2024-2025 Catalog

AANL 10101-10102-10103. Elementary Hittite I-II-III.

This three-quarter sequence covers the basic grammar and cuneiform writing system of the Hittite language. It also familiarizes students with the field’s tools (i.e., dictionaries, lexica, sign list). Readings come from all periods of Hittite history (1650 to 1180 BC).

AANL 20302. Luwian-2: Second Millennium Texts. 100 Units.

This course focuses on the Hieroglyphic Luwian inscriptions of the second millennium BC. Since Hieroglyphic Luwian I (AANL 20301) is required this course will not offer a grammatical overview but start with the texts immediately.

Instructor(s): Goedegebuure, Petra     Terms Offered: Winter
Prerequisite(s): AANL 20301/1 Hieroglyphic Luwian I

AANL 20501. Lycian. 100 Units.

This course introduces the grammar and writing system of the Lycian language of the first millennium BC (ca. 500 to 300). After reading a series of tomb inscriptions, we venture into the larger historical inscriptions that include the Lycian-Greek-Aramaic trilingual of Xanthos.

Instructor(s): P. Goedegebuure     Terms Offered: Spring
Prerequisite(s): Elementary Hittite or consent from instructor
Equivalent Course(s): AANL 30501, ANCM 30800

ARAB 10101-10102-10103. Elementary Arabic I-II-III.

This sequence concentrates on the acquisition of speaking, reading, and aural skills in modern formal Arabic. The class meets for five days a week, 50 minutes each day.

ARAB 10123. Summer Intensive Arabic Level 1. 300 Units.

Summer Intensive Arabic Level I is an eight-week course designed to introduce complete novices to the fundamentals of Arabic in the four language skills (speaking, listening, reading, and writing). Classes are small and use the Alif Baa' and al-Kitaab textbook (2nd edition), supplemented by authentic materials, both to learn the language and to experience the culture. Cultural proficiency is an integral part of the language instruction (forms of address, youth phrases, phrases used among intimate friends,etc.). Students will spend 4-5 hours per day practicing using Arabic in classroom activities and should plan on studying an additional 3-4 hours most afternoons and evenings. In addition to class time, a full day trip to an Arab neighborhood in Chicago provides an opportunity to use Arabic in an authentic cultural context. Cultural exposure will also be supplemented through guest speakers, songs, and films. At the conclusion of the course, students can expect to have mastered the sounds and shapes of the Arabic alphabet and to be able to speak about themselves and their world in Modern Standard Arabic, as well as to engage in conversations about familiar topics with native speakers, to comprehend basic texts, and to use some common phrases in colloquial Egyptian and Shaami.

Instructor(s): Staff     Terms Offered: Summer

ARAB 10250. Colloquial Levantine Arabic. 100 Units.

Spoken Levantine Arabic is a proficiency-based course designed to develop the linguistic skills necessary for personal day-to-day life. The course focuses on spoken rather than Standard written Arabic, and will therefore target primarily the oral/aural skills. Through the knowledge of Modern Standard Arabic and the introduction of colloquial vocabulary, expressions and grammar, the course will build the students' competence in spoken Arabic. Students will also be introduced to the Levantine culture of Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and Palestine.

Instructor(s): O. abu-Eledam     Terms Offered: Autumn

ARAB 10257. Colloquial Levantine Arabic II. 100 Units.

Colloquial Levantine Arabic is a proficiency-based course designed to develop the linguistic skills necessary for personal day-to-day life. The course focuses on spoken rather than Standard written Arabic, and will therefore target primarily the oral/aural skills. Through the knowledge of Modern Standard Arabic and the introduction of colloquial vocabulary, expressions and grammar, the course will build the students' competence in spoken Arabic. Students will also be introduced to the Levantine culture.

Instructor(s): Osama Abu-Eledam     Terms Offered: Winter

ARAB 15002. Elementary Arabic in Jerusalem. 100 Units.

ARAB 15003. Intermediate Arabic in Jerusalem. 100 Units.

ARAB 15004. Intermediate Arabic in Jerusalem. 100 Units.

ARAB 15005. Advanced Arabic in Jerusalem. 100 Units.

ARAB 15006. Advanced Arabic in Jerusalem. 100 Units.

ARAB 15007. Elementary Arabic in Cairo. 100 Units.

Elementary Arabic in Cairo

ARAB 15008. Elementary Arabic in Cairo. 100 Units.

Elementary Arabic in Cairo

ARAB 15009. Intermediate Arabic in Cairo. 100 Units.

Intermediate Arabic in Cairo

ARAB 15010. Intermediate Arabic in Cairo. 100 Units.

Intermediate Arabic in Cairo

ARAB 15011. Advanced Arabic in Cairo. 100 Units.

Advanced Arabic in Cairo

ARAB 15012. Advanced Arabic in Cairo. 100 Units.

Advanced Arabic in Cairo

ARAB 15013. Elementary Arabic in Morocco. 100 Units.

ARAB 15014. Elementary Arabic in Morocco. 100 Units.

ARAB 15015. Intermediate Arabic in Morocco. 100 Units.

ARAB 15016. Intermediate Arabic in Morocco. 100 Units.

ARAB 15017. Advanced Arabic in Morocco. 100 Units.

ARAB 15018. Advanced Arabic in Morocco. 100 Units.

ARAB 15019. Elementary Arabic in Granada. 100 Units.

ARAB 15020. Elementary Arabic in Granada. 100 Units.

ARAB 15021. Intermediate Arabic in Granada. 100 Units.

ARAB 15022. Intermediate Arabic in Granada. 100 Units.

ARAB 15023. Advanced Arabic in Granada. 100 Units.

ARAB 15024. Advanced Arabic in Granada. 100 Units.

ARAB 20100. Intermediate Modern Arabic for CPS Students. 100 Units.

StarTalk Arabic-Year 2

ARAB 20101-20102-20103. Intermediate Arabic I-II-III.

This sequence concentrates on speaking, reading, and aural skills at the intermediate level of modern formal Arabic.

ARAB 20110. Arabic for STEM. 100 Units.

Arabic for STEM is an advanced Arabic course that aims to develop students' ability to communicate about science, technology, engineering, and math in Arabic. Over the course of the term, students build towards two parallel goals: (1) to be able to provide science and math tutoring in Arabic at the elementary or high school level, and (2) for STEM majors, to be able to discuss their studies in Arabic, or, for non-STEM majors, to be able to discuss current technical topics of interest in Arabic. Students work towards these goals by studying a series of modules, for example: mathematics & statistics, chemistry & climate change, physics & space exploration, and data & artificial intelligence.

Instructor(s): Aidan Kaplan     Terms Offered: Winter
Prerequisite(s): 3 years of Arabic

ARAB 20111. Arabic for Business. 100 Units.

For both graduates and undergraduates. Arabic for business is designed to improve your everyday spoken and written Arabic and specially to promote fluency in business communication. This course explores the language of Arabic business as used in readings, correspondence, and documents. It prepares students for successful communication in the Arabic-speaking business world. The course builds upon students' existing knowledge with an emphasis on practical, real-life business applications of Arabic language vocabulary, structure and functionality. Additionally, its aim is to provide students with the basic cross-cultural understanding, and the accuracy in spoken and written communication necessary to effectively participate in the Arabic speaking business world.

Instructor(s): Osama Abu Eledam     Terms Offered: Winter
Prerequisite(s): Students are required to have an equivalent of Intermediate Arabic or permission from the instructor.

ARAB 20114. Introduction to Arabic Linguistics. 100 Units.

This course is an introduction to Arabic linguistics, the scientific study of language and its structure.

Instructor(s): Zainab Hermes     Terms Offered: Winter
Prerequisite(s): three years of Arabic or the consent of the instructor.

ARAB 20115. Colloquial Egyptian Arabic Language and Culture I. 100 Units.

Colloquial Egyptian Arabic Language and Culture I

Instructor(s): Zainab Hermes     Terms Offered: Autumn

ARAB 20116. Colloquial Egyptian Arabic Language and Culture II. 100 Units.

Colloquial Egyptian Arabic Language and Culture

Instructor(s): Hala Abdel Mobdy     Terms Offered: Winter

ARAB 20117. Colloquial Egyptian Arabic Language and Culture III. 100 Units.

This is the third course in the sequence of "Colloquial Egyptian Arabic Language & Culture". In this course, students will engage in the activation and development of the language taught in the previous 2 courses through engaging with content domains of relevance in 2025. Students will activate their proficiency in colloquial Egyptian across all 4 skills. The materials students will read and listen to will be selected based on their authenticity and relevance. This input will help students achieve a practical proficiency in the productive skills (speaking and writing). The course will have a number of quizzes and mini-presentations, and one final creative project that involves all 4 skills (research, writing, listening, and oral presentation) as well as culture.

Instructor(s): Noha Forster     Terms Offered: Spring
Prerequisite(s): Colloquial Egyptian Arabic Language and Culture I & II or instructor's permission

ARAB 20123. Summer Intensive Arabic Level II. 300 Units.

Summer Intensive Arabic Level 2 is designed for students who have completed the equivalent of Alif Baa' and al-Kitaab Part One. In this 8-week summer course in Arabic, instructors will make full use of the abundant online resources and real-time interactions with native speakers to achieve the course objective of intermediate high proficiency in the four skills. Students will improve and refine their language skills using al-Kitaab part 2 (3rd edition), along with authentic film and video clips, social media posts, songs, stories, poems, and articles. Cultural proficiency is an integral part of the language instruction, as students immerse themselves in readings (literary and journalistic) and engage in conversations with their classmates and with guest lecturers/presenters. Students will also extend their language and cultural skills by working on songs and film extracts. The class will help students develop their ability to initiate and sustain discussion on topics of general interest and to present information and simple narratives in Modern Standard Arabic; to understand a wide range of written genres in Arabic, including formal writing, journalistic texts, and less formal styles; to write and speak with increasing accuracy and fluency; and to carry out basic research with non-technical texts.

Instructor(s): Staff     Terms Offered: Summer

ARAB 20410. Introduction to Arabic and Islamic Studies. 100 Units.

This course is designed for graduate students who wish to learn about the tools, primary and secondary sources, references, journals, distinct subfields, and electronic resources available to researchers in Arabic and Islamic Studies. We will acquire first-hand knowledge and practice of basic skills that will help professionalize students in the field, and will discuss methodological and historiographical issues related to the study of Islamicate civilization in various historical, cultural, political, and religious frameworks.

Instructor(s): Mehmetcan Akpinar     Terms Offered: Autumn
Prerequisite(s): Basic ability to work with Classical Arabic is required.
Note(s): This course meets the HS Committee distribution requirement for Divinity students.
Equivalent Course(s): NEHC 20410, RLST 20410, ISLM 40010, ARAB 40010, NEHC 40010

ARAB 20601. High Intermediate Modern Standard Arabic I. 100 Units.

High Intermediate Arabic, the modern track, provides students with a full academic year to activate the language and grammar studied in the first two years, while expanding their cultural and literary knowledge of the Arab world. This three-quarter sequence is taught in Arabic and focuses on all four language skills. The purpose of this sequence is conceived of functionally (what can students do) rather than with an eye to finishing a given textbook. It will have reached its objective if each student leaves with a clearly improved ability to produce oral and written Arabic in a variety of contexts (personal and professional correspondence, description, prescription, comparison narration, argumentation, etc.), to listen and understand spoken MSA, and to read a variety of texts (short stories, a novel, media writing, poetry, social media, opinion pieces, etc.) and a deepened understanding of the diversity of the Arab experience. An important component of the course is taking the learning outside the classroom: through visits to an Arab neighborhood, interviews of Arabs in Chicago, producing a play.

Instructor(s): Noha Forster     Terms Offered: Autumn
Prerequisite(s): ARAB 20103 or equivalent
Note(s): Open to qualified undergraduates with consent of the instructor

ARAB 20602. High Intermediate Modern Standard Arabic II. 100 Units.

Arabic Through Debate: Taking debate as its central fulcrum, the course will develop all four language skills: debaters must read on the proposition topic, prepare their arguments in writing, speak clearly to an audience, and listen carefully to their team mates and to the arguments of the opposing team. In the process, they will be immersed in Arab culture (targeted expressions and historical references, of-the-moment issues, etc.). Course Objectives a) Expanding student vocabulary and structures into the abstract, analytic realm, i.e., placing them solidly in the advanced ACTFL levels (see descriptions of ACTFL standards/levels: https://www.actfl.org/sites/default/files/pdfs/public/ACTFLProficiencyGuidelines2012_FINAL.pdf b) Improving student speech techniques: pronunciation, intonation/voice modulation, pausing, emphasis, gesturing, visual communication c) Improving listening and writing skills and expanding them to include topics of general and academic interest d) Through a thoughtful selection of debate propositions, exposing students to some salient social, cultural, and political themes of importance to the Arab public e) Sharpening the logical argumentative skills of students

Instructor(s): Noha Forster     Terms Offered: Winter
Prerequisite(s): ARAB 20601 or equivalent

ARAB 20603. High Intermediate Modern Standard Arabic III. 100 Units.

Arabic Through Extensive Reading In this course, students will read a whole work, most often, but not exclusively, a novel or play. Nevertheless, the course advances student proficiency in all 4 skills. Naturally, reading is a central activity of this course. Students in the Intermediate High range* can expect to either feel more solidly comfortable in that level, or to go beyond it to the Advanced level. Students will improve their writing through a number of essays/reflections on the novel. The course is taught in Arabic, so, students will be negotiating meaning amongst themselves by discussing the novel. In addition, the presentational mode will be exercised in a series of prepared class presentations. To improve their listening skills, students will work on video materials connected to the novel, testing their abilities through worksheets. While no new grammar will be introduced in a formal manner, as students read the novel and use the writing book, they will be reviewing grammar studied earlier. In addition to the novel, students will benefit from guest speakers in our classroom.

Instructor(s): Hala Abdel Mobdy     Terms Offered: Spring
Prerequisite(s): ARAB 20602 or equivalent

ARAB 20701. High Intermediate Classical Arabic I. 100 Units.

The high intermediate (third year) classical Arabic class is intended for students who have learned the essentials of modern fuṣḥā and who are beginning to read with some fluency. The goal is that by the end of the year, they will have mastered the essential features of classical grammar, as it differs from modern standard practice; that they will have significantly expanded their vocabulary, particularly as related to classical texts; that they will have read excerpts from a range of classical genres and will be able to tackle new texts on their own. Students with an interest in exploring the textual world of classical and medieval Islam will develop the necessary skills to engage with primary Arabic texts with increased confidence.

Instructor(s): Mehmetcan Akpinar     Terms Offered: Autumn
Prerequisite(s): ARAB 20103 or equivalent

ARAB 20702. High Intermediate Classical Arabic II. 100 Units.

Second quarter of Classical High Intermediate Arabic

Instructor(s): Mehmetcan Akpinar     Terms Offered: Winter
Prerequisite(s): ARAB 20701 or equivalent

ARAB 20703. High Intermediate Classical Arabic III. 100 Units.

Third quarter of Classical High Intermediate Arabic

Instructor(s): Mehmetcan Akpinar     Terms Offered: Spring
Prerequisite(s): ARAB 20702 or equivalent

ARAB 29001. Arabic Through Film. 100 Units.

This course immerses the student in Arabic through the genre of film, specifically, Egyptian film, a potent and pervasive medium since Arabs started making films in the 1920s, but more pervasive with the advent of television in the early 1960s. Proceeding chronologically, we examine the Egyptian film through distinct stages, from the early musicals and romantic comedies of the forties and fifties, to the slew of post-1952 films offering new notions of the nation, of citizens, of womanhood, to the films of the 1970s with their commentary on the new capitalist society Sadat espoused, to the nuanced realism and focus on individual angst of the 1980s and 90s, to the gritty realism of the pre and post Arab Spring period.

Instructor(s): Hala Abdelmonem     Terms Offered: Autumn
Prerequisite(s): Prerequisite: 2 years of MSA or equivalent

HEBR 10101-10102-10103. Elementary Classical Hebrew I-II-III.

The purpose of this three-quarter sequence is to enable the student to read biblical Hebrew prose with a high degree of comprehension. The course is divided into two segments: (1) the first two quarters are devoted to acquiring the essentials of descriptive and historical grammar (including translation to and from Hebrew, oral exercises, and grammatical analysis); and (2) the third quarter is spent examining prose passages from the Hebrew Bible and includes a review of grammar.

HEBR 10501-10502-10503. Introductory Modern Hebrew I-II-III.

This three quarter course introduces students to reading, writing, and speaking modern Hebrew. All four language skills are emphasized: comprehension of written and oral materials; reading of nondiacritical text; writing of directed sentences, paragraphs, and compositions; and speaking. Students learn the Hebrew root pattern system and the seven basic verb conjugations in both the past and present tenses, as well as simple future. At the end of the year, students can conduct short conversations in Hebrew, read materials designed to their level, and write short essay.

HEBR 15001. Elementary Hebrew in Jerusalem. 100 Units.

HEBR 15002. Elementary Hebrew in Jerusalem. 100 Units.

HEBR 15003. Intermediate Hebrew in Jerusalem. 100 Units.

HEBR 15004. Intermediate Hebrew in Jerusalem. 100 Units.

HEBR 15005. Advanced Hebrew in Jerusalem. 100 Units.

HEBR 15006. Advanced Hebrew in Jerusalem. 100 Units.

HEBR 20001. Hebrew Letters and Inscriptions. 100 Units.

Acquisition of the ability to read Hebrew and Transjordanian inscriptions of the pre-exilic period

Instructor(s): D. Pardee     Terms Offered: Autumn
Prerequisite(s): Intermediate Classical Hebrew I-III or equivalent
Note(s): This course is offered in alternate years.

HEBR 20002. Phoenician Inscriptions. 100 Units.

This course involves reading and analysis of the inscriptions, primarily on stone and primarily from the Phoenician homeland, that belong to the early and middle first millennium BC.

Instructor(s): D. Pardee     Terms Offered: Winter
Prerequisite(s): HEBR 20001
Note(s): This course is offered in alternate years.

HEBR 20003. Punic Inscriptions. 100 Units.

Initiation to the reading and interpretation of Punic inscriptions. Texts resulting from the Phoenician expansion into the Western Mediterranean (primarily North Africa) are studied.

Instructor(s): D. Pardee     Terms Offered: Spring
Prerequisite(s): HEBR 20002
Note(s): This course is offered in alternate years.

HEBR 20100. Graphic Novels: Modern Hebrew Reading course. 100 Units.

The graphic novel is a relatively new genre in Hebrew literature. Books in the genre combine a story with the scope of a novel or a novella with comic strips or full illustrations. The evolution of the genre in the world, far beyond superhero comic books, and the openness of the Israeli audience, created a significant boom in the field in Israel since the early 2000s. This course is a guided reading of some of the most popular graphic novels in Modern Hebrew, which expose important aspects of contemporary Israel. Authors whose work we will read include: Rutu Modan, Ilana Zeffren, Asaf Hanukah, Etgar Keret, Michel Kichka, Yosi & Yarden Vasa and Yuval Noah Harai.

Instructor(s): Ehud Har-Even     Terms Offered: Spring
Prerequisite(s): Intermediate Modern Hebrew (second year HEBR) or its equivalent (At least two years of official Modern Hebrew studies ) with a minimum grade of “C”.
Equivalent Course(s): JWSC 20720, HEBR 30100

HEBR 20104-20105-20106. Intermediate Classical Hebrew I-II-III.

A continuation of Elementary Classical Hebrew. The first quarter consists of reviewing grammar, and of reading and analyzing further prose texts. The last two quarters are devoted to an introduction to Hebrew poetry with readings from Psalms, Proverbs, and the prophets.

HEBR 20501-20502-20503. Intermediate Modern Hebrew I-II-III.

The main objective of this sequence is to provide students with the skills necessary to approach modern Hebrew prose, both fiction and nonfiction. In order to achieve this task, students are provided with a systematic examination of the complete verb structure. Many syntactic structures are introduced (e.g., simple clauses, coordinate and compound sentences). At this level, students not only write and speak extensively but are also required to analyze grammatically and contextually all of material assigned.

NEAA 20002. Archaeology of the Ancient Near East II: Anatolia. 100 Units.

This course will survey the archaeological record of ancient Anatolia (modern Turkey) from the start of the Pre-Pottery Neolithic period (ca. 9500 BCE) to the end of the Iron Age (ca. 550 BCE). The material will cover a selection of significant archaeological sites designed to illustrate the diversity of cultures in Anatolia and to demonstrate broader regional patterns and themes. The presentation of sites will be accompanied by readings and discussions on the interpretation of archaeological data.

Instructor(s): James Osborne     Terms Offered: Winter
Note(s): Taking these courses in sequence is not required. This sequence does not meet the general education requirement in civilization studies. This course fulfills the requirements of a survey course in Anatolian civilization as defined by the Ancient PhD programs in NELC and the MA program in the CMES.
Equivalent Course(s): NEAA 30002

NEAA 20030. The Rise of the State in the Ancient Near East. 100 Units.

This course introduces the background and development of the first urbanized civilizations in the Near East in the period from 9000 to 2200 BC. In the first half of this course, we examine the archaeological evidence for the first domestication of plants and animals and the earliest village communities in the "fertile crescent" (i.e., the Levant, Anatolia, and Mesopotamia). The second half of this course focuses on the economic and social transformations that took place during the development from simple, village-based communities to the emergence of the urbanized civilizations of the Sumerians and their neighbors in the fourth and third millennia BC.

Instructor(s): G. Stein     Terms Offered: Winter
Note(s): This course fulfills the requirements of a survey course in Ancient Near Eastern civilizations as defined by the Ancient PhD programs in NELC and the MA program in the CMES.
Equivalent Course(s): NEAA 30030, ANTH 26715, ANTH 36715

NEAA 20061-20062. Ancient Landscapes I-II.

The landscape of the Near East contains a detailed and subtle record of environmental, social, and economic processes that have obtained over thousands of years. Landscape analysis is therefore proving to be fundamental to an understanding of the processes that underpinned the development of ancient Near Eastern society. This sequence provides an overview of the ancient cultural landscapes of this heartland of early civilization from the early stages of complex societies in the fifth and sixth millennia B.C. to the close of the Early Islamic period around the tenth century A.D.

NEAA 20091. Field Archaeology. 100 Units.

This course entails four weeks of full-time, hands-on training in field archaeology in an excavation directed by a University of Chicago faculty member. At the Tell Keisan site in Israel, students will learn techniques of excavation and digital recording of the finds; attend evening lectures; and participate in weekend field trips. Academic requirements include the completion of assigned readings and a final written examination. For more information about this archaeological field opportunity in Summer 2020, see http://keisan.uchicago.edu. Students who are enrolled in this course will pay a Summer Session tuition fee in addition to the cost of participation in the dig. UChicago College students are eligible to apply for College Research Scholar grants to fund their participation.

Instructor(s): David Schloen
Equivalent Course(s): HIST 20091, CLAS 30091, ANTH 26612, CLCV 20091

NEAA 20100. Introduction to Archaeology. 100 Units.

Archaeology is the study of the material evidence of past human activity. This course, which is offered every year in the Autumn Quarter, explores the history of archaeology as a discipline and the methods used by archaeologists to obtain evidence about past human activity via excavations, surface surveys, and remote-sensing technologies such as satellite imagery and ground-penetrating radar, with emphasis on archaeological fieldwork in the Middle East. This course also surveys the latest methods used to date, classify, and analyze various kinds of evidence after it has been obtained. And since archaeological data is always collected and interpreted within an intellectual framework of theoretical conceptions concerning human society, culture, and history, this course provides a brief overview of "archaeological theory," i.e., the uses made by archaeologists of a wide range of different social theories that may lead to quite different interpretations of the same data. This topic is explored in more depth in a companion course on "Social Theory and Ancient Studies" (NEHC 20010/30010), which is offered in alternate years in the Winter Quarter.

Instructor(s): David Schloen     Terms Offered: Autumn
Equivalent Course(s): NEAA 30100

NEAA 20122. Mesopotamian Archaeology II: States to Empires. 100 Units.

Intro to Mesopotamian Archaeology.

Instructor(s): McMahon, Augusta     Terms Offered: Autumn
Prerequisite(s): NEAA 20001
Equivalent Course(s): ANTH 30122, NEAA 30122, ANTH 20122

NEAA 20162. Topics: Mesopotamian History II: Uruk Mesopotamia and Neighbor. 100 Units.

The Uruk period (4th millennium BC) saw the emergence of the earliest known state societies, urbanism, kingship, writing, and colonial network extending from Mesopotamia across the Jazira and into neighboring resource zones in the Taurus and Zagros mountains. This seminar examines Uruk Mesopotamia and neighboring regions from several perspectives â€" an examination of key sites in Mesopotamia and contemporaneous local late chalcolithic polities in Syria, southeast Anatolia and Iran. The seminar also considers the main theoretical issues involved in understanding inter-regional interaction in the social, economic, and political organization of this period.

Instructor(s): G. Stein     Terms Offered: Spring
Prerequisite(s): Any introductory course in Near Eastern archaeology.
Equivalent Course(s): NEAA 30162

NEAA 20322. Ancient Levant-II: The Iron Age and Persian Period. 100 Units.

This course surveys the archaeology and history of the Levant from the end of the Bronze Age around 1100 BCE to the Roman conquest of the region in 64-63 BCE.

Instructor(s): Timothy Harrison     Terms Offered: Spring Winter
Note(s): This course fulfills the requirements of a survey course in Levant civilization as defined by the Ancient PhD programs in NELC and the MA program in the CMES.
Equivalent Course(s): NEAA 30322

NEAA 20511. The Archaeology of Egypt I. 100 Units.

This course provides an overview of the archaeology of Egypt, focusing on data from the Paleolithic Period to the Second Intermediate Period, around 1,600 BCE. It introduces fundamental methods and approaches to the archaeological record, surveying significant sites, objects, art, and architecture to understand various aspects of culture, society, and history. While Egypt is well-known for its pyramids, temples and tombs, we will not only examine such constructions, but also explore how material culture can offer us insights on such themes as power and inequality, human-environment relations, urbanism, identity, cross-cultural interactions, collapse, and transformation. We will also consider the origins and legacies of Egyptology while engaging with diverse perspectives on the past, and how Egypt's rich cultural heritage continues to be valued, used, and contested.

Instructor(s): Anna-Latifa Mourad-Cizek      Terms Offered: Autumn
Equivalent Course(s): ANTH 30511, NEAA 30511, ANTH 20511

NEHC 10101. Introduction to the Middle East. 100 Units.

Prior knowledge of the Middle East not required. This course aims to facilitate a general understanding of some key factors that have shaped life in this region, with primary emphasis on modern conditions and their background, and to provide exposure to some of the region's rich cultural diversity. This course can serve as a basis for the further study of the history, politics, and civilizations of the Middle East.

Instructor(s): Owen Green     Terms Offered: Autumn
Equivalent Course(s): HIST 15801

NEHC 11040. Introduction to the Qur'an. 100 Units.

The primary goal of this course is to introduce students to the text and context of the Qurʾan. Emphasis is placed upon both the historical setting as well as the thematic and literary features, major biblical figures, and foundational narratives of the Qurʾan. Explorations of medieval exegetical literature on the Qurʾan and its reception in the early (8th - 10th century CE) and medieval periods (11th - 15th century CE) will feature in this course.

Instructor(s): Mehmetcan Akpinar     Terms Offered: Winter
Note(s): This course meets the HS or SCSR Committee distribution requirement for Divinity students. This course counts as a Gateway course for RLST majors/minors.
Equivalent Course(s): RLST 11040, ISLM 30040, FNDL 11040, NEHC 30040, MDVL 11040

NEHC 12006. Jewish Spaces and Places, Imagined and Real. 100 Units.

What makes a ghetto, a ghetto? What defines a Jewish neighborhood? What determined the architectural form of synagogues? Taught in Special Collections in Regenstein Library and making extensive use of the textual and visual sources there, this course will analyze how Jews (in all their diversity) and non-Jews defined Jewish spaces and places. Sources will include: Jewish law and customary practice, cookbooks, etiquette guides, prints, films, novels, maps, memoirs, architectural drawings and photographs, and tourist guides. We may also take a field trip to the Oak Woods Cemetery. The focus will be on Europe in the 19th and 20th centuries, but we will also venture back into the early modern period and across the Mediterranean to Palestine/Israel and North Africa and the Atlantic to the Caribbean and the Americas. We will study both actually existing structures and texts and visual culture in which Jewish places and spaces are imagined or vilified. Parallel to our work with primary sources we will read in the recent, very rich, scholarly literature on this topic. This is not a survey course; we will undertake a series of intensive case-studies through which we will address the larger issues. Assignments include: presentations (individual or collaborative), short papers, Canvas postings, and there will also be the option of making a digital map or an on-line exhibition. This is a limited-enrollment, discussion-based course. No previous knowledge of Jewish history is expected.

Instructor(s): Leora Auslander     Terms Offered: Spring
Note(s): In order for a Spring course to qualify as a civilization course for the general education requirement, the student must also take Jewish Civilization I and II. A Spring course, however, may also be taken as an independent elective.
Equivalent Course(s): RLST 22015, JWSC 12006, HIST 11703

NEHC 20004-20005-20006. Ancient Near Eastern Thought and Literature I-II-III.

This sequence surveys the thought and literature of the Near East. Each course in the sequence focuses on a particular culture or civilization. Texts in English. This sequence meets the general education requirement in civilization studies. Taking these courses in sequence is not required.

NEHC 20011. Ancient Empires I: The Hittite Empire. 100 Units.

This course introduces students to the Hittite Empire of ancient Anatolia. In existence from roughly 1750-1200 BCE, and spanning across modern Turkey and beyond, the Hittite Empire is one of the oldest and largest empires of the ancient world. We will be examining their history and their political and cultural accomplishments through analysis of their written records - composed in Hittite, the world's first recorded Indo-European language - and their archaeological remains. In the process, we will also be examining the concept of "empire" itself: What is an empire, and how do anthropologists, archaeologists, and historians study this unique kind of political formation?

Instructor(s): James Osborne     Terms Offered: Winter
Note(s): Taking these courses in sequence is not required. This sequence meets the general education requirement in civilization studies.
Equivalent Course(s): SOSC 20011, HIST 15602, CLCV 25700

NEHC 20012. Ancient Empires II: The Ottoman Empire. 100 Units.

The Ottomans ruled in Anatolia, the Middle East, South East Europe and North Africa for over six hundred years. The objective of this course is to understand the society and culture of this bygone Empire whose legacy continues, in one way or another, in some twenty-five contemporary successor states from the Balkans to the Arabian Peninsula. The course is designed as an introduction to the Ottoman World with a focus on the cultural history of the Ottoman society. It explores identities and mentalities, customs and rituals, status of minorities, mystical orders and religious establishments, literacy and the use of the public sphere.

Instructor(s): Hakan Karateke      Terms Offered: Autumn
Note(s): Taking these courses in sequence is not required. This sequence meets the general education requirement in civilization studies.
Equivalent Course(s): CLCV 25800, SOSC 20012, MDVL 20012, HIST 15603

NEHC 20013. Ancient Empires III :The Egyptian Empire of the New Kingdom. 100 Units.

For most of the duration of the New Kingdom (1550-1069 BC), the ancient Egyptians were able to establish a vast empire and becoming one of the key powers within the Near East. This course will investigate in detail the development of Egyptian foreign policies and military expansion which affected parts of the Near East and Nubia. We will examine and discuss topics such as ideology, imperial identity, political struggle and motivation for conquest and control of wider regions surrounding the Egyptian state as well as the relationship with other powers and their perspective on Egyptian rulers as for example described in the Amarna letters.

Instructor(s): Brian Muhs     Terms Offered: Winter
Note(s): Taking these courses in sequence is not required. This sequence meets the general education requirement in civilization studies.
Equivalent Course(s): HIST 15604, CLCV 25900, SOSC 20013

NEHC 20014. Ancient Empires IV: the Achaemenid Empire. 100 Units.

This course introduces students to the Achaemenid Empire, also known as the First Persian Empire (ca. 550-330 BCE). We will be examining the political history and cultural accomplishments of the Achaemenids who, from their homeland in modern-day Iran, quickly rose to become one of the largest empires of the ancient world, ruling from North Africa to North India at their height. We will also be examining the history of Greek-Persian encounters and the image of the Achaemenids in Greek and Biblical literature. The students will visit the Oriental Institutes' archive and object collection to learn more about the University of Chicago's unique position in the exploration, excavation, and restoration of the Persian Empire's royal architecture and administrative system through the Persian Expedition carried out in the 1930s.

Instructor(s): Mehrnoush Soroush     Terms Offered: Autumn
Note(s): Taking these courses in sequence is not required. This sequence meets the general education requirement in civilization studies.
Equivalent Course(s): CLCV 21722, HIST 25602

NEHC 20015. Ancient Empires V: The Umayyad. 100 Units.

The Umayyads ruled over the last "great empire" of late antiquity: the early Islamic empire, spanning from the Atlas to the Hindu Kush, from the Atlantic to the Amu Darya, and embracing regions with different cultural and political traditions. This course introduces to the history of the Umayyad caliphate, focusing on some of the visible legacies its inhabitants left behind: texts, objects, and monumental buildings that are still standing in cities of the Middle East and Europe. But we will also reflect upon less material legacies: for example, cities with a long-lasting urban culture, infrastructures for communicating across a vast empire, the consolidation of religious traditions, and exchanges and cohabitation of different religious groups.

Instructor(s): Cecilia Palombo     Terms Offered: Winter
Note(s): Taking these courses in sequence is not required. This sequence meets the general education requirement in civilization studies.
Equivalent Course(s): RLST 20315, HIST 25706

NEHC 20016. Ancient Empires VI: The Assyrian Empire. 100 Units.

This course will examine the concept and definition of empire and the practices of imperial control through a case study of Mesopotamia's best-known empire, the Neo-Assyrian (first half of the 1st millennium BCE). At its peak, the Assyrians ruled a vast area covering most of modern Iraq and Syria, plus parts of Iran, Turkey and the Levant, with aspirations to control Egypt. The gradual expansion of this empire from late 2nd millennium BCE beginnings and its extremely rapid collapse in ca. 612 BCE provide an excellent example of the tensions within trajectories of empire. The course themes include warfare and political strategies, identity and ethnicity, imperial bureaucracy, and the practical and ideological purposes of infrastructure building. Evidence examined will include texts (in translation) and the archaeological record at various scales, from settlements through artworks. We will also examine paradoxes, such as the contrast between textual claims of hegemony and limited archaeological evidence for this, and the power of visual propaganda versus its select audience.

Instructor(s): Augusta McMahon     Terms Offered: Spring
Note(s): Taking these courses in sequence is not required. This sequence meets the general education requirement in civilization studies.
Equivalent Course(s): HIST 20405

NEHC 20022. Documentary Cultures in Early Islamicate Societies. 100 Units.

This Seminar for graduate students centers on the use of material and documentary sources for the study of early Islamic history (ca. 640-1000 CE), particularly looking at multiple religious groups, languages, and literary traditions. It will introduce the students to the study of documentary texts such as the Arabic papyri, the expansion of Arabic papyrology as a field, and the integration of literary and non-literary sources. Students will be encouraged and challenged to think of texts also as material objects. We will talk about sources and resources for the study of political, economic, social, and intellectual histories of the Islamicate world; in so doing, we will discuss also methods, problems, and perspectives.

Instructor(s): CECILIA PALOMBO     Terms Offered: Autumn
Equivalent Course(s): MDVL 20022, RLST 20122, ISLM 30022, HIST 46000, NEHC 30022

NEHC 20034. From the Harem to Helem: Gender and Sexuality in the Modern Middle East. 100 Units.

This course will provide a historical and theoretical survey of issues pertaining to gender and sexuality in the modern Middle East. First, we will outline the colonial legacies of gender politics and gendered discourses in modern Middle Eastern history. We will discuss orientalist constructions of the harem and the veil (Allouche, Laila Ahmed, Lila Abu-Loghod), and their contested afterlives across the Middle East. We will also explore colonial (homo)sexuality, and attendant critiques (Najmabadi, Massad). We will pay especial attention to local discourses about gender and sexuality, and trouble facile assumptions of "writing back" while attending to the various specificities of local discourses of everyday life across various sites of the Middle East. Eschewing reductive traps for more nuanced explorations of the specifics of life in Beirut, Cairo, Istanbul, or Tehran - as well as to rural areas - we will show how gender and sexuality are constructed and practiced in these locales. In addition to foundational scholarly texts in the field, we will also engage with an array of cultural texts (films, novels, poetry, comics) and - where possible - have conversations with activists who are working in these sites via Skype/teleconferencing.

Instructor(s): Stephanie Kraver     Terms Offered: Spring
Equivalent Course(s): GNSE 20112, NEHC 30034, GNSE 30112

NEHC 20040. Eat, Pray, Tax: How the Middle East Shaped the World. 100 Units.

Fundamental elements of today's world originate in the Middle East. The region saw the beginning of agriculture, the emergence of the first state, the invention of the alphabet and the codex, and the birth of the great monotheistic religions. This course explores these momentous developments. It traces their origins, effects, and interconnections through history, anthropology, and sociology as well as a range of excursions and hands-on activities designed to allow students to engage with the topics both intellectually and experientially.

Terms Offered: Summer

NEHC 20050. Introduction to Hadith Literature. 100 Units.

This course offers an introduction to hadith literature, which encompasses traditions about the life of the prophet Muhammad, his speeches and deeds. The aim is to familiarize students with the basic terminology, the different genres of hadith literature, the development of the classical hadith scholarship, the most important hadith collections, as well as studies on hadith criticism. We will examine the methods of collecting and transmitting the hadiths in Islamic history, their evaluation and assessment by Muslim scholars, the role of hadiths in law, theology and Sufism, and the modern academic debates on the authenticity of the hadiths. Additionally, the course will engage with the genesis of Twelve Shiite and Zaidi hadith.

Instructor(s): Mehmetcan Akpinar     Terms Offered: Spring
Note(s): This course meets the HS Committee distribution requirement for Divinity students.
Equivalent Course(s): RLST 11050, NEHC 30050, ISLM 30050

NEHC 20110. Media Islam. 100 Units.

Media are increasingly integrated into contemporary life. As in the past, we consume media-watching movies and television, listening to music and podcasts, and following influencers on social media. However, these passive activities now overlap with media production, participation, and commentary. For Muslims negotiating identity in diverse global society, media figure into representation and self-representation in complex, often subtle, ways. Intersecting with the family, mosque, community, and other core social institutions, media play a central role in contemporary Muslim experience. This class will examine religious media, i.e. those branded as "Islamic" in some fashion, such as television programs on Islamic law, or social media content with explicit religious commitments and claims to authority. It will also consider how Islam has been represented in popular culture, and the ways Muslims have related to those constructions of their faith. However, this dichotomy of religious and popular media no longer holds with Muslim-oriented television shows like Ramy, Ms. Marvel, the integration of Islam into popular American entertainment from Jack Ryan to Mr. Robot, and the complex engagement with religion in media across the historically Muslim world.

Instructor(s): Maguire, Tom     Terms Offered: Autumn

NEHC 20130. Textual Amulets in the Ancient Mediterranean. 100 Units.

Amulets with inscribed texts were used broadly by individuals and households and across ancient Mediterranean cultures for protection against evils, for curing disease, and for obtaining advantage over adversaries in all walks of life. In this course, we will survey a broad range of such amulets coming from the Levant, Mesopotamia, the Phoenician-Punic world, Greece and southern Italy, and inscribed on such varied materials as sheets of gold and silver, papyri, ostraca and gems, while scrutinizing their material aspects, their cultural context, and their shared and distinctive features.

Instructor(s): Carolina Lopez-Ruiz, Sofia Torallas-Tovar, Christopher Faraone     Terms Offered: Spring
Prerequisite(s): Classical or Near Eastern languages recommended but not required.
Note(s): THis course meets the HS or LMCS Committee distribution requirement for Divinity students.
Equivalent Course(s): CLAS 37923, RLST 20130, CLCV 27923, NEHC 40130, HREL 40130

NEHC 20160. Central Asia Past and Present/From Alexander the Great to Al Qaeda. 100 Units.

Central Asia Past and Present serves as a multi-disciplinary course, spanning anthropology, history and political science. This course introduces students to the fluid, political-geographic concept of Central Asia as well as to the historical and cultural dimensions of this particular and oft-redefined world. My understanding of Central Asia comes from studies of ex-Soviet Central Asia, which includes five independent countries (since 1991) within central Eurasia--the former U.S.S.R. Thus the course encompasses Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan in addition to parts of northern Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, and western China (Xinjiang/Sinkiang). Students will familiarize themselves with universal and divergent factors among the Central Asian peoples based on phenomena such as human migrations, cross-cultural influences, historical events, and the economic organization of peoples based on local ecology and natural boundaries. Working together and as individuals, we will study maps and atlases to gain a fuller understanding of historical movements and settlements of the Central Asian peoples.

Instructor(s): R. Zanca
Equivalent Course(s): NEHC 30160, ANTH 32206, ANTH 23616

NEHC 20202. Islamicate Civilization II: 950-1750. 100 Units.

This course, a continuation of Islamicate Civilization I, surveys intellectual, cultural, religious and political developments in the Islamic world from Andalusia to the South Asian sub-continent during the periods from ca. 950 to 1750. We trace the arrival and incorporation of the Steppe Peoples (Turks and Mongols) into the central Islamic lands; the splintering of the Abbasid Caliphate and the impact on political theory; the flowering of literature of Arabic, Turkic and Persian expression; the evolution of religious and legal scholarship and devotional life; transformations in the intellectual and philosophical traditions; the emergence of Shi`i states (Buyids and Fatimids); the Crusades and Mongol conquests; the Mamluks and Timurids, and the "gunpowder empires" of the Ottomans, Safavids, and Moghuls; the dynamics of gender and class relations; etc. This class partially fulfills the requirement for MA students in CMES, as well as for NELC majors and PhD students.

Instructor(s): Mustafa Kaya     Terms Offered: Winter. This course will not be offered for the 2021-2022 academic year.
Prerequisite(s): Islamicate Civilization I (NEHC 20201) or Islamic Thought & Literature-1 (NEHC 20601), or the equivalent
Note(s): The Islamicate Civilization sequence does not fulfill the General Ed requirements
Equivalent Course(s): NEHC 30202, HIST 35622, HIST 15612, ISLM 30202, RLST 20202, MDVL 20202

NEHC 20203. Islamicate Civilization III: 1750-Present. 100 Units.

This course covers the period from ca. 1750 to the present, focusing on Western military, economic, and ideological encroachment; the impact of such ideas as nationalism and liberalism; efforts at reform in the Islamic states; the emergence of the "modern" Middle East after World War I; the struggle for liberation from Western colonial and imperial control; the Middle Eastern states in the cold war era; and local and regional conflicts.

Instructor(s): Carl Shook     Terms Offered: Spring. This course will not be offered for the 2021-2022 academic year.
Prerequisite(s): Islamicate Civilization II (NEHC 20202) or Islamic Thought & Literature-2 (NEHC 20602), or the equivalent
Note(s): The Islamicate Civilization sequence does not fulfill the General Ed requirements
Equivalent Course(s): HIST 35623, RLST 20203, ISLM 30203, HIST 15613, NEHC 30203

NEHC 20204. Islamic Intellectual History. 100 Units.

The course introduces students to current methodological trends in the Western study of intellectual history and then examines debates and discourses in the field of Islamic intellectual historiography, with a focus on selected examples. Students will develop and present individual original research projects.

Instructor(s): Ahmed El-Shamsy     Terms Offered: Spring

NEHC 20210. Greek and Near Eastern Creation Stories. 100 Units.

This course will offer a comparative view of Greek traditions about the origin of the world (cosmogony) and the origin of the gods (theogony), and the multiple layers on which they were entangled with Near Eastern narratives. On the Greek side, we will focus on Hesiod, Homer, and the Orphic poems. Near Eastern sources will include Mesopotamian, Egyptian, Hittite, Phoenician, and Hebrew texts. The reading of primary sources will be done in translation (though students are always encouraged to check the texts in the original language for closer reading and discussion, if training allows). We will engage with secondary bibliography, especially works that take a comparative approach or discuss the comparative method. We will discuss the methodological challenges and advantages of comparative mythology and the phenomenon of cultural exchange, as revealed in these mythical and literary connection.

Instructor(s): Carolina López-Ruiz     Terms Offered: Spring
Equivalent Course(s): CLCV 20222, RLST 20210

NEHC 20228. History of Jews in the Middle East. 100 Units.

This class examines the history of Jews in the Middle East from the early modern period, when many Jewish refugees fleeing Spain and Portugal settled in the Ottoman Empire, to the modern Period, when Jews debated and challenged colonialist, reformist, nationalist, leftist, and secular ideologies. Reading novels, memoirs, and new works in the fields of Jewish and Middle Eastern Studies, we will examine how early modernity and modernity gave birth to new identity formations and new frames of belonging. We will visit the unknown histories of early modern Jews who produced translations and explications of the Hebrew Bible in Arabic, of Jews and Muslims who fought together Christian missionary activities, of Arab Jewish feminists, and of Jewish communists who established anti-Zionist societies in the Middle East.

Instructor(s): Orist Bashkin     Terms Offered: Autumn
Equivalent Course(s): HIST 25810, JWSC 23405, RLST 20228

NEHC 20271. Islamic Education in West Africa. 100 Units.

This course will critically explore the history of Islamic scholarship and the transmission of religious knowledge and scholarly authority in West African Muslim societies from the late medieval period to the present day. We will examine a variety of knowledge traditions, textual and pedagogical approaches, epistemologies, and embodied practices of Muslim scholars and students of the region in order to understand what it means to seek, transmit, and create knowledge in the context of West African Muslim societies. In addition to relevant secondary literature, we will read passages from some of the texts taught in these places. Intermediate Arabic is recommended, but not required for this course.

Instructor(s): Abubakar Abdulkadir     Terms Offered: Spring
Note(s): This course meets the HS Committee distribution requirement for Divinity students.
Equivalent Course(s): KNOW 33271, ISLM 33271, RLST 20271, NEHC 33271

NEHC 20300. Readings in Islamic Law. 100 Units.

This course explores the history and theoretical foundations of Islamic law in North and West Africa, with a focus on the Maliki texts that formed the basis of legal education from the late medieval period to the present. In addition to discussing secondary literature addressing themes of scholarly authority, knowledge transmission, embodiment, and canonization, we will study selected legal texts authored by key figures such as Ibn Abī Zayd al-Qayrawānī, Khalīl ibn Isḥāq and Sīdī ʿAbd Allāh wuld al-Ḥājj Ibrāhīm [in translation].

Instructor(s): Abubakar Abdulkadir     Terms Offered: Autumn
Prerequisite(s): No prerequisites, but there will be opportunities for students with Arabic proficiency to make use of it.
Note(s): This course meets the HS Committee distribution requirement for Divinity students.
Equivalent Course(s): RLST 20300, NEHC 32451, ISLM 32451

NEHC 20350. Bordering the Middle East: Imperial State-building and its Legacies. 100 Units.

In this course, students will learn about the bordering of the Middle East, as a regional whole, and in the particulars of individual nation-state boundaries, in the 19th and 20th centuries. We will study ideas about North African and Southwest Asian geography, history, and culture, and their use, by Ottoman, British, and French imperial actors engaged in creating and enforcing political boundaries. We will also learn about the impacts of these borders on the lives of the bordered in the past and present.

Instructor(s): Carl Shook     Terms Offered: Winter
Equivalent Course(s): NEHC 30350

NEHC 20410. Introduction to Arabic and Islamic Studies. 100 Units.

This course is designed for graduate students who wish to learn about the tools, primary and secondary sources, references, journals, distinct subfields, and electronic resources available to researchers in Arabic and Islamic Studies. We will acquire first-hand knowledge and practice of basic skills that will help professionalize students in the field, and will discuss methodological and historiographical issues related to the study of Islamicate civilization in various historical, cultural, political, and religious frameworks.

Instructor(s): Mehmetcan Akpinar     Terms Offered: Autumn
Prerequisite(s): Basic ability to work with Classical Arabic is required.
Note(s): This course meets the HS Committee distribution requirement for Divinity students.
Equivalent Course(s): RLST 20410, ISLM 40010, ARAB 40010, ARAB 20410, NEHC 40010

NEHC 20471. Readings in Maimonides' Guide of the Perplexed. 100 Units.

A careful study of select passages in Maimonides' Guide of the Perplexed, focusing on the method of the work and its major philosophical-theological themes, including: divine attributes, creation vs. eternity, prophecy, the problem of evil and divine providence, law and ethics, the final aim of human existence.

Instructor(s): James T. Robinson     Terms Offered: Autumn
Equivalent Course(s): JWSC 21107, NEHC 40470, RLVC 45400, ISLM 45400, HIJD 45400, HREL 45401, RLST 21107, FNDL 24106, MDVL 25400

NEHC 20504. Introduction to the Hebrew Bible. 100 Units.

The course introduces the Jewish/Hebrew Bible as a literary treasury with a material history. We will survey the genres and the different works, review scholarly theories about the texts and about ideas in them, and situate them in the history of Israel and Judea and in the culture of ancient Southwest Asia. We will also engage theories of history, literature, and narrative. The course includes a weekly Discussion Section for mixed-modes activities and conceptual discussions.

Instructor(s): Simeon Chavel     Terms Offered: Autumn
Note(s): This course meets the HS or LMCS Committee distribution requirement for Divinity students. This course counts as a Gateway course for RLST majors/minors.
Equivalent Course(s): JWSC 20120, FNDL 11004, NEHC 30504, HIJD 31004, RLST 11004, BIBL 31000

NEHC 20513. Early Jewish Interpretation of the Hebrew Bible. 100 Units.

Explores Jewish ideas and hermeneutics at Exodus 19-20 and select other biblical texts, in sources from the Septuagint and Dead Sea scrolls through Targumim and Rabbinic literature to Medieval Jewish commentaries.

Instructor(s): Simeon Chavel     Terms Offered: Autumn
Prerequisite(s): Biblical Hebrew and either Aramaic or Greek (Koiné or Septuagint)
Note(s): This course meets the HS or LMCS Committee distribution requirement for Divinity students.
Equivalent Course(s): HIJD 53510, NEHC 53510, NELC 30063, RLST 20510, BIBL 53510, JWSC 20510

NEHC 20552. Slavery and Social Justice in the Hebrew Bible. 100 Units.

What is a "just" society? And how do we know if justice has been achieved? This course is both an overview of the concept of a "just society" and a thematic survey of the narratives of the Hebrew Bible (the Jewish Tanak, the Christian Old Testament) through the lens of social justice. In this course we will examine several perspectives within the Hebrew Bible on what makes a just society, with particular emphasis on the narratives and legal corpora of the Pentateuch, the historical narratives of the former prophets, and the sayings and exhortations of the "writing" prophets. We will aim to understand more clearly what the ancient Israelites would have likely understood by the notion of a "just society," and how those understandings may differ from our own. Through our discussions, students will develop their skills in close-reading of texts and literary analysis of biblical narratives. In this course we will study several social issues and their reflections in biblical texts. Among the possibilities are: slavery, the treatment of the poor, the rights of the community vs. the individual, the treatment of the disabled, homicide, war, revenge, animal rights and environmentalism, inheritance, and immigration.

Instructor(s): David Harris     Terms Offered: Spring
Equivalent Course(s): RLST 23550, JWSC 20550

NEHC 20568. Balkan Folklore. 100 Units.

Vampires, fire-breathing dragons, vengeful mountain nymphs. 7/8 and other uneven dance beats, heart-rending laments, and a living epic tradition. This course is an overview of Balkan folklore from historical, political, and anthropological perspectives. We seek to understand folk tradition as a dynamic process and consider the function of different folklore genres in the imagining and maintenance of community and the socialization of the individual. We also experience this living tradition firsthand through visits of a Chicago-based folk dance ensemble, "Balkan Dance."

Instructor(s): Angelina Ilieva     Terms Offered: Spring
Equivalent Course(s): ANTH 35908, ANTH 25908, REES 29009, REES 39009, CMLT 33301, NEHC 30568, CMLT 23301

NEHC 20570. Mughal India: Tradition & Transition. 100 Units.

The focus of this course is on the period of Mughal rule during the late sixteenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth centuries, especially on selected issues that have been at the center of historiographical debate in the past decades.

Instructor(s): M. Alam     Terms Offered: Autumn
Prerequisite(s): Advanced standing or consent of instructor. Prior knowledge of appropriate history and secondary literature required.
Equivalent Course(s): SALC 27701, SALC 37701, NEHC 30570, HIST 36602, HIST 26602

NEHC 20573. The Burden of History: The Nation and Its Lost Paradise. 100 Units.

What makes it possible for the imagined communities called nations to command the emotional attachments that they do? This course considers some possible answers to Benedict Anderson's question on the basis of material from the Balkans. We will examine the transformation of the scenario of paradise, loss, and redemption into a template for a national identity narrative through which South East European nations retell their Ottoman past. With the help of Žižek's theory of the subject as constituted by trauma and Kant's notion of the sublime, we will contemplate the national fixation on the trauma of loss and the dynamic between victimhood and sublimity.

Instructor(s): Angelina Ilieva     Terms Offered: Autumn
Equivalent Course(s): HIST 24005, REES 39013, REES 29013, CMLT 23401, NEHC 30573, HIST 34005, CMLT 33401

NEHC 20600. Saints and Sinners in Late Antiquity. 100 Units.

Between the third and seventh centuries, Christian communities came to flourish throughout the Middle East and neighboring regions in the Roman and Iranian empires as well as the kingdoms of the Caucasus, Central Asia, and Ethiopia. This course will examine the development of Christian institutions and ideologies in relation to the distinctive social structures, political cultures, economies, and environments of the Middle East, with a focus on the Fertile Crescent. The makers of Middle Eastern Christianities were both saints and sinners. Holy men and women, monks, and sometimes bishops withdrew from what they often called "the world" with the intention of reshaping society through prayer, asceticism, and writing; some also intervened directly in social, political, and economic relations. The work of these saints depended on the cooperation of aristocrats, merchants, and rulers who established enduring worldly institutions. To explore the dialectical relationship between saints and sinners, we will read lives of saints in various Middle Eastern languages in translation.

Instructor(s): R. Payne     Terms Offered: Autumn
Equivalent Course(s): HIST 25613, NEHC 30600, HIST 35613, RLST 21613, HCHR 31613

NEHC 20601-20602-20603. Islamic Thought and Literature I-II-III.

This sequence explores the thought and literature of the Islamic world from the coming of Islam in the seventh century C.E. through the development and spread of its civilization in the medieval period and into the modern world. Including historical framework to establish chronology and geography, the course focuses on key aspects of Islamic intellectual history: scripture, law, theology, philosophy, literature, mysticism, political thought, historical writing, and archaeology. In addition to lectures and secondary background readings, students read and discuss samples of key primary texts, with a view to exploring Islamic civilization in the direct voices of the people who participated in creating it. All readings are in English translation. No prior background in the subject is required. This course sequence meets the general education requirement in civilization studies. Taking these courses in sequence is recommended but not required.

NEHC 20645. History of the Fatimid Caliphate. 100 Units.

This course will cover the history of the Fatimid (Shiite) caliphate, from its foundation in the North Africa about 909 until its end in Egypt 1171. Most of the material will be presented in classroom lectures. Sections of the course deal with Fatimid history treated chronologically and others with separate institutions and problems as they changed and developed throughout the whole time period. Readings heavily favored or highly recommended are all in English.

Instructor(s): P. Walker     Terms Offered: Spring
Equivalent Course(s): NEHC 30645, MDVL 20645, HIST 34401, HIST 24401

NEHC 20692. Armenian History through Art and Culture. 100 Units.

Who are the Armenians and where do they come from? What is the cultural contribution of Armenians to their neighbors and overall world heritage? This crash-course will try to answer these and many other similar questions while surveying Armenian history and elements of culture (mythology, religion, manuscript illumination, art, architecture, etc.). It also will discuss transformations of Armenian identity and symbols of 'Armenianness' through time, based on such elements of national identity as language, religion, art, or shared history. Due to the greatest artistic quality and the transcultural nature of its monuments and artifacts, Armenia has much to offer in the field of Art History, especially when we think about global transculturation and appropriation among cultures as a result of peoples' movements and contacts. The course is recommended for students with interest in Armenian Studies or related fields, in Area or Civilizations Studies, Art and Cultural Studies, etc.

Instructor(s): Hripsime Haroutunian     Terms Offered: Autumn
Equivalent Course(s): ARTH 20692, ARCH 20692, HIST 25711, NEHC 30692

NEHC 20802. Empires and Peoples: Ethnicity in Late Antiquity. 100 Units.

Late antiquity witnessed an unprecedented proliferation of peoples in the Mediterranean and the Middle East. Vandals, Arabs, Goths, Huns, Franks, and Iranians, among numerous others, took shape as political communities within the Roman and Iranian empires or along their peripheries. Recent scholarship has undone the traditional image of these groups as previously undocumented communities of "barbarians" entering history. Ethnic communities emerge from the literature as political constructions dependent on the very malleability of identities, on specific acts of textual and artistic production, on particular religious traditions, and, not least, on the imperial or postimperial regimes sustaining their claims to sovereignty. The colloquium will debate the origin, nature, and roles of ethno-political identities and communities comparatively across West Asia, from the Western Mediterranean to the Eurasian steppes, on the basis of recent contributions. As a historiographical colloquium, the course will address the contemporary cultural and political concerns-especially nationalism-that have often shaped historical accounts of ethnogenesis in the period as well as bio-historical approaches-such as genetic history-that sometimes sit uneasily with the recent advances of historians.

Instructor(s): R. Payne     Terms Offered: Spring
Prerequisite(s): Open to advanced undergraduates and graduate students.
Equivalent Course(s): HIST 20902, CLCV 23718, CLAS 33718, MDVL 20902, HIST 30902, NEHC 30802

NEHC 20808. Biography of the Prophet Muhammad. 100 Units.

This introductory course offers an overview of Prophet Muhammad's life as portrayed in the early and medieval Arabic narrative tradition and through the lens of modern scholarship. We will discuss a diverse range of topics, such as life in pre-Islamic Arabia, the Prophet's early life before prophethood, the first revelations, the Meccan period, his migration to Medina, his religio-political leadership and the military expeditions during the Medinan period, his reported miracles, etc. At the same time, students will gain an overview of the sira/maghaz' literature, i.e., the texts devoted to the life of the Prophet Muhammad in the Muslim tradition. Modern methodological questions which concern the reliability of the narrative traditions in reconstructing the biography of the "historical Muhammad" and a wide range of approaches developed in Western academia to overcome problems related to the source material will also be addressed.

Instructor(s): Mehmetcan Akpinar     Terms Offered: Autumn
Prerequisite(s): No background in Islamic studies or Arabic language required.
Note(s): This course meets the HS Committee distribution requirement for Divinity students.
Equivalent Course(s): ISLM 30808, MDVL 20808, RLST 20808, NEHC 30808

NEHC 20838. Further Topics in Late Ottoman History-1. 100 Units.

This course will introduce students to a number of important topics in Eighteenth and nineteenth century Ottoman history, such as the nature of the great local notables, the growing importance of proteges, and the bureaucratic reform.

Instructor(s): H. Shissler     Terms Offered: Winter
Prerequisite(s): Open to Graduate students and undergraduates with some knowledge of Middle Eastern History.
Equivalent Course(s): NEHC 30838

NEHC 20911. Prophets in Jewish and Islamic Traditions. 100 Units.

In this course, we will study the tales of the prophets as found in the Bible, the Qur'an, and Jewish and Islamic interpretive traditions. By examining and enjoying the narratives of individual prophets, we will develop an understanding of prophecy as a broad religious phenomenon. The course offers opportunities for comparative enquiry into two sacred scriptures-the Bible and the Qur'an-and the rich interpretive literature that Jewish and Islamic communities created in order to understand them. All readings will be in English translation. Assignments include three short essays, an oral presentation, and a final exam.

Instructor(s): J. Andruss     Terms Offered: Winter
Equivalent Course(s): JWSC 20910, RLST 20910

NEHC 21002. Greece and the Balkans in the Age of Nationalism. 100 Units.

This course is an introduction to the history of Southeastern Europe since the 1790s. Each week's work will examine a key topic in the Balkan affairs through a combination of lectures, readings and discussion of associated issues. The class will not follow the history of any one Balkan country comprehensively. Instead, the course will direct students' attention to relevant developments which address questions like these: 1. How does Balkan history related to European history? 2. What is a nation, a nationality, and an ethnic group? 3. What has nationalism meant in the Balkans? The curse emphasizes the history of Greece, Albania, Bulgaria, Romania and Yugoslavia, with some attention to events in the Ottoman Empire, the Habsburg Monarchy and Hungary as appropriate. The course aims to offer a historical background that will enable students to better understand the recent history of Greece and the Balkans.

Instructor(s): Stefanos Katsikas     Terms Offered: Spring
Equivalent Course(s): MOGK 21001, MOGK 31001, HIST 23613, REES 21001

NEHC 21451. Rhoades Seminar: Reading Ancient Egyptian Art. 100 Units.

For millennia ancient Egyptian artists constructed visual narratives on tomb chapel walls, temple structures, and other material remains - such as stelae - that provide glimpses of lived experiences in the land that gave rise to this ancient African culture. Focusing on two-dimensional representations produced in Egypt (ancient Kemet) between approximately 3000-1069 BCE, this course will consider the functions of such pictorial accounts within their original contexts and explore approaches to reading and interpreting them. We will investigate topics including depictions of "daily life" on the Nile, royal sojourns to foreign lands, and the imagined landscapes of the underworld, deconstructing scenes and the ancient artistic conventions used to produce them. Particular emphasis will be placed on how the natural environment of North Africa is reflected in the arts of ancient Egypt, from detailed renderings of indigenous flora and fauna to interpretations of the physical landscape. Sources will include ancient texts in translation and firsthand examination of Egyptian artifacts in Chicagoland museums, including the ISAC Museum.

Instructor(s): A. Arico     Terms Offered: Spring
Equivalent Course(s): NEHC 31451, ARTH 21451, ARTH 31451

NEHC 21500. Mourning and Struggle in African, Native American, and Palestinian Narratives. 100 Units.

This course focuses on expressions of mourning and explores how in response to catastrophic experiences and histories of colonialism, writers and filmmakers narrate loss and trauma. We will investigate how these authors renegotiate their identities, how they fashion national and political imaginaries, and how they envision alternative futures in their diverse bodies of work. Engaging with an array of literary and cinematic depictions, our aim will be to examine and compare the rich landscape of voices that animate African, Native American, and Palestinian experiences and representations. Together, we will analyze source materials related to the themes of violence, memory, gender, race, and trauma. Through our weekly assignments and discussions, we will seek to determine the tropes and aesthetic tools that ignite modes of storytelling, and to answer: how do writers and artists employ aesthetic form to portray catastrophes? How might expressions of grief also be mobilized for resistance and struggle? Our class will be organized into three modules, touching upon African, Native American, and Palestinian prose, poetry, and film alongside theoretical works in memory and trauma studies. By the end of the quarter, students will be able to develop their own complex evaluations of these narratives-and recognize how comparisons through artistic expression can be a powerful tool for amplifying a multiplicity of stories about mourning and defiance.

Instructor(s): Stephanie Kraver     Terms Offered: Winter
Equivalent Course(s): RDIN 31500, RDIN 21500, NEHC 31500

NEHC 21780. Poetry of the Hebrew Bible. 100 Units.

The course will survey poetic genres of the Hebrew Bible, their elements and tropes, scholarship on biblical poetry specifically, and approaches to poetry in general.

Instructor(s): Simeon Chavel     Terms Offered: Winter
Prerequisite(s): PQ: Introductory Biblical Hebrew I–III (BIBL 33900–34000 + Text course) or equivalent.
Note(s): This course meets the HS or LMCS Committee distribution requirement for Divinity students.
Equivalent Course(s): BIBL 41780, NEHC 41780, RLST 21780, HIJD 41780

NEHC 21815. Strange Lit: Estrangement and Literature. 100 Units.

This course explores the genre of the strange, weird, bizarre and wonderous in literary works from around the world and across various time periods. In contrast to the voyeuristic and expected othering of the 'exotic', the course interrogates the strange as an aesthetic mode that estranges the reader and disturbs and upends our familiar and predictable worlds. Theorists have explored art's ability to unsettle our automatized perception, interrogating our relationship to reality, the way we know things, and the basis on which we make assumptions. This course will trace how specific literary forms (like magical-realism, fantasy, sci-fi, miracle literature, comedy/dark comedy, and even scripture) evoke wonder and a sense of the strange. We will explore how these genres mystify and make strange things like the individual, society, modernity, the nation-state, the secular, economy, and more to unearth the myth-making inherent in processes of world-building, as well as in narrative. We will see ghosts in court, hallucinating nation-states, dead narrators, animated-inanimate objects as we move into the world of dreams, madness, and the supernatural in literary works from Iceland, Iran, Palestine, Japan, Egypt and more.

Instructor(s): Rana Ghuloom     Terms Offered: Autumn
Equivalent Course(s): ENGL 21815, CMLT 31815, RLST 26815, CMLT 21815

NEHC 21865. Zion and Zaphon: Biblical Texts and Memory Studies. 100 Units.

The course will engage memory studies to analyze how ancient authors responded to the campaigns of Assyria against Judea and Israel in the 8th-7th cents BCE. Sources will include ancient art, archaeological finds, and literature of many genres in the Hebrew Bible and outside it.

Instructor(s): Simeon Chavel     Terms Offered: Autumn
Prerequisite(s): Introductory Biblical Hebrew sequence (BIBL 33900–34000 + Text course) or equivalent.
Note(s): This course meets the HS or LMCS Committee distribution requirement for Divinity students.
Equivalent Course(s): HIJD 44600, NEHC 44600, KNOW 44600, RLST 21865, BIBL 44600

NEHC 22010. Jewish Civilization I: Ancient Beginnings to Medieval Period. 100 Units.

Jewish Civilization is a three-quarter sequence that explores the development of Jewish culture and tradition from its ancient beginnings through its rabbinic and medieval transformations to its modern manifestations. Through investigation of primary texts-biblical, Talmudic, philosophical, mystical, historical, documentary, and literary-students will acquire a broad overview of Jews, Judaism, and Jewishness while reflecting in greater depth on major themes, ideas, and events in Jewish history. The autumn course will deal with antiquity through the Middle Ages. Its readings will include material from the Bible and writings from the second temple, Hellenistic, rabbinic, and medieval periods. All sections of this course will share a common core of readings; individual instructors will supplement with other materials. It is recommended, though not required, that students take the three Jewish Civilization courses in sequence. Students who register for the Autumn Quarter course will automatically be pre-registered for the winter segment. In the Spring Quarter students have the option of taking a third unit of Jewish Civilization, a course whose topics will vary (JWSC 1200X).

Instructor(s): Larisa Reznik     Terms Offered: Autumn Winter
Equivalent Course(s): HIST 11701, RLST 22010, MDVL 12000, JWSC 12000

NEHC 22011. Jewish Civilization II: Early Modern Period to 21st Century. 100 Units.

Jewish Civilization is a three-quarter sequence that explores the development of Jewish culture and tradition from its ancient beginnings through its rabbinic and medieval transformations to its modern manifestations. Through investigation of primary texts-biblical, Talmudic, philosophical, mystical, historical, documentary, and literary-students will acquire a broad overview of Jews, Judaism, and Jewishness while reflecting in greater depth on major themes, ideas, and events in Jewish history. The Winter course will begin with the early modern period and continue to the present. It will include discussions of mysticism, the works of Spinoza and Mendelssohn, the nineteenth-century reform, the Holocaust and its reflection in writers such as Primo Levi and Paul Celan, and literary pieces from postwar American Jewish and Israeli authors. All sections of this course will share a common core of readings; individual instructors will supplement with other materials. It is recommended, though not required, that students take the three Jewish Civilization courses in sequence. Students who register for the Autumn Quarter course will automatically be pre-registered for the winter segment. In the Spring Quarter students have the option of taking a third unit of Jewish Civilization, a course whose topics will vary (JWSC 1200X).

Instructor(s): Kenneth Moss Larisa Reznik     Terms Offered: Spring Winter
Equivalent Course(s): RLST 22011, HIST 11702, JWSC 12001

NEHC 22110. American Islam. 100 Units.

The American Muslim community hails from all corners of the globe, and represents a diverse mix of ethnic groups, socio-economic backgrounds, political persuasions, and theological positions. American Islam is older than the nation itself, and Muslims have contributed to the American project throughout its history. Today, the United States represents one unique node in a complex, global Muslim world, with deep and active relationships connecting the United States to the historic centers of Muslim life. Conspicuously religious Muslims also occupy greater positions of power and visibility across American society, from the halls of Congress to the comedy club stage. This course will provide a historically-informed, globally-inflected exploration of contemporary American Islam. Students will engage primary texts of American Muslim life and consider them within social, cultural, and historical context.

Instructor(s): Tom Maguire      Terms Offered: Winter

NEHC 22308. Phoenician Religion (In Their Own Words And Those of Their Neighbors) 100 Units.

The Phoenicians were a Canaanite people who maintained their language, religion, and culture until Roman times. One of the main challenges facing the study of the Phoenician religion (and culture in general) is that most of their literature is lost. This course gathers together a variety of emic sources in the Phoenicians' own language or stemming from the Phoenician realm but written in Greek or Latin, as well as sources written by others about the Phoenicians, with a special focus on cult and religious identity. The texts we will read and discuss range from royal, votive, and funerary inscriptions, to the views about the Phoenicians in the Hebrew Bible, and Greek and Roman writers. This course is partly a text-based, reading course, and partly a thematic, culture course.

Instructor(s): Carolina López-Ruiz     Terms Offered: Winter
Prerequisite(s): Intermediate knowledge (2 years) of a Semitic language (e.g., Hebrew, Phoenician, Aramaic, Ugaritic, Arabic) OR of ancient Greek and/or Latin.
Note(s): This course meets the HS or LMCS Committee distribution requirement for Divinity students.
Equivalent Course(s): CLAS 32322, RLST 22308, CLCV 22322, HREL 42308, NEHC 42308

NEHC 22502. Persian Literary Translation Through the Translation of Hafez. 100 Units.

Persian Literary Translation Through the Translation of Hafez Translating poetry is often a challenging endeavor, but translating Persian classical poetry is especially complex for several reasons, including the genre's prevalence of ebhām (ambiguity) and ihām (polyvalence). These challenges have caused many literary translators to dub Hafez's poetry as practically untranslatable, yet nonetheless there have been many attempts at translation, with varying degrees of success. This course aims to both explore the specific challenges translators of Hafez have encountered and also to strengthen students' literary translation skill through the translation of Hafez's works. After conducting a survey of existing translations of Hafez and other Persian classical poets, hands-on translations of several ghazals of Hafez will foster a better understanding of the multilayered meanings of his poetry. In addition, published as well as video sources on literary translation will serve as an introduction to prevailing theories of translation and to efficient methodologies of translating literary texts. The course being essentially designed to familiarize students with the practice of translation, students will create and refine their own translations of selected poems of Hafez. The complete term paper must be 10-15 pages of typed double-spaced font 12 text and include the introductory essay, the translation, and the original poems.

Instructor(s): Shabani-Jadidi, Pouneh     Terms Offered: Spring
Prerequisite(s): PERS 20102
Equivalent Course(s): PERS 20502, NEHC 32502

NEHC 22700. Biblical Law. 100 Units.

This course will examine the laws in the Torah/Pentateuch and elsewhere in the Hebrew Bible for their legal, social, and moral reasoning; their style; their meaning in literary works, as literature; and their historical setting. It will compare them to laws in other ancient works like the Hammurabi monument(s).

Instructor(s): Simeon Chavel     Terms Offered: Spring
Note(s): This course meets the HS or LMCS Committee distribution requirement for Divinity students.
Equivalent Course(s): RLST 22700, NEHC 32700, HIJD 32700, BIBL 32700, JWSC 22702

NEHC 22707. Rumi: Poetry, Wisdom, and Metaphysics. 100 Units.

Hailed as one of the world's greatest mystical poets, Jalal al-Din Rumi (d. 1273) transcends the boundaries of language, religion and ethnicity. Today Rumi's poems can be heard in mosques, monasteries, churches and synagogues. This course examines Rumi's teachings, the metaphysics of love and his perennial wisdom through translations of his sublime verse, the quintessential art form of the Sufis. Students will engage with the field of Persian Sufi literature and understand the methods employed by scholars in studying Sufi poetry.

Instructor(s): Mukhtar Ali     Terms Offered: Spring
Equivalent Course(s): FNDL 22707, RLST 22707

NEHC 22708. Persian Literature in "the West": Transcendentalism to New Age Spirituality. 100 Units.

Although we may have passed "peak Rumi," Persian poetry is still often translated and consumed as a component of modern "global" spirituality, and poets like Hāfeẓ and Rumi are frequently understood to be universalizing mystics. This course explores how Persian poetry has been adapted into European languages and interpreted over the past two hundred years, from Transcendentalists to New Agers, with a particular focus on how it has been variously invested with religious or "spiritual" meaning in Euro-American contexts. Class readings include a variety of translations of Persian poetry; secondary sources on translation, reception, and "world literature"; and theoretical critiques of "religion" and "mysticism" as analytic categories. All readings are in English, and no prior familiarity with Persian or the Persian language is required.

Instructor(s): O’Malley, Austin      Terms Offered: Winter
Prerequisite(s): All readings are in English, and no prior familiarity with Persian or the Persian language is required.

NEHC 22780. Readings: Sufism in Morocco. 100 Units.

A close reading 18th-19th century Moroccan Sufi texts with a focus on the Shadhili writings of Sidi Ali al-Jamal and Mulay al-'Arabi al-Darqawi.

Instructor(s): Yousef Casewit     Terms Offered: Spring
Prerequisite(s): Arabic reading proficiency required.
Note(s): This course meets the HS or CS Committee distribution requirement for Divinity students.
Equivalent Course(s): ISLM 42780, RLST 22780, NEHC 42780

NEHC 22906. The Book of Ezekiel. 100 Units.

A seminar for reading the Book of Ezekiel (in English; optional reading group for those who read biblical Hebrew), the Bible's most bizarre and challenging Prophetic work. It features Ezekiel's close encounters with a brutal divine, instantaneous transportation to future spaces and faraway places, dream-scenes that become real, mortifying dramatizations, and surreal sensory overload. Ezekiel says he played the role of a crude mime, a confounding cryptic, and an erotic singer. This charged and disturbing work generated a variety of literary and speculative Jewish and Christian traditions, like the Apocalyptic and the Mystical. Modern Bible critics discount its retrospective frame, consider it a repository of historical materials, and probe Ezekiel for personality disorders. We will engage it the way it presents itself to us, as literature, in a which a character tells his glorious and troubled story, and explore its frame, content, poetics, Judean literary traditions, contemporary Babylonian scene, and historical message.

Instructor(s): Simeon Chavel     Terms Offered: Winter
Note(s): This course meets the HS or LMCS Committee distribution requirement for Divinity students.
Equivalent Course(s): NEHC 32906, JWSC 22906, HIJD 32906, RLST 22906, BIBL 32906

NEHC 23250. Introduction to Islamic Theology. 100 Units.

Survey of ideas and arguments formulated by renowned Muslim theologians and responses that their doctrines triggered. Major doctrines will be covered, starting with early debates over the nature of belonging to the Muslim community, the nature of God, revelation, prophecy, freewill and predestination. The course roughly follows the historical development of Islamic theology in conversation with other Islamic sciences (philosophy, sufism, law), with a close examination of the confrontation between a group of rationalist theologians (Muʿtazilites), the traditionalist hadith-scholars, and the emergence of Sunni Ashʿarite theology between the 9th and 11th centuries.

Instructor(s): Yousef Casewit     Terms Offered: Autumn
Note(s): No knowledge of Arabic is required. Reading materials will be in English. Open to graduate students. This course meets the CS Committee distribution requirement for Divinity students.
Equivalent Course(s): ISLM 36250, RLST 23250, NEHC 36250

NEHC 23524. Constantinople, Byzantine and Ottoman: Crossroads of East and West. 100 Units.

Constantinople (modern Istanbul) was founded in 324 AD to be the capital of the eastern Roman empire. It did this until 1453, when it became the capital of the emerging Ottoman empire, a function that it served until 1922. No city in history has, for so long, served continually as the capital of two successive empires that, in their various incarnations, stradled Europe, Asia, and Africa and played a major role in shaping global politics and world culture. In this course, students will learn about these two parallel histories and cultures through a series of paired thematic units: Foundations; Imperial Cultures; Religious Cultures; and Hagia Sophia (a monument that continues to be a flashpoint for competing claims to the past and modern identities). One week in the middle will be devoted to Transitions, namely to the period around the siege of 1453, before which many Turks lived under east Roman rule and after which most Romans (Greeks) lived under Ottoman rule. The instructors will foster creative dialogue between these two cultures by focusing, in each unit, on exemplary monuments and primary written sources. Students will explore how public authority was claimed and contested, and how each phase of the city's history appropriated or sidelined the legacy of its own past.

Instructor(s): Anthony Kaldellis; Hakan Karateke      Terms Offered: TBD
Equivalent Course(s): CLAS 33524, CLCV 23524, NEHC 33524

NEHC 23613. Popular Culture in the Middle East and North Africa. 100 Units.

TBD

Instructor(s): Travis Jackson     Terms Offered: Various
Prerequisite(s): 100-level music course or consent of instructor.
Equivalent Course(s): MUSI 23613

NEHC 23825. Human Rights in the Middle East. 100 Units.

This seminar explores the broad range of human rights struggles, concerns and activism in the contemporary Middle East region. The class will examine human rights issues posed by authoritarian, dictatorial and single-party state formations in the Middle East particularly by looking at the effects of internal security apparatuses, mechanisms of state violence, and struggles for political participation and liberty. We explore ongoing indigenous struggles for recognition and autonomy, such as the Kurdish, Sahrawi and Amazigh cases, while also contextualizing the region's complex history of colonial and neocolonial interventions by force and their human rights implications. We will examine the varied roles that non-state actors play in Middle Eastern human rights spheres, from militias to NGOs to religious and communal structures. The course will look to local actors and movements to explore forms of resistance, struggle, and social change while maneuvering through often highly-constrained political spaces. We pay particular attention to marginalized communities by looking at the rights struggles of minorities, women, children, migrant workers, the disabled, and the LGBTQ+ community in Middle Eastern contexts. Personal Status Laws and their effects on rights, especially with regard to marital relations and parental rights are considered. Interdisciplinary and varied modes of knowledge production including film serve as source materials.

Instructor(s): Lindsay Gifford, Pozen Center for Human Rights Assistant Research Professor     Terms Offered: Spring
Equivalent Course(s): HMRT 23825, GLST 23825, HMRT 33825, NEHC 33825

NEHC 24550. Major Trends in Islamic Mysticism. 100 Units.

An examination of Islamic mysticism, commonly known as Sufism, through secondary English literature and translations of premodern Arabic Sufi texts. The goal is to gain firsthand insight into the diverse literary expressions of Islamic spirituality in their historical context, and to understand exactly what, how, and why Sufis say what they say.

Instructor(s): Yousef Casewit     Terms Offered: Winter
Note(s): This course meets the CS Committee distribution requirement for Divinity students.
Equivalent Course(s): SIGN 26068, MDVL 24550, NEHC 32419, ISLM 32419, RLST 24550, GLST 24550

NEHC 24567. Islamic Psychology. 100 Units.

An exploration of the growing body of secondary literature on Islamic psychology. Relevant premodern approaches to mental well-being, rooted in scriptural, theological, philosophical, and mystical sources will be examined alongside contemporary literature that synthesizes modern psychology with Islamic teachings. No Arabic required.

Instructor(s): Yousef Casewit     Terms Offered: Winter
Note(s): This course meets the CS Committee distribution requirement for Divinity students.
Equivalent Course(s): NEHC 34567, RLST 24567, ISLM 34567

NEHC 24590. Early Islamic Theological (Kalām) Texts. 100 Units.

This course offers the opportunity of engaging first-hand with the Arabic texts that define the discussions and polemics in Islamic theology of the formative period (7-10th centuries). Besides studying texts from different genres and produced by authors of differing theological orientations, we will discuss a wide range of themes, such as faith, free will, God's attributes, revelation, etc., in their intellectual and polemical contexts. The study of the primary readings will be supplemented by secondary scholarly literature. The main objective of this course is to enable students to understand the early theological texts in their religious and historical contexts, which will also inform their study of the major theological works of the Islamic tradition in the later periods.

Instructor(s): Mehmetcan Akpinar     Terms Offered: Winter
Prerequisite(s): 2 years of Arabic required.
Note(s): This course meets the HS Committee distribution for Divinity students.
Equivalent Course(s): NEHC 34590, ISLM 34590, MDVL 24590, RLST 24590

NEHC 24592. Jewish and Islamic Ethics in al-Andalus. 100 Units.

This course will include readings in Jewish and Islamic ethics from al-Andalus and the Maghrib with a focus on the writings of Maimonides (d. 1204) -- especially his "Eight Chapters" and Commentary on Avot (completed in the 1160s) and Ibn al-Mar'a of Malaga (d. 1214) -- especially his commentary on Ibn al-'Arif.

Instructor(s): Jim Robinson and Yousef Casewit     Terms Offered: Autumn
Note(s): This course meets the HS or CS Committee distribution requirement for Divinity students.
Equivalent Course(s): RETH 34592, HIJD 34592, JWSC 24592, MDVL 24592, RLST 24592, NEHC 34592, ISLM 34592

NEHC 24801. Words of the Wise: Proverbs and Qohelet. 100 Units.

Text-course (text in biblical Hebrew only) covering the literary genres, discursive styles, and philosophical ideas of Proverbs and Qohelet (Ecclesiastes), with attention to voicing, double-voicing, and intertextuality.

Instructor(s): Simeon Chavel     Terms Offered: Winter
Prerequisite(s): One year of Biblical Hebrew.
Note(s): This course meets the HS or LMCS Committee distribution requirement for Divinity students. JWSC majors/minors can petition to count this course toward their degree requirement.
Equivalent Course(s): HIJD 44800, NEHC 44801, RLST 22304, BIBL 44800

NEHC 24815. Collecting the Ancient World: Museum Practice and Politics. 100 Units.

Where is this artifact from? Who does it belong to? How did it get here? Who's telling its story? Critical inquiry into the practice and politics of museums has reached a new zenith in contemporary discourse. From discussions of acquisition and repatriation to provenience (archaeological findspot) and provenance (an object's ownership history) and the ethics of curation and modes of display, museum and art professionals-and the general public alike-are deliberating on the concept of museums and the responsibilities of such institutions towards the collections in their care. This course will explore the early history of museums and collecting practices and their impact on the field today, with a focus on cultural heritage collections from West Asia and North Africa. We will first spend time on such topics as archaeological exploration of "the Orient," colonial collecting practices, and the antiquities trade, as well as the politics of representation and reception in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Next, we will look at critical issues presently facing museums, including ethical collection stewardship, provenance research, repatriation, community engagement, and public education. The course will be structured in a seminar format, with lectures devoted to the presentation of key themes by the instructor and critical discussion as a group. Meetings will include visits to the ISAC Museum at UChicago.

Instructor(s): K. Neumann     Terms Offered: Winter
Equivalent Course(s): HIST 30509, ARTH 34815, HIST 20509, ARTH 24815, NEHC 34815

NEHC 25209. Jews, Arabs, and Others: Nations from the Nile to the Jordan. 100 Units.

This course considers nationbuilding as an ongoing and recurring process in the Middle East, realigning identities and communities according to the political concerns of the time. In particular, we will examine how Arabs and Others have figured in the political imagination of both Egypt and Israel-Palestine. When can Egyptians, Palestinians, and Israelis consider themselves "Arab"--and when not? What are the stakes of naming Arab-ness or claiming it for oneself? To answer these questions, this course will include readings and popular films on Arab nationalism and minorities in Egypt, the question of Jewish versus Israeli nationalism, Arab (or Mizrahi) Jews in Israel, and the relationship of Palestinian nationalism to the borders that have been drawn within the historic land of Palestine.

Instructor(s): Callie Maidhof     Terms Offered: Autumn
Equivalent Course(s): GLST 25209, ANTH 24110

NEHC 25218. Suhrawardi and His Interpreters. 100 Units.

Shihāb al-Dīn Suhrawardī (d. 1191), the founder of the ishrāqī philosophical tradition, is undoubtedly one of the most innovative and influential philosophers in the history of Islamic thought. In this seminar, we will examine major themes in the writings of Suhrawardī along with excerpts from Arabic commentaries by Muslim and Jewish authors such as Ibn Kammūnah (d. 1284), Shahrazūrī (d. 1288), Quṭb al-Dīn Shīrāzī (d. 1311), Dawānī (d.1502), Dashtakī (d. 1542), Qarabāghī (d. 1625) and Harawī (d. 1689). Topics include, Suhrawardī's understanding of the history of philosophy, light and the order of existence, virtues and human happiness, self-knowledge and self-awareness, conceptual and non-conceptual knowledge, and theory of ritual actions.

Instructor(s): Nariman Aavani     Terms Offered: Spring
Prerequisite(s): 2 years of Arabic.
Note(s): This course meets the CS Committee distribution requirement for Divinity students.
Equivalent Course(s): MDVL 25218, NEHC 35218, ISLM 35218, FNDL 25218, RLST 25218

NEHC 25705. The last century of Persian in India (c. 1770-1850): Persian literary culture and its transformation. 100 Units.

In this seminar we will read original texts and familiarize students with archival research on Persian materials from the colonial period, looking at examples in original manuscripts and lithographed editions. Despite being rarely considered by historians of Persian cultural history and historians of British India, this period saw a fascinating profusion of writings, composed in particular by Hindu and Muslim scribes commissioned by British officers. Throughout the course we will emphasize the crucial role of Persian and Persian-writing Indian literati for the early colonial state administration and intelligence. Besides looking at works produced in a colonial context, we will examine the transformation of prose writing amongst Persianate literati in North Indian cities.

Instructor(s): Jean Arzoumanov     Terms Offered: Winter
Equivalent Course(s): SALC 25705, NEHC 35705, SALC 35705

NEHC 25806. The Political Theologies of Zionism. 100 Units.

The relationship between nationalism and religion has throughout history been a stormy one, often characterized by antagonisms and antipathy. In this course we will examine from various aspects the complex nexus of these two sources of repeated ideological and political dispute within Judaism, and more specifically within Zionism as its political manifestation. Zionism has mostly been considered a secular project, yet recently, Zionist theory is scrutinized to identify and unearth its supposedly hidden theological origins. In nowadays Israel, a rise in religious identification alongside an increasing religionization of the political discourse calls for the consideration of new theopolitical models of Zionism applicable in a post-secular environment. The aim of this course is to explore this complex intertwining of politics and religion in Israel from both historical and contemporary perspectives. The first part of the course will outline the theoretical foundation of post-secular and political-theological discourses. The second part will address the explicit and implicit political theologies of Zionism. The third part will outline contemporary aspects of political-theological thought in Israel, and their actual appearance in the political sphere.

Instructor(s): David Barak-Gorodetsky     Terms Offered: Winter
Note(s): This course meets the HS or CS Committee distribution requirement for Divinity students.
Equivalent Course(s): RLST 25806, HIST 39403, JWSC 27940, THEO 35806, HIJD 35806

NEHC 26001. Religion and Visual Culture in the Late Antique Mediterranean. 100 Units.

In this seminar, we examine sacred sites and artifacts of early Christians and their neighbors in the regions around the Mediterranean from the third century to about 750 CE. Case studies will illustrate the wealth of religious art and architecture associated with different religions that existed side by side-Christianity, Judaism, polytheism, and emerging Islam. This course has five main objectives: (1) to examine how the designs of religious spaces, buildings, and objects respond to specific spiritual or ritualistic needs; (2) to gain familiarity with typical features characterizing the arts of each religion or sect; (3) to identify elements of a common visual language that result from shared traditions or artistic cross-pollination; (4) to examine different ways in which material artifacts were employed as means of ideological propaganda; and (5) to study art and architecture as evidence of doctrinal competition and conflict. While this course foregrounds the study of material culture, written sources (in translation) complement the analysis of the visual evidence.

Instructor(s): Karin Krause     Terms Offered: Spring
Note(s): This course meets the HS or LMCS Committee distribution for Divinity students.
Equivalent Course(s): CLCV 26024, JWSC 26020, RLST 26001, RLVC 36001, HCHR 36001, MDVL 26001, CLAS 36024, ARTH 26001, ARTH 36001

NEHC 26062. Jewish Graphic Narrative: Between Memory and Caricature. 100 Units.

Over the past decade, there has been an explosion of "graphic novels" aimed at adult readers concerning Jewish society, history, and religion. This course explores the history of comics through the lens of its Jewish creators and Jewish themes, and the history of Jewish culture and society through the lens of graphic storytelling. We learn to interpret this complex art form that combines words and hand-drawn images, translating temporal progression into a spatial form. Reading American, European, and Israeli narratives, our discussions will focus on autobiographical and journalistic accounts of uprooting, immigration, conflict, and loss. We will ask: how do Jewish graphic novelists grapple with the history of racist caricature? What is the relationship between graphic narrative and memory culture? Authors whose work we will study include: Art Spiegelman, Rutu Modan, Lianna Finck, Joann Sfar, Joe Sacco, R. Crumb

Instructor(s): Na'ama Rokem     Terms Offered: Autumn
Equivalent Course(s): CMLT 20711, JWSC 20701, RLST 26062, SIGN 26062

NEHC 26103. Dreams, Visions, and Mystical Experience. 100 Units.

An exploration of primary literature and secondary scholarship on dream interpretation, luminous vision, and religious experience, with a focus on the writings of figures from the late North African Sufi tradition such as 'Ali al-Jamal and 'Abd al-'Aziz al-Dabbagh.

Instructor(s): Yousef Casewit     Terms Offered: Autumn
Note(s): This course meets the CS Committee distribution requirement for Divinity students.
Equivalent Course(s): ISLM 36103, NEHC 36103, RLST 26103

NEHC 26322. Healing Traditions. 100 Units.

This seminar is a comparative exploration of medical and healing traditions and their religious, spiritual, and cultural intersections. Students will gain an understanding of the history of medicine in the Middle East, India, China, and the West, including the metaphysical systems that inform those traditions. Within the frameworks of Islamic Medicine, i.e. "prophetic medicine" and Sufi healing practices, Avicenna and the Galenic tradition, Chinese Medicine, Ayurveda and Buddhist medicine, we will discuss the following topics: Ritual healing, faith and prayer, divine healers and medical authority, etiology and pathology, religious pharmacology and drugs, mental health, spiritual states and possession, and near death experiences, among others. Students will conduct research on a particular modality in conversation with recent trends in health in modern allopathy while evaluating efficacy, scope and place of traditional modalities.

Instructor(s): Mukhtar Ali     Terms Offered: Winter
Equivalent Course(s): KNOW 26322, HLTH 26322, RLST 26322, GLST 26322, CCTS 26322

NEHC 26500. The Radiant Pearl: Introduction to Syriac Literature and its Historical Contexts. 100 Units.

After Greek and Latin, Syriac literature represents the third largest corpus of writings from the formative centuries of Christianity. This course offers students a comprehensive overview of the dominant genres and history of Syriac-speaking Christians from the early centuries through the modern day. Moving beyond traditional historiography that focuses exclusively on early Christianity within the Roman Empire, this class examines Christian traditions that took root in the Persian and later Islamic Empires as well. Through studying the history and literature of Syriac-speaking Christians, the global reach of early Christianity and its diversity comes to the fore. Syriac-speaking Christians preached the Gospel message from the Arabian Peninsula to early modern China and India. Syriac writers also raised female biblical figures and holy women to prominent roles within their works. Students will broaden their understanding of the development of Christian thought as they gain greater familiarity with understudied voices and visions for Christian living found within Syriac literature. Special attention will be paid to biblical translation, asceticism, poetry, differences between ecclesial communities as well as the changing political fortunes of Syriac-speaking populations. No previous knowledge or study expected.

Instructor(s): Erin Galgay Walsh     Terms Offered: Autumn
Equivalent Course(s): GNSE 36505, RLST 16500, NEHC 36500, GNSE 26505, BIBL 36500, HCHR 36500

NEHC 26702. Arabic into Hebrew: Translation and Cultural Change during the Middle Ages. 100 Units.

Religions, like all cultural phenomena, are akin to organic beings: they change, grow and adapt, absorb and assimilate what they encounter, become transformed constantly in relation to challenges and opportunities - and sometimes react against them. This course will focus on one example of religious-cultural-philosophical adaptation and change through a study of the medieval translation of Arabic and Judeo-Arabic works into Hebrew during the 12th-15th centuries. We will focus on the translations themselves and translation technique, but principally on what was translated and why, when and where, by whom and for whom. All this with an added emphasis on the result: how did Judaism and Jewish culture change through translation - in all its forms - during the high middle ages.

Instructor(s): James T. Robinson     Terms Offered: Autumn
Note(s): This course meets the HS or CS Committee distribution requirement for Divinity students.
Equivalent Course(s): HIJD 36702, NEHC 36702, RLVC 36702, HREL 36702, RLST 26702, ISLM 36702, JWSC 26702, MDVL 26702

NEHC 26994. Anticolonial Worlding: Literature, Film, Thought. 100 Units.

This course explores anticolonial worldbuilding through literature, film, art, and philosophy. It focuses on the role of the cultural Cold War in shaping anticolonial aesthetics and politics during the twentieth century as well as its impact on our current political moment. The mid-century was characterized by an expansion of anticolonial festivals, exchanges, and congresses and marked by political crises and coalitional solidarity across Vietnam, Palestine, Cuba, Soviet and US imperial expansion, and the May 1968 student protests. We will explore how Pan-Arab, Pan-African, Non-Aligned/Global South, Marxist-Leninist, indigenous land rights, and racial justice movements mobilized class, gender, and language politics. Exploring anticolonial literature, film, and art across a multilingual and transnational archive we will ask how socialist and speculative realisms, engaged literature, third cinema, agitprop, and other aesthetic movements generated powerful internationalist imaginations and networks of resistance.

Instructor(s): Leah Feldman     Terms Offered: Autumn
Equivalent Course(s): GNSE 26994, REES 26994, GNSE 36994, RDIN 26994, ENGL 26994, HMRT 26994, RDIN 36994, CMLT 36994, CMLT 26994

NEHC 27213. Partings, Encounters, and Entangled Histories: The Formation of Judaism and Christianity. 100 Units.

When did the fault lines between Judaism and Christianity emerge? This course explores this question by examining the formation of Judaism and Christianity within the world of the Ancient Mediterranean. What religious views, texts, and practices did Jews and Christians hold in common? How did early writers construct communal boundaries and project "ideal" belief and practice? What role did the changing political tides of the Roman and Persian empires play? We will explore continuities and growing distinctions between Jews and Christians in the areas of scriptural interpretation, ritual practices, and structures of authority. Special attention will be paid to debates around gender and sexuality, healing, and views of government and economics. We will approach these issues through material evidence and close readings of early literature in light of contemporary scholarship. Students interested in modern histories of Judaism and Christianity will gain a firm foundation in the pivotal debates, texts, and events that set the trajectories for later centuries.

Instructor(s): Erin Galgay Walsh     Terms Offered: Winter
Prerequisite(s): No prerequisite knowledge of the historical periods, literature, or religious traditions covered is expected.
Note(s): This course meets the HS or LMCS Committee distribution requirement for Divinity students.
Equivalent Course(s): HIST 31600, RLST 27213, NEHC 37213, BIBL 37213, HCHR 37213, CLAS 34021, CLCV 24021, HIJD 37213, JWSC 27213

NEHC 28003. Islamic Art: Private Collections on Public Display. 100 Units.

In the past decade, two museums in Texas - the MFA Houston and the Dallas Museum of Art -- have suddenly emerged as major centers for Islamic art. Usually, well-developed displays of Islamic art build on sustained institutional commitment to curation over several generations. However, these Texas museums both quickly transformed their abilities to exhibit Islamic art by securing long term loans of significant private collections. With the al-Sabah Collection and the Hossein Afshar Collection, MFA Houston more than doubled its display space for Islamic art in 2023; and similarly, the Dallas Museum of Art has displayed the Keir Collection since 2014. This travelling seminar brings students to Texas for two weeks, facilitating direct study of an expansive range of Islamic arts produced from the medieval period to the present, in materials ranging from silk, parchment, ceramic, and rock crystal; to lacquer, sandstone, metal, jade, and plexiglass. Students will learn basic classification systems for navigating the vast range of Islamic arts, and will also each select a specific work for close study. Upon return to campus, students will develop their thoughts on the object in relation to questions of collection and display. What force does a given object have in shaping, confirming, or challenging logics of collection and display? What might the same object achieve differently within the context of a different, possibly thematic, exhibition?

Instructor(s): P. Berlekamp     Terms Offered: Autumn
Note(s): Consent Only
Equivalent Course(s): ARTH 38003, NEHC 38003, ARTH 28003

NEHC 28402. The Book of Judges. 100 Units.

A text-course (text in biblical Hebrew only). It will cover the book's concept of a "judge," its themes, plot, and values, its sources and formation, the real beginning and end of the book, and its historical referents. Framed by theory of history and of narrative.

Instructor(s): Simeon Chavel     Terms Offered: Autumn
Prerequisite(s): One year Biblical Hebrew.
Note(s): This course meets the HS or LMCS Committee distribution requirement for Divinity students. JWSC majors/minors can petition to count this course toward their degree requirement.
Equivalent Course(s): BIBL 48402, HIJD 48402, NEHC 48402, RLST 22302

NEHC 28499. How Did The Ancients Interpret Their Myths? 100 Units.

How did the ancient Greeks interpret their own narratives about the gods? How did their encounter with Near Eastern mythologies shape their own story-telling, and how did their understanding and use of myths evolve with time? In this course, we will explore the ancient interpretation of myth from the archaic Greek to the Roman periods. First, we will focus on the cross-cultural adaptations of Near Eastern traditions in Greek epic (Homer and Hesiod), as a form of interpretation itself. Then we will discuss how ancient poets and thinkers interpreted and reinterpreted divine narratives, paying attention to their philosophical, literary, and cultural strategies, from Orphism and Plato to the Stoics and later philosophical schools, including Euhemerism and its engagement with Phoenician mythology.

Instructor(s): Carolina López-Ruiz     Terms Offered: Spring
Equivalent Course(s): HREL 38499, RLST 28499, CLCV 28422, NEHC 38499, CLAS 38422

NEHC 28504. Interactions b/w Jewish Phil. and Lit.in Middle Ages. 100 Units.

Any study of Jewish philosophy that focuses on a small collection of systematic summas tells only half the story. In this seminar, the emphasis will be shifted from canonical theologies to lesser-known works of literature. Each class will examine the way a different genre was used to defend philosophy and teach it to the community at large. Emphasis will be on literary form and style, rhetoric, methods of teaching and argumentation, all in relation to questions about reception and dissemination, progress and creativity, science and religion.

Instructor(s): James T. Robinson     Terms Offered: Winter
Equivalent Course(s): JWSC 22701, MDVL 22700, RLST 28504, ISLM 42700, HIJD 42700, RLVC 42700, NEHC 42700

NEHC 28611. Jewish Sufism. 100 Units.

During the Middle Ages the Jews in the Muslim world developed a robust synthesis of Jewish Spirituality and Islamic Sufism. Even those who did not subscribe to a Sufi pietistic Judaism nevertheless introduced Sufi language and ideas into their Jewish thought. This course will introduce several important figures in this Jewish Sufi movement, from Bahya ibn Paquda in 11th-century Spain to Maimonides and his descendants in 12th14th century Egypt. There will be a section for Arabists to read Bahya's "Duties of the Hearts" in Arabic, and a section for Hebraists to read the twelfth-century Hebrew translation of it.

Instructor(s): James T. Robinson     Terms Offered: Winter
Equivalent Course(s): RLST 28611, NEHC 48610, JWSC 28610, ISLM 48610, HIJD 48610, RLVC 48610, MDVL 28610

NEHC 28882. Magic and Divination in the Islamic World. 100 Units.

From weather forecasts to stock market speculations, our modern world is saturated with predictions for the future. In spite of this, other divinatory methods such as astrology are often portrayed as superstitious, irrational, or unreligious. This course will introduce students to the unexpected interaction of science, magic, and religion through the exploration of divination in the Islamic world. We will ask how divination can be a part of religious practice and how methods of future-telling are said to "work" from the perspective of the philosophers and scientists who practiced them. We will also explore the arguments against divination and identify and understand religious and/or scientific objections to the practice. All readings will be in English translation.

Instructor(s): Alex Matthews     Terms Offered: Winter
Equivalent Course(s): MDVL 28882, CCTS 21020, KNOW 28882, RLST 28882, HIPS 28882

NEHC 29003. Islam Beyond the Human: Spirits, Demons, Devils, and Ghosts. 100 Units.

This seminar explores the diverse spiritual and sentient lifeforms within Islamic cosmology that exist beyond the human-from jinn, angels, and ghosts to demons and devils. We will focus on theological, scientific, philosophical, anthropological, and historical accounts of these creatures across a variety of texts, as well as their literary and filmic afterlives in contemporary cultural representations. In so doing, we consider the various religious, social, and cultural inflections that shape local cosmological imaginaries. We ask how reflecting on the nonhuman world puts the human itself in question, including such concerns as sexuality and sexual difference, the boundaries of the body, reason and madness, as well as the limits of knowledge.

Instructor(s): Alireza Doostdar and Hoda El Shakry     Terms Offered: Autumn
Prerequisite(s): Enrollment by Consent Only (for both grads and undergrads). Students should send the instructors a paragraph explaining their interest and prior preparation or familiarity with the themes in the course.
Note(s): This course meets the LMCS or SCSR Committee distribution requirement for Divinity students.
Equivalent Course(s): CMLT 29003, ISLM 49003, ANTH 29003, CMLT 49003, KNOW 49003, GNSE 29003, AASR 49003, RLST 29003, GNSE 49003, ANTH 49003, NEHC 49003

NEHC 29018. Love, Desire, and Sexuality in Islamic Texts and Contexts. 100 Units.

What separates love from lust? How do our erotic desires and sexual practices intersect with our beliefs? This interdisciplinary class explores these questions in conversation with foundational thinkers from the Islamic tradition alongside insights from feminist and queer theory. We will delve into questions on the relationship between romantic, familial, and divine love; gender, sexuality, and the body; and Orientalism and the politics of reading desire cross-culturally. Exploring a diverse set of primary sources that range from the Qur'ān to Rūmī's Masnāvī to contemporary Bollywood, we will encounter different representations of love, desire, and sexuality in religious and philosophical discourses, literary representations, and visual media. We will examine not only how these representations reflect different historical norms, but also how and to what extent texts and images can inform or impact the norms of their contexts as well. No prerequisite knowledge of the topics or time periods discussed is needed, and students will have the opportunity over the course of the class to develop a project that relates our content to their own interests.

Instructor(s): Allison Kanner-Botan     Terms Offered: Spring
Note(s): This course counts as a Concepts course for GNSE majors.
Equivalent Course(s): GNSE 23135, MDVL 28013, RLST 28013, SALC 28013, CMLT 28013

NEHC 29023. Returning the Gaze: The West and the Rest. 100 Units.

Aware of being observed. And judged. Inferior... Abject… Angry... Proud… This course provides insight into identity dynamics between the "West," as the center of economic power and self-proclaimed normative humanity, and the "Rest," as the poor, backward, volatile periphery. We investigate the relationship between South East European self-representations and the imagined Western gaze. Inherent in the act of looking at oneself through the eyes of another is the privileging of that other's standard. We will contemplate the responses to this existential position of identifying symbolically with a normative site outside of oneself-self-consciousness, defiance, arrogance, self-exoticization-and consider how these responses have been incorporated in the texture of the national, gender, and social identities in the region. Orhan Pamuk, Ivo Andrić, Nikos Kazantzakis, Aleko Konstantinov, Emir Kusturica, Milcho Manchevski.

Instructor(s): Angelina Ilieva     Terms Offered: Winter
Equivalent Course(s): HIST 23609, CMLT 39023, HIST 33609, REES 39023, CMLT 29023, REES 29023, NEHC 39023

NEHC 29030. Islam, Race and Decoloniality. 100 Units.

This course explores western perspectives, attitudes and representations of Muslims and Islam from medieval European thought, through liberal colonial encounters to contemporary media and political discourses. Students will examine the intersection of race and religion as it applies to the construction of Muslim identity and alterity in the Western imagination. We will explore the remarkable consistency across centuries of the threatening, menacing, barbaric and uncivilized Muslim "Other". The course centers around these Orientalist constructions and will explore the power structures, colonial modalities, epistemological frameworks, and ideological assumptions that perpetuate the racialization of Islam and Muslims within the United States and abroad. This course ultimately aims to uncover potentials for resistance, recovery and renewal through the politics and praxis of decoloniality. Students will gain familiarity with decolonial theory and practices, as well as the important project of 'epistemic delinking' as it is framed by contemporary scholars intent on challenging, possibly undoing and remapping the Muslim experience within global liberal political modernity.

Instructor(s): Maliha Chishti     Terms Offered: Winter
Note(s): This course meets the SCSR Committee distribution requirement for Divinity students.
Equivalent Course(s): RDIN 39030, RDIN 29030, NEHC 39030, KNOW 39030, ANTH 29030, ANTH 39030, RLST 29030, ISLM 39030

NEHC 29765. Cultural Heritage Management Crisis in Conflict Areas. 100 Units.

As a result of the widespread destruction of monuments, museums, and archaeological sites in conflict areas, combined with the creation of brand-new international funds to protect heritage in situations of armed conflict or climate change, this class presents a series of lectures and discussions by the course instructors along with guest lectures by heritage specialists who focus on the various geographical zones concerned. It will also adopt a transdisciplinary approach where several fields of expertise will be convoked, from archaeology and curatorial to international heritage protection law.

Instructor(s): Marc Maillot, Gil Stein     Terms Offered: Spring
Equivalent Course(s): KNOW 39765, NEHC 39765, ARTH 39765, KNOW 29675

NEHC 29899. Research Colloquium. 100 Units.

Required of fourth-year students who are majoring in NELC. This is a workshop course designed to survey the fields represented by NELC and to assist students in researching andcompleting their Research Project. Students must get a Reading and Research form from their College Adviser and complete the form in order to be registered. Signatures are needed from the adviser and Director of Undergraduate Studies. Please indicate on the form that you wish to register for NEHC 29899 Section 01.

Instructor(s): Kraver, Stephanie     Terms Offered: Autumn

NEHC 29989. Race and the Bible. 100 Units.

The course will cover race in the Bible, race in the ancient world of the Bible, American use of the Bible on race, and the critique of race as a formative and constructed concept.

Instructor(s): Erin Galgay Walsh and Simeon Chavel     Terms Offered: Winter
Prerequisite(s): BIBL 31000 (Introduction to the Hebrew Bible) or BIBL 32500 (Introduction to the New Testament). BIBL 32500 can be taken concurrently.
Note(s): This course meets the HS or LMCS Committee distribution requirement for Divinity students. JWSC majors/minors can petition to count this course toward their degree requirement.
Equivalent Course(s): NEHC 49989, CRES 27699, RLST 29109, HCHR 49999, BIBL 49999, HIJD 49999

NEHC 29995. Research Project. 100 Units.

In consultation with a faculty research adviser and with consent of the Director of Undergraduate Studies, students devote the equivalent of a one-quarter course to the preparation of their Research Project. Students are required to submit the College Reading and Research Course Form. Please indicate that you wish to register for NEHC 29995 Section 01 with the Director of Undergraduate Studies.

Instructor(s): Reculeau, Herve      Terms Offered: Winter
Prerequisite(s): 4th year NELC majors only. Approval of Director of Undergraduate Studies.

NELG 20125. Amarna Canaanite in its Sociolinguistic Setting. 100 Units.

In this course, we will focus on letters from the Amarna archive (ca. 1360-1330 BCE) that were written in what is commonly referred to as "Canaano-Akkadian", a form of Akkadian with significant influence from the native Canaanite language(s) of the scribes. There is no consensus as of yet what "Canaano-Akkadian" represents in terms of language. One aim of the course is to look at different proposals and evaluate them based on the original texts. In order to be able to understand the origin of Canaano-Akkadian and to put it into its proper historical and sociolinguistic context, we will further read earlier texts from Canaan, including those from Hazor and Taanach, before going over to letters from major Canaanite sites attested in the Amarna archive, such as Byblos, Jerusalem, Megiddo, Gezer, and others.

Instructor(s): Rebecca Hasselbach-Andee     Terms Offered: Winter
Prerequisite(s): Intermediate Akkadian, two years of Hebrew (or Arabic)
Equivalent Course(s): NELG 30125

NELG 20301. Introduction to Comparative Semitics. 100 Units.

This course examines the lexical, phonological, and morphological traits shared by the members of the Semitic language family. We also explore the historical relationships among these languages and the possibility of reconstructing features of the parent speech community.

Instructor(s): R. Hasselbach-Andee     Terms Offered: Autumn
Prerequisite(s): Knowledge of two Semitic languages or one Semitic language and Historical Linguistics.
Equivalent Course(s): LING 30320, LING 20320, NELG 30301

NELG 20901. Advanced Seminar: Comparative Semitic Linguistics. 100 Units.

This course is an advanced seminar in comparative Semitics that critically discusses important secondary literature and linguistic methodologies concerning topics in the field, including topics in phonology, morphology, syntax, etc.

Instructor(s): R. Hasselbach-Andee     Terms Offered: Winter
Prerequisite(s): Introduction to Comparative Semitics. Undergraduates require consent of instructor.
Equivalent Course(s): NELG 40301

PERS 10101-10102-10103. Elementary Persian I-II-III.

This sequence concentrates on modern written Persian as well as modern colloquial usage. Toward the end of this sequence, students are able to read, write, and speak Persian at an elementary level. Introducing the Iranian culture is also a goal.

PERS 20101-20102-20103. Intermediate Persian I-II-III.

This sequence deepens and expands students’ knowledge of modern Persian at all levels of reading, writing, and speaking. Grammar is taught at a higher level, and a wider vocabulary enables students to read stories, articles, and poetry. Examples of classical literature and the Iranian culture are introduced.

PERS 20502. Persian Literary Translation Through the Translation of Hafez. 100 Units.

Persian Literary Translation Through the Translation of Hafez Translating poetry is often a challenging endeavor, but translating Persian classical poetry is especially complex for several reasons, including the genre's prevalence of ebhām (ambiguity) and ihām (polyvalence). These challenges have caused many literary translators to dub Hafez's poetry as practically untranslatable, yet nonetheless there have been many attempts at translation, with varying degrees of success. This course aims to both explore the specific challenges translators of Hafez have encountered and also to strengthen students' literary translation skill through the translation of Hafez's works. After conducting a survey of existing translations of Hafez and other Persian classical poets, hands-on translations of several ghazals of Hafez will foster a better understanding of the multilayered meanings of his poetry. In addition, published as well as video sources on literary translation will serve as an introduction to prevailing theories of translation and to efficient methodologies of translating literary texts. The course being essentially designed to familiarize students with the practice of translation, students will create and refine their own translations of selected poems of Hafez. The complete term paper must be 10-15 pages of typed double-spaced font 12 text and include the introductory essay, the translation, and the original poems.

Instructor(s): Shabani-Jadidi, Pouneh     Terms Offered: Spring
Prerequisite(s): PERS 20102
Equivalent Course(s): NEHC 22502, NEHC 32502

PERS 29021. Reading Indo-Persian harmonized prose: Bahār-i dānish. 100 Units.

In this course, we will read excerpts from one of the most popular collections of stories written in harmonized (aka ornate) prose in Mughal India: ʿInāyatallāh's Bahār-i dānish. We will use several editions of the texts as well as commentaries and translations and focus on grammar, rhetoric, and the various strategies one may use to render Persian harmonized prose into English.

Instructor(s): Thibaut d'Hubert     Terms Offered: Winter
Equivalent Course(s): SALC 39021, SALC 29021, PERS 39021

TURK 10101-10102-10103. Elementary Turkish I-II-III.

This sequence features proficiency-based instruction emphasizing grammar in modern Turkish. This sequence consists of reading and listening comprehension, as well as grammar exercises and basic writing in Turkish. Modern stories and contemporary articles are read at the end of the courses.

TURK 10501. Intro to Turkic Languages I. 100 Units.

The first quarter of a two-section course in which Elementary Kazakh and Elementary Uzbek will be offered as one class, with the option for students to study one or the other, or both simultaneously.

Instructor(s): Kagan Arik     Terms Offered: Autumn
Equivalent Course(s): KAZK 10501, LING 18701, UZBK 10501

TURK 10502. Introduction to Turkic Languages II. 100 Units.

The second quarter of a two-section course in which Elementary Kazakh and Elementary Uzbek will be offered as one class, with the option for students to study one or the other, or both simultaneously.

Instructor(s): Kagan Arik     Terms Offered: Winter
Prerequisite(s): TURK 10501
Equivalent Course(s): UZBK 10502, KAZK 10502

TURK 15000. Turkish in Istanbul. 100 Units.

TBD

TURK 15001. Elementary Turkish in Istanbul. 100 Units.

Elementary Turkish in Istanbul

TURK 15002. Elementary Turkish in Istanbul. 100 Units.

TURK 15003. Intermediate Turkish in Istanbul. 100 Units.

TURK 15004. Intermediate Turkish in Istanbul. 100 Units.

TURK 15005. Advanced Turkish in Istanbul. 100 Units.

TURK 20101-20102-20103. Intermediate Turkish I-II-III.

This sequence features proficiency-based instruction emphasizing speaking and writing skills as well as reading and listening comprehension at the intermediate to advanced levels in modern Turkish.  Modern short stories, novel excerpts, academic and journalistic articles form the basis for an introduction to modern Turkish literature. Cultural units consisting of films and web-based materials are also used extensively in this course, which is designed to bring the intermediate speaker to an advanced level of proficiency.

TURK 20123. Summer Intensive Intermediate Turkish. 300 Units.

Summer Intensive Intermediate Turkish enables students to develop strong intermediate speaking, listening, reading and writing skills and further solidify their foundation and proficiency in Turkish. Students study Turkish as it is used in authentic media, literature, and film, and gain familiarity with Turkish culture and civilization. The course will also address the needs of those preparing to study Ottoman. The first half of the course emphasizes completing skills acquired in Beginning Turkish and improving competency, while the second half further deepens students' proficiency, using an introductory sample of authentic textual and audio-visual materials, and excerpts from Turkish literature and texts, ranging from late Ottoman and early Republican period to the present time. Students will have 25 contact hours per week in this course, including synchronous and asynchronous online class time with the instructor, and time spent similarly with the native language assistant. Several hours will be allocated each week to cultural activities such as viewing films, clips, and presentations, and virtual conversation tables. Intensive Intermediate Turkish is the equivalent of the 20100-20200-20300 sequence offered during the regular academic year at the University of Chicago.

Instructor(s): Staff     Terms Offered: Summer
Prerequisite(s): Successful completion of TURK 10300 or equivalent placement.

TURK 29701. Independent Study: Old Turkic. 100 Units.

Independent study in Old Turkic.

Terms Offered: Autumn Spring Winter

UGAR 20101-20102-20103. Ugaritic I-II-III.

Elementary Ugaritic

UZBK 10103. Elementary Uzbek-3. 100 Units.

TBD

UZBK 10501. Intro to Turkic Languages I. 100 Units.

The first quarter of a two-section course in which Elementary Kazakh and Elementary Uzbek will be offered as one class, with the option for students to study one or the other, or both simultaneously.

Instructor(s): Kagan Arik     Terms Offered: Autumn
Equivalent Course(s): TURK 10501, KAZK 10501, LING 18701

UZBK 10502. Introduction to Turkic Languages II. 100 Units.

The second quarter of a two-section course in which Elementary Kazakh and Elementary Uzbek will be offered as one class, with the option for students to study one or the other, or both simultaneously.

Instructor(s): Kagan Arik     Terms Offered: Winter
Prerequisite(s): TURK 10501
Equivalent Course(s): TURK 10502, KAZK 10502

UZBK 29700. Independent Study: Uzbek. 100 Units.

Independent Study: Uzbek - Continuation of Introduction to Turkic Languages

Instructor(s): Kagan Arik     Terms Offered: Spring
Prerequisite(s): TURK 10502