Browse All Graduate Courses

Graduate students must take graduate courses (course code level 1000+) to meet the graduate degree course requirements. In consultation with your academic advisor, undergraduate courses may be taken as a part of your degree program, however, graduate credit will not be given for undergraduate courses.

Cross-listed undergraduate and graduate courses are acceptable as a part of your program and will count towards your graduate degree course requirements. Note: Ensure you enrol in the cross-listed graduate level course (e.g., NMC1001Y is cross-listed with NML305Y; therefore, ensure you enrol in NMC1001Y to receive graduate credit on your academic record).

Please note that a number of graduate courses in the Department of Near & Middle Eastern Civilizations demand an ability to handle primary sources in their original language or languages.

Course Categories

 

Ancient Near Eastern Studies

Assyriology

This elementary Akkadian course is devoted to the study of the classical Old Babylonian dialect. The grammar is studied in depth throughout the year, using as textbook J. Huehnergard’s A Grammar of Akkadian. Students must also learn the basic cuneiform signs in their standard Neo-Assyrian shape. At the end of the year students will have read most of the Code of Hammurabi and selections from omen literature.

This intermediate Akkadian course is devoted to the study of the literary Akkadian dialect of the late second and first millennia, usually known as Standard Babylonian. Students will read excerpts of literary texts and royal inscriptions in R. Borger’s Babylonisch‑Assyrische Lesestücke and eventually proceed to more ambitious compositions such as The Annals of Sennacherib and Enuma Elish. Students are also expected to deepen their knowledge of the Neo-Assyrian cuneiform script.

In this course we read and analyze texts that are commonly called “historical,” such as royal inscriptions, chronicles, historical‑literary compositions, kudurrus, etc. Considerable attention is devoted to both the historical aspects of the context and historiographical questions. Texts in various dialects and scripts are studied.

The course includes readings on specific problems of Sumerian grammar and study of literary and lexical texts, chiefly from the Old Babylonian period (ca. 2000-1600 B.C.). Students are expected to deepen their knowledge of the cuneiform script and to be able to undertake individual research on Sumerian language and texts by the end of the year. To that effect much emphasis will be put on methodology: how to use dictionaries, electronic databases, sign lists, editions of ancient lexical and grammatical texts.

The course begins with a survey of Assyrian grammar, emphasizing the differences between the Assyrian and Babylonian dialects of Akkadian and setting Assyrian within the historical development of Akkadian and more generally of Semitic languages. The main part consists of readings in the original cuneiform of texts from the Old Assyrian period (2000–1700 BC), the Middle Assyrian period (1400–1100 BC), and the Neo-Assyrian period (900–600 BC). 

This course is devoted to the study of letters, legal texts, and administrative documents from the Middle, Neo- and Late Babylonian periods (ca. 1400-100 B.C.E.). Considerable attention is devoted to the archival and archaeological context of these documents and to their political, economic, and social setting. By the end of the year students are expected to acquire a working knowledge of Middle and Neo-Babylonian grammar and script.

The course will include basic and intermediate study of grammar Sumerian and its complex writing system. The course will involve reading and discussion of the main grammatical works as well as progressive exercises from actual texts. By the end of the year students should have acquired a fairly good understanding of the grammar and script and be able to read royal inscriptions and basic economic and administrative texts.

This course presents a thematic overview of Mesopotamian society and economy from the third millennium to the first millennium BC. The emphasis is on critical evaluation of the primary sources (in translation), such as everyday legal contracts and the so-called “Laws”. It also explores different approaches to the study of ancient social structures and economies. Topics include: freedom, slavery, and social class; ethnicity; women, children, and the elderly; marriage, family, and household; crime and punishment, and the judicial system; the priesthood; palace and temple, private and state; merchants and trade; money, markets, and prices, and the question of whether there was a market economy; labour and wages; land ownership and tenure, and wealth and social inequality.

From ca. 3000 to 1600 B.C.E. the Ancient Near East was the stage upon which parts were played by a variety of peoples and because of their great achievements, this area has often been called the “Cradle of Civilization.” This course provides a broad perspective of the major events and developments, as well as a more intensive examination of specific topics: political ideology, religion, literature, and law. Such matters as the city-states of the early Sumerians, the rise of Semitic nation-states, and the famous law collection of Hammurabi of Babylon will be examined making use of both textual and archaeological evidence. The reading of original sources in translation is stressed.

This course traces the political development and cultural history of Mesopotamia, from the territorial states of the Late Bronze Age to the world’s first empires in the first millennium BC, those of Assyria, Babylonia, and Achaemenid Persia. It also traces the subsequent history of Mesopotamia through the Seleukid and early Parthian eras, down to the end of cuneiform writing around the end of the first millennium BC. The course emphasizes the critical analysis of primary written sources (in translation) for reconstructing the history of the peoples of Mesopotamia. It also examines their achievements in literature, science and scholarship, and art and architecture.

Ancient Mesopotamia is well known as the birthplace of some of the world’s earliest cities. This course investigates the physical form of the city in second and first millennium BC Babylonia (southern Mesopotamia) as the setting for the daily activities of its inhabitants. It examines the key components of the Babylonian city: houses; neighbourhoods and city districts; palaces; temples and ziggurats; streets and alleys; shops and markets; city walls, gates, and moats, as well as canals, orchards and gardens. The course emphasises the reading and critical evaluation of written sources in translation, including selected royal inscriptions, topographical texts, and legal and administrative documents. It also considers ways of approaching the study of ancient cities and addresses the integration of textual and archaeological evidence. The focus is on investigating the relationship between Babylonian city form and contemporary social structure. 

The course offers a detailed introduction to the Neo-Assyrian empire and how it functioned, based on study of a representative selection of written sources (in translation). It examines Assyrian kingship, imperial administration, and daily life as reflected in the texts, including the royal inscriptions, official correspondence, astrological reports, and everyday legal and administrative documents. The course studies a cross-section of Assyrian society taking into account various perspectives, from the king and his highest officials and court scholars to the lowest-ranking subjects and deportees. It also investigates the economic basis of the Assyrian empire, including taxation and tribute, booty from military conquest, specialist craft production, and agriculture. The course emphasizes the historical evaluation and interpretation of the primary written sources.

This course examines a variety of different sources of evidence for religion in the ancient Near East, especially in Mesopotamia, the Levant, and Anatolia, including original written sources, archaeological evidence and iconography. Where possible, the focus will be on reading primary Near Eastern texts, and interpreting them within their contemporary social and political context. We also will discuss links between ancient Near Eastern texts and material that later came to be incorporated into Jewish, Christian and Islamic religious texts.

Aramaic-Syriac Studies

The course is designed to introduce the student to the Aramaic language through selected readings and a study of grammar. First term: Ezra 4:8‑6:18; 7:12‑26; and selected Aramaic texts from the 5th/4th centuries B.C.E. Second term: Daniel 2:4‑7:28. Grammar will be studied with reference to Hebrew and Syriac. Because of the type of Aramaic studied, students of Akkadian and Egyptian should be interested. The course is valuable for students concentrating on Syria‑Palestine.

As a first step in this course, Old Syriac inscriptions and contracts from Edessa and its vicinity (1st to 3rd centuries C.E.) are read. These texts belong to a late Aramaic dialect and, therefore, a description of the grammatical features of this dialect is given, as contrasted with Imperial Aramaic. As a second step in this course, sections from the Peshitta version of the Bible, namely the Pentateuch, are read and analysed. Comparison of vocabulary, expressions, and verb usages in the Peshitta and in the various Targumim will be made. Exegetical commentaries of the Bible, verse homilies and hymns, historiographical literature, and spiritual and mystical writings could also be read. Syriac literature is of interest to Near and Middle Eastern studies, religious studies, church history and theology, Jewish studies, classics, mediaeval studies, etc.

This course introduces the student to the Jerusalem Talmud (y, Yerushalmi or Palestinian Talmud) which is the major amoraic legal compendium of the Land of Israel.  Tractate Niddah has been chosen for representative study because of its unique situation as the only Talmudic Tractate in the Order of Purities and its evidence of the abrupt redaction and closure of the Tractate at the end of chapter 3.  Recognition of the dialogic structure of the legal discussions concerning the Mishnah and its elucidation will be emphasized.  Terminology, grammar and syntax of Western Aramaic will be learned with reference to parallels in the Babylonian Talmud.  Use of the Bar Ilan Data Base will be demonstrated.

We will begin with Chapter 3 of Tractate Niddah which deal with spontaneous abortion, definitions of personhood of the fetus, uncertain products of conception, intersex fetuses and fetuses of indeterminate sex, fetal development and fetal malformations, and normal and breech births. Solid background in Biblical or Modern Hebrew is required.

Selected texts from the extensive Syriac historiographical literature will be read in the original Syriac language and scripts and analyzed for style, grammar, and content. The texts will be taken from Syriac chronicles, of which there is a series culminating in the voluminous works of Michael the Syrian (12th century) and Bar-Hebraeus (13th century). Both are precious sources, mainly but not exclusively, for the history of the Crusades. Particular attention will be paid to the history of the Middle East and Byzantium from the 5th to the end of the 14th centuries. Students are expected to prepare the texts in advance for reading and analysis in class.

Selections from exegetical literature on the Bible will be read in Syriac and will be analyzed not only for their linguistic form and data, but also for their interpretive content. Extant literature includes commentaries on Genesis and Exodus by Ephrem the Syrian (4th century), as well as commentaries on all biblical books by Ishodad of Merv (9th century) and Dionysius bar Salibi (12th century). In addition, numerous “scolia” on individual passages have survived, such as those of James of Edessa (7th century) and, further, his Hexaemeron, a commentary on the six days of creation. In light of the chronological span of the literature, some attention will be paid to the development of Syriac interpretive tradition.

Prerequisites: NMC 1100Y Introduction to Aramaic.

Selected texts in the Pentateuch beginning with narrative section in Genesis chapter 3 (Garden of Eden), followed by the legal sections in Deuteronomy 25 (levirate marriage) and Exodus 21 (abortion) will be studied using the following Targumim: Onkelos, Pseudo- Jonathan, and Neofiti.  The Samaritan (transliterated into Hebrew letters) will be collated as additional references.  Midrashic sources of Pseudo-Jonathan and Neofiti will be discussed.  A comparative study of the Targumim will be made in reference to grammar, syntax, vocabulary, and translation strategies.  Solid background in Biblical or Modern Hebrew, or Introductory Aramaic or experience with Eastern Aramaic from the Babylonian Talmud is required. Students will be taught to use the Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon and become familiar with the relevant dictionaries and grammars.

Learning the syntax of Babylonian Aramaic and building vocabulary will be accomplished through study of the text of a Babylonian Talmud tractate and its traditional commentaries. Comparisons to Biblical Aramaic and other Aramaic dialects will be noted. Y. N. Epstein’s Aramit Bavlit will be the reference for grammar study. M. Sokoloff’s A Dictionary of Jewish Babylonian Aramaic is the required dictionary. Jastrow’s Dictionary of Talmud Babli, Yerushalmi, Midrashic Literature and Targumim may also be helpful. Strong Hebrew background and/or introductory Aramaic required.

Egyptology

This course introduces students to the hieroglyphic script and the classical form of the ancient Egyptian language. After the basic elements of grammar are mastered, the class will begin the reading of simple hieroglyphic texts.

A continuation of NMC 1201Y, in which the student is exposed to a wide range of hieroglyphic texts in the Middle Egyptian dialect. Sources of historical, literary, religious, and economic significance will be studied. The grammar and syntax covered in NMC 1201Y are reviewed intensively. 

Prerequisites: NMC 1201Y (= NML 240Y).

The course introduces the student to the Late Egyptian dialect attested from the New Kingdom on and spanning the period from c. 1300 - 700 BCE. Students will be introduced to grammar, syntax, and orthography through readings of original texts; these will include stories, letters, business documents, and formal inscriptions. 

Prerequisites: NMC 1201Y, NMC 1202Y.

In this course we read and analyze texts written in the cursive script known as “hieratic.” Texts from all periods of Egyptian history will be read, hence a sound knowledge of all stages of the Egyptian language will be necessary.

Prerequisites: NMC 1201Y, NMC 1202Y, NMC 1203Y (or permission of the instructor).

An advanced language seminar that introduces the student to the grammar and writing system of Egyptian texts from the Old Kingdom and First Intermediate Periods (c. 2400 – 2100 B.C.E.). Texts studied are from funerary, legal, administrative, and cultic contexts, with a focus on autobiographical texts and their development over time. All texts will be read in the original, and students will learn to analyze them in terms of both language/grammar and content. The historical and social, as well as the archaeological, context of the texts will be given due weight.

Prerequisites: NMC 1201Y, NMC 1202Y.

This is an advanced language seminar that introduces the student to the analysis, in terms of both language/grammar and content, of Egyptian texts of historical significance. Texts from the periods of the Old Kingdom up to the Late Period will be studied, and all texts will be read in the original. Particular attention will be paid to the cultural and social context of the texts, and questions such as how to best define “historical texts”, and to what extent literary texts may be used as historical sources, will be discussed.

Prerequisites: NMC 1201Y, NMC 1202Y.

This is an advanced language seminar that introduces the student to the analysis, in terms of both language/grammar and content, of texts that elucidate Egyptian religious conceptions. Texts from all periods of pharaonic history will be studied, and all texts will be read in the original. A particular focus will be on texts from funerary contexts, for which the most complete sources can be found, but cultic, magical, and theological texts will also be studied.

Prerequisites: NMC 1201Y, NMC 1202Y.

Semester-long reading of ancient Egyptian Instructional Texts, aka “Wisdom Literature”, this will be read in Egyptian hieroglyphic script.

Prerequisites: NMC 1201Y, NMC 1202Y.

This course examines the cultural and political history of ancient Egypt from the Middle Kingdom through the Ptolemaic Period, emphasizing the analysis of primary sources of evidence (inscriptional, archaeological, iconographic) and the role of critical thinking in the reconstruction of ancient history.

This course deals with the recognition and interpretation of ancient Egyptian symbols and the representations of human and divine figures as preserved in the epigraphic record. We will examine issues such as the intersection of Egyptian art and writing and the appropriateness of terminology such as “art”, “canon”, and “aspective” in analyzing Egyptian representations.

Hebrew and Judaic Studies

This course focuses on text-critical study of the Hebrew Bible, providing an introduction to the manuscript evidence from the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Septuagint, the Masoretic text, and the Samaritan Pentateuch, as well as from other ancient sources. Issues pertaining to paleography, orthography, and manuscript production are discussed, as well as processes of textual composition and development, and techniques used by ancient translators (Greek, Latin, etc.). Of particular interest is the state of the biblical text leading to the time of canonization in the first or second century C.E. Elementary Hebrew is a prerequisite and elementary Greek recommended.

Against the background of the neighbouring civilizations, the course will examine Israel’s view of her origins, the early settlement in Canaan, the united monarchy, the two kingdoms, their downfall and exile, and the restoration of the Jerusalem religious community in the Persian Empire. Socio-economic, cultural, and religious structures and accomplishments will be discussed at convenient points of this chronological framework.

This course will cover the Hebrew text of a biblical book (e.g. Samuel, Ezekiel) or a thematic group (e.g. wisdom literature, minor prophets) in order to develop skills of close textual analysis and to learn and apply the tools of critical biblical scholarship.

This course provides an advanced investigation of selected issues in ancient Jewish texts stemming from the Second Temple Period (5th cent. BCE – 1st cent. CE) and includes comparative study of biblical writings, apocrypha and pseudepigrapha, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and writings of ancient Jewish historians and philosophers. The specific topic of the course varies from one semester to another, and can deal with, e.g. language, scriptural interpretation, poetry and liturgy, theology, legal developments, and social and political history. The course has a strong research and writing component.

Prerequisites: Knowledge of Hebrew required. Greek or Aramaic may be recommended

Mishnah and Tosefta constitute two of the three foundational documents of Middle Hebrew. The purpose of this course is to introduce students to specific features of this level of Hebrew (syntax, grammar, vocabulary), to note the developments from Biblical Hebrew, to examine these compositions independently, and to analyze their interaction (textuality and intratextuality). Tractate Niddah will be the focus of our analysis. We will also examine current scholarly positions concerning the redaction of these documents and their relationship to each other. Students will be trained to use the Bar Ilan Responsa Project database effectively to facilitate word searches and location of parallels to assist them in evaluating variant readings. Students will learn to interpret and to create a critical apparatus.

Prerequisites: Knowledge of Intermediate Hebrew (Biblical or Modern).

Law reflects the way in which society understands and organizes itself through common agreements and forms of restraint. This course examines the different ways religious legislation was generated in ancient Jewish communities and the different functions such legislation served in these communities. Special attention will focus on the legal codes embedded in the Torah, exploring the many similarities with and dependence upon other ancient Near Eastern legal corpora and judicial systems. Extra-canonical Jewish texts from the Second Temple and early rabbinic period will be studied as well, since they illumine the processes of scriptural exegesis and community development through which legal codes evolved.

Discoveries at Qumran near the Dead Sea unearthed a library of an ancient Jewish community containing over 900 fragmentary scrolls. Included were manuscripts of the Hebrew Scriptures, apocrypha and pseudepigrapha – some of which were previously known, many unknown – and writings composed by the community. Among them were texts concerned with religious law, exegetical texts, calendrical and sapiential texts, as well as liturgical and poetic compositions. This course focuses on selected Scrolls with special attention to the language, form and content, and scribal characteristics of these texts. Knowledge of Hebrew is required.

Extensive reading in the works of a major poet. Emphasis will be on the poetry of Bialik and Amichai. Conducted in Hebrew.

Prerequisites: Permission of instructor.

The course is designed to introduce the advanced student of Modern Hebrew to modern prose written primarily in what today is this state of Israel. To this end we spent two weeks looking at the motifs and styles available in contemporary children’s literature with an eye to the use of biblical allusions. This then serves as background to a study of selections of short stories by the Nobel laureate Agnon. The conclusion of the course is an analysis of one of Agnon’s major novels. Having mastered primary reading skills in prose literature, students will be introduced to postmodern literary analysis, misprision, anxiety of influence, and temporal cultural models. The course will be conducted in Hebrew and students are strongly urged to write their essays in Hebrew.

Prerequisites: Permission of instructor.

Halakhic Midrash, the rabbinic continuation of biblical law, is one of the three major literary creations of the Tannaitic period, making it one of the most important sources for Middle Hebrew. Midreshei Halakha are the ancient Jewish biblical interpretations and constitute the earliest and closest reading of the Pentateuch excluding Genesis. A study of terminology and methodology indicates the existence of two midrashic systems: D’vei R. Yishmael and D’vei R. Aqiva. We will examine the scholarly debate concerning the exact time in which midreshei halakha were composed and redacted and concerning the transfer of terminology and material between the schools. In this course we shall study selections from the cultic and purity texts from Leviticus in Sifra or Torat Kohenim and/or from Numbers in Sifrei and Sifrei Zuta. In the course of our study, we shall develop facility with midrashic terminology and midrashic logic. We shall compare the texts in the standard scholarly editions with the manuscripts of those texts, parallel material in other compositions in Middle Hebrew (Mishnah and Tosefta) and the Talmudim. Students will gain facility in reading and creating a critical apparatus. This course will demonstrate the context of ancient Jewish law in matters of purity and cultic practice for students of Hebrew Bible, Dead Sea Scrolls, and Rabbinics.

Prerequisites: Solid knowledge of Hebrew (grade 12 or advanced Hebrew).

This course is intended to introduce the student to the exegetical methods of the rabbis in their analysis of concepts related to the Divine, to human beings, and to the Jewish people. The selections are chosen from the Babylonian and Jerusalem Talmuds and midrashic and other rabbinic literature. Close attention will be paid to the literary forms, organization, language, and exegetical techniques of this material. The student will be introduced to concepts of philology, text criticism, and redaction criticism, and become acquainted with the manuscript traditions of the primary text analyzed. The shaping and reshaping of these traditions will be explored through a study of textual parallels. The essential modern debates concerning the text under consideration will inform the background of the study as well as methods to help resolve if possible these scholarly conflicts.

This course will examine the interconnections between the various layers of rabbinic literature in terms of theme, sources, hermeneutics, orality, and textual variation. Development of terminology and exegetical methods from the earlier to the later genres of literature will be investigated. Solid knowledge of Hebrew and some background in Aramaic are prerequisites for this course. All textual readings in the seminar course will be in original languages. Students will be introduced to the use of the most important database in rabbinic literature, about Bar Ilan Responsa Project and learn its usefulness in comparing texts.

 

This course is designed for students with little or no experience in Hebrew. As such, it offers intensive training in the basics of 4 language skills: reading, writing, speaking and listening. Students will be able to recognize the Hebrew verb system's fundamental structures, learn its primary forms, and acquire the necessary basic vocabulary for everyday conversations. We will focus on reading: easy dialogues, passages without vowels, and short texts in simple Hebrew. Writing: short dialogues and paragraphs. Conversation: simple dialogues and stories. Comprehension: listening to short stories and recorded conversations.

The second half of a two-semester Modern Hebrew course for beginners is intended to strengthen the students’ conversation skills and their reading, writing, and listening comprehension while further developing the cultural context of the language. Materials include simple stories and poems, digital media, film, comics, textbook exercises, and complementary class activities. In addition, students will be expected to deliver presentations in Hebrew and write about a range of topics, demonstrating an ability to acquire new vocabulary using print and digital dictionaries independently.Course prerequisites: NMC1330H

This course will further enhance students’ Hebrew language skills. With the context of contemporary Israeli and Jewish culture in mind, the course focuses on (1) Reading: unadapted texts and simple articles in regular Hebrew. (2) Writing: the beginning of practical writing on topics discussed in class, writing about personal experiences, and writing structured compositions. (3) Conversation: conversational skills developed by regular participation in class presentations and discussions of current events and cultural issues; role play and participation in dialogues and informal expressions. (4) Comprehension: listening to recorded short stories in easy Hebrew. (5) Grammatical Skills: Completing the syntactic study of verb conjugation in different tenses.Course prerequisites: NMC1300H, NMC1331H

This course of Intermediate Hebrew is intended for those who completed the requirements of intermediate Hebrew I. Intermediate Hebrew aims to instill more excellent proficiency, enrich vocabulary, and deepen the student’s understanding of the cultural context of Israeli Hebrew. Subjects include current affairs, Israeli society, and cultural traditions. Added emphasis will be placed on language registers and grammatical and syntactic nuances, with materials ranging from children’s books to television programs. By the end of the semester, students will complete their understanding of the Hebrew verb system and main preposition words.Course prerequisites: NMC1330H, NMC1331H, NMC1332H

This advanced-level course is designed to deepen the student’s knowledge of Hebrew in various fields and to increase vocabulary through extensive reading and writing. Areas of focus include (1) Reading: Scientific articles, newspaper editorials, prose, and poetry passages, with emphasis on Israeli culture. (2) Writing: practical writing according to communicative functions and models of persuasion, explanation, etc. In addition, students will be asked to write short essays about a literary text. (3) Conversation: increasing vocabulary in conversations and discussions while emphasizing different language styles. (4) Comprehension: listening to radio programs on an advanced level and viewing regular television programs and YouTube music clips. (5) Grammatical Skills: complementing the student’s linguistic knowledge and handling of irregular forms.Course prerequisites: NMC1330H, NMC1331H, NMC1332H, NMC1333H

This final advanced-level course provides students with an extensive vocabulary and knowledge of grammatical structures with a more in-depth study of the language and attention to verb conjugation, noun forms, and syntactic structure of modern Hebrew. In addition, students will learn to understand and produce texts in modern Hebrew through exposure to literature, poetry, and everyday conversation. Each lesson emphasizes all four skills (reading, comprehension, speaking, and writing) so that students feel comfortable using their skills. Assignments will help students incorporate all the language skills with exposure to a wide range of vocabulary and language structure. Upon completing this course, students should be able to understand discussions on a variety of topics, able to express ideas and opinions clearly and fluently, describe situations and actions using the correct forms of verbs and nouns, and expand and effectively use a more precise and varied vocabulary.

In writing capabilities, students will write coherently considering both form and content, compose complex sentences, and produce narrative and descriptive writing. In this terminal level of the Hebrew-from-scratch program, students will master the verb tenses and be able to conjugate the seven verb forms in past, present, and future tenses, and they will understand and correctly apply the rules of gender and be able to use the correct pronouns and suffixes.Course prerequisites: NMC1330H, NMC1331H, NMC1332H, NMC1333H, NMC1334H

Gender Issues and Jewish Law in Spring 2023 will cover Constructions of Sexes, Genders, and Sexualities in Rabbinic Literature. We shall deal with legal and biological definitions of sex and intersex in classical Jewish writings from Bible through rabbinic literature, legal codes, and modern Jewish approaches, including biomedical ethics on sex assignment. We shall examine texts dealing with the legal definitions of sex acts and their legal repercussions. Constructions of the very different male and female genders and rabbinic attempts to categorize the gender of an intersex will be studied. We shall examine various sexual acts: heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, asexual, transsexual, intergenerational, and solitary sex in an attempt to discern the relationship of classical Jewish texts to them. Did these relationships constitute constructions of sexualities? The impact of cross-cultural influences on Jewish approaches to sex, gender, and sexuality will also be addressed.

The topic to be covered is Constructions of Sexes, Genders, and Sexualities in Rabbinic Literature. We shall deal with legal and biological definitions of sex and intersex in classical Jewish writings from the Bible through rabbinic literature, legal codes, and modern Jewish approaches, including biomedical ethics on sex assignment. We shall examine texts dealing with the legal definitions of sex acts and their legal repercussions. Constructions of the very different male and female genders and rabbinic attempts to categorize the gender of an intersex will be studied as well as sexualities (heterosexuality, homosexuality, bisexuality, asexuality, and solitary sexuality). We shall attempt to discern trends in their constructions and the impact of crosscultural influences on Jewish approaches to sex, gender, and sexuality.

Prerequisites: Permission of instructor.

Advanced discussion of phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics of Biblical Hebrew. Consideration of the various linguistic methods used to investigate Biblical Hebrew. Investigation of the most visible and currently unresolved grammatical issues. For each language issue addressed, selections of texts from Biblical Hebrew will be used as a reference point. Weekly Hebrew composition will also be required.

This course will consider the genetic, geographic, and typological features of the major Semitic language branches. Attention will be given to 1) classifications of Semitic languages (genetic and typological); 2) comparison of phoneme and lexical inventories, morphology, and syntax; 3) methods used to reconstruct “proto-Semitic”; 4) causes of language change.

Near Eastern Archaeology (Egyptian, Syro-Palestinian, Mesopotamian, Islamic)

The Levant (modern day Israel, the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria) is one of the most intensively explored archaeological regions in the world. While substantial regionalism exists, the entire area nevertheless constitutes a distinct cultural region with (broadly speaking) more similarities than differences. In addition to reviewing research methods historically employed by archaeologists working in the region, attention will be devoted to exploring new and innovative approaches and methodologies, while focusing on current issues and debates in the field. Emphasis will be on in-depth analysis of archaeological sources (in combination with documentary sources where appropriate), from a broadly anthropological perspective, with the aim of enhancing understanding of the social and economic history of the region. 

The Levant (modern day Israel, the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria) is one of the most intensively explored archaeological regions in the world. While substantial regionalism exists, the entire area nevertheless constitutes a distinct cultural region with (broadly speaking) more similarities than differences. In addition to reviewing research methods historically employed by archaeologists working in the region, attention will be devoted to exploring new and innovative approaches and methodologies, while focusing on current issues and debates in the field. Emphasis will be on in-depth analysis of archaeological sources (in combination with documentary sources where appropriate), from a broadly anthropological perspective, with the aim of enhancing understanding of the social and economic history of the region. 

This seminar will examine the archaeology of ancient Egypt from the Predynastic period through the Middle Kingdom, focusing on the archaeological evidence and the contributions that the analysis of that material have made to our understanding of cultural development. Particular emphasis is placed on the theoretical and methodological issues associated with the interpretation of material culture from Egypt. Students will also have access to artifactual material in the collection of the Royal Ontario Museum.

This seminar will examine the archaeology of ancient Egypt from the Second Intermediate Period through the Late Period, focusing on the archaeological evidence and the contributions that the analysis of that material have made to our understanding of cultural development. Particular emphasis is placed on the theoretical and methodological issues associated with the interpretation of material culture from Egypt. Students will also have access to artifactual material in the collection of the Royal Ontario Museum.

This course will examine methods of classification and analysis (form, fabric, and style) involved in the study of archaeological ceramics, and the use of ceramics to infer patterns of production, distribution, and social organization linking research questions with appropriate analytical techniques.

This course will focus directly on the study of Near Eastern ceramic sequences, with a primary emphasis on assemblages from the region of Syria-Palestine, utilizing the collections of the University of Toronto and the Royal Ontario Museum.

A comprehensive survey class on the archaeology of Mesopotamia during prehistoric and early historic periods (10,000 – 2,300 BC), covering the rise of villages, the Agricultural Revolution, the development of cities, cultic centers, and complex bureaucracy, and the rise of state entities during the Neolithic, Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Ages. This class will focus on the area of modern-day Iraq but will also consult materials from western Iran, eastern Syria, and southeastern Turkey.

This course will focus on the development of major types of artifactual material from ancient Egypt. Primary emphasis will be placed on the study of ceramic sequences, but other aspects of material culture will also be examined in terms of their development and chronological significance. Analytical methods will also be discussed. Students will have the opportunity to work directly with the Egyptian collection of the Royal Ontario Museum.

A comprehensive survey class on the archaeology of Mesopotamia during historic time periods (Sumer, Assyria, and Babylon; 2,300 – 333 BC), covering the rise of the Akkadian Empire, the Neo-Sumerian “renaissance” of the Ur III State, Hammurapi’s Babylon, the Late Bronze Age under Kassite and Mittani rule, the rise and dominance of Assyria, and the splendor and fall of Babylon. This class will focus on the area of modern-day Iraq but also will consult materials from western Iran, eastern Syria, and southeastern Turkey.

The subject of this course is the archaeology of the Nubian cultures from the Middle Stone Age until the end of the Christian Period (ca. A.D. 1300). The study area is the Middle Nile Valley between Aswan and Khartoum, but the relationships with Egypt and other Northeast African cultures are also discussed. Through the use of site and survey reports and the study of artifacts from the Royal Ontario Museum collections the student is expected to acquire in-depth knowledge of the cultures of ancient Nubia. Occasional class presentations and one major research paper are required.

The cultural and social history of the Egyptian Old Kingdom (ca. 2650-2150 B.C.E.) is the main subject of this course. The emphasis will be placed on the study of the archaeological remains, art and architecture of the period known as the pyramid age. Important sites will be examined in detail and artifacts from the Royal Ontario Museum will be studied.

This seminar course allows advanced graduate students the opportunity to investigate in detail the archaeological, iconographic, and artifactual evidence relating to a central issue in the study of ancient Egyptian culture. The subject of the course varies based upon the needs and research interests of current graduate students in the fields of Near Eastern Archaeology and Egyptology, for example: the Egyptian data relating to state formation, urbanism, ethnicity and the archaeological record, regionalism and core/periphery relations, the Deir el-Medina community, foreign relations, etc. The course is offered on an as-needed basis, so interested students are advised to contact the professor directly.

This seminar course allows advanced graduate students the opportunity to investigate in detail the archaeological, iconographic, and artifactual evidence relating to a central issue in the study of ancient Egyptian culture. The subject of the course varies based upon the needs and research interests of current graduate students in the fields of Near Eastern Archaeology and Egyptology, for example: the Egyptian data relating to state formation, urbanism, ethnicity and the archaeological record, regionalism and core/periphery relations, the Deir el-Medina community, foreign relations, etc. The course is offered on an as-needed basis, so interested students are advised to contact the professor directly.

This course focuses on a comprehensive introduction and discussion of Mesopotamian artwork from the Neolithic to the Iron Age periods (ca. 6000 - 300 B.C.). Following an introduction of major artifact classes (including sculpture, relief, and glyptics), students will learn to describe and catalogue works of Mesopotamian art, allowing them to critically use and evaluate primary and secondary publications. Systematic descriptions and labels for key characteristics such as the object materials, size, iconography, genre, style, and theme will be established to show how meaningful artifact typologies can be constructed. The potential as well as limitations of art-historical approaches for archaeological work, especially for the chronology and interpretation of archeological contexts, will be discussed and examined on selected cases. Several classes will be taught at the Royal Ontario Museum to demonstrate the handling and physical analysis of artifacts.

This class provides a comprehensive survey of Mesopotamian architecture from 10,000 - 300 BC.Topics to be investigated in this class include:

 

  • the evolution of human habitats—from temporary shelters to well-defined house types that dominated Mesopotamian domestic life for millennia
  • the development of places of worship—from pre-formal household-based cultic spaces during the Neolithic to large temples complexes that dominated the cities of Sumer, Assyria and Babylonia
  • the rise of palaces—from the house of the “Big Man” to large elaborately decorated buildings that were homes to kings and rulers but also served as administrative centers and arenas for political performance
  • the emergence of villages—their layout, economic underpinnings and social organization
  • the formation and layout of cities—centers of political, religious and economic power

 

This course will address models of state formation and social complexity and evaluate their relevance to ancient Near Eastern societies. Topics discussed include family structures, the role of tribes, chiefdoms, bureaucracy, and the impact of irrigation, craft specialization, and trade upon socio-economic complexity. While focusing on the ancient Near East (Mesopotamia, Egypt, Syria, the Levant, Iran, Anatolia), comparative data from other regions (Meso- and South America, Africa, China) as well as from the contemporary Middle East will be consulted where appropriate.

This class will provide an in-depth look at the rise of Mesopotamian urban civilization from 4000 – 2000 BC—a crucial time period that saw the rise of first cities in the Uruk period; the formation of competing urban polities and first empires in the Early Dynastic, Akkadian and Ur III periods; the development of writing as reflected in bureaucracy and historical narratives; unprecedented technological innovations; and the creation of unparalleled works of art and visual narratives. Much of the discussion in this class will focus on materials from excavated sites in Iraq, Syria, and Iran to highlight the wealth of available data but to also discuss its limitations for modern analytical and interpretive approaches.  In addition to lectures, students will actively participate through class presentations and in focused discussions of selected topics. The class will also include site visits to the ROM to consult its Mesopotamian archaeological collection.

A survey class on the warfare in the ancient Near East (10,000 – 333 BC) using archaeological data and historical sources. Topic to be covered include origins of conflict, archaeological manifestations of war, armies and weapons, siege techniques, urban combat, and prisoners of war.

Death is an unavoidable part of the human experience, and each culture has its own unique ways of handling the loss of family and community members and conceptualizing the relationships between the living and the dead. This course represents an intensive education in the archaeology of death. Participants in this class will read a variety of theoretical and methodological literature outlining several approaches to reconstructing the ways that people have disposed of the dead throughout history, and will use these frameworks to examine in detail the primary archaeological data for mortuary practices from sites in the ancient Near East.

The cultures of the Horn of Africa and Southwest Arabia, separated by the Red Sea, have long been intertwined. This course explores the history and archaeology from the emergence of the hominids in Ethiopia, to the rise of the Sabean and Axumite kingdoms, until the Middle Ages, highlighting their interactions and the roles they played in the development of their respective cultures.

Digital technology and “big data” are transforming not only the ways in which archaeologists present and communicate their research, but also increasingly the ways they collect and analyze data. Modern archaeology is also becoming progressively more multi-disciplinary, and reliant on the analysis of growing bodies of disparate forms of data, both archaeological data, and data from related fields. This course exposes students to the underlying concepts of the emerging field of data science, and helps them develop hands-on skills in various critical techniques in archaeological data analysis. Where possible, this course will focus on case studies from the Near Eastern world. No previous background in data science or programming is required.

Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies

Arabic Studies

This course is designed for students with no prior knowledge of Arabic. It places equal emphasis on the development of all language skills: reading, writing, listening, and speaking. The learning philosophy underlying this approach is that proficiency in a foreign language is best achieved through consistent, deliberate, and systematic practice. From the outset, students are strongly encouraged to develop the habit of consistently practicing learned material.

This course assumes active knowledge of the content covered in NMC2100Y. It places equal emphasis on the development of all language skills. As the course progresses, students are introduced to the fundamentals of Arabic morphology and syntax. This is achieved through analysis of texts covering a wide range of topics. By the end of the course, students are expected to achieve upper intermediate level of proficiency.

This course assumes active knowledge of the content covered in NMC2101Y.  As the course progresses, students are introduced to increasingly complex morphological and syntactic patterns of Arabic. This is achieved through analysis of texts covering a wide range of genres. By the end of the course, students are expected to achieve advanced level of proficiency.

This course assumes active knowledge of the content covered in NMC2102Y.  Its goal is to strengthen the students reading and writing skills, refine their knowledge of syntax and morphological patterns, and enrich their cultural background. This is achieved through analysis of sophisticated authentic texts covering a wide range of genres. In addition, Classical Arabic literary texts will be incrementally introduced.  By the end of the course, students are expected to reach a superior level of proficiency.

One of the most complex figures in classical Arabic literature, al-Jahiz was a polymath who incorporated every field of intellectual inquiry into his own essayistic and compilatory literary form. He has been credited as a foundational prose stylist for the Arabic literary tradition, as well as the first contributor to Arabic literary theory and criticism. In this class, we will examine a variety of his works, from short epistles to excerpts of his longer works. Part of the analytic process will be to reconstruct the polemical context in which these works were written, and thus readings will be selected to illuminate his relationship to contemporary discourses, such as law, theology, Quran interpretation, logic, dialectic, and poetry.

Prerequisites: NML 310Y or NMC 412H or permission of the instructor.

The seminar will provide an introduction to medieval Arabic historical texts, especially chronicles and annalistic literature of the Ayyubid and Mamluk periods. The seminar will be organized around readings from selected texts and discussions concerning the nature and organization of these histories and problems encountered in using them. Students will also be introduced to modern scholarship on the historiography of the period and to the ways in which chronicles and annalistic literature of this period have been used as historical sources.

Prerequisites: Adequate knowledge of Arabic and permission of the instructor.

An introduction to Arabic manuscript studies, including codicology and palaeography, this course centers around hands-on learning, drawing on the collections of the Fischer Library. Students will be exposed to debates in the field, resources, and the variety of questions scholars ask of manuscripts.

This class surveys the rich and varied literary prose tradition in the Arabic language from the Qurʾān to the Mamluk era. These works are frequently referenced in modern Arabic literature, in addition to being beautiful and intellectually challenging in their own right. We will read essayistic epistles, in addition to narrative works of a variety of genres, including biographical compilations, maqāmāt, anecdotes, histories, and fables. All texts are in the original Arabic.

The course focuses equally on developing reading skills and grammatical knowledge specific to classical Arabic texts, and on developing an ability to analyze the themes, literary techniques, generic features, and ideas within those texts.

Prerequisites: NML 310Y or permission of the instructor. Heritage speakers are encouraged to take this class, and should seek permission of the instructor.

In this class, we will read some of the most famous and frequently quoted poems of the pre-modern Arabic literary tradition, drawing from a wide variety of genres and periods. Readings include pre-Islamic poetry, Abu Nuwās, al-Buḥturī, al-Mutanabbī, and Ibn Nubāta, among others. All texts are in the original Arabic.

The course will introduce Arabic prosody, and allow students to develop skills in deciphering difficult verses using available reference material. Strong grammatical knowledge is presupposed. Class discussion focuses on poem structures, historical background, and close reading techniques.

Prerequisites: NML 310Y or NML 412H or permission of the instructor.

History of the Islamic World and the Modern Middle East

This reading-, speaking-, and writing-intensive course explores the history of the discipline and engages students in ongoing historiographical debates in Near and Middle Eastern Studies. In addition to the emergence of “Oriental Studies” in Europe and North America, students will interrogate the historical connections between the field and other academic disciplines. Particular attention will be paid to the conceptions of time, history, and society, which have played an important role in research and writing on the Middle East. Each student is required to apply the critical approaches and concepts learned in this course to a final historiographical research paper that is directly related to her/his major field of inquiry.

This course examines current theoretical and methodological trends in the anthropological study of the Middle East. The readings will offer students ethnographic insight into the region, introduce them to current research, and acquaint them with the kinds of questions anthropologists ask (and the ones they fail to ask). Possible topics include (post)colonialism, nationalism, gender, violence, history/memory, the politics of archeology, mass mediations, neoliberalism, and questions of ethnographic authority. A central goal of the course is to enable students to think in new, creative, and critical ways about their own research projects.

This course serves as a foundation in the study of the medieval Middle East and early Islamic history, through an introduction to the field, key problems in historiography, and methodological debates in current scholarship. The period from late antiquity to the Mamluk era is considered, with a focus on the question of sources and the challenges they pose for modern scholars. Topics of interest include historical periodization, the potentials of non-Arabic sources on the rise of Islam, and the relationship between social, political, and intellectual history. The medieval Islamic historiographical tradition is surveyed across its various forms, with attention to critical considerations in the use of narrative sources. The relevance of material sources such as numismatics and archaeology, as well as documentary sources such as epigraphy, papyri, and archival material from the Genizah, are considered seriously. Students are also introduced to key reference works. This course is open to graduate students in all fields of medieval history, Middle East Studies, and Islamic Studies. No language prerequisite.

This is a seminar on the hadith literature broadly defined, as well as its methodological challenges and potentials for the study of Islamic history. Debates on the status of traditions attributed to the Prophet Muhammad and other early authority figures played a formative role in classical Islamic thought, and have been no less significant if contentious in the modern academic study of Islam. This course explores the history of hadith as a discourse, its different forms and genres, its compilation and changing norms of transmission in the medieval period, and its various functions in law, ethics, theology, society, and culture. Readings in primary sources will include both canonical and apocryphal texts, representing the major and minor Muslim traditions. Through selected case studies on themes of interest, students will develop a command of the technical concepts and terminology in hadith studies, be able to review current debates in the field, and gain a critical understanding of the role of tradition in Islamic intellectual and social history.

A seminar on historiographies of the Arabic-speaking lands of the Middle East and North Africa, 18th-21st centuries. 

A seminar focusing on the Arabic-speaking lands of the Middle East and North Africa, 18th-21st centuries, taking up issues and perspectives related to the instructor’s research interests. 

This course examines the role nineteenth and twentieth-century archaeology played in Middle Eastern politics, the culture of colonialism and in nationalist struggles. The course will first familiarize the students with the diplomatic and intellectual context of the formation of archaeology as a field of study in Europe and analyse the role archaeology played in the production of knowledge about the Middle East. Next, the course will examine the archaeological practices on the ground (and underground) and inquire what happens in the contact zone between European and American archaeologists on the one hand, and local practitioners on the other. Then we will trace the ways in which emergent nationalist discourse challenge, appropriate and imitate the historical narratives of Western archaeology. Finally, the course exposes the students to contemporary debates on cultural heritage in the context of large-scale destructions of archaeological sites in Syria and Iraq in particular.

This course is designed to critically re-examine both the role of intellectuals in the modern Arab world and the political events that shaped their thinking. Through readings of selections of their works (in Arabic and/or in translation) the course introduces some leading thinkers of the Arab renaissance and Muslim revival of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Literary circles and social networks of intellectuals will be examined to shed light on the constitution and socialization of different groups of intellectuals in the late Ottoman and colonial periods. Topics will include secularism, Islamic revival, liberalism, nationalism, gender, cosmopolitanism, and anti-colonialism. Seminar discussions will focus on intellectuals as prisms through which political events and social structures of the modern Middle East are analyzed. Written assignments will be based on interpretations of Arabic texts (English translation optional): autobiographies, novels, essays, newspaper articles, speeches, poems, or lyrics.

This seminar explores competing conceptions of Iranian modernity within a comparative historical framework on “multiple modernities.” While interrogating the modernity debate, it explores themes of the development and transformation of public and private spheres, imaginings of the national body and the body social, the themes of secularism and Islamism, rational and religious subjectivities, sexuality and gender, history and memory, revolution and national refashioning, universality and peculiarity, archotopia and heterotopia, and Self and the Other in Iran. A major theme is the exploration of the temporality and historicity in discussions of Iranian modernity. Each student in this course is expected to write a publishable research paper that addresses a significant aspect of Iranian modernity.

This seminar is concerned with Persian historical writing and documentary sources for the study of the history and culture of greater Iran during the medieval Islamic period. Selected excerpts from major Persian chronicles and other historical writings will be read and analyzed in their historical contexts. Students will also be introduced to Persian diplomatics, i.e., the study of various types of documents, including correspondence and legal documents, as well as chancery manuals and notarial formularies.

The course studies the religious life of the Sasanian empire (224–651 CE). It studies the diversity of the Sasanian Zoroastrian religious beliefs, and the interplay between religion and politics in the Sasanian period, the period during which Zoroastrianism was the state religion. The course also studies various religious traditions that enjoyed popularity in different phases of Sasanian history and in different areas of the Sasanian empire. Among these traditions, it mainly focuses on Manicheism, Christianity, Judaism, and Mazdakism. In the course, these religious traditions are studied on the basis of an analysis of relevant primary and secondary textual sources, as well as of material sources.

The political, religious, and cultural history of greater Iran from Late Antiquity to the Mongol invasions in the early 13th century. The course surveys the reigns of the kings of the Sasanian empire (3rd–7th centuries); traces the progress of the Muslim Arab conquests in the mid-7th century that resulted in the Persian empire’s collapse and the gradual Islamization of its population; and examines the subsequent formation of regional Iranian dynasties that were instrumental in the creation of a new Perso-Islamic cultural identity.

The course focuses on the period of the Safavid dynasty (16th–18th centuries) which represented a watershed in the history of Iran not only because of its adoption and promotion of Shi‘ism as the state religion, but also on account of its fostering an imperial court culture that patronized the arts and architecture. The reigns of the Safavid shahs will be examined from the point of view of their political, religious, economic, and cultural history, as well as their relationship to the polities that immediately preceded them and their interactions with the contemporary Muslim states they neighboured, in particular, the Ottomans in the west and the Mughals in the east.

This course provides an in-depth coverage of the history of the Ottoman Empire from the end of the 18th century until its dissolution over the course of World War I. It explores the main political, social, economic, and intellectual developments by looking at a variety of experiences throughout the Ottoman domains. Students are introduced to key historiographical debates and research methodologies through critical engagement with secondary and some primary sources. The course also traces the Ottoman legacy in Turkey, the Middle East, and the Balkans. Topics include decentralization and the politics of the notables, Ottoman reforms, the Hamidian period, the Young Turk revolution and regime, WWI, and the functioning and transformation of a diverse society.

A series of fortnightly seminars in which discussion will focus on pre-selected topics from pre-nineteenth century Ottoman history.

Explores the roles of Turks, Mongols and other primarily pastoral nomadic peoples as raiders, migrants, slave-soldiers, and empire-builders in the ancient and medieval history of Eurasia (Inner and Central Asia, Middle East, Eastern Europe) including the formation of the Islamic world, as well in the configuration of the modern world in general. Topics covered include long-distance economic and cultural contacts (“silk roads”) facilitated by so-called “steppe empires,” Islamization of the Turks in Central Asia, and their gradual takeover of Iranian, Arab, and other lands, the partnership of Turks and Mongols in conquests in Eurasia from China to Ukraine and beyond, and from Siberia to the Middle East. In addition, lifeways (especially pastoral nomadism), economic and cultural interplay between nomadic and sedentary societies, political structures, steppe warfare, and the roles of physical geography and environment. The chronological coverage is from prehistoric (ca. 1000 BC) to early modern times.

How does the workings of capital intersect with technological innovation and political visions in the modern Middle East? This course approaches this question through critical reading in the histories of capitalism, crisis, science, politics, and intersections between cultural history and technology studies using the Middle East as a starting point for the study of global phenomena. We will examine the ways in which constructions like race and ethnicity, gender, and the human/non-human divide have mediated the social and spatial expansion of capital in the region, especially through technological infrastructure and utopias between the late 18th and the 21st centuries.

This highly visual course explores the history of cartography in the Ottoman World between the 15th and 20th-centuries. Focusing on the social life of images, it examines how the Ottomans and their rivals governed the territory through navigation, astronomy, architecture, property, and geographical surveys. From religious to scientific visualizations, maps make history. Yet not long ago, they were rare and strange technical objects, and their value as historical source has shifted again and again. Each week illuminates moments of this story by centering on a topic including empire, image, boundaries, print, reform, visualization, infrastructure, spatial literacy, map wars, and verticality.

Islamic Art and Material Culture

Does ‘Islamic Art’ exist? This course takes a critical approach to the concept of ‘Islamic art’ that is rooted in two interconnected modes of conceptualization: colonial imagination and collection practices. By exploring real and virtual art exhibitions that were (re)installed after 9/11 and selected readings on ‘Islamic Art’ students engage with the topics of orientalism, the colonial gaze, art collecting practices, islamophobia, and current debates on decolonizing the museum. They also gain an understanding of the role of museums in shaping and constructing cultural narratives.

The course discusses different aspects of the mosque including its physicality and urban context, its place in the geographical imagination, and its role as a vehicle to articulate power, enforce authority, and establish community and belonging. It explores the mosque in relationship to a variety of texts from Sunni, Shi‘a, and Ibadi traditions (in translation) including architectural inscriptions, dynastic and city histories, legal texts on prayer and endowments, topographical texts, political texts on governance and authority, travelogues, and literary works.

Islamic Religion and Philosophy

This course is designed to orient students to the field of contemporary Qur’anic studies through reading and discussion of the text itself in Arabic and of significant European-language scholarship about the Qur’an as well as through examination of the principal bibliographical tools for this subject area.

Prerequisites: At least two years of Arabic, or advanced reading knowledge, or the permission of the instructor.”

This course is an introduction to the rich literature that has grown around the study of the Qur'an in the Arabic tradition. In addition to readings in the Qur'an students will read selections from works in ma'ani, and majaz; we will then move to the major works in tafsir; selections include material from al-Tabari, al-Tha`labi, al-Zamakhshari, al-Qurtubi, al-Razi, Ibn Taymiyah, and al-Suyuti. The course will culminate in the study of al-Itqan of al-Suyuti. The course will also introduce students to the major reference works that are used for research in this field.

Prerequisites: At least two years of Arabic, or advanced reading knowledge, or the permission of the instructor.

Persian Studies

This course is for students who have minimal or no prior knowledge of Persian focusing on reading, writing and conversation. Students start by learning how to write and pronounce the sound and alphabet, how to connect letters to form basic vocabulary in Persian in order to express basic ideas orally and in writing; then develops students’ language comprehension through expanding their vocabulary and grammar. By the end of the course, students’ skills in listening, speaking, reading, and writing in Persian improves and they should be able to read, write and translate sentences in Persian at an intermediate level.

This course is an intermediate/advance level of Persian language for students who passed NMC2200Y or demonstrate commensurate Persian skills. The course continues to develop students’ Persian language knowledge by focusing on more complex readings, writings, grammatical structures, translation, Audio/visual, and conversational activities such as group discussion, language games, movie, music, dialogue, and playing role at an advanced level. By the end of this course, students enable to reach the intermediate high/advance level of proficiency in Persian. The course also serves as preparation for courses on classical and contemporary Persian literature.

Survey of Persian literature, mainly modern poetry from 19th-21st centuries focusing on linguistics and literary approaches in modern poetry. The course includes detailed discussion of the influence and effect of western and world poetry on Iranian poets, and critical reflections on works of leading contemporary poets including Nima, Yushij, Ahmad, Shamlu, Forugh, Farrokhzad, Sohrab Sepehri, Mehdi Akhavan Sales.

This interdisciplinary course focuses on the structural development of the Persian language from Old Persian (551 BC) to Modern Persian (7th century) with the emphasis on the word formation and grammar. The course consists of two main parts: The first part focuses on an overview of the Old Persian and Middle Persian languages, their linguistic features and writing system and the factors that changed Old Persian to Middle and then Modern Persian. The second part of the course concentrates on the structural analysis of Iranian languages including Dari, Tajiki, Balochi, Kurdish, Pashto, …. The lecture is based on texts and articles written by theoretical linguists, historians, sociolinguists, descriptive and historical linguists. This course also examines the role of language in maintaining cultural identity and shows the type and the mechanism of the development of Iranian languages in general and of Persian in particular.

This course will survey the language, main epigraphical texts, historical context, and political ideology of the Old Persian inscriptions of the Achaemenid Empire (550–330 BCE). The Old Persian version of the famous inscriptions of Darius I in Bisotun will be read in the original, cuneiform script, linguistically analyzed, commented, and translated into English. By this training, students will be able to comfortably read the entire inscriptional corpus in Old Persian. By the end of the year, they will have acquired a strong understanding of the simplified Old Persian cuneiform script, the main phonological, morphological and syntactical features of the Old Persian language, and its connections with the Middle and modern Persian languages.
Recommended preparation: NMC465Y

This course is designed for students who have already completed NMC2201Y1 Intermediate Persian or have an equivalent level of proficiency in Persian. This course aims to develop students’ abilities at an advanced level, with a focus on complex reading materials including historical, socio-political, media and journalistic texts. Students will improve their reading comprehension, strengthen writing skills, and advance speaking and listening skills through class discussions and oral presentations.

This course is designed for students who have already completed NMC2201Y1 Intermediate Persian or have an equivalent level of proficiency in Persian. Its goal is to strengthen the students reading and writing skills and enrich their cultural and literary background. This is achieved through analysis of sophisticated authentic literary texts covering a wide range of literary genres.

Selected representative readings from the iconic masterpieces of classical heroic and romantic epic poetry, including the Persian national epic, Shahnameh; the magisterial ode of Khaqani on the ruins of a Sasanian palace; and tales from the Khamseh, or Quintet, of Nizami about the star-crossed lovers Laili and Majnun, and the world-conqueror Iskandar, or Alexander the Great. Emphasis is on close reading and analysis of the linguistic and literary content and style of these works, and discussion of their historical and cultural backgrounds. Students will acquire essential skills in the technical requirements of classical Persian poetry, such as prosody, rhyme, and poetic devices.

Selected representative readings from the ethical works of Sa‘di (Bustan and Gulistan); the mystical parable Mantiq al-tayr of ‘Attar and the Masnavi of Rumi; and the ghazals, or mystico-erotic lyrics, of Rumi and Hafiz. Emphasis is on close reading and analysis of the linguistic and literary content and style of these works, and discussion of their historical, cultural, and religious backgrounds. All readings are in the original Persian. Students will acquire essential skills in the technical requirements of classical Persian poetry, such as prosody, rhyme, and poetic devices, as well as an understanding of the key concepts and terminology of Persian Sufism.

The Persian literature of advice on kingship and kingly ethics constitutes an important source for understanding medieval Islamicate political philosophy and concepts of rule and social organization. These works are sometimes referred to as “mirrors for princes,” although they are not consistent in terms of their contents. Excerpts from selected texts dating from the 11th to the 17th centuries will be read and analyzed, including such classics as the Qabusnameh of Kay Ka’us, the Siyar al-muluk of Nizam al-Mulk, and Nasir al-Din Tusi’s Akhlaq-i nasiri.

An introduction to medieval Persian codicology, including the technical terminology used in the study of manuscripts; paleographical issues, such as script styles and dating; textual criticism and editing techniques; and the use of manuscript catalogues. Some attention will also be paid to the arts of the book. Digital copies of selected Persian manuscripts will form the basis of study.

The course focuses on the Persian treatises (rasa’il), or “visionary tales,” of Shihab al-Din Yahya Suhravardi (d. 1191), known as Shaikh al-Ishraq. It examines the philosophical and cosmological background of his writings, the ancient Iranian mythological motifs they incorporate, and the framework of Islamic Sufism in which they were written.     

The course studies the views on cosmogony and cosmology of the Zoroastrian religion. It focuses on the Zoroastrian doctrines on the origin and history of the cosmos in Zoroastrian sources (the Avesta and the Middle Persian texts) and in texts by non-Zoroastrian authors dating to the pre-Islamic early Islamic periods. It highlights the position of these doctrines in the system of beliefs and practices of the Zoroastrian religion, such as the relation between the spiritual and the material planes of existence, and the function of ritual in the Zoroastrian worldview.

The course studies the pre-Islamic Zoroastrian doctrines on individual and universal eschatology, and the texts describing these doctrines. It principally focuses on the Zoroastrian apocalyptic texts in Middle Persian, which present divine beings disclosing to human recipients the future developments of history, and the structure of the netherworld. The course also compares the Zoroastrian eschatological doctrines with Jewish and Christian eschatological doctrines, and discusses the question of the relationship of Zoroastrian apocalypses with Jewish and Christian apocalypses.

The course studies the relations between the classical (Greek and Roman) world and the pre-Islamic Iranian civilizations. It focuses on the passages of Greek and Latin authors that talk about the culture, history and religion of the ancient Iranians, and on the textual references to the Romans in Iranian sources. It also overviews the iconographic representations of the Iranians coming from the Greek and Hellenistic worlds, and from the Roman Empire, as well as the representations of the Romans in the Sasanian art. Through the analysis of these textual and iconographic sources, the course highlights how the relations between the Graeco-Roman world and the Iranian world were characterized at the same time by a hostile attitude, and at the same time by a deep admiration.

Turkish and Ottoman Studies

This course is designed to provide an introduction to Turkish for learners with no previous experience with this language. A variety of speaking, listening, reading, and writing activities will be included to develop both spoken and written language skills. By the end of the course, students will be able to carry out basic conversations in Turkish in everyday social encounters, have a grasp of the basics of the Turkish grammar and understand elementary texts such as simple excerpts from news articles or literary works. They will also have gained a basic understanding of the cultural contexts in which Turkish is spoken.

Exclusion: Native speakers.

This course is designed for students who have already completed NMC2300Y Introductory Turkish or have an equivalent level of proficiency in Turkish. It aims to expand students’ communicative skills, grammatical knowledge, and vocabulary. A variety of intermediate-level speaking, listening, reading, and writing activities will be included to further develop both spoken and written language skills. By the end of the course, students will be able to read, understand and translate various authentic texts of intermediate difficulty. They will be able to write short essays and talk about a wide range of general topics. They will also have gained a deeper understanding of the cultural contexts in which Turkish is spoken. The course also serves as a preparation for the advanced study of Turkish.

Prerequisites: NMC2300Y or permission of the instructor.

This course is designed for students who have already completed NMC2301Y Intermediate Turkish or have an equivalent level of proficiency in Turkish. It aims to build upon the existing competence of the students in Turkish and to further improve their four skills through a variety of advanced speaking, listening, reading, and writing activities. By the end of this comprehensive course, students will be able to read, understand and translate various texts of different genres such as literary work. They will be able to write essays on a wide range of topics. They will demonstrate the ability to express themselves both orally and in writing through complex grammatical structures and a rich vocabulary. They will also have gained thorough understanding of the social and cultural contexts in which Turkish is spoken. In the second semester the course will also include an introduction to Ottoman Turkish, the extent of which will depend on the interests and needs of the students.

Prerequisites: NMC2301Y or permission of the instructor.

A survey of the Ottoman Turks from their late 13th–early 14th century origins on the frontiers of the Seljuk, Mongol, and Byzantine empires to their establishment of an Islamic empire. Topics include the principalities known as beyliks that came into being in Anatolia as the above empires declined, the nature of the early Ottoman beylik, conquests in the Balkans, the destruction of the early Ottoman state by Timur and its rebirth, and Mehmed II’s conquest of Constantinople. Coverage includes Ottoman institutions, economy, society, and culture.

A survey of the Ottoman Empire in the 16th and 17th centuries. From the victory by Selim I the Grim over Safavid Iran and conquest of Syria and Egypt to the resplendent age of Süleyman the Magnificent to the internal and external challenges that forced transformation or decline. Topics include wars in Europe, the Mediterranean and Black Seas, and with Iran; internally, the rise of the harem and “sultanate of the women,” rebellions in Anatolia, military reform, religious controversies, and art and architecture. The endpoint is the Treaty of Karlowitz (1699) when the expansion of the empire ended.

The course examines the history of modern Turkey from the beginning of the 20th century until the present day. Topics include transition from empire to nation-state; the establishment of the Turkish republic; the Kemalist reforms and legacy; nationalism and nation-building; Islam and politics; gender and sexuality; as well as recent political, social, and cultural developments. The course seeks to situate the history of Turkey in a broader regional context and introduces students to some historiographical debates. In seminar discussions students are encouraged to explore topics from a critical post-nationalist perspective and to think about current events in a historical context.

This course is an introduction to the reading and analysis of Ottoman historical texts in the original manuscript—chronicles, gazavatnames, nasihatnames, travel accounts, and epics. Principles of textual criticism are introduced. For each seminar meeting excerpts from original Ottoman manuscripts are assigned for reading and analysis.

This course is an introduction to Ottoman palaeography and diplomatics. The participants are presented with a range of Ottoman documents such as imperial edicts (firman/hükm) and their registrations (mühimme defterleri), diplomas (berat), reports and petitions (‘arz-i hal, ‘arz), vizierial summaries (telhis), memoranda (tezkire), receipts (temmesük), and legal registrations (sicill, hüccet). In addition, there will be samples from various types of registers (defter), for example, surveys of taxable population (tahrir defteri) or records of the financial department (maliye), such as day books (ruznamçe defterleri) and financial edict registry books (ahkam defterleri). For each seminar meeting photocopies of original Ottoman documents will be assigned for reading and analysis.

Other Courses

Provides institutional knowledge to support success during and after the PhD degree, early guidance on curricular and extra-curricular components of a PhD, and a broad overview of the academic and non-academic job markets as appropriate for first-year students. The Professional Development Seminar complements individualized advice from students’ advisors. It is directed by a committee representing the various fields in the department, and addresses topics specific to NMC students. Attendance only; there are no assignments.

The following course codes are on reserve if NMC2001H/Y is not available: NMC2000H F/S/Y, NMC2000Y F/S/Y

A reading and research course is a course created when an individual graduate student (or a very small group of graduate students) wishes to explore a topic not currently offered as a graduate course. The student is responsible for finding a graduate faculty member who is willing to work with the student. In collaboration, the graduate faculty member and the student will create the learning goals, deliverables, resources, timeline, and mechanism for feedback. The supervising faculty member must have a School of Graduate Studies (SGS) Graduate Faculty Membership Appointment through the Graduate Department of Near & Middle Eastern Civilizations. These are not meant to replace existing curriculum where sufficient course offerings are available. Reading/Research courses are supplementary and are considered at the discretion of the academic advisor to fill in a gap in knowledge/academic preparedness for the dissertation.

This course explores special topics in Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations according to the subtitle.

This course explores special topics in Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations according to the subtitle.

Individual directed research, no meeting time/place. This course facilitates independent codicology research at the Fisher Rare Books Library, supervised by the instructor, with coursework and deadlines to be determined individually. A mentorship component with a librarian will be included.
*Prerequisite: NMC2129 or permission of the instructor

This course explores special topics in Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations according to the subtitle.

This course is geared specifically for MA students, and serves as an introduction to the different areas of study covered within the NMC department, with guest presentations from NMC faculty with associated readings. Students develop an independent research project in their field by the end of the course.

Students will work with their Graduate Advisor to develop and conduct a thesis project that will result in a substantive body of original research, and make a significant contribution to knowledge in the field

A number of courses are offered in other departments and by other programs, which may be of interest to NMC students. Should you wish to enroll in a course offered in another department or by another program, please seek permission from your Advisor and the Associate Chair, Graduate in order to obtain credit toward degree program requirements. Please refer to the host department handbooks and websites for further information.

Table of Cross-Listed Graduate/Undergraduate Courses

The following is a list of graduate courses that have a corresponding undergraduate number, and that may be taught together with the undergraduate course. Please refer to the graduate description of the course.

Graduate Undergraduate
NMC 1001Y NML 305Y
NMC 1002Y NML 405Y
NMC 1010H NMC 449H
NMC 1020H NMC 346H
NMC 1021H NMC 347H
NMC 1022H NMC 446H
NMC 1023H NMC 447H
NMC 1100Y NML 220Y
NMC 1101Y NML 421Y
NMC 1102Y NML 420Y
NMC 1110H NML 320H
NMC 1111Y NML 359Y
NMC 1201Y NML 240Y
NMC 1202Y NML 340Y
NMC 1203Y NML 442Y
NMC 1210H NML 440H
NMC 1213H NML 441H
NMC 1307H NMC 370H
NMC 2002H NML 455H
NMC 1317H NML 456H
NMC 1318H NML 452H
NMC 1330H NML 155H
NMC 1331H NML 156H
NMC 1332H NML 255H
NMC 1333H NML 256H
NMC 1334H NML 355H
NMC 1335H NML 356H
NMC 1411H NMC 465H
NMC 1412H NMC 466H
NMC 1413H NMC 366H
NMC 1415H NMC 369H
NMC 1425H NMC 491H
NMC 1426H NMC 445H
NMC 1430H NMC 463H
NMC 1431H NMC 474H
NMC 1607H NMC 384H
NMC 1608H NMC 484H
NMC 1613H NMC 380H
NMC 1654H NML 450H
NMC 2080H NMC 472H
NMC 2100Y NML 110Y
NMC 2101Y NML 210Y
NMC 2102Y NML 310Y
NMC 2103Y NML 410Y
NMC 2130H NML 412H
NMC 2131H NML 413H
NMC 2172H NMC 476H
NMC 2173H NMC 473H
NMC 2180H NMC 452H
NMC 2200Y NML 260Y
NMC 2201Y NML 360Y
NMC 2202H NML 461H
NMC 2203H NMC 480H
NMC 2204Y NML 465Y1
NMC 2205Y NML 362Y1
NMC 2207H NML 460H
NMC 2208H NML 463H
NMC 2219H NML 467H
NMC 2220H NML 468H
NMC 2233H NMC 340H
NMC 2234H NMC 341H
NMC 2300Y NML 270Y
NMC 2301Y NML 370Y
NMC 2302Y NML 470Y
NMC 2311H NMC 388H
NMC 2312H NMC 389H
NMC 2320H NMC 477H
NMC 2345Y NMC 274H & 275H
NMC 2351H NMC 454H
NMC 2541Y NMC 469Y