Course Descriptions
Middle Eastern Studies | Judaic
Studies
Arabic courses
are listed at bottom of page.
(All courses carry 3 credits unless otherwise
noted.)
100 Middle Eastern History I
Survey of the development of social, political and cultural life
in the Middle East consequent to the rise of Islam in the 7th century.
Topics include: rise and spread of Islam, formation of a Middle
Eastern/Islamic world, relationship of religion and politics, Arab
conquests and empires, development of Islamic societies and cultures,
relations with Europe.
101 Middle Eastern History II
Survey of social, political, and cultural change in the Middle East
from the rise of the Ottoman Empire @ 1300 to the present. Topics
include impact on the Middle East of the shift in world trade from
the Mediterranean to the Atlantic; social political, and cultural
change; Ottoman and European relations: imperialism and revolution;
World War I and the peace settlement; state formation; the rise
of nationalism and religious fundamentalism.
390A The Arab World Today: Culture and Change
This course surveys the main issues of debate in modern Arab
society (social, intellectual and political). Focusing on key turning
points in the 20th century, this course examines changes in definitions
of identity, modernist thought, nationalism and views of the West
in the Arab world. Students will analyze representative samples
of these trends, including novels, memoirs, treatises and films.
Arabic
126, 146 Elementary Arabic 4 cr
Introduction to Modern Standard Arabic, also known as classical
Arabic. This two-semester course covers the basics in first-year
Arabic; study of the alphabet, sounds, and writing style, and development
of basic grammatical structures and communication skills. Students
read and write short passages on various real-life situations. ARABIC
126 or consent of instructor required for ARABIC 146.
226, 246 Intermediate Arabic 4 cr
The second year of Modern Standard Arabic; expanding the grammatical
and syntactical structures necessary for reading basic forms of
literary Arabic. Samples include: newspaper excerpts, short stories,
descriptive narratives. Emphasis also placed on writing short essays
and developing oral skills, using a broader range of regular and
irregular verbs. At the end of the second semester, students examine
a range of Arabic news broadcasts. ARABIC 146 or consent of instructor
required for ARABIC 246.
326, 346 Advanced Arabic
Focuses on reading sustained samples of Arabic prose in various
fields-fiction, biography, history, journalism, political critiques.
Students explore a range of complex grammatical structures and idiomatic
expressions in these texts. Equal emphasis placed in reading, writing,
speaking, and oral comprehension. ARABIC 326 or consent of instructor
required for ARABIC 346.
391 Modern Arabic Literature in Translation
A representative sample of modern Arabic poems, short stories, novels
and plays, with a brief account of the critical background of the
various genres. Class discussions concentrate on the students' appreciations
of the texts assigned.
Note: Internships may take the place of upper-level
courses at the rate of 1-3 cr for the minor and 1-6 cr for the major.
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