Arabic

Readings in translation and discussion of texts of Middle Eastern and Indian origin. Readings may include the Qur'an, Islamic philosophy, Sufi poetry, the Upanishads, Buddhist sutras, the Bhagavad Gita, Indian epics and drama, and Gandhi's Autobiography. 

A general introduction to major cultures in the Middle East and South Asia. The range of cultural issues, institutional forces, textual sources, and figures of authority who have historically defined and symbolically distinguished Asian and Middle Eastern cultures, from their earliest origins to our own time. A representative sample of sacred and secular sources is closely examined in order to guide the students toward a comprehensive conception of what constitutes these distinct cultures and how they have been redefined in the process of their contemporary adaptations. Required of all majors.

Exploration of modern South Asian self-images through reinterpretations of traditional genres and through the work of Gandhi, Premchand, Raja Rao, Anantha Murthy, Ghalib, Faiz, etc.  Emphasis on cultural/intellectual issues and their manifestation in literary form.

This course responds to the sweeping winds of change in the Arab region, covering a great amount of archival and media material including documentaries, films, narratives, poetry and songs.  It substantiates and synthesizes its analysis with a theoretical frame that makes use of Arab intellectual thought in translation, along with legacies of popular revolutions and liberation movements in the Arab region and in the three continents, along with readings of significance in the literature of World War I and II. The course initiates its discussion with experts’ speculations on the difference between the deliberate ‘creative chaos’ as part of an imperial strategy, and popular revolutions that swept some autocratic and dictatorial regimes. To reach a better understanding of this difference, the course will explore the rites of passage through which these movements grow and authenticate their presence before finding the right medium or occasion to burst out in a volcanic fashion. The course explores: memory, the changing role of the elite, youth movements, people’s leadership, the changing lexicon, conceptualization of nationhood, social media and solidarity, regional specifics and common concerns, and the rise of a new poetics as a confederation of semiotics, rhetoric and expressive devices. In their presentations and research students are encouraged to participate in archival material gathering, analysis of required texts and active participation in roundtable discussions.

This course is primarily a comprehensive introduction to Arab women novelists and the representation of race and gender, foregrounding the discussion of race in classical and medieval Arabic literary and intellectual texts. We will explore the questions of blackness, race, and gender in novels from Algeria, the Arabian Peninsula, Lebanon, Syria, and Sudan, allowing the students to develop critical understanding of how these concepts operate within institutional and cultural frameworks. All texts are read in English.

This course studies Sufism as it has emerged, developed, and assumed its presence in Sufi autobiographies and religious and literary writings. The Sufi Path is traced in these writings that include poems like ibn al-Farid’s Poem of the Way. Sufi States and Stations are analyzed to understand this Path that reaches its culmination in an ecstatic sense of Oneness. Sufism is also a social and political phenomenon that unsettles formal theologies and involves Sufis in controversies that often end with their imprisonment and death.

This course explores three major thematic concerns that distinguish Iraqi narrative after 2003. War, love, and exile are at the center of Iraqi writers' narrative which has been winning the attention of very large audiences in Iraq, the Arab world, the US and Europe. These narratives demonstrate richness and dexterity and have been winning high acclaim as great writings of war, estrangements and love.  

This course explores common beliefs and practices that are held by Muslims across ethnicities and national borders. It looks at these not only from a Herder’s perspective of a national-popular dynamic as a formative part in cultural capital, but also from a deep-rooted Islamica as an accumulated faith that got woven into local and indigenous cultures. Hence, it questions the whole idea of Islamic modernity, in its ethnic and national images, as a culmination of the encounter with Europe. It interrogates the premise as an elitist worldview that has overlooked the formation processes in the makeup of cultural and identitarian politics and poetics. Laying emphasis on the shared and common beliefs among the Muslim mass audience, it studies visitations, sites of intercession like shrines, amulets, encomiums to the Prophet, Sufi tales, dhikr recitations, dreams and their interpretation,  divination, and many other common beliefs and practices that cut across modernity paradigms  and binary structures. Through close analysis of these practices in texts, poetry, narrative, travelogue and memoirs, it argues that the bane of modernity is its subordination to a Western ideal that minimizes or even negates its engagement with Islamic and Arabic-writing tradition. The nation state and through codification processes and as led by the intelligentsia forged a social program that usually invalidates common practices and rural culture. Only after 1967, the unsettling experience of total bankruptcy, that intellectuals question the dichotomies of science versus religion and the myth of progress versus tradition. The rise of Islamic movements since the Iranian Revolution began to pose questions with respect to modernity and the viable means of economic and social welfare. New writings, forms and modes of expression take to the street where they find substance and faith that has been ignored for long under cultural dependency.  Under the increasing role of social media and cyberspace, non-traditional forums, modes of expression and mediums gradually take over the right to speak for religion and disseminate its own languages that ironically converse with pre-modern venues and means of dialogue.   These works receive due attention in relation to theoretical studies that may help increase readers’ critical insight. No prior knowledge of Arabic language is required. 

This course approaches the phenomenon of princely India from a range of perspectives. Students learn about the political and cultural practices of specific courts that played a major role in Indian history such as the Guptas, Vijayanagarm and the Mughals, while also being exposed to aspects of Indian courtly life more generally. Topics include, among others, literature, art, architecture, intellectual practices, music and the science of erotics (Kamasutra). While the emphasis is on Indian court culture as seen from within India, cross cultural perspectives are also introduced. For instance, why were Sanskrit literature and Indian architecture emulated far afield in Southeast Asia in the first millenium? And how was Indian court culture perceived by Europeans in the early modern and colonial periods? The course concludes with some reflections on the legacy of Mughals and maharajas in postcolonial India.

Through varied exposure to Iranian film and fiction, and Persian poetry, this course is designed to introduce students to critical themes and creative effervescence of modern Iranian culture. The course will concentrate on Iranian cultural history of the last two centuries, with particular emphasis on contemporary issues.

The course will follow the transformations of Hebrew subjectivity as constructed in Hebrew poetry throughout the 20th century.  The course will draw on the role of poetics since the beginning of Modernism, the emegence of Eretz Israel Avant Garde and up to the post-modernist moment of Hebrew poetry in the State of Israel.  The development of Hebrew poetry will be studied as it plays the role of an active agent in the cultural and social conflicts of the 20th century.

This graduate seminar explores the representational, imaginative, and analytical connections between cinema and the urban experience. Theories of modernity frequently hold up the city as the most emblematic site for locating the modern (eg. Benjamin, Simmel, Kracaueur). Cinema, too, as art and apparatus, can be said to have embodied the ‘shocks’ of the modern (Singer, Gunning, Eisenstein). This course introduces students to a significant corpus of literature on cinema and mediated urbanisms. By insisting on a comparative approach, the seminar seeks to put existing theories of cinematic urbanisms  that pertain to Berlin, Paris, or Los Angeles, into dialogue with ‘other’ cinematic sites such as Mumbai, Algiers, Mexico City, Istanbul, Kuala Lumpur, or Dakar. Open to qualified undergraduates with instructor permission. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.

Introduces some of the major aspects of Iranian culture in its ancient, medieval and modern contexts.

This course provides a theoretical and interdisciplinary discussion of the question of conflict and fantasy as it relates to several areas of humanistic research, and introduces students to a fundamental debate about conflict, focusing on modern Arabic writing from Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and Syria. Also, it will explore the notions of conflict and fantasy in different historical and political encounters while reading theoretical and philosophical works that address epistemic violence, mental pathology, civil, and colonial wars. All texts are read in English.

Introduction to Middle Eastern cinema as a unique cultural product in which artistic sensibilities are mobilized to address, and thus reflect, significant aspects of contemporary society, Arab, Israeli, Turkish, and Iranian cinema. Cultural and collective expressions of some enduring concerns in modern Middle Eastern societies. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.

A comprehensive examination of one of the richest theatrical traditions in the Middle East.

This is an advanced undergraduate/graduate history seminar course over thirteen weeks, designed to introduce upper level students to the study of Muslims in colonial India in the nineteenth century. Although dealing with this period, the main focus of this course will be on social, religious and political developments, inspired by, and affecting, India’s Muslims in the second half of the century.

This graduate seminar will expose students to major themes and issues in the study of South Asia. The course will provide a serious intellectual foundation for students wishing to pursue specialized, directed research in the region. Themes for consideration will include cultural history and early modernity; capitalism and political economy; genealogies of political thought; anticolonialism; caste and religion; and gender and feminist history.

This course explores some of the main historical developments on the African continent from the early prehistory of humans to the eve of Europe’s second great wave of empire when Africans across most of the continent became the subjects of European colonies.  The course will explore several important themes, focusing on the racial, cultural, linguistic and historical diversity that characterized the African continent.  This course will focus on a number of different sources used by historians – such as archeological evidence, oral testimonies, written texts and historical linguistics – to explore the early history of the African continent. The course will be organized around lectures, readings and discussion sections. Extracts from films about Africa will also be presented throughout the course. Through analysis of these different types of sources, this course hopes to help students establish a deeper understanding of the complicated forces, institutions, and processes that underlay the experiences of Africans and the African continent before 1850.

An introduction to the language of classical and modern Arabic literature. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.

NOTE: There are 2 sections of Third Year Arabic I. Section 001 follows the standard curriculum building all 4 language skills, as described below. Section 002 follows a reading-intensive curriculum, with less emphasis on listening and writing while still conducted in Arabic, and is intended for those preparing for advanced research in modern or classical Arabic texts. Students in the regular third-year Arabic track improve reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills through close reading, compositions, class discussions, and presentations in Arabic on topics such as cultures of the Arab world, classical and modern Arabic literature, and contemporary Arabic media. Review of grammatical and syntactic rules as needed. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.

Advanced Turkish I is designed to use authentic Turkish materials around projects that are chosen by the student in a research seminar format where students conduct their own research and share it in class in a friendly atmosphere. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.

Through reading excerpts from thirteen essential works, starting with Jabarti's history of the French Campaign in Egypt to a chapter from al-Qur'an, students will be able to increase their fluency and accuracy in Arabic while working on reading text and being exposed to the main themes in Classical Arabic literature, acquire a sense of literary style over a period of fourteen centuries as well as literary analytical terminology and concepts. The texts are selections from essential works that the students will read in detail, write critical pieces, engage in discussion and have assignments which will expand their vocabulary, manipulation of advanced grammar concepts, and employing stylistic devices in their writing. This course will enable students to start doing research in classical Arabic sources and complements MESAAS's graduate seminar Readings in Classical Arabic. The course works with all four skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing). Arabic is the language of instruction. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.

This is an interdisciplinary course introducing students to the historical, juridical, and literary constructions of human rights as concept, practice, and discourse. Coursework is geographically and thematically comparative with readings in history, law, political philosophy, anthropology, criticism, and literature. Students are expected to engage with the following questions: How did ideas about rights emerge and give rise to the juridical development of ‘human rights?’ What kinds of human subjects do rights discourses presuppose and/or produce? What does human rights law achieve, and how? And how, if at all, does literature reveal the human rights’ system’s social, ethical, and political possibilities and limits?

The sessions for this course cover a number of excerpts from texts that are systematically arranged to enable close reading and further discussion and analysis that lead to an active engagement with Arab literary [cultural] tradition. There are samples from pre-Islamic poetry, including that of the Renegades and the Ravens, the Maqamat, al-Jahiz’s oeuvre [selections from a number of books and epistles], Abu Hayyan al-Tawhidi’s writings, prose by ibn Wahb on use and misuse of language, epistles by prominent epistolographers, Hikayat Abi al-Qasim by al-Azdi, selections from al-Bayhaqi, and the Thousand and One Nights. There are excerpts from the middle and premodern period, along with specific selections of commentaries of pertinence to the rise or devaluation of genres, modes, and practices. We address cases in which language is the contested space. The theoretical framework takes language as the dynamic force and also the battlefield through our reading of the movement of the word from transparency [where no distance exists between signifiers and signified], representation, and discourse. Every epistemic shift has its ideological base which we need to detect.   The underlying premise is that through close reading and discussion we can draw a genealogy of generic growth or decay in terms of historical, geographical, and religio-political dynamics. The class involves reading, discussion, and written assignments in both Arabic and English.

This course will explore aspects of the contemporary Arabic novel and how authors fashion literary constructions of invisible communities, radicalized others, foreign labor, disability, queerness, and tensions between modernity and tribalism. We will read a diverse selection of Arabic novels written by Egyptian, Kuwaiti, Lebanese, Maghrebi, and Saudi Arabian authors. This course will open an inquiry into the moment in which tropes of invisibility, anonymity, namelessness, and marginality are staged and performed while exploring the possibility of reading these novels together and showing to what extent they display literary, cultural, and linguistic resemblances. In particular, we will highlight the spaces in which these texts intersect or diverge in or on the border of different communities and cultures. In addition, the discussion will also explore the philosophical and psychoanalytical debates, focusing on how theorists interrogate the different formations of society, community, alterity, and difference.

This course covers the idea of miracles in the Muslim theological tradition. These range from splitting the moon for Muhammad as a sign of his prophethood to the inimitability of the Qur'anic text, in addition to the supernatural acts ascribed to Biblical figures and Muslim saints. The discussion of miracles in the works of major classical theologians, Shi'i and Sunni, is given priority.

This course will explore the classical theory of Jihad within the legal, political, philosophical, moral, and intellectual systems in which it was elaborated and functioned as a “technology” of the self and as a theory of war and peace. It then deals with this theory’s re-interpretation in light of European colonialism and its distillation into a distinctly political instrument today, cast within a comparative framework, an approach that is further justified by sustained historical reasons. In all of its encounters with other societies, cultures, states, and empires in the world, Islam encountered a special difficulty in its relationship with Europe and later Euro-America. For these historical reasons, the course will keep a close comparative eye on Europe and Euro-America from the time of the Crusaders, but emphasizing the Liberal register during the last two centuries. We shall query the similarities between (Western) Liberal and Islamic concepts and practices – regarding just war theories, colonialism, and empire – as much as the difference therein. Despite the political and legal nature of the subject at hand, the course will rely heavily on moral philosophy as the basic tool of analysis.  

Working with objects in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in the Medieval Department’s offices, the course will be an interdisciplinary exploration of the creation of a sense of self-identity for the Armenian people through visual media and material culture. Coins, manuscript illuminations, stone carvings, ceramics, textiles and other media will be studied to determine the means by which the Armenian people at the level of elite and popular culture identified themselves and positioned themselves in relation to neighboring, or dominating, cultures. Relevant works from other cultures in the Museum’s encyclopedic collections will be used for comparative study. Students will do a paper on an Armenian work selected from the Museum’s collection and present an aspect of their research in class. Hands on experience with the Museum’s works of art will allow consideration of means of manufacture as well as style and iconography.

The Mughal period was one of the most dynamic eras in world history, when India was the meeting place of many cultures. Of Timurid ancestry, the earliest Mughal rulers drew upon the heritage of Central Asia in their ruling styles and cultural practices, but they would soon adapt to the complexities of their Indian milieu, which had longstanding traditions that were a blend of Sanskrit and Persian, Hindu and Muslim idioms. European culture, whether filtered through Jesuit sermons, itinerant merchants, or Flemish engravings, was also making inroads into India during this period. This course is a broad cultural history of Mughal India as seen from a range of perspectives and sources. We consider the Mughals’ major achievements in visual culture as manifested in painting and architecture, as well as exploring diverse topics in religion, literature, politics, and historiography. Yet another approach is to listen to the voices of the Mughal rulers as recorded in their memoirs, as well as investigating the signal contributions of the dynasty’s women.

Introduction to the classical Islamic literature of the Ottoman Turks.  Their literature and role in relation to Arabic, Persian Central Asian and Ottoman society. No knowledge of Turkish is required.

A continuation of the study of Ottoman classical literature, with readings and analysis of texts for students with a reading proficiency at MDES W1913 level.

This course will be the first part of a two part introduction to theoretical approaches to modern social science and cultural studies in Asian and African contexts. The first course will focus primarily on methodological and theoretical problems in the fields broadly described as historical social sciences - which study historical trends, and political, economic and social institutions and processes. The course will start with discussions regarding the origins of the modern social sciences and the disputes about the nature of social science knowledge. In the next section it will focus on definitions and debates about the concept of modernity. It will go on to analyses of some fundamental concepts used in modern social and historical analyses: concepts of social action, political concepts like state, power, hegemony, democracy, nationalism; economic concepts like the economy, labor, market, capitalism, and related concepts of secularity/secularism, representation, and identity. The teaching will be primarily through close reading of set texts, followed by a discussion. A primary concern of the course will be to think about problems specific to the societies studied by scholars of Asia and Africa: how to use a conceptual language originally stemming from reflection on European modernity in thinking about societies which have quite different historical and cultural characteristics.

Examines questions of political economy and politics through the study of colonial regimes of power and knowledge, exploring the genealogy of modern forms of property, law, finance, debt, administration, and violence. Intended primarily for Ph.D. students interested in interdisciplinary approaches to the study of politics, political economy, and world history.

This seminar explores how Black leaders, intellectuals, and artists chose to imagine Blacks (African and people of African descent) as a global community from the late 19th century to the present. It examines their attempts to chart a course of race, modernity and emancipation in instable and changing geographies of empire, nation, and state. Particular attention will be given to manifestations identified as their common history and destiny and how such a distinctive historical experience have created a unique body of reflections on and cultural productions about modernity, race, religion, class, gender and sexuality, in a context of domination and oppression. “Pan Africanist” ideologies were very diverse from Garveyism, Negritude to the various African American, Caribbean and African discourses of “neo-pharaohnism” and “Ethiopianism”. This seminar focuses on Negritude. Negritude was one of the many ways in which black people from the French Empire first began to articulate notions of “blackness”, a way of conceiving of a kind of subjectivity that would transcend the deep divisions between Arabs, West Indian Africans, continental Africans and other members of the Black Diaspora and allow them to come together and find a new form of self-respect. They carved in Paris, the imperial metropolis, an imperial public sphere to sustain a conversation between imperial subjects – in particular but not only among Blacks - about citizenship, nationalism, universalism, modernity and race. Their goal: locate and/or reconcile African modes of thought, traditional African Humanism and a complex recreation of universalism.

Readings and analysis of texts, with discussion of the nature and development of the genres within the context of Islamic thought. One genre is dealt with each term.

This seminar is conducted entirely in the original Arabic writings of the Moroccan philosopher Taha Abdurrahman. Having recently emerged as the premier moral philosopher of the Muslim world, Abdurrahman requires an attentive reading in light of the intellectual, historical and cultural constructions of the modern Islamic world, on the one hand, and Western moral and political conceptions, on the other. The seminar attempts to assess Abdurrahman’s critique of modernity as one that integrates the intellectual productions of Islamic history as serious contributions to modernity’s critiques currently placed on Western academic tables. On a wider scale, and through an examination of this philosopher’s work, this seminar also aims to bring the modern Islamic tradition into dialogue with the relevant questions and debates now animating modern moral philosophy (and to a lesser extent political theory, law and philosophy at large). Please note, this course must be taken for a letter grade.

Theoretical issues related to the career of Sh. Y. Abramovitsch, widely regarded as the founding father of the modern art of fiction of both Hebrew and Yiddish.  A reading knowledge of Hebrew or Yiddish is necessary.

This seminar forms part of an extended seminar focusing on the view that what was often referred to as "The Modern Jewish Literature" or  "The Modern Jewish Canon" does not exist. As a matter of fact, it is doubtful that a unified Jewish culture and a one, comprehensive Jewish literature, ever existed (after Biblical times). Modernity, however, clearly and blatantly fragmented Jewish cultural life and creativity, and what Jewish literary production throughout the last two hundred and fifty years amounts to is not a continuous "Jewish" canon but rather a welter of competitive, and often mutually exclusive Jewish literary canons of various kinds: some defining their parameters within nationalist ideologies and written in Jewish languages, and some developing a mentality of "dual citizenship." Writing in various non-Jewish languages and addressing a non Jewish readership, some (not all) Jewish writers also wrote as Jews (and to a certain extent, for Jews). Together these modern Jewish literary traditions form a complex that can be studied and understood in terms of contiguity rather than those of continuity. The purpose of the seminar is to explore the dynamics and parameters of this Jewish literary contiguity. It would be done in a series of one-semester graduate seminars, each focusing on a different aspect of this very comprehensive topic. The languages all students would be expected to know are Hebrew and English, although texts originally written in Yiddish, German, Russian and other languages would be used (in English and Hebrew translations).

This term the course will focus on the responses of Israeli poetry, since the 1940s, to the Holocaust, dwelling on issues of ideological attitudes and the  complex poetic concerns emanating from the need to write on the unspeakable or "the negative sublime." Poems by U.Z.Greenberg, Nathan Alterman, Abba Kovner, Dan Pagis, and others will be analyzed.  

The primary purpose of this course will be to explore and analyze  some philosophical and methodlogical problems raised by recent works in a field described as "postcolonial theory". It will start with a reading of Edward Said’s original argument and intervention in his Orientalism; the second part will go over the critical arguments about the question of representation of the Orient in Orientalist history and social studies, art and literature. The third part of the course will analyze the problems of Eurocentricity in modern social science by examining in greater detail the writing of history, and the logic of concept-formation in the social sciences. The course will engage in close and detailed reading of  some "Orientalist" texts– e.g. William Jones and James Mill, philosophical texts from Hegel, Mill and Marx, evaluate the criticisms offered by postcolonial writers, and take up three problems – of representation, history and conceptualization for detailed, rigorous critical discussion. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.  

Advanced Hindi I and II are third year courses in the Hindi-Urdu program that aim to continue building upon the existing four language skills (speaking, listening, reading and writing) along with grammar and vocabulary in a communicative approach.  The objective of these courses is to strengthen students’ language skills and to go beyond them to understand and describe situations and the speech community, understand and discuss Hindi literature and films, news items, T.V. shows and current events. Students will also be given opportunities to work on their areas of interest such as popular culture, professional and research goals in the target language. Students will be expected to expand their vocabulary, enhance grammatical accuracy and develop cultural appropriateness through an enthusiastic participation in classroom activities and immersing themselves in the speech community outside. This course will be taught in the target language.  All kinds of conversations such as daily life, on social/public interests’ topics as well as on academic interests, will occur in the target language. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.

While helping students advance their levels of oral and written expression, this course focuses on literature of the modern and medieval periods, with particular emphasis on the development of the modern novella and traditional and new forms of poetry. In addition to literature, students are introduced to a wide variety of genres from political and cultural essays and blogs to newspaper translations of the early 20th century. They will be further exposed to ta´rof in reference to a wide variety of socio-cultural contexts and be expected to use ta´rof in class conversations. Students will be exposed to popular artists and their works and satirical websites for insight into contemporary Iranian culture and politics. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.

In Elementary Armenian II, students learn the Armenian script and the basic grammar that will enable them to communicate about topics relating to themselves and their immediate surroundings: family, school, daily occupations, describing people, expressing likes and dislikes, requesting and giving information about themselves and others, proper forms of greetings, etc. They also begin to read signs, advertisements, and develop the skills to read texts like short stories and Armenian fables. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.

Intensive Armenian for Heritage Speakers is an accelerated course for students of Armenian origin who already have basic knowledge of the spoken language and are able to converse on familiar topics relating to themselves and their immediate surroundings. The course will focus on developing their skills in reading, writing, and speaking and Armenian grammar and vocabulary. By the end of the course, students will be able to read, write and discuss simple texts. Placement will be based on an interview and questionnaire about their background. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.

An introduction to classical Sanskrit. Grammar, and reading of texts. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.

This is an introductory course for which no prior knowledge is required. Equal emphasis is given to listening, speaking, reading, writing and grammar. Daily homework includes grammar exercises, short answers, reading, or paragraph writing. Frequent vocabulary and grammar quizzes. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.

An introduction to the most widely spoken language of South Asia. Along with an understanding of the grammar, the course offers practice in listening and speaking. The Hindi (Devanagari) script is used for reading and writing. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.

An introduction to the most widely spoken language of South Asia. Along with an understanding of the grammar, the course offers practice in listening and speaking. The Hindi (Devanagari) script is used for reading and writing. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.

This is an accelerated course for students of South Asian origin who already possess a knowledge of basic vocabulary and limited speaking and listening skills in Hindi. They may not have sufficient skills in reading and writing but are able to converse on familiar topics such as: self, family, likes, dislikes and immediate surroundings. This course will focus on developing knowledge of the basic grammar of Hindi and vocabulary enrichment by exposing students to a variety of cultural and social topics related to aspects of daily life; and formal and informal registers. Students will be able to read and discuss simple texts and write about a variety of everyday topics by the end of the semester. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.

This is an accelerated course for students of South Asian origin who already possess a knowledge of basic vocabulary and limited speaking and listening skills in Hindi. They may not have sufficient skills in reading and writing but are able to converse on familiar topics such as: self, family, likes, dislikes and immediate surroundings. This course will focus on developing knowledge of the basic grammar of Hindi and vocabulary enrichment by exposing students to a variety of cultural and social topics related to aspects of daily life; and formal and informal registers. Students will be able to read and discuss simple texts and write about a variety of everyday topics by the end of the semester. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.

This is an accelerated course for students of South Asian origin who already possess a knowledge of basic vocabulary and limited speaking and listening skills in Urdu. They are not expected to know how to read and write in Urdu but are able to converse on familiar topics such as self, family, likes, dislikes and immediate surroundings. This course will focus on developing knowledge of the basic grammar of Urdu and vocabulary enrichment by exposing students to a variety of cultural and social topics related to aspects of daily life; and formal and informal registers. Students will be able to read and discuss simple Urdu texts  and write about a variety of everyday topics by the end of the semester. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.

This is an accelerated course for students of South Asian origin who already possess a knowledge of basic vocabulary and limited speaking and listening skills in Urdu. They are not expected to know how to read and write in Urdu but are able to converse on familiar topics such as self, family, likes, dislikes and immediate surroundings. This course will focus on developing knowledge of the basic grammar of Urdu and vocabulary enrichment by exposing students to a variety of cultural and social topics related to aspects of daily life; and formal and informal registers. Students will be able to read and discuss simple Urdu texts  and write about a variety of everyday topics by the end of the semester. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.

An introduction to the spoken and written language of contemporary Iran. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.

An introduction to the spoken and written language of contemporary Iran. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.

A continuation of the study of the language of contemporary writing. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.

A continuation of the study of the language of contemporary writing. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.

This is an intensive course that combines the curriculum of both First and Second Year Arabic in two semesters instead of four, and focuses on the productive skills (speaking and writing) in Modern Standard Arabic (Fusha). Students are exposed intensively to grammar and vocabulary of a high register. After successful completion of this course, students will be able to move on to Third Year Arabic. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.

This is an intensive course that combines the curriculum of both First and Second Year Arabic in two semesters instead of four, and focuses on the productive skills (speaking and writing) in Modern Standard Arabic (Fusha). Students are exposed intensively to grammar and vocabulary of a high register. After successful completion of this course, students will be able to move on to Third Year Arabic. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.

A continuation of the study of reading, writing and speaking of Armenian. In Intermediate Armenian II, students learn to communicate about a wide range of topics. Such topics include biographical narration, cooking and recipes, health and well-being, holidays and celebrations, travel and geography, etc. At this level, students continue to develop their skills in reading, writing, speaking, and listening while perfecting the grammatical concepts to which they were introduced in the first year. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.

Reading and grammatical analysis of a literary text, chosen from the dramatic and narrative tradition. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.

Introduces students to the basic grammatical and syntactical skills required to function adequately in a Tamil-speaking environment. Of particular interest to students planning to conduct scholarly research or fieldwork in that region of the world. Introduces students to the rich culture of the Indian subcontinent where Tamil is spoken. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.

Further develops students' written and oral proficiency in order to allow them to function adequately in a Tamil-speaking environment. Of particular interest to students planning to conduct scholarly research or fieldwork in a Tamil-speaking context. Develops the students' appreciation for the rich culture of the Indian subcontinent where Tamil is spoken. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.

Further develops students' written and oral proficiency in order to allow them to function adequately in a Tamil-speaking environment. Of particular interest to students planning to conduct scholarly research or fieldwork in a Tamil-speaking context. Develops the students' appreciation for the rich culture of the Indian subcontinent where Tamil is spoken. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.

As of academic year 2016-17, this course is now MDES 2208. This is an intensive course that combines the curriculum of both First and Second Year Arabic in two semesters instead of four, and focuses on the productive skills (speaking and writing) in Modern Standard Arabic (Fusha). Students are exposed intensively to grammar and vocabulary of a high register. After successful completion of this course, students will be able to move on to Third Year Arabic. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.

As of academic year 2016-17, this course is now MDES 2209. This is an intensive course that combines the curriculum of both First and Second Year Arabic in two semesters instead of four, and focuses on the productive skills (speaking and writing) in Modern Standard Arabic (Fusha). Students are exposed intensively to grammar and vocabulary of a high register. After successful completion of this course, students will be able to move on to Third Year Arabic. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.

As of academic year 2016-17, this course is now MDES 2201. A continuation of the study of the language of contemporary writing. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.

As of academic year 2016-17, this course is now MDES 2202. A continuation of the study of the language of contemporary writing. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.

As of academic year 2016-17, this course is now MDES 1301. In Elementary Armenian I, students learn the Armenian script and the basic grammar that will enable them to communicate about topics relating to themselves and their immediate surroundings: family, school, daily occupations, describing people, expressing likes and dislikes, requesting and giving information about themselves and others, proper forms of greetings, etc. They also begin to read signs, advertisements, and develop the skills to read texts like short stories and Armenian fables. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.

As of academic year 2016-17, this course is now MDES 1302. In Elementary Armenian II, students learn the Armenian script and the basic grammar that will enable them to communicate about topics relating to themselves and their immediate surroundings: family, school, daily occupations, describing people, expressing likes and dislikes, requesting and giving information about themselves and others, proper forms of greetings, etc. They also begin to read signs, advertisements, and develop the skills to read texts like short stories and Armenian fables. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.

As of academic year 2016-17, this course is now MDES 2301. A continuation of the study of reading, writing and speaking of Armenian. In Intermediate Armenian I, students learn to communicate about a wide range of topics. Such topics include biographical narration, cooking and recipes, health and well-being, holidays and celebrations, travel and geography, etc. At this level, students continue to develop their skills in reading, writing, speaking, and listening while perfecting the grammatical concepts to which they were introduced in the first year. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.

As of academic year 2016-17, this course is now MDES 2302. A continuation of the study of reading, writing and speaking of Armenian. In Intermediate Armenian II, students learn to communicate about a wide range of topics. Such topics include biographical narration, cooking and recipes, health and well-being, holidays and celebrations, travel and geography, etc. At this level, students continue to develop their skills in reading, writing, speaking, and listening while perfecting the grammatical concepts to which they were introduced in the first year. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.

As of academic year 2016-17, this course is now MDES 2401. Reading and grammatical analysis of a literary text, chosen from the dramatic and narrative tradition. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.

As of academic year 2016-17, this course is now MDES 2402. Reading and grammatical analysis of a literary text, chosen from the dramatic and narrative tradition. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.

As of academic year 2016-17, this course is now MDES 1501. This is an introductory course for which no prior knowledge is required. Equal emphasis is given to listening, speaking, reading, writing and grammar. Daily homework includes grammar exercises, short answers, reading, or paragraph writing. Frequent vocabulary and grammar quizzes. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.

As of academic year 2016-17, this course is now MDES 1502. Continued introduction to Hebrew, with equal emphasis on all languages skills. (See MDES W1510.) No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.

As of academic year 2016-17, this course is now MDES 2501. Equal emphasis is given to listening, speaking, reading and writing. Regular categories of the Hebrew verb, prepositions, and basic syntax are taught systematically. Vocabulary building. Daily homework includes grammar exercises, short answers, reading, or short compositions. Frequent vocabulary and grammar quizzes. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.

As of academic year 2016-17, this course is now MDES 2502. Equal emphasis is given to all language skills. Irregular categories of the Hebrew verb, prepositions and syntax are taught systematically. Vocabulary building. Daily homework includes grammar exercises, short answers, reading, or writing short compositions. Frequent vocabulary and grammar quizzes. (Students completing this course fulfill Columbia College and Barnard language requirement.) No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.

As of academic year 2016-17, this course is now MDES 2516. This course offers an intensive review of the Hebrew verb system in one semester. (Students completing this course fulfill Columbia College and Barnard language requirement.) No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.

As of academic year 2016-17, this course is now MDES 2517. Hebrew for Heritage Speakers I forms part of a year-long sequence with Hebrew for Heritage Speakers II. The course is intended for those who have developed basic speaking and listening skills through exposure to Hebrew at home or in day-school programs but do not use Hebrew as their dominant language and have not reached the level required for exemption from the Columbia language requirement. Heritage speakers differ in the degree of their fluency, but their vocabulary is often limited to topics in daily life and many lack skills in reading and writing to match their ability to converse. The course focuses on grammar and vocabulary enrichment, exposing students to a variety of cultural and social topics in daily life and beyond. By the end of the semester students are able to read and discuss simple texts and write about a variety of topics. Successful completion of the year-long sequence prepares students to enroll in third-year modern Hebrew. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.

As of academic year 2016-17, this course is now MDES 2518. Hebrew for Heritage Speakers II forms the second part of a year-long sequence with Hebrew for Heritage Speakers I. The course is intended for those who have developed basic speaking and listening skills through exposure to Hebrew at home or in day-school programs but do not use Hebrew as their dominant language and have not reached the level required for exemption from the Columbia language requirement. Heritage speakers differ in the degree of their fluency, but their vocabulary is often limited to topics in daily life and many lack skills in reading and writing to match their ability to converse. The course focuses on grammar and vocabulary enrichment, exposing students to a variety of cultural and social topics in daily life and beyond. By the end of the semester students are able to read and discuss simple texts and write about a variety of topics. Successful completion of the year-long sequence prepares students to enroll in third-year modern Hebrew. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.

As of academic year 2016-17, this course is now MDES 1601.  An introduction to the most widely spoken language of South Asia. Along with an understanding of the grammar, the course offers practice in listening and speaking. The Hindi (Devanagari) script is used for reading and writing. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.

As of academic year 2016-17, this course is now MDES 1602. An introduction to the most widely spoken language of South Asia. Along with an understanding of the grammar, the course offers practice in listening and speaking. The Hindi (Devanagari) script is used for reading and writing. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.

As of academic year 2016-17, this course is now MDES 2601. Continuing practice in listening, speaking, and grammatical understanding. Along with the Hindi (Devanagari) script, the Urdu (Perso-Arabic) script is taught in the class; both scripts are used for reading and writing. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.

As of academic year 2016-17, this course is now MDES 2602. Continuing practice in listening, speaking, and grammatical understanding. Along with the Hindi (Devanagari) script, the Urdu (Perso-Arabic) script is taught in the class; both scripts are used for reading and writing. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.

As of academic year 2016-17, this course is now MDES 1701. An introduction to the spoken and written language of contemporary Iran. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.

As of academic year 2016-17, this course is now MDES 1702. An introduction to the spoken and written language of contemporary Iran. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.

As of academic year 2016-17, this course is now MDES 2701. A general review of the essentials of grammar; practice in spoken and written Persian; Arabic elements in Persian; selected readings emphasizing Iranian life and culture; materials from Tajikistan and Afghanistan, Indari. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.

As of academic year 2016-17, this course is now MDES 2702.  A general review of the essentials of grammar; practice in spoken and written Persian; Arabic elements in Persian; selected readings emphasizing Iranian life and culture; materials from Tajikistan and Afghanistan, Indari. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.

As of academic year 2016-17, this course is now MDES 1901.  An introduction to the written and spoken language of Turkey. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.

As of academic year 2016-17, this course is now MDES 1902.  An introduction to the written and spoken language of Turkey. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.

As of academic year 2016-17, this course is now MDES 2901. A continuation of the study of the written and spoken language of Turkey, with readings of literary, historical, and other texts. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.

As of academic year 2016-17, this course is now MDES 2902. A continuation of the study of the written and spoken language of Turkey, with readings of literary, historical, and other texts. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.

This course will focus on key debates that have shaped the study of Africa in the post-colonial African academy. We will cover seven key debates: (1) Historiography; (2) Slavery and slave trades; (3) State Formation; (4) Colonialism; (5) Underdevelopment; (6) Nationalism and the anti-colonial struggle; (7) Political Identity and political violence in the post-colony. Partial Fulfillment of Global Core Requirement.

This course is an overview of Indian philosophy, starting in the first millennium BCE and ending just prior to European colonization, and encompassing Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain thinkers. The readings will introduce a diversity of philosophical traditions—including but not limited to the “six schools”—through the ideas and debates that defined them. Points of focus will include epistemology, aesthetics, hermeneutics, and the philosophy of language. Broader themes will include philosophy as a cross-cultural enterprise, the ways that philosophical traditions were constituted and reconstituted over their history, the ways they interacted with each other, and the relationship between philosophy and religion.

Further develops students' written and oral proficiency in order to allow them to function adequately in a Tamil-speaking environment. Of particular interest to students planning to conduct scholarly research or fieldwork in a Tamil-speaking context. Develops the students' appreciation for the rich culture of the Indian subcontinent where Tamil is spoken. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.

This course offers an intensive review of the Hebrew verb system in one semester. (Students completing this course fulfill Columbia College and Barnard language requirement.) No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.

The epic scale of Indian cinema - three hour long films, song and dance sequences, spectacular larger than life films sets, elaborate costumes and star systems, temples and elections devoted to stars - lends itself easily to accounts that run from gentle mockery to an enthusiastic acclaim. This course will offer a historical and thematic introduction to Hindi language commercial Indian cinema, also known more commonly as Bollywood with a particular focus on the themes of gender, selfhood and identity (masculinity as well as female sexuality). Screenings will include iconic and popular films like: Mother India (1957), Guide (1965), Deewar (1975), Saleem Langde Pe Mat Ro (1989), Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge (1995), The Dirty Picture (2011), and Kahaani (2012).

Gandhi is in two senses an extraordinary figure: he was the most important leader of anti-imperialist movements in the twentieth century; yet, his ideas about modernity, the state, the industrial economy, technology, humanity’s place in nature, the presence of God – were all highly idiosyncratic, sometimes at odds with the main trends of modern civilization. How did a man with such views come to have such an immense effect on history? In some ways, Gandhi is an excellent entry into the complex history of modern India – its contradictions, achievements, failures, possibilities. This course will be primarily a course on social theory, focusing on texts and discursive exchanges between various perceptions of modernity in India. It will have two parts: the first part will be based on reading Gandhi’s own writings; the second, on the writings of his main interlocutors. It is hoped that through these exchanges students will get a vivid picture of the intellectual ferment in modern India, and the main lines of social and political thought that define its intellectual culture. The study in this course can be followed up by taking related courses in Indian political thought, or Indian politics or modern history. This course may not be taken as Pass/D/Fail.

Required of all majors. Introduces theories of culture particularly related to the Middle East, South Asia. and Africa. Theoretical debates on the nature and function of culture as a symbolic reading of human collectivities. Examines critical cultural studies of the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa. Enables students to articulate their emerging knowledge of Middle East, South Asian, and African cultures in a theoretically informed language. 

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In South Africa, the seventy years have seen the legislation of institutionalized racism in the policy known as apartheid; decades of protest and repression; and the emergence of popular movements in South Africa and abroad that compelled the apartheid state to enter a process of negotiation that would ultimately lead to its own demise in the democratic elections of 1994. This course traces the multiple, profoundly important roles that literature and other cultural production have played in the consolidation of apartheid, as well as its demise and aftermath. Although many of our texts were originally written in English, we will discuss the historical forces that have shaped the linguistic texture of South African cultural life.

This course offers an introduction to East African history and society. It is intended primarily for those who have taken an introductory course in African studies, such as MDES W2030 Major Debates in the Study of Africa or AFCV 1020 African Civilization, or similar courses in South Asian or Middle Eastern studies. Students read anthropological and historical studies of the region, alongside works of literature by a number of leading East African writers. The course emphasizes the historical role of the Swahili coast and Swahili language as forces that shaped an interconnected world stretching far inland and across the Indian Ocean, but that also shaped adversity and antagonisms.CC/GS/SEAS: Partial Fulfillment of Global Core Requirement.

Students in the regular third-year Arabic track improve reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills through close reading, compositions, class discussions, and presentations in Arabic on topics such as cultures of the Arab world, classical and modern Arabic literature, and contemporary Arabic media. Review of grammatical and syntactic rules as needed. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.

This course aims at students improving further their language proficiency. It aims at students getting introduced to the long and continuous literary history of Tamil by reading non-contemporary Tamil writings, sometimes the ancient Tamil literary works.

This course aims at students improving further their language proficiency. It aims at students getting introduced to the long and continuous literary history of Tamil by reading non-contemporary Tamil writings, sometimes the ancient Tamil literary works.  

The course focuses on vocabulary building and on development of reading skills, using adapted literary and journalistic texts with and without vowels. Verb categories of Pu'al and Huf'al are taught systematically. Other verb forms are reviewed in context. A weekly hour is devoted to practice in conversation. Daily homework includes reading, short answers, compositions, listening to web-casts, and giving short oral presentations via voice e-mail. Frequent vocabulary quizzes. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.

Focus on transition from basic language towards authentic Hebrew, through reading of un-adapted literary and journalistic texts without vowels. Vocabulary building. Grammar is reviewed in context. A weekly hour is devoted to practice in conversation. Daily homework includes reading, short answers, short compositions, listening to web-casts, or giving short oral presentations via voice e-mail. Frequent vocabulary quizzes. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.

Introduction to modern, secular Hebrew culture of the last two hundred years,  to distinguish it from the continuity of traditional Jewish culture, delineate some of its salient features and hint at its scope and depth.

The course, based on Zionist texts of various kinds, will offer a view of Zionism as a cultural revolution aimed at redefining Judaism and the Jewish Identity.

The course traces the development of Israeli literature since its inception in the 1940s to the end of the twentieth century. It ponders the why and the how of its separation from the earlier Hebrew literature, focuses the new issues it tackled and the new themes and forms in which these issues were expressed. Both major poets (Alterman, Amicahi, Zach, Ravikovich et al.), and major novelists (Yizhar, Shamir, Oz, Yehoshua, Shabtai, et al.) will be discussed. Texts can be read in the original Hebrew or in English translations.

Advanced Hindi I and II are third year courses in the Hindi-Urdu program that aim to continue building upon the existing four language skills (speaking, listening, reading and writing) along with grammar and vocabulary in a communicative approach.  The objective of these courses is to strengthen students’ language skills and to go beyond them to understand and describe situations and the speech community, understand and discuss Hindi literature and films, news items, T.V. shows and current events. Students will also be given opportunities to work on their areas of interest such as popular culture, professional and research goals in the target language. Students will be expected to expand their vocabulary, enhance grammatical accuracy and develop cultural appropriateness through an enthusiastic participation in classroom activities and immersing themselves in the speech community outside. This course will be taught in the target language.  All kinds of conversations such as daily life, on social/public interests’ topics as well as on academic interests, will occur in the target language. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.

Advanced Hindi I and II are third year courses in the Hindi-Urdu program that aim to continue building upon the existing four language skills (speaking, listening, reading and writing) along with grammar and vocabulary in a communicative approach.  The objective of these courses is to strengthen students’ language skills and to go beyond them to understand and describe situations and the speech community, understand and discuss Hindi literature and films, news items, T.V. shows and current events. Students will also be given opportunities to work on their areas of interest such as popular culture, professional and research goals in the target language. Students will be expected to expand their vocabulary, enhance grammatical accuracy and develop cultural appropriateness through an enthusiastic participation in classroom activities and immersing themselves in the speech community outside. This course will be taught in the target language.  All kinds of conversations such as daily life, on social/public interests’ topics as well as on academic interests, will occur in the target language. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.

While helping students advance their levels of oral and written expression, this course focuses on literature of the modern and medieval periods, with particular emphasis on the development of the modern novella and traditional and new forms of poetry. In addition to literature, students are introduced to a wide variety of genres from political and cultural essays and blogs to newspaper translations of the early 20th century. They will be further exposed to ta´rof in reference to a wide variety of socio-cultural contexts and be expected to use ta´rof in class conversations. Students will be exposed to popular artists and their works and satirical websites for insight into contemporary Iranian culture and politics. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.

While helping students advance their levels of oral and written expression, this course focuses on literature of the modern and medieval periods, with particular emphasis on the development of the modern novella and traditional and new forms of poetry. In addition to literature, students are introduced to a wide variety of genres from political and cultural essays and blogs to newspaper translations of the early 20th century. They will be further exposed to ta´rof in reference to a wide variety of socio-cultural contexts and be expected to use ta´rof in class conversations. Students will be exposed to popular artists and their works and satirical websites for insight into contemporary Iranian culture and politics.

Introduces a wide range of social and intellectual issues and developments in Iranian history from the early Islamic period to the establishment of the Safavids.  The inseparable social and intellectual dimensions of the unique cultural experience.

The Safavid period and the inseparable social and intellectual dimensions of one unique cultural experience as it developed in flourished under the Safavids.

The two levels of advanced Sanskrit are given in alternate years. In 2015-2016, court literature (fall) and literary criticism (spring) will be offered; in 2016-2017, philosophy. Close reading of major works, exploring both philological and literary-theoretical aspects of the texts. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.

The two levels of advanced Sanskrit are given in alternate years. In 2015-2016, court literature (fall) and literary criticism (spring) will be offered; in 2016-2017, philosophy. Close reading of major works, exploring both philological and literary-theoretical aspects of the texts. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.

This course explores the emerging field of the environmental history of the Middle East. It offers new perspectives for rethinking the history of the region in ecological terms from the effect of climate change on early modern empires to the centrality of water and hydrocarbons to the colonial and postcolonial transformations of the 19th and 20th centuries. Prior coursework in the history and/or politics of the Middle East is recommended.

This seminar offers an interdisciplinary approach to the study of the history of African cities. It cuts across disciplinary boundaries of history, geography, anthropology, political and cultural sociology, literature and cultural studies, to explore the vaious trajectories of urbanization on the continent.

This interdisciplinary course acquaints students with ‘genocide’ as a term, concept, and sociopolitical reality. The coursework is geographically and thematically comparative with readings in sociology, history, journalism, law, and philosophy. Students are expected to engage with the following questions: What is genocide? How do historical, social, and political factors contribute to and limit its definition? How are perpetrators and victims identified and to what ends?

This course investigates continuities and breaks in religious, scientific, and political institutions and discourses during the long history of the Ottoman Empire. It will begin with an overview of of Islamic and Greek intellectual legacies. The course will be divided into three parts focusing on three major periods of Ottoman history: formative, early modern, and modern periods. An important aspect of the course is to consider developments in the Ottoman Empire in connection with the other contemporary societies. Hence, we will situate developments in the Ottoman history within the larger hisotrical changes in Euroasia by reading both primary and secondary sources.

Through reading articles and essays by Arab thinkers and intellectuals, students will be able to increase their fluency and accuracy in Arabic while working on reading text and being exposed to the main themes in Arab thought The course works with all four skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing). Arabic is the language of instruction. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.

Through reading articles and essays by Arab thinkers and intellectuals, students will be able to increase their fluency and accuracy in Arabic while working on reading text and being exposed to the main themes in Arab thought The course works with all four skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing). Arabic is the language of instruction. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.

Through reading articles and essays by Arab thinkers and intellectuals, students will be able to increase their fluency and accuracy in Arabic while working on reading text and being exposed to the main themes in Arab thought The course works with all four skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing). Arabic is the language of instruction. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.

Advanced instruction in the Armenian dialect. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.

Readings in Armenian Texts is the highest-level language course offered by the Armenian Language Program at MEALAC. It is designed for students who have a good foundation of the language or have attained the equivalent of Intermediate level Armenian and wish to perfect their knowledge of grammar while developing their skills in independent reading. The content of the course will change each term. Students will be introduced to a variety of fiction and non-fiction texts in Armenian. Texts will consist of full length short stories and newspaper articles as well as excerpts from lengthier works, all in modern Western Armenian. The emphasis will be on analyzing context, syntax and grammatical structures as clues towards comprehension. In addition to grammar and vocabulary analysis, students will produce translations, brief summaries and commentaries on the texts they read, both orally and in written form. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.

The objective of this course is to discuss Ottoman Armenian women’s intellectual history in relation to the gender and sexuality discourses of the late Ottoman society. This course also aims to familiarize the students with the debates that have been shaping the Ottoman feminist historiography for the last two decades. The first part of the course has a specific focus on the beginnings of the feminist thought and feminist activism in Europe and the US. It introduces primary texts by feminist writers around the world and offers a historical/theoretical background to understand the main issues of women’s liberation movement(s) in the Ottoman Empire. The second part of the course invites students to develop a critical understanding of Ottoman Armenian modernity from a gendered perspective. It aims to grasp the ways in which Armenian women took part in shaping the gender order of modern Armenian society. It situates this discussion within the transformation of the communal/inter- communal/state-community relationships in the Ottoman Empire and the re-organization of the political sphere. The last part of the class focuses on women’s activism during and in the aftermath of the Genocide.

Major representations of Jewish passivity in poetry and prose.

The fiction of S.J. Agnon as a literary nexus which ties modernity and the Jewish religious tradition. The Weltanschauung thematics and generic and stylistic development of Agnon's work analyzed as manifestations of confluence.

The course introduces students to the riches of the classical Hindi tradition. We read bhakti and Sufi literature in tandem, with a special interest in Tulsidas and the Indo-Islamic romance. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.

This is a one-semester course for those upper level undergraduate and graduate students who have an advanced level of proficiency in Hindi. This course is designed to develop students’ pedagogical and analytical skills in Hindi and to prepare them to teach Hindi in the language classroom. It aims to review grammatical and socio-cultural features of Hindi and expose students to pedagogical methodologies and practices of Hindi. Topics include teaching grammar (inflectional and derivational features of nominal and verbal phrases, types of clauses, and syntactic features of simple and complex sentences), registers, and communicative competence.  It will discuss student-centered learning, task-based learning, and the use of technology in teaching, and methods for working with different categories of learners at the beginning, intermediate, and advanced levels. One collective activity will be to review and analyze current textbooks and web resources so that students are fully familiar with existing materials and engage critically with current pedagogical practice. At the end of the course, students will understand key issues in Hindi language pedagogy, learn to develop lesson plans, design a curriculum and teach a Hindi class independently.

This course is a a literary course, with in-depth exposure to some of the finest works of classical and modern Urdu prose and poetry. In the fall semester, our focus will be on some of the most famous Urdu short stories while, in the spring semester, we will focus on various genres of Urdu poetry. The content may change each semester. This course is open to both undergraduates and graduates. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.

This course is designed for undergraduate students to be a survey course of modern Pakistani history from 1947 to the present. The course will examine the six "eras" that help define Pakistan's history, and will highlight political, economic and institutional developments.  The completion of this course should prepare students for further and more advanced work on South Asia.

This course is designed to expose students to Persian texts from a variety of temporal periods and geographic regions. The first half of the semester will focus on a single genre across regions and time periods, while the second half of the semester will consist of readings from various poetic and prose genres, in consideration of student interests. Spring 2015 we will spend the first half of the semester reading biographical commemorative compendia (tazkirahs), a rich genre for the study of Persianate poetry, culture, societies and politics. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.

  As of academic year 2016-17, this course is now MDES W3901. Advanced Turkish I is designed to use authentic Turkish materials around projects that are chosen by the student in a research seminar format where students conduct their own research and share it in class in a friendly atmosphere. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.

Intermediate Otttoman deals with authentic Ottoman texts from the early 18th and 19th centuries. The class uses Turkish as the primary language for instruction, and students are expected to translate assigned texts into Turkish or English. A reading packet will include various authentic archival materials in rika, talik and divani styles. Whenever possible, students will be given texts that are related to their areas of interest. Various writing styles will be dealt with on Ottoman literature, history, and archival documents. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.

Intermediate Otttoman deals with authentic Ottoman texts from the early 18th and 19th centuries. The class uses Turkish as the primary language for instruction, and students are expected to translate assigned texts into Turkish or English. A reading packet will include various authentic archival materials in rika, talik and divani styles. Whenever possible, students will be given texts that are related to their areas of interest. Various writing styles will be dealt with on Ottoman literature, history, and archival documents. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.

This course offers students an introduction to the basic structures of Pulaar, a major language of West Africa. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.

This course offers students an introduction to the basic structures of Pulaar, a major language of West Africa. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.

This course further develops a student's knowledge of Pulaar, a major language of West Africa. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.

This course further develops a student's knowledge of Pulaar, a major language of West Africa. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.

Essentials of grammar, basic vocabulary, practice in speaking and reading Swahili the most widely used indigenous language of East Africa. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.

Essentials of grammar, basic vocabulary, practice in speaking and reading Swahili the most widely used indigenous language of East Africa. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.

A review of the essentials of Swahili grammar; detailed analysis of Swahili texts; practice in conversation. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.

A review of the essentials of Swahili grammar; detailed analysis of Swahili texts; practice in conversation. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.

As of academic year 2016-17, this course is now SWHL 2101.  A review of the essentials of Swahili grammar; detailed analysis of Swahili texts; practice in conversation. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.

As of academic year 2016-17, this course is now SWHL 2102. A review of the essentials of Swahili grammar; detailed analysis of Swahili texts; practice in conversation. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.

As of academic year 2016-17, this course is now SWHL 3301. An introduction to the advanced syntactical, morphological, and grammatical structures of Swahili grammar; detailed analysis of Swahili texts; practice in conversation. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.

As of academic year 2016-17, this course is now SWHL 3302. An introduction to the advanced syntactical, morphological, and grammatical structures of Swahili grammar; detailed analysis of Swahili texts; practice in conversation. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.

Introduction to the basic grammatical structures of Wolof, a major language of West Africa spoken in Senegal and Gambia. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.

Introduction to the basic grammatical structures of Wolof, a major language of West Africa spoken in Senegal and Gambia. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.

Further develops a student's knowledge of Wolof, a major language of West Africa spoken primarily in Senegal and Gambia. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.

As of academic year 2016-17, this course is now WLOF 2101.  Further develops a student's knowledge of Wolof, a major language of West Africa spoken primarily in Senegal and Gambia. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.

As of academic year 2016-17, this course is now WLOF 2102.  Further develops a student's knowledge of Wolof, a major language of West Africa spoken primarily in Senegal and Gambia. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.