks: A Global Perspective (5) SSc
Introduction to the history of the Turks, as a distinctive cultural and linguistic community set against a global backdrop. Examines the rich experiences of Turk history, and their interactions with peoples and cultures across Asia, the Middle East, and Europe.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 270
NEAR E 271 Cultural History of Turkey: From Empire to Nation (5) A&H/SSc
Topics include: social, economic, and political structures of Ottoman and Turkish Anatolia; language, literature, and artistic tradition; social status of women, literacy and illiteracy, the secular enterprise of Kemal Ataturk; Islamic fundamentalism, educational institutions, Kurdish nationalism.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 271
NEAR E 286 Themes in Near Eastern Literature (5) A&H/SSc
Significant and interesting aspects of Near Eastern culture and society as represented by literary themes. Aspects of Near Eastern life and art such as women, minority groups, mysticism, and modern literature. Content varies. May not be taken for credit if credit earned in NEAR E 330.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 286
NEAR E 287 The Near East in Song (2, max. 8) A&H
Surveys popular song at it has shaped modern culture and identity in the near East. Topics vary. May be repeated for credit if the student has not previously studies the same topic with the same instructor. All texts in English; no previous knowledge of other languages required. Credit/no-credit only.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 287
NEAR E 296 Special Studies in Near Eastern Languages and Civilization (1-5, max. 15) SSc
Offered occasionally by visitors or resident faculty.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 296
NEAR E 301 Art of the Ancient Near East (3) A&H
Examines the artistic remains of ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia (3000 BCE-550 BCE), with some attention to architecture. Topics examined include: art as ritual power, the relationship betweens text and image, art and cosmology, visual propaganda, and the legacy of ancient Near Eastern art.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 301
NEAR E 302 Religions of the Ancient World (3) SSc
A comparative exploration into ancient religious customs, rituals, and beliefs (ca. 3000-500 BCE). Focus on peoples of Mesopotamia, Egypt, Syria, and Israel. Topics include conceptions of worship and divinity, sacred space and time, and types and roles of priesthoods, divination, prayers, and afterlife beliefs. Recommended: NEAR E 201. Offered: A.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 302
NEAR E 308 Gender and Sexuality in the Ancient Near East (3) A&H/SSc, DIV
Investigates and critically assesses trends and topics in recent studies of gender and sexuality in the ancient Near East, pertaining especially to texts, artifacts, art and images from ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt and the Levant. Explores ancient Near Eastern taxonomies and functions of gender and sexuality, and examines social, political and religious forces that inform and construct gendered categories of gods, humans, and their worlds. Prerequisite: No prerequisites; recommended: NEAR E 201, Introduction to the Ancient Near East Offered: AWSp.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 308
NEAR E 309 Death and Afterlife in the Ancient World (3) SSc/A&H
Explores human yearnings, obsessions, fears, and aspirations associated with death and afterlife by examining major political, military, social, economic, religious, literary, artistic, and architectural phenomena directly connected to the way ancient cultures, such as Egypt, Mesopotamia, Israel, and the Levant, have conceptualized death.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 309
NEAR E 310 Jewish Literature: Foundations and Re-imaginings (5) A&H, DIV
Overview of 3000 years of literary creativity. Considers multiple genres, including Bible, Midrash, medieval poetry, Hasidic tale, modern fiction, TV satire, and popular music lyrics, with emphasis on how later literature reinterprets and re-imagines earlier texts. Explores diversity in Jewish writing, focusing on Jews as minority and diaspora communities as well as on centers and margins within Jewish cultures. Offered: WSp.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 310
NEAR E 311 The Archaeology of Biblical Israel (5) SSc
Archaeology of ancient Israel (southern Levant). Covers the know archaeological material and Biblical and other contemporaneous textual sources to explore this topic, covering the archaeological cultures from the Middle Bronze Age to the end of the Babylonian Exile (2000-300 BCE).
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 311
NEAR E 312 Looting and Loss: The Recent Destruction of Cultural Heritage Sites in the Middle East (5) SSc
Explores the history and context of recent politicization, looting, and destruction of archaeological and cultural sites in the Middle East, as well as the associated human toll, with primary focus on the current state of modern Syria and Iraq. Covers the politics of archaeology in the Middle East from the First Gulf War to more recent times.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 312
NEAR E 314 The Archeology of Early Islam (5) SSc
Introduction to the archaeology of early Islam, from 632 to 1000 CE with the study of the rise (and occasional fall) of Islam in Arabia, Egypt, and Spain/Portugal through a survey of the local architecture and material culture. Students study key archaeological sites and histories of these regions.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 314
NEAR E 316 Israeli Identities (5) A&H, DIV
Examines fiction and film, as well as selected poetry, popular songs, and essays, to explore diverse groups within contemporary Israeli society. Topics include the sabra ideal, holocaust survivors, Sephardic/Mizrahi communities, religious and secular Jews, Israel's Arab minority, and questions of gender.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 316
NEAR E 320 Jewish Poetry (5) A&H
Examines elements of traditional Jewish prayers and worship with modern poems that draw on those classical sources. Examines poets from Europe, the Americas, the Near East and North Africa. Taught in English.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 320
NEAR E 321 Israel in Film (2) SSc/A&H
Presents films that introduce students to important aspects of Israeli culture. Topics include: Zionism, the Holocaust, immigration, religious and secular communities, mizrachim, Russians, army service, war and trauma, LGBT themes, and Israel's Arab minority.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 321
NEAR E 325 Modern Hebrew Literature in English (3) A&H
Major developments in Hebrew literature from the Enlightenment to the current Israeli literature.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 325
NEAR E 329 Classical Arabic Literature in Translation (5) A&H
Examines development of Arabic literature from its beginnings through the fall of the Abbasid dynasty and the Mongols. Coincided with period when Arabic language and literature were dominate forces in Islamic civilization. Topics include: Pre-Islamic poetry, impact of Islam on the literature, court poetry, and the rise of Arabic prose.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 329
NEAR E 330 Colonialism, Nationalism, and the Modern Arabic Novel (5) SSc/A&H
Examines how representative novels from the modern canon in Arabic have both endorsed and critiqued aspects of nationalism and colonialist ideology.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 330
NEAR E 331 Thousand and One Nights (5) A&H
Examines the major story cycles of the Thousand-and-One-Nights collection in their social and historical contexts.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 331
NEAR E 332 Arab American Writers (5) SSc/A&H
Explores the influences of Arab American writing both in the United States and the Arab world during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Discusses issues of emigration to the United States from the Arab world and its impact on the formation of a distinctive Arab American identity.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 332
NEAR E 333 Prophecy in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam (3) SSc
Looks at the phenomenon of prophecy in Jewish, Christian, and Muslim thought and writing from antiquity to modernity. Traces the development of prophetic expression in the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament, and the Quran. Surveys major themes and covers various eras, including prophecy in the American context.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 333
NEAR E 334 Culture of the Arab World (5) SSc/A&H
General survey of the linguistic, geographical, historical, social, religious, and cultural aspects of the modern Arab world, including the Arabic language, family, and the Arab experience in the United States. Examines Arab American relations, the role of the past and of social change, and Arab art and music.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 334
NEAR E 335 Language Conflict and Identity in the Middle East and North Africa (5) SSc/A&H
Explores social and linguistic aspects of the languages and cultures of the Middle East and North Africa, focusing on the relationship between language and national/ethnic identity from the perspective of group conflict. Considers language policies in colonial and post-colonial states, and individual strategies of accommodation and resistance to these policies.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 335
NEAR E 336 Islam in Jewish Contexts, Judaism in Muslim Contexts (5) A&H/SSc
An introduction to the Jewish-Muslim encounter: a look at exchange, symbiosis, liminality, and confrontation between these two kindred religio-cultural systems, from the rise of Islam, to the end of its Classical Age - six centuries wherein the majority of the world's Jews lived among Muslim majorities.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 336
NEAR E 337 Egyptian Cinema: Glamour on the Nile (5) A&H
History and development of Egyptian cinema. Examines a range of topics, including: the transition to sound, the differentiation into film genres, the nationalization of the film industry in the 1960s, the role of the director as auteur, and the recovery of the Egyptian film industry after 2000.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 337
NEAR E 343 Classical Persian Literature in Translation (5) SSc/A&H
Introduces themes, forms, and historical development of Persian literature from the 10th to 19th centuries CE. Topics includes lyric and epic forms, Sufism, premodern poetics, and reception history of English translations. Reading include Rumi, Hafez, Khayyam, Ferdowsi, Sa'di among others. No prior knowledge of Persian language or literature required.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 343
NEAR E 344 Modern Persian Literature in Translation (5) SSc/A&H
Introduces Persian literature from early modernizing projects in the 19th century up to today. Includes poetry, fiction, essays, and film. Examines various ways that Persian writers define modernity in their own works and respond to writers in other languages and traditions. No prior knowledge of Persian language or literature required.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 344
NEAR E 345 Persian Literature in Translation (5) A&H
Designed to familiarize students with an expanding collection of works translated from Persian literature, both classical and modern, into English. Focuses on a few representative texts and offers interpretations of the culture through close readings. Prior acquaintance with Persian culture not required.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 345
NEAR E 350 Archaeology of Ancient Near Eastern Warfare and Empire (5) SSc
Surveys the archaeological remnants of war, warfare, and empire in the ancient Near East, from the rise of earliest cities to the Roman period (circa 3000 BCE-30 CE), with a focus on the cultural consequences of violence and warfare on various ancient Near Eastern cultures.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 350
NEAR E 351 Royal Literature in the Bible and the Ancient Near East: Rebels, Kings, and Wanderers (3) A&H
Kingship in the Bible and ancient Near East. Draws on sources from Sumer, Egypt, Babylon, Syria, Haiti, and Israel. Highlights how ideas of kingship changed over time and differed between cultures. Recommended: NEAR E 101 or NEAR E 201.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 351
NEAR E 358 Islam and Muslims in China (5) SSc
Introduces the lived experiences of Muslims in contemporary China. Examines Muslims' understanding of their faith; the relationship of Islam to the political, economic, and social lives of Muslims; how Islam shapes people's sense of culture and identity; and unity and diversity of various Chinese Muslim communities.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 358
NEAR E 359 Language and Ethnic Identiy in China (5) A&H/SSc
Analysis of the political, social, and linguistic contexts of languages of China's fifty-six nationalities and the ongoing process of Chinese nation-state building efforts from sociolinguistic and ethnographic perspectives. Examines the relationship of linguistic diversity to social and cultural identity and the role of language in the construction of ethnic identities.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 359
NEAR E 360 Oral Literature of the Turkic Peoples of Central Asia I: The Heroic Epos (3) A&H/SSc
Representative heroic poems of Central Asian Turkic peoples now living in the Central Asian Republics and China. Origin of the heroic epos, its relation to the romantic epos and other oral literary genres. Art of the singer and his role in nomadic Turkic society. Emphasis on Manas, the monumental epos of Kirghiz.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 360
NEAR E 371 Love and Empire: Cultural History of the Ottoman Empire through Literature (3-5) SSc/A&H
Approaches Ottoman literature through translations and scholarly articles in English. Evaluates this particular literary tradition as an imperial production, through an analysis and critical reading of course materials.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 371
NEAR E 372 Modern Turkish Literature in Translation (3) A&H
Covers major theoretical issues concerning Ottoman court literature and Turkish epic and troubadour poetry. Major writers and works of modern Turkish literature read and analyzed in their social, political, and theoretical contexts. Previous study of Turkish literature not required.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 372
NEAR E 385 Modern Near Eastern Literature in English Translation (3) A&H
Contemporary cultures of the Middle East studied through exposure to a representative sample of their literary work. Texts selected address major issues in Middle Eastern societies, e.g., tradition versus modernity, national identity and the challenge of the West, Arab-Israeli conflict.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 385
NEAR E 386 The Middle East through Cinema (5, max. 12) A&H
Analyzes the function of cinema in shaping communal and individual identities in Middle Eastern cultures. Examines topics including religious transformation, violence, identity, gender, immigration, and exile through film screenings, discussions, and supplementary readings. May not be taken for credit if credit earned in NEAR E 410.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 386
NEAR E 391 Writing Seminar for NELC Majors and Graduate Students (3) A&H
Seminar offers undergraduate majors and graduate students in the department with a close, systematic, and sustained experience with expository writing. All writing and rewriting will focus on subjects that relate to the Near East. Offered: A.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 391
NEAR E 392 Politics and Poetics of Translation (5) A&H
Major methodological issues in translation studies through close examination of medieval and modern Near Eastern literary texts. Investigates translations from Arabic, Hebrew, Persian, and Turkish into English as well as translations among these languages from different language families. All literary traditions welcome.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 392
NEAR E 396 Intermediate Studies in Near Eastern Languages and Civilization (1-5, max. 15)
Offered occasionally by visitors or resident faculty.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 396
NEAR E 399 Study Abroad (1-15, max. 15)
Credit for NEAR E 200-400-level courses in an approved Study Abroad program. Requires credit evaluation by department or faculty. Does not automatically apply to major or minor requirements. Offered: AWSpS.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 399
NEAR E 429 Islamic Mystical Literature in English (5) A&H
Readings from the works of principal Sufi writers and poets.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 429
NEAR E 430 Muslim Scripture, Historiography, and Exegesis (3) A&H/SSc
Examines the origins and development of early and classical Muslim thought. Provides an in-depth survey of the three key genres of early and classical Muslim writing: scripture (Quran), historiography (Maghazi, Sira, and Tabaqat), and exegesis (Tafsir and Ta'wil). Offered: jointly with RELIG 430.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 430
NEAR E 431 Arabic Linguistics (5) A&H/SSc
Studies Arabic through modern linguistic analysis. Covers Arabic's phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics, and discusses the history of Arabic as well as the frequently debated issue of diglossia in Arabic-speaking countries. Equal attention given to the linguistic features of both FuS'Ha Arabic and modern Arabic dialects. Prerequisite: ARAB 102.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 431
NEAR E 432 Arabic Sociolinguistics (5) SSc/A&H
Focuses on how Arabic is used by native speakers in various social contexts. Examines diglossia (co-existence of Modern Standard Arabic with the Arabic vernacular), linguistic variation in the Arab world, and the effect of variables such as education, social status, politics, and gender. Prerequisite: ARAB 101.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 432
NEAR E 457 Turkic Linguistics (5) A&H
Survey of the nature and structure of the Turkic languages, focusing on phonology, morphology, syntax, lexicon, writing systems, history and cultural context, subgrouping and diversification, and linguistic theoretical principles for their description and analysis.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 457
NEAR E 485 Digital Media: The Middle East and Central Asia (5) A&H
Hands-on, project-based approach to imaging, new media, electronic text, databases, metadata and accessibility, rights management, and other issues central to contemporary humanities research on the Middle East and Central Asia.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 485
NEAR E 490 Supervised Study (1-6, max. 18)
Special work in Near Eastern studies for graduates and undergraduates.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 490
NEAR E 491 Senior Seminar in Near Eastern Languages and Civilization (2)
Covers issues of methodology as well as linguistic, philosophical, literarily critical, rhetorical critical etc. topics. Focuses on developing academic presentation and communication skills. Includes supervised readings and group discussion. Credit/no-credit only.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 491
NEAR E 496 Advanced Studies in Near Eastern Languages and Civilization (3-5, max. 15) SSc
Offered occasionally by visitors or resident faculty. Content varies.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 496
NEAR E 497 Honors Thesis (5)
Participants identify a specific thesis topic and conduct individual research under the direction of a thesis adviser, culminating in an Honors thesis. Open only to juniors and seniors in the Departmental Honors Program.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 497
NEAR E 498 Senior Essay (5) A&H/SSc
Supervised individual research and writing of a major paper during the senior year. Offered: AWSp.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 498
NEAR E 499 Undergraduate Research (1-6, max. 18)
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 499
NEAR E 501 Art of the Ancient Near East (3)
Examines the artistic remains of ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia (3000 BCE-550 BCE), with some attention to architecture. Topics examined include: art as ritual power, the relationship betweens text and image, art and cosmology, visual propaganda, and the legacy of ancient Near Eastern art.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 501
NEAR E 502 Religions of the Ancient World (3)
A comparative exploration into ancient religious customs, rituals, and beliefs (ca. 3000-500 BCE). Focus on peoples of Mesopotamia, Egypt, Syria, and Israel. Topics include conceptions of worship and divinity, sacred space and time, and types and roles of priesthoods, divination, prayers, and afterlife beliefs. Recommended: NEAR E 201. Offered: A.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 502
NEAR E 505 The Biblical Prophets (3)
Explores the Biblical prophets (in translation) within their Near Eastern contexts. Historicity, literary and rhetorical sophistication, and ideological agendas. Seeks to uncover the meaning and distinctiveness of Israelite prophecy within the context of the larger Near East. No knowledge of the Bible required.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 505
NEAR E 506 The History of Biblical Interpretation (3)
Traces Biblical interpretation and translation technique from the earliest translations of the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) to the various historical literary, deconstructionist, and holistic strategies of more recent times. Adopts a 'hands-on' approach to the material and explores various hermeneutics by applying them in class.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 506
NEAR E 507 From Israelites to Jews: the First Six Centuries BCS (3)
Traces the Israelites, from the Babylonian destruction of the Jerusalemite Temple (586 BCE) to events following the destruction of the second Temple (first century CE). Focuses on primary historical and literary sources as well as archaeological and artistic evidence. No knowledge of Hebrew or the Bible required.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 507
NEAR E 508 Gender and Sexuality in the Ancient Near East (3) A&H/SSc, DIV
Investigates and critically assesses trends and topics in recent studies of gender and sexuality in the ancient Near East, pertaining especially to texts, artifacts, art and images from ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt and the Levant. Explores ancient Near Eastern taxonomies and functions of gender and sexuality, and examines social, political and religious forces that inform and construct gendered categories of gods, humans, and their worlds. Prerequisite: No prerequisites; recommended: NEAR E 201, Introduction to the Ancient Near East Offered: AWSp.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 508
NEAR E 509 Death and Afterlife in the Ancient World (3)
Explores human yearnings, obsessions, fears, and aspirations associated with death and afterlife by examining major political, military, social, economic, religious, literary, artistic, and architectural phenomena directly connected to the way ancient cultures, such as Egypt, Mesopotamia, Israel, and the Levant, have conceptualized death.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 509
NEAR E 511 The Archaeology of Biblical Israel (5)
Archaeology of ancient Israel (southern Levant). Covers the know archaeological material and Biblical and other contemporaneous textual sources to explore this topic, covering the archaeological cultures from the Middle Bronze Age to the end of the Babylonian Exile (2000-300 BCE).
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 511
NEAR E 515 Israel: Dynamic Society and Global Flashpoint (5)
Introduces the people, institutions, and culture of Israel is the context of larger global forces. Examines domestic, regional, and international elements, both historically and in the contemporary period, that have shaped Israel's culture, politics, and special role in world affairs. Topics include nationalism, ethnicity, politics, religion, film, literature, and culture.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 515
NEAR E 520 Jewish Poetry (5)
Examines elements of traditional Jewish prayers and worship with modern poems that draw on those classical sources. Examines poets from Europe, the Americas, the Near East and North Africa. Taught in English.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 520
NEAR E 529 Classical Arabic Literature in Translation (5)
Examines development of Arabic literature from its beginnings through the fall of the Abbasid dynasty and the Mongols. Coincided with period when Arabic language and literature were dominate forces in Islamic civilization. Topics include: Pre-Islamic poetry, impact of Islam on the literature, court poetry, and the rise of Arabic prose.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 529
NEAR E 530 Colonialism, Nationalism, and the Modern Arabic Novel (5)
Examines how representative novels from the modern canon in Arabic have both endorsed and critiqued aspects of nationalism and colonialist ideology.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 530
NEAR E 531 Thousand and One Nights (5)
Examines the major story cycles of the Thousand-and-One-Nights collection in their social and historical contexts.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 531
NEAR E 532 Arab American Writers (5)
Explores the influences of Arab American writing both in the United States and the Arab world during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Discusses issues of emigration to the United States from the Arab world and its impact on the formation of a distinctive Arab American identity.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 532
NEAR E 533 Prophecy in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam (5)
Looks at the phenomenon of prophecy in Jewish, Christian, and Muslim thought and writing from antiquity to modernity. Traces the development of prophetic expression in the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament, and the Quran. Surveys major themes and covers various eras, including prophecy in the American context.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 533
NEAR E 534 Culture of the Arab World (5)
General survey of the linguistic, geographical, historical, social, religious, and cultural aspects of the modern Arab world, including the Arabic language, family, and the Arab experience in the United States. Examines Arab American relations, the role of the past and of social change, and Arab art and music.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 534
NEAR E 535 Language Conflict and Identity in the Middle East and North Africa (5)
Explores social and linguistic aspects of the languages and cultures of the Middle East and North Africa, focusing on the relationship between language and national/ethnic identity from the perspective of group conflict. Considers language policies in colonial and post-colonial states, and individual strategies of accommodation and resistance to these policies.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 535
NEAR E 537 Muslim Scripture, Historiography, and Exegesis (5)
Examines the origins and development of early and classical Muslim thought. Provides an in-depth survey of the three key genres of early and classical Muslim writing: scripture (Quran), historiography (Maghazi, Sira, and Tabaqat), and exegesis (Tafsir and Ta'wil).
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 537
NEAR E 538 Arabic Linguistics (5)
Studies Arabic through modern linguistic analysis. Covers Arabic's phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics, and discusses the history of Arabic as well as the frequently debated issue of diglossia in Arabic-speaking countries. Equal attention given to the linguistic features of both FuS'Ha Arabic and modern Arabic dialects. Prerequisite: ARAB 512.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 538
NEAR E 539 Arabic Sociolinguistics (5)
Focuses on how Arabic is used by native speakers in various social contexts. Examines diglossia (co-existence of Modern Standard Arabic with the Arabic vernacular), linguistic variation in the Arab world, and the effect of variables such as education, social status, politics, and gender. Prerequisite: NEAR E 534.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 539
NEAR E 540 Islamic Poetry and Poetics (3)
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 540
NEAR E 541 Islam in Jewish Contexts, Judaism in Muslim Contexts (3)
An introduction to the Jewish-Muslim encounter: a look at exchange, symbiosis, liminality, and confrontation between these two kindred religio-cultural systems, from the rise of Islam, to the end of its Classical Age - six centuries wherein the majority of the world's Jews lived among Muslim majorities.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 541
NEAR E 543 Classical Persian Literature in Translations (5)
Introduces themes, forms, and historical development of Persian literature from the 10th to 19th centuries CE. Topics includes lyric and epic forms, Sufism, premodern poetics, and reception history of English translations. Reading include Rumi, Hafez, Khayyam, Ferdowsi, Sa'di among others. No prior knowledge of Persian language or literature required.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 543
NEAR E 544 Modern Persian Literature in Translations (5)
Introduces Persian literature from early modernizing projects in the 19th century up to today. Includes poetry, fiction, essays, and film. Examines various ways that Persian writers define modernity in their own works and respond to writers in other languages and traditions. No prior knowledge of Persian language or literature required.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 544
NEAR E 545 Persian Literature in Translations (5)
Designed to familiarize students with an expanding collection of works translated from Persian literature, both classical and modern, into English. Focuses on a few representative texts and offers interpretations of the culture through close readings. Prior acquaintance with Persian culture not required.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 545
NEAR E 551 Royal Literature in the Bible and the Ancient Near East: Rebels, Kings, and Wanderers (3)
Kingship in the Bible and ancient Near East. Draws on sources from Sumer, Egypt, Babylon, Syria, Haiti, and Israel. Highlights how ideas of kingship changed over time and differed between cultures. Recommended: NEAR E 201 or equivalent.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 551
NEAR E 557 Turkic Linguistics (5)
Survey of the nature and structure of the Turkic languages, focusing on phonology, morphology, syntax, lexicon, writing systems, history and cultural context, subgrouping and diversification, and linguistic theoretical principles for their description and analysis.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 557
NEAR E 559 Islam and Muslims in China (5)
Introduces the lived experiences of Muslims in contemporary China. Examines Muslims' understanding of their faith; the relationship of Islam to the political, economic, and social lives of Muslims; how Islam shapes people's sense of culture and identity; and unity and diversity of various Chinese Muslim communities.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 559
NEAR E 560 Language and Ethnic Identiy in China (5)
Analysis of the political, social, and linguistic contexts of languages of China's fifty-six nationalities and the ongoing process of Chinese nation-state building efforts from sociolinguistic and ethnographic perspectives. Examines the relationship of linguistic diversity to social and cultural identity and the role of language in the construction of ethnic identities.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 560
NEAR E 571 Love and Empire: Cultural History of the Ottoman Empire through Literature (3)
Survey of the nature and structure of the Turkic languages, focusing on phonology, morphology, syntax, lexicon, writing systems, history and cultural context, subgrouping and diversification, and linguistic theoretical principles for their description and analysis.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 571
NEAR E 572 Modern Turkish Literature in Translation (3)
Covers major theoretical issues concerning Ottoman court literature and Turkish epic and troubadour poetry. Major writers and works of modern Turkish literature read and analyzed in their social, political, and theoretical contexts. Previous study of Turkish literature not required.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 572
NEAR E 584 Egyptian Cinema: Glamour on the Nile (5)
History and development of Egyptian cinema. Examines a range of topics, including: the transition to sound, the differentiation into film genres, the nationalization of the film industry in the 1960s, the role of the director as auteur, and the recovery of the Egyptian film industry after 2000.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 584
NEAR E 585 Digital Media: The Middle East and Central Asia (5)
Hands-on, project-based approach to imaging, new media, electronic text, databases, metadata and accessibility, rights management, and other issues central to contemporary humanities research on the Middle East and Central Asia.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 585
NEAR E 586 Middle East through Cinema (5, max. 12)
Analyzes the function of cinema in shaping communal and individual identities in Middle Eastern cultures. Examines topics including religious transformation, violence, identity, gender, immigration, and exile through film screenings, discussions, and supplementary readings.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 586
NEAR E 587 Teaching Arabic as a Foreign/Second Language (3)
Theory and practice of communicative language teaching; current developments in foreign-language teaching; evaluation of teaching materials; includes participation at the departmental and university-wide fall orientation; required for beginning teaching assistants of Near Eastern Languages. Credit/no-credit only.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 587
NEAR E 588 Methodologies in Near Eastern Studies (5)
Investigates prevalent approaches through a survey of scholarship on Near and Middle Eastern civilizations across time periods, cultures, and communities. Examines discourses developed on polytheistic and monotheistic religions, imperial and nationalist social systems, and ideological frameworks, such as Orientalism.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 588
NEAR E 589 Research Methods (3)
Introduction to research in Islamic civilization. Research methods, primary sources, evidence and documentation, reference works, transliteration systems, scholarly writing style.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 589
NEAR E 590 Seminar on Near Eastern Civilization and Thought (3-5, max. 30)
Content varies.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 590
NEAR E 591 Writing Seminar for NELC Majors and Graduate Students (3) A&H
Seminar offers undergraduate majors and graduate students in the department with a close, systematic, and sustained experience with expository writing. All writing and rewriting will focus on subjects that relate to the Near East. Offered: A.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 591
NEAR E 596 Special Studies in Near Eastern Languages and Civilization (3-5, max. 15)
Offered occasionally by visitors or resident faculty. Content varies.
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 596
NEAR E 600 Independent Study or Research (*-)
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 600
NEAR E 700 Master's Thesis (*)
View course details in MyPlan: NEAR E 700
