Turkish
The courses below are offered through the Department of Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies.
For questions about specific courses, contact the department.
Language Placement
African Languages: Mariame Sy, 310 Knox
212-851-2439
sms2168 [[at]] columbia [[dot]] edu (sms2168[at]columbia[dot]edu)
Web: http://www.columbia.edu/cu/mesaas/languages/african/
Arabic: Taoufik Ben-Amor, 308 Knox
212-854-2895
tb46 [[at]] columbia [[dot]] edu (tb46[at]columbia[dot]edu)
Web: http://www.columbia.edu/cu/mesaas/languages/arabic/
Hebrew: Rina Kreitman, 413 Knox
212-854-6519
rk2617 [[at]] columbia [[dot]] edu (rk2617[at]columbia[dot]edu)
Web: http://www.columbia.edu/cu/mesaas/languages/hebrew/
Hindi-Urdu: Rakesh Ranjan, 411 Knox
212-851-4107
rr2574 [[at]] columbia [[dot]] edu (rr2574[at]columbia[dot]edu)
Web: http://www.columbia.edu/cu/mesaas/languages/hindiurdu/
Persian: Ghazzal Dabiri, 313 Knox
212-854-6664
gd2287 [[at]] columbia [[dot]] edu (gd2287[at]columbia[dot]edu)
Web: http://www.columbia.edu/cu/mesaas/languages/persian/
Sanskrit: Guy Leavitt, 311 Knox
212-854-1304
gl2392 [[at]] columbia [[dot]] edu
Web: http://www.columbia.edu/cu/mesaas/languages/sanskrit/
Tamil: Sam Sudanandha, 309 Knox
212-854-4702
dss2121 [[at]] columbia [[dot]] edu (dss2121[at]columbia[dot]edu)
Web: http://www.columbia.edu/cu/mesaas/languages/tamil/
Turkish: Zuleyha Colak, 313 Knox
212-854-0473
zc2208 [[at]] columbia [[dot]] edu (zc2208[at]columbia[dot]edu)
Web: http://www.columbia.edu/cu/mesaas/languages/turkishottoman/
Placement Test
Enrollment in language courses is, in some cases, determined by placement examinations. Contact the department or visit the department's website for additional information. Please note: language courses may not be taken Pass/Fail nor may they be audited.
For questions about specific courses, contact the department.
Courses
Readings in translation and discussion of texts of Middle Eastern and Indian origin. Readings may include the Quran, Islamic philosophy, Sufi poetry, the Upanishads, Buddhist sutras, the Bhagavad Gita, Indian epics and drama, and Gandhis Autobiography.
Course Number
AHUM1399V002Format
In-PersonPoints
4 ptsFall 2025
Times/Location
Mo 14:10-16:00Section/Call Number
002/10599Enrollment
20 of 20Instructor
Elaine van DalenThis seminar is an exploration of some "great books" from the Middle East and South Asia. We will read books, plays, stories, and poems in English translation that were originally written in Arabic, Persian, Bangla, Sanskrit. From the Thousand and One Nights to an Arabic epic about a warrior princess to the Bhagavad Gita, we will examine themes of storytelling, gender, politics, and the nature of divinity. With the exception of one Sudanese novel, we will be focusing on texts from the premodern period, and our focus will be on how to interpret texts, develop arguments about those texts, and learning about cultures of reading and writing in the past.
Course Number
AHUM1399W001Format
In-PersonPoints
4 ptsFall 2025
Times/Location
Tu 10:00-12:00Section/Call Number
001/00400Enrollment
16 of 16Instructor
Nathanael ShelleyThis course explores the core classical literature in Chinese, Japanese and Korean Humanities. The main objective of the course is to discover the meanings that these literature offer, not just for the original audience or for the respective cultures, but for us. As such, it is not a survey or a lecture-based course. Rather than being taught what meanings are to be derived from the texts, we explore meanings together, informed by in-depth reading and thorough ongoing discussion.
Course Number
AHUM1400V001Format
In-PersonPoints
4 ptsFall 2025
Times/Location
We 12:10-14:00Section/Call Number
001/10915Enrollment
25 of 25Instructor
Allison BernardThis course explores the core classical literature in Chinese, Japanese and Korean Humanities. The main objective of the course is to discover the meanings that these literature offer, not just for the original audience or for the respective cultures, but for us. As such, it is not a survey or a lecture-based course. Rather than being taught what meanings are to be derived from the texts, we explore meanings together, informed by in-depth reading and thorough ongoing discussion.
Course Number
AHUM1400V002Format
In-PersonPoints
4 ptsFall 2025
Times/Location
Tu 16:10-18:00Section/Call Number
002/10916Enrollment
20 of 25Instructor
John PhanThis course explores the core classical literature in Chinese, Japanese and Korean Humanities. The main objective of the course is to discover the meanings that these literature offer, not just for the original audience or for the respective cultures, but for us. As such, it is not a survey or a lecture-based course. Rather than being taught what meanings are to be derived from the texts, we explore meanings together, informed by in-depth reading and thorough ongoing discussion.
Course Number
AHUM1400V003Format
In-PersonPoints
4 ptsFall 2025
Times/Location
Mo 14:10-16:00Section/Call Number
003/10917Enrollment
25 of 25Instructor
Seong-Uk KimThis course explores the core classical literature in Chinese, Japanese and Korean Humanities. The main objective of the course is to discover the meanings that these literature offer, not just for the original audience or for the respective cultures, but for us. As such, it is not a survey or a lecture-based course. Rather than being taught what meanings are to be derived from the texts, we explore meanings together, informed by in-depth reading and thorough ongoing discussion.
Course Number
AHUM1400V004Format
In-PersonPoints
4 ptsFall 2025
Times/Location
Tu 14:10-16:00Section/Call Number
004/10918Enrollment
0 of 25Instructor
Michael ComoThis course explores the core classical literature in Chinese, Japanese and Korean Humanities. The main objective of the course is to discover the meanings that these literature offer, not just for the original audience or for the respective cultures, but for us. As such, it is not a survey or a lecture-based course. Rather than being taught what meanings are to be derived from the texts, we explore meanings together, informed by in-depth reading and thorough ongoing discussion.
Course Number
AHUM1400V005Format
In-PersonPoints
4 ptsFall 2025
Times/Location
We 14:10-16:00Section/Call Number
005/00389Enrollment
20 of 25Instructor
David MoermanThis course explores the core classical literature in Chinese, Japanese and Korean Humanities. The main objective of the course is to discover the meanings that these literature offer, not just for the original audience or for the respective cultures, but for us. As such, it is not a survey or a lecture-based course. Rather than being taught what meanings are to be derived from the texts, we explore meanings together, informed by in-depth reading and thorough ongoing discussion.
Course Number
AHUM1400V006Format
In-PersonPoints
4 ptsFall 2025
Times/Location
Th 14:10-16:00Section/Call Number
006/15629Enrollment
0 of 20Instructor
Yifan ZhangThis course explores the core classical literature in Chinese, Japanese and Korean Humanities. The main objective of the course is to discover the meanings that these literature offer, not just for the original audience or for the respective cultures, but for us. As such, it is not a survey or a lecture-based course. Rather than being taught what meanings are to be derived from the texts, we explore meanings together, informed by in-depth reading and thorough ongoing discussion.
Course Number
AHUM1400V007Format
In-PersonPoints
4 ptsFall 2025
Times/Location
Mo 16:10-18:00Section/Call Number
007/15626Enrollment
0 of 20Instructor
Guoying GongIntroduction to Indian civilization with attention to both its unity and its diversity across the Indian subcontinent. Consideration of its origins, formative development, fundamental social institutions, religious thought and practice (Vedic, Buddhist, Jain, Hindu, Muslim, and Sikh), literary and artistic achievements, and modern challenges.
Students must register for a section of ASCM UN2358.
Course Number
ASCM2357V001Format
In-PersonPoints
4 ptsFall 2025
Times/Location
Tu 11:40-12:55Th 11:40-12:55Section/Call Number
001/00267Enrollment
60 of 60Instructor
Rachel McDermottCourse Number
CLME3928W001Format
In-PersonPoints
3 ptsFall 2025
Times/Location
Tu 14:10-16:00Section/Call Number
001/10245Enrollment
28 of 25Instructor
Muhsin Al-MusawiThis course covers the epistemologies and main theological and philosophical standpoints of a wide range of Islamic intellectual traditions. It will explore how different groups of scholars accumulated knowledge of God and the universe in the Classical Islamic world, a period which in many ways can be considered formative for contemporary Islam. We focus on various bodies of knowledge as these were developed from the 7th-c. 13th centuries AD. Each week covers a separate theological, philosophical, or scientific tradition, after which the class will explore the tensions and syntheses between various competing worldviews.
Course Number
CLME4210W001Format
In-PersonPoints
4 ptsFall 2025
Times/Location
Th 12:10-14:00Section/Call Number
001/10243Enrollment
10 of 20Instructor
Elaine van DalenCourse Number
CLME4226G001Format
In-PersonPoints
4 ptsFall 2025
Times/Location
We 14:10-16:00Section/Call Number
001/10246Enrollment
20 of 22Instructor
Muhsin Al-MusawiThis course introduces the Islamic world from the lifetime of the Prophet Muhammad (d. 632) to 1500 CE. The Islamic world stretches across a remarkable geographical expanse from modern Spain and Senegal in the west to the north of modern India in the east. Telling one cohesive story out of many histories is therefore challenging, even if we had a full lifetime to devote to it. We cannot include everything and, as with every complicated story worth knowing, what we choose to exclude is important. This semester, we bypass some of the traditional narratives of political and military history, which privilege the rise and fall of dynasties, the rule of great men, and the clashes of armies. We will still organize along political lines, but the focus of our conversations will be the incredible diversity of the various communities in the Islamic world. We approach these histories through primary sources— poems, coins, buildings, etc.—that we will read together in every class meeting. Our goal will be to situate each source in the political, cultural, and religious contexts of its production. This approach will allow us to appreciate premodern Islamic worlds through the centuries.
Through the assignments and conversations in class and section, students will
- Explore the diversity of premodern Islam;
- Analyze primary sources produced in the Islamic world before 1500, both individually and as a class;
- Engage with modern scholarship about Islam in India and Central Asia; the Middle East; North, West, and East Africa; and Southern Europe;
- Construct a source-based argument about the Islamic world before 1500.
Course Number
MDES1003W001Format
In-PersonPoints
4 ptsFall 2025
Times/Location
Mo 10:10-11:25We 10:10-11:25Section/Call Number
001/10136Enrollment
60 of 60Instructor
Sarah bin TyeerDiscussion section to accompany the course, MDES UN1003 Premodern Islamic Worlds.
Course Number
MDES1004W001Format
In-PersonPoints
0 ptsFall 2025
Times/Location
Tu 10:10-11:00Section/Call Number
001/14279Enrollment
3 of 15Instructor
Sarah bin TyeerDiscussion section to accompany the course, MDES UN1003 Premodern Islamic Worlds.
Course Number
MDES1004W002Format
In-PersonPoints
0 ptsFall 2025
Times/Location
Tu 11:10-12:00Section/Call Number
002/14276Enrollment
3 of 15Instructor
Sarah bin TyeerDiscussion section to accompany the course, MDES UN1003 Premodern Islamic Worlds.
Course Number
MDES1004W003Format
In-PersonPoints
0 ptsFall 2025
Times/Location
Th 14:10-15:00Section/Call Number
003/14277Enrollment
9 of 15Instructor
Sarah bin TyeerDiscussion section to accompany the course, MDES UN1003 Premodern Islamic Worlds.
Course Number
MDES1004W004Format
In-PersonPoints
0 ptsFall 2025
Times/Location
Th 15:10-16:00Section/Call Number
004/14278Enrollment
3 of 15Instructor
Sarah bin TyeerThis undergraduate course offered in the context of the Global Core component of the Core Curriculum is an examination of the globally popular HBO series “Game of Thrones” as a prototype for a comparative understanding of the larger question of epics and empires. In this course we expand the domains of our interests and inquiries far wider and divide our syllabus into four parts: (1) Westeros: The Mythic Empire; (2) Persia: The First Empire, (3) America: The Last Empire; and (4) On Epics and Empires. Our objective will be to examine the main themes and overall arch of “Game of Thrones” into wider mythic, heroic, and transhistorical dimensions of our contemporary history.
Course Number
MDES1030W001Format
In-PersonPoints
4 ptsFall 2025
Times/Location
Th 10:10-11:25Tu 10:10-11:25Section/Call Number
001/10137Enrollment
201 of 180Instructor
Hamid DabashiDiscussion section to accompany the course, "Game of Thrones": On Epics and Empires.
Course Number
MDES1031C001Format
In-PersonPoints
0 ptsFall 2025
Times/Location
Tu 17:10-18:00Section/Call Number
001/14282Enrollment
12 of 15Discussion section to accompany the course, "Game of Thrones": On Epics and Empires.
Course Number
MDES1031C002Format
In-PersonPoints
0 ptsFall 2025
Times/Location
Tu 18:10-19:00Section/Call Number
002/14283Enrollment
5 of 15Discussion section to accompany the course, "Game of Thrones": On Epics and Empires.
Course Number
MDES1031C003Format
In-PersonPoints
0 ptsFall 2025
Times/Location
We 17:10-18:00Section/Call Number
003/14284Enrollment
9 of 15Discussion section to accompany the course, "Game of Thrones": On Epics and Empires.
Course Number
MDES1031C004Format
In-PersonPoints
0 ptsFall 2025
Times/Location
We 18:10-19:00Section/Call Number
004/14286Enrollment
2 of 15Discussion section to accompany the course, "Game of Thrones": On Epics and Empires.
Course Number
MDES1031C005Format
In-PersonPoints
0 ptsFall 2025
Times/Location
We 10:10-11:00Section/Call Number
005/14313Enrollment
2 of 15Discussion section to accompany the course, "Game of Thrones": On Epics and Empires.
Course Number
MDES1031C006Format
In-PersonPoints
0 ptsFall 2025
Times/Location
We 11:10-12:00Section/Call Number
006/14314Enrollment
3 of 15Discussion section to accompany the course, "Game of Thrones": On Epics and Empires.
Course Number
MDES1031C007Format
In-PersonPoints
0 ptsFall 2025
Times/Location
Fr 10:10-11:00Section/Call Number
007/14315Enrollment
0 of 15Discussion section to accompany the course, "Game of Thrones": On Epics and Empires.
Course Number
MDES1031C008Format
In-PersonPoints
0 ptsFall 2025
Times/Location
Fr 11:10-12:00Section/Call Number
008/14316Enrollment
0 of 15Discussion section to accompany the course, "Game of Thrones": On Epics and Empires.
Course Number
MDES1031C009Format
In-PersonPoints
0 ptsFall 2025
Times/Location
Th 12:10-13:00Section/Call Number
009/14762Enrollment
2 of 15Discussion section to accompany the course, "Game of Thrones": On Epics and Empires.
Course Number
MDES1031C010Format
In-PersonPoints
0 ptsFall 2025
Times/Location
Th 13:10-14:00Section/Call Number
010/14763Enrollment
4 of 15Discussion section to accompany the course, "Game of Thrones": On Epics and Empires.
Course Number
MDES1031C011Format
In-PersonPoints
0 ptsFall 2025
Times/Location
Th 14:10-15:00Section/Call Number
011/14764Enrollment
0 of 15Discussion section to accompany the course, "Game of Thrones": On Epics and Empires.
Course Number
MDES1031C012Format
In-PersonPoints
0 ptsFall 2025
Times/Location
Th 15:10-16:00Section/Call Number
012/14765Enrollment
0 of 15This course surveys the history of Ancient Israel and Judah from the ancestral stories through the end of the Persian period. It offers an introduction to both the biblical narrative and the archaeological research. The focus is on history – what is known, how it is known, and who writes it – and is intended for anyone who wants an introduction to the Bible or the place of Israel and Judah in the context of the Ancient Near East. Through an examination of the epigraphical, archaeological, and biblical sources, students will become familiar with the materials that scholars use to investigate history, but more importantly, they will be encouraged to evaluate these narratives about the past for themselves.
The course consists of a lecture and a recitation. All students must be registered for and attend both. The lectures will contextualize the required readings and primary sources, and students will participate in discussions about them in recitation.
Course Number
MDES1033W001Points
4 ptsFall 2025
Times/Location
Mo 16:10-17:25We 16:10-17:25Section/Call Number
001/00401Enrollment
8 of 18Instructor
Nathanael ShelleyCourse Number
MDES1034W001Points
0 ptsFall 2025
Times/Location
Tu 12:10-13:00Section/Call Number
001/00404Enrollment
0 of 12Instructor
Nathanael ShelleyCourse Number
MDES1034W002Points
0 ptsFall 2025
Times/Location
Mo 15:10-16:00Section/Call Number
002/00405Enrollment
1 of 12Instructor
Nathanael ShelleyAn introduction to the language of classical and modern Arabic literature. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.
Course Number
MDES1210W001Format
In-PersonPoints
5 ptsFall 2025
Times/Location
Mo 10:10-11:15Tu 10:10-11:15We 10:10-11:15Th 10:10-11:15Section/Call Number
001/10094Enrollment
4 of 12Instructor
Nasr AbdoAn introduction to the language of classical and modern Arabic literature. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.
Course Number
MDES1210W002Format
In-PersonPoints
5 ptsFall 2025
Times/Location
Mo 11:40-12:45Tu 11:40-12:45We 11:40-12:45Th 11:40-12:45Section/Call Number
002/10095Enrollment
2 of 12Instructor
Rym BettaiebAn introduction to the language of classical and modern Arabic literature. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.
Course Number
MDES1210W003Format
In-PersonPoints
5 ptsFall 2025
Times/Location
Mo 16:10-17:15Tu 16:10-17:15We 16:10-17:15Th 16:10-17:15Section/Call Number
003/10096Enrollment
9 of 12Instructor
Reem FarajAn introduction to the language of classical and modern Arabic literature. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.
Course Number
MDES1210W004Format
In-PersonPoints
5 ptsFall 2025
Times/Location
Mo 14:40-15:45Tu 14:40-15:45We 14:40-15:45Th 14:40-15:45Section/Call Number
004/10097Enrollment
9 of 12Instructor
May AhmarPrerequisites: First Year Arabic I or instructor permission. An introduction to the language of classical and modern Arabic literature. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.
Course Number
MDES1211W001Format
In-PersonPoints
5 ptsFall 2025
Times/Location
Mo 10:10-11:15Tu 10:10-11:15We 10:10-11:15Th 10:10-11:15Section/Call Number
001/10098Enrollment
4 of 12Instructor
Ouijdane AbsiIn 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.
Course Number
MDES1301W001Format
In-PersonPoints
4 ptsFall 2025
Times/Location
Mo 16:10-18:00We 16:10-18:00Section/Call Number
001/10133Enrollment
0 of 10Instructor
Charry KaramanoukianCourse Number
MDES1401W001Format
In-PersonPoints
4 ptsFall 2025
Times/Location
Mo 09:10-10:00Tu 09:10-10:00We 09:10-10:00Th 09:10-10:00Section/Call Number
001/10121Enrollment
5 of 15Instructor
Jay RameshThis 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.
Course Number
MDES1501W001Format
In-PersonPoints
5 ptsFall 2025
Times/Location
Mo 08:50-09:55Tu 08:50-09:55We 08:50-09:55Th 08:50-09:55Section/Call Number
001/10106Enrollment
7 of 12Instructor
Illan GonenThis 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.
Course Number
MDES1501W002Format
In-PersonPoints
5 ptsFall 2025
Times/Location
Mo 10:10-11:15Tu 10:10-11:15We 10:10-11:15Th 10:10-11:15Section/Call Number
002/10107Enrollment
2 of 12Instructor
Illan GonenCourse Number
MDES1601W001Format
In-PersonPoints
5 ptsFall 2025
Times/Location
Mo 16:10-17:15Tu 16:10-17:15We 16:10-17:15Th 16:10-17:15Section/Call Number
001/10124Enrollment
15 of 15Instructor
Aftab AhmadCourse Number
MDES1608W001Format
In-PersonPoints
5 ptsFall 2025
Times/Location
Mo 14:40-15:45Tu 14:40-15:45We 14:40-15:45Th 14:40-15:45Section/Call Number
001/10126Enrollment
15 of 15Instructor
Rakesh RanjanPrerequisites: a knowledge of basic vocabulary and limited speaking and listening skills in Urdu. 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.
Course Number
MDES1614W001Format
In-PersonPoints
5 ptsFall 2025
Times/Location
Mo 14:40-15:45Tu 14:40-15:45We 14:40-15:45Th 14:40-15:45Section/Call Number
001/10127Enrollment
11 of 15Instructor
Aftab AhmadCourse Number
MDES1701W001Format
In-PersonPoints
4 ptsFall 2025
Times/Location
Mo 12:10-14:00We 12:10-14:00Section/Call Number
001/10113Enrollment
6 of 20Instructor
Saeed HonarmandCourse Number
MDES1901W001Format
In-PersonPoints
4 ptsFall 2025
Times/Location
Mo 14:10-16:00We 14:10-16:00Section/Call Number
001/10116Enrollment
3 of 15Instructor
Zuleyha FikretCourse Number
MDES2101W001Format
In-PersonPoints
4 ptsFall 2025
Times/Location
Mo 13:10-14:00Tu 13:10-14:00We 13:10-14:00Th 13:10-14:00Section/Call Number
001/10123Enrollment
6 of 15Instructor
Jay RameshPrerequisites: MDES W1210-W1211 or the equivalent. A continuation of the study of the language of contemporary writing. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.
Course Number
MDES2201W001Format
In-PersonPoints
5 ptsFall 2025
Times/Location
Mo 10:10-11:15Tu 10:10-11:15We 10:10-11:15Th 10:10-11:15Section/Call Number
001/10099Enrollment
0 of 12Instructor
Rym BettaiebPrerequisites: MDES W1210-W1211 or the equivalent. A continuation of the study of the language of contemporary writing. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.
Course Number
MDES2201W002Format
In-PersonPoints
5 ptsFall 2025
Times/Location
Mo 08:50-09:55Tu 08:50-09:55We 08:50-09:55Th 08:50-09:55Section/Call Number
002/10100Enrollment
8 of 12Instructor
Nasr AbdoPrerequisites: MDES W1210-W1211 or the equivalent. A continuation of the study of the language of contemporary writing. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.
Course Number
MDES2201W003Format
In-PersonPoints
5 ptsFall 2025
Times/Location
Mo 16:10-17:15Tu 16:10-17:15We 16:10-17:15Th 16:10-17:15Section/Call Number
003/10101Enrollment
5 of 12Instructor
May AhmarPrerequisites: MDES W1210-W1211 or the equivalent. A continuation of the study of the language of contemporary writing. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.
Course Number
MDES2202W001Format
In-PersonPoints
5 ptsFall 2025
Times/Location
Mo 11:40-12:45Tu 11:40-12:45We 11:40-12:45Th 11:40-12:45Section/Call Number
001/10102Enrollment
4 of 12Instructor
Ouijdane AbsiCourse Number
MDES2208W001Format
In-PersonPoints
5 ptsFall 2025
Times/Location
Mo 10:10-11:00Tu 10:10-11:00We 10:10-11:00Th 10:10-11:00Section/Call Number
001/10093Enrollment
9 of 15Instructor
Youssef NouhiCourse Number
MDES2301W001Format
In-PersonPoints
4 ptsFall 2025
Times/Location
Tu 16:10-18:00Th 16:10-18:00Section/Call Number
001/10134Enrollment
2 of 10Instructor
Charry KaramanoukianCourse Number
MDES2401W001Format
In-PersonPoints
4 ptsFall 2025
Times/Location
Th 10:10-12:00Tu 10:10-12:00Section/Call Number
001/10122Enrollment
1 of 15Instructor
Jay RameshCourse Number
MDES2501W001Format
In-PersonPoints
5 ptsFall 2025
Times/Location
Mo 11:40-12:45Tu 11:40-12:45We 11:40-12:45Th 11:40-12:45Section/Call Number
001/10108Enrollment
9 of 12Instructor
Danielle Katz-ShenharThis course focuses on Modern Hebrew grammar, and verb conjugation in particular. It is designed for students with substantial knowledge of Modern Hebrew. Over the semester, students will systematically review the grammatical patterns of regular verbs (shlemim), and learn the grammatical patterns of the irregular verbs (gzarot), as well as several other grammatical topics. After successful completion of this course, the foreign language requirement will be fulfilled (for students of Columbia College and other academic units that require a 4th-semester proficiency). Successful completion of this course also allows students to register in third-year Modern Hebrew.
Course Number
MDES2516W001Format
In-PersonPoints
4 ptsFall 2025
Times/Location
Mo 11:40-12:55We 11:40-12:55Th 11:40-12:55Section/Call Number
001/10109Enrollment
5 of 12Instructor
Illan GonenCourse Number
MDES2517W001Format
In-PersonPoints
4 ptsFall 2025
Times/Location
Mo 10:10-11:25We 10:10-11:25Th 10:10-11:25Section/Call Number
001/10110Enrollment
9 of 12Instructor
Danielle Katz-ShenharThis course will prepare you for effective and meaningful communication in all modes. It will consolidate your already acquired listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills and help you acquire higher proficiency in Hindi. You will continue learning common Urdu words in Hindi in the Devanagari Script. The Urdu Script is not taught in this course.
Students will expand their knowledge base of the society and culture of the target languages in this course. They will be introduced to new grammatical structures and will be taught a broad range of vocabulary. They will also be exposed to a variety of authentic materials, including Hindi literature, newspapers, folk tales, films, songs, and other kinds of written and audio-visual materials. This material will be related to language functions in daily personal and social life situations. At the completion of this course, students will be well-equipped to initiate and sustain general conversations. They will successfully handle most of the uncomplicated communications in personal and social situations. Students will also be able to write letters and compositions. The course is based on national standards and proficiency guidelines as set by the American Council of Teaching Foreign Languages (ACTFL).
Course Number
MDES2601W001Format
In-PersonPoints
5 ptsFall 2025
Times/Location
Mo 13:10-14:15Tu 13:10-14:15We 13:10-14:15Th 13:10-14:15Section/Call Number
001/10128Enrollment
8 of 15Instructor
Rakesh RanjanPrerequisites: Elementary Persian II or the equivalent. This course involves reading, writing, translating, conversation and grammatical foundations for Persian Language (PL). The materials are selected from two books: Āmuzesh-e Fārsi: Intermediate Level (required) and English-Persian Dictionary, plus verb system and charts (recommended). These books are assigned and have to be available to every student. There are also handouts, which will be provided throughout the course. This course serves as intermediate and makes students able to read and compose proper Persian language as well as the colloquial one. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.
Course Number
MDES2701W001Format
In-PersonPoints
4 ptsFall 2025
Times/Location
Mo 10:10-12:00We 10:10-12:00Section/Call Number
001/10114Enrollment
10 of 15Instructor
Saeed HonarmandCourse Number
MDES2901W001Format
In-PersonPoints
4 ptsFall 2025
Times/Location
Mo 12:10-14:00We 12:10-14:00Section/Call Number
001/10117Enrollment
6 of 15Instructor
Zuleyha FikretRequired 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.
Course Number
MDES3000W001Format
In-PersonPoints
4 ptsFall 2025
Times/Location
Mo 11:40-12:55We 11:40-12:55Section/Call Number
001/10138Enrollment
23 of 30Instructor
Debashree MukherjeeCourse Number
MDES3005W001Format
In-PersonPoints
0 ptsFall 2025
Times/Location
Th 10:10-11:00Section/Call Number
001/14754Enrollment
0 of 15Course Number
MDES3005W002Format
In-PersonPoints
0 ptsFall 2025
Times/Location
Th 11:10-12:00Section/Call Number
002/14755Enrollment
0 of 15In this course, we will approach Fanon’s question through our understanding of violence as it was
invented and deployed from the heart of empire into the colonies. What is fascism and how was it
linked to colonialism, if at all? In what ways were they dependent on each other to conceive a
certain world order, particularly between World War I and II? In other words, how did fascist
visions and colonial practices from the imperial core import repressive structures of violence into
the colonies, and then export those methods of control back into the metropole as a perpetual
renewable source of power?
This course examines the Mediterranean as a site of violence and a theater of “fire and blood,” in
which the inextricable and dialogical bond between colonialism and fascism are tied through
mythologies, discourses, institutions, and of course, revolution. In so doing, we interrogate
Tunisian writer Albert Memmi’s critical intervention of “colonial fascism” that shapes the
confrontations between metropole and colony as an intricate network shaping the contours of the
Mediterranean and renewing itself through violence. It also focuses on the rhetoric undergirding
colonial and fascist discourses, and the counterinsurgent and resistance strategies that, in turn,
challenge these hegemonies. By situating this particular Mediterranean narrative within the
broader colonial discourse, the course encourages critical reflection on the enduring legacies of
imperial power that informs the region’s historical trajectories
Course Number
MDES3254W001Format
In-PersonPoints
3 ptsFall 2025
Times/Location
Th 14:10-16:00Section/Call Number
001/13912Enrollment
15 of 15Instructor
Maryam SiddiquiHistorians frequently situate Armenia between two powers: between Rome and Persia, then Byzantium and Islam. This class will shake up the usual “between-two-worlds” paradigm, which places Armenia and Armenians in the crosshairs of world powers. Instead, we will study Armenians as active participants in world dramas, at the center of global developments. Our main goal will be to draw upon a variety of sources to tell the story of Armenia and Armenians: histories, poems, art, coins, buildings, etc.
Goals
- Critically assess what it means to study history. [Why are we learning this?]
- Analyze primary sources, whether written or material. [How can we study this?]
- Engage with modern scholarship on Armenian experiences. [How have other people studied this?]
Course Number
MDES3335W001Format
In-PersonPoints
3 ptsFall 2025
Times/Location
Tu 10:10-12:00Section/Call Number
001/10139Enrollment
20 of 20Instructor
Alison VaccaThis course examines how societies grapple with the legacy of mass violence through an exploration of historical texts, memoirs, novels, films, textbooks, litigation, and media reports and debates. Focusing on case studies of the Herero Genocide, the Armenian genocide during WWI, and the Holocaust and “Comfort Women” during WWII, students will investigate the crime and its sequelae. We will explore how societies deal with skeletons in their closets (from engaging in a conspiracy of silence, trivialization, rationalization, and denial to acknowledgment and reparations); analyze texts of official apologies and non-apologies; survey responses of survivors and their descendants (with particular attention to post-memory, multidirectional memory, forgiveness, anger and resentment, and the pursuit of redress); and dissect public debates on modern day issues that recall past atrocities.
Course Number
MDES3357W001Format
In-PersonPoints
3 ptsFall 2025
Times/Location
Mo 16:10-18:00Section/Call Number
001/12953Enrollment
30 of 30Instructor
Khatchig MouradianThis seminar, designed for seniors, aims to acquaint students with the notion and theoretical understanding of culture and to introduce them to a critical method by which they can study and appreciate contemporary culture in the Arab World. The seminar will survey examples of written and cinematic culture (fiction and autobiography), as well as music, dance, and literary criticism in the contemporary Arab world. Students will be reading novels, autobioghraphies and literary criticism, as well as watch films and listen to music as part of the syllabus. All material will be in translation. Films will be subtitled. Songs will be in Arabic.
Course Number
MDES3920W001Format
In-PersonPoints
3 ptsFall 2025
Times/Location
We 16:10-18:00Section/Call Number
001/10155Enrollment
12 of 25Instructor
Joseph MassadPrerequisites: minimum GPA of 3.5 in MESAAS courses. The MESAAS honors seminar offers students the opportunity to undertake a sustained research project under close faculty supervision. The DUS advises on general issues of project design, format, approach, general research methodologies, and timetable. In addition, students work with an individual advisor who has expertise in the area of the thesis and can advise on the specifics of method and content. The thesis will be jointly evaluated by the adviser, the DUS, and the honors thesis TA. The DUS will lead students through a variety of exercises that are directly geared to facilitating the thesis. Students build their research, interpretive, and writing skills; discuss methodological approaches; write an annotated bibliography; learn to give constructive feedback to peers and respond to feedback effectively. The final product is a polished research paper in the range of 40-60 pages. Please note: This is a one-year course that begins in the fall semester (1 point) and continues through the spring semester (3 points). Only students who have completed both semesters will receive the full 4 points of credit.
Course Number
MDES3960W001Format
In-PersonPoints
1 ptsFall 2025
Times/Location
Th 12:10-14:00Section/Call Number
001/10140Enrollment
3 of 20Instructor
Debashree MukherjeeCourse Number
MDES4210W001Format
In-PersonPoints
5 ptsFall 2025
Times/Location
Mo 08:50-09:55Tu 08:50-09:55We 08:50-09:55Th 08:50-09:55Section/Call Number
001/10103Enrollment
10 of 12Instructor
Youssef NouhiCourse Number
MDES4212W001Format
In-PersonPoints
4 ptsFall 2025
Times/Location
Mo 10:10-12:00We 10:10-12:00Section/Call Number
001/10104Enrollment
3 of 10Instructor
Taoufik Ben-AmorCourse Number
MDES4218W001Format
In-PersonPoints
4 ptsFall 2025
Times/Location
Tu 14:10-16:00Th 14:10-16:00Section/Call Number
001/10105Enrollment
5 of 15Instructor
Reem FarajAdvanced instruction in the Armenian dialect. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.
Course Number
MDES4310W001Format
In-PersonPoints
3 ptsFall 2025
Times/Location
Fr 11:10-13:00Section/Call Number
001/10135Enrollment
0 of 10Instructor
Charry KaramanoukianCourse Number
MDES4502W001Format
In-PersonPoints
4 ptsFall 2025
Times/Location
Mo 12:10-14:00We 12:10-14:00Section/Call Number
001/10111Enrollment
6 of 12Instructor
Naama HarelCourse Number
MDES4510W001Format
In-PersonPoints
4 ptsFall 2025
Times/Location
Mo 10:10-12:00We 10:10-12:00Section/Call Number
001/10112Enrollment
7 of 12Instructor
Naama HarelCourse Number
MDES4624W001Format
In-PersonPoints
5 ptsFall 2025
Times/Location
Th 10:10-12:00Tu 10:10-12:00Section/Call Number
001/10129Enrollment
5 of 10Instructor
Rakesh RanjanCourse Number
MDES4640W001Format
In-PersonPoints
4 ptsFall 2025
Times/Location
Tu 18:10-20:00Th 18:10-20:00Section/Call Number
001/10130Enrollment
5 of 15Instructor
Aftab AhmadWhile 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.
Course Number
MDES4710W001Format
In-PersonPoints
3 ptsFall 2025
Times/Location
Mo 14:10-16:00We 14:10-16:00Section/Call Number
001/10115Enrollment
6 of 15Instructor
Saeed HonarmandThis course constitutes the first half of a year-long advanced reading course in Classical Sanskrit. In 2021-2022, the focus of Advanced Sanskrit will be the genres of literary theory (alaṅkāraśāstra) and belles-lettres (kāvya). Lending equal attention to literary theory and literary practice, this course will introduce students to iconic works of Sanskrit literature along with the interpretive frameworks whereby they were analyzed, relished, and appraised. Literary excerpts may be drawn from an array of subgenres, including courtly epic (mahākāvya), epic drama (nāṭaka), literary prose (gadya), and individual verses (muktaka). Rigorous analysis of primary texts will be supplemented by occasional discussions about what implications the disciplined reading of kāvya may hold for practices such as translation, comparative literature, and transdisciplinarity. Prerequisites: Intermediate Sanskrit II or instructor’s permission.
Course Number
MDES4810W001Format
In-PersonPoints
4 ptsFall 2025
Times/Location
Tu 14:10-16:00Th 14:10-16:00Section/Call Number
001/10120Enrollment
3 of 15Instructor
Jonathan PetersonThis course will focus on the Indo-Islamic literary traditions in South Asia, and particularly in what is now India and Pakistan, focusing on Urdu literature from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The course will emphasize the rhetorical and performative history of poetic forms in the subcontinent (including the forms of the Ghazal and Nauha, among others) and will consider how classical poetic tropes continue to inform contemporary mass culture in India and Pakistan—particularly in the song lyrics of Hindi/Bollywood cinema. The course will also consider more contemporary prose genres of Urdu-language writing (in English translation), including the literature of the Partition and the works of contemporary authors such as Naiyer Masud and Saima Iram.
Through a comparative study of texts in different genres and at different moments in history, students will consider questions such as: What aspects of contemporary literary culture in India and Pakistan can be traced to early establishment of Islamic culture in the region? How have the poetic conventions of Indo-Islamic poetry continued to resonate? How did the interaction of Hindu and Muslim literary, musical, visual, and religious cultures in the Mughal era help to generate the rich profusion of literature and music and cultural tolerance in this period?
Most of our readings in this course will Urdu literature in English translation. We will also, however, read some secondary sources in order to help us better understand the primary sources.
Course Number
MDES4825W001Format
In-PersonPoints
4 ptsFall 2025
Times/Location
Th 10:10-12:00Section/Call Number
001/10154Enrollment
11 of 20Instructor
Timsal MasudCourse Number
MDES4910W001Format
In-PersonPoints
3 ptsFall 2025
Times/Location
Tu 14:40-15:55Th 14:40-15:55Section/Call Number
001/10118Enrollment
3 of 15Instructor
Zuleyha FikretCourse Number
MDES4926W001Format
In-PersonPoints
3 ptsFall 2025
Times/Location
Tu 14:40-15:55Th 14:40-15:55Section/Call Number
001/10119Enrollment
4 of 15Instructor
Dilek OztoprakCourse Number
MDES5000G001Format
In-PersonPoints
4 ptsFall 2025
Times/Location
Mo 16:10-18:00Section/Call Number
001/10309Enrollment
7 of 25Instructor
Wael HallaqCourse Number
MDES6008G001Format
In-PersonPoints
2 ptsFall 2025
Times/Location
Th 16:10-18:00Section/Call Number
001/10141Enrollment
12 of 25Instructor
Alison VaccaThis seminar is based entirely on the primary sources of Ṣūfism, including the writings of Qushayrī, Nūrī, Muḥāsibī, Sarrāj, Ghazālī, Hujwīrī, Ibn ʿArabī, Suhrawardī, Shaʿrānī, and al-Ḥakīm al-Tirmidhī. We will explore how the leading Ṣūfīs saw themselves and the ways in which they articulated their identity. This is also articulated in the ways they organized their works and constructed the biographies of their ethical exemplars. We will study their major concepts and descriptions of their own experiences, and then theorize their subjective formations as “hermeneutics of the subject.” Inasmuch as this seminar is about how we study and view Ṣūfism, it is also as much about the various ways this conception of the world can inform a basis of a set of critiques of modernity and its epistemologies and practices.
Course Number
MDES6236G001Format
In-PersonPoints
4 ptsFall 2025
Times/Location
Tu 16:10-18:00Section/Call Number
001/10310Enrollment
13 of 15Instructor
Wael HallaqThis course is designed to introduce the student to key debates in the study of societies marked by the centrality of settler-native relations: We shall focus on four key debates: (a) how to conceptualize extreme violence, as criminal or political; (b) the relationship of perpetrators to beneficiaries; (c) the significance of human rights institutions, from the Nuremberg Court to the International Criminal Court to the question of decolonization: and (d) the making of a political community of survivors after catastrophe. The class will be organized around several case studies: (a) Ireland; (b) the Americas; (c) Haiti; (d) Australia; (e) the Nuremberg Court; (f) South Africa; and (g) Israel / Palestine.
Course Number
MDES6410G001Format
In-PersonPoints
4 ptsFall 2025
Times/Location
Tu 10:10-12:00Section/Call Number
001/10244Enrollment
20 of 20Instructor
Mahmood MamdaniCOURSE DESCRIPTION
This graduate seminar situates the history of photography within the history of colonial productions of tropicality, and the concomitant occupation of tropical places. Specific regimes of vision accompanied the European conquest of peoples and lands, undergirded the racialization of bodies, and colluded in epistemic binaries of centers and peripheries. At the same time, modern visual media did not possess an intrinsically “colonial gaze.” Rather, many of the same apparatuses of seeing and representation proved to be powerful tools in the assertion of minoritized selves, be it in fugitive , playful, or explicitly confrontational forms. Our focus will be on 19th -20th century lens-based image production, particularly photography. Each week we will acquaint ourselves with concepts and methods that will help us read images, situate current decolonial debates in visual studies within older foundational debates on vision and visuality, and read key texts in historiography. Weekly readings are curated as per a spatial logic, retracing the itineraries of colonial adventurism and control: from the ship to the island, the plantation, the prison, and the laboratory. This seminar is designed mainly for doctoral students; Masters students can join with instructor permission.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
• Familiarity with foundational debates in photography studies.
• Ability to articulate the relationship between a history of vision, the production of space, and the epistemic techniques of colonialism.
• A comparative history of colonized islands and archipelagoes construed as “tropical.”
• Methods in postcolonial, anti-colonial, and decolonial reading of texts and images.
Course Number
MDES6625G001Format
In-PersonPoints
4 ptsFall 2025
Times/Location
We 14:10-16:00Section/Call Number
001/13613Enrollment
8 of 15Instructor
Debashree MukherjeeCourse Number
MDES8008G001Format
In-PersonPoints
0 ptsFall 2025
Section/Call Number
001/10142Enrollment
2 of 20Instructor
Gil HochbergThis course aims to familiarize graduate students with the different methods and approaches that US and European scholars have used to study gender and sexuality in other societies generally, and the way they study them in the context of the Arab World specifically. The course will also explore how Arab scholars have also studied their own societies. We will survey these different approaches, both theoretical and empirical, outlining their methodological difficulties and limitations. Readings will consist of theoretical elaborations of these difficulties and the methodological and empirical critiques that the field itself has generated in order to elaborate how gender and sexuality in the Arab World have been studied, or more accurately, not studied, and how many of these methodological pitfalls can be avoided.