Autumn

In this course, every week, we read an excerpt from a canonical Persian classical writer. We will discuss the linguistic and stylistics subtleties of each one of these excerpts. We will also discuss the changes in the language throughout the centuries covered. The instructor will post several references and articles on Persian literature on Canvas. The class discussions will be in Persian, but we will occasionally translate some sections in English. We will also practice reading Persian manuscripts. In time, students become familiar with the calligraphic style of classical Persian texts. 

This seminar introduces Ottoman court records (sicil) from the sixteenth through the eighteenth centuries. Through reading select documents and engaging with core scholarly literature, students will analyze the legal language, procedural frameworks, and administrative practices of the Ottoman court system. The course emphasizes training in paleography and archival analysis to reconstruct the social, economic, and legal realities of the early modern Ottoman world.

This course develops Arabic language proficiency through the rich storytelling traditions of the Arab world. Students will explore humorous anecdotes, animal fables, trickster stories, and popular folktales from Arabic-speaking cultures. Through these stories, students will expand their vocabulary, strengthen their grammatical competence, and improve reading, speaking, writing, and comprehension skills.

Course materials include adapted authentic texts, including selections from Juha tales, Kalila wa Dimna, stories from The Thousand and One Nights, and Arabic poetry. By engaging with these texts, students will gain insight into the cultural values and the sense of humor of the Arabic tradition.
 

Are you a “third culture kid”? Or maybe you are curious to learn about the diversity of the Arab experience outside the “homeland”. This course zigzags between the personal and the global. While activating and developing the 4 language skills, the course focuses on culture and history. Students will explore the Arab experience in Chicago and the U.S. through a variety of activities, and student-led projects. Through readings, podcasts, field trips in Chicago, guest speakers, interviews, and journaling, students will deepen their knowledge of both the diasporic Arabic community as well as the history and current scene in the countries of origin. Themes of interest include immigration and nationality law, identity, gender and family, literature,

education and social mobility, generational tensions, the university experience, language, artistic expression, notions of home, and career. Projects will include an oral history project that will be chronicled in a documentary or a podcast. Smaller projects will include the analysis of Arabic-English hybrid texts or songs, and film screenings with critical discussions.

Colloquial Egyptian Arabic Language and Culture I is an introductory course designed to familiarize students with the Egyptian Arabic dialect, the most widely spoken and understood dialect in the Arab World. To be eligible for this course, you must have completed 1-year of university-level Arabic or have the consent of the instructor. The course will develop the student's proficiency in Egyptian Arabic in all four language skills: speaking, listening, reading, and writing. Additionally, students will explore various aspects of the rich Egyptian culture. This course is part of a 3-course sequence. Colloquial Egyptian Arabic Language and Culture I, II and III are offered in the Fall, Winter, and Spring quarters respectively.

Advanced Turkish students will develop their language skills in speaking, reading, translating, listening, and writing, while learning about Turkish society and culture at the same time. To address all of these aspects each class is divided into three sections which focuses on a specific skill.
Section one is the conversation part: it involves reading (or listening to) short (audio) pieces or phrases on a given topic; section two is reading and translation: students read and prepare pieces from Turkish literature, literature readings are short stories or selected parts from novels; section three is the listening part: by watching parts of a Turkish movie, students' skills in listening and understanding will get faster while we progress through the movie.