EGPT 20101 Middle Egyptian Texts II
| Second quarter reading course of ME texts |
Prerequisites
EGPT 10101-10102-10103 or consent of instructor
2025-2026 Autumn
Graduate
NEHC 20200/30200 Ancient Egyptian History
| This course surveys the political, social, and economic history of ancient Egypt from pre-dynastic times (ca. 3400 B.C.) until the advent of Islam in the seventh century of our era. |
2025-2026 Autumn
PERS 20105/30105 Wit and Wisdom in Persian Quatrains: Omar Khayyam, Mahsati, 'Attar, and Others
| In this course, students will learn to read, understand, and recite Persian quatrains (roba’iyat): short, two-line poems that often end with a witty “punchline,” funny or profound. We will explore quatrains attributed to several figures including Omar Khayyam, the 12th-century philosopher; ‘Attar, the 13th-century Sufi poet; and Mahsati, one of the best-known female poets in the canon and a member of Sultan Sanjar’s mid-12th-century court. Special attention will be paid to the various oral and textual means of these poems’ transmission, including anthologies and compilations. To contextualize these verses, we will analyze selections from Persian rhetorical writings, histories, and hagiographies that shed light on the quatrain’s meter, origin, and function within various courtly, intellectual, and religious settings. In addition to Persian-language primary sources, the course includes secondary source readings in Persian and English, but the language of class discussion will be English. One year of prior Persian-language study (or equivalent) is required and two years are recommended. |
Prerequisites
One year of Persian language study (two recommended)
2025-2026 Autumn
PERS 20101 Intermediate Persian I
| This sequence deepens and expands the students' knowledge of modern Persian. The goal is to enable the students to gain proficiency in all skills of language acquisition at a higher level. In this sequence, the students learn more complex grammatical structures and gain wider vocabulary through reading paragraph-length texts on a variety of topics related to Persian language, literature, and culture. Students will also be familiarized with Persian news and media terminology. Class meets four hours a week with the instructor and one hour with a native informant who conducts grammatical drills and Persian conversation. |
Prerequisites
PERS 10103 or consent of instructor
2025-2026 Autumn
PERS 10101 Elementary Persian I
| This course is designed for complete beginners and teaches students to pronounce, read and write standard Persian, as well as some Iranian colloquial dialect. It includes an introduction to the alphabet, pronunciation patterns, greetings, basic structures, and other fundamentals. Students who have exposure to other Middle Eastern or South Asian languages, but have not formally studied Persian before, should enroll in this course. By the end of the course, students will be able to communicate in Persian at a Novice-Mid level according to the ACTFL National Standards. They should be able to read and compose basic texts in formal Persian relating to themselves and their everyday lives, and handle basic ‘survival’ scenarios that have been covered in class. |
2025-2026 Autumn
ARAB 20701 High Intermediate Classical Arabic I
| 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. |
Prerequisites
ARAB 20103 or equivalent
2025-2026 Autumn
ARAB 20115 Colloquial Egyptian Arabic Language and Culture
| 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 Autumn, Winter, and Spring quarters respectively. |
Prerequisites
ARAB 10101 or equivalent
2025-2026 Autumn
ARAB 20101 Intermediate Arabic I
| The first quarter of the three-quarter Intermediate Arabic sequence. |
Prerequisites
ARAB 10101 or equivalent
2025-2026 Autumn
ARAB 10101 Elementary Arabic I
| Elementary Arabic is a 3-course, year-long sequence intended for complete beginners. It targets both literacy in the formal, standard, written form of Arabic (fuSHa), and also integrates the spoken dialect (‘ammiyyah) when needed. Through in-class practice and intensive homework projects, students will gain a solid foundation in the four skills (reading, writing, speaking, listening). At the end of the sequence, students will gain basic functional fluency on a variety of personal topics (self, family, studies, location, daily activities, etc.). These courses adopt a project-based approach to learning, and therefore meet three times a week for 80 minutes. |
2025-2026 Autumn
ARAB 20601 High Intermediate Modern Standard Arabic
| 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. |
Prerequisites
ARAB 20103 or equivalent
2025-2026 Autumn