Winter

The beginner’s course is the first of three sequential courses offered to students at the university. The course aims to introduce students to reading, writing and speaking Modern Hebrew. Toward that end all four-language skills are emphasized: comprehension of written and oral materials; reading of non-diacritical text; writing of directed sentences, paragraphs, and compositions; speaking. Students will learn the Hebrew root pattern system, and by the end of the year will have mastered the five (active) basic verb conjugations in both the past and present tenses (as well as simple future). This grammatical knowledge is complemented by an 800+ word vocabulary, which is presented with an eye toward the major syntactic structures, including the proper use of prepositions. At the end of the year, students will conduct short conversations in Hebrew; read materials designed to this level and write short compositions.

The purpose of this three-quarter sequence is to enable the student to acquire a knowledge of the vocabulary and grammar of Classical Hebrew sufficient to read prose texts with the occasional assistance of a dictionary. The second quarter focuses on verb inflection and verbal sequences and includes translation to and from Hebrew, oral exercises, and grammatical analysis.

Please refer to previously existing course description

This course provides a basic introduction to the grammar, vocabulary, and orthographic styles of the administrative and literary stage of the Egyptian language and script used in the Late Period (into the Roman Empire).

This course introduces the cursive literary and administrative script of Middle Egyptian (corresponding to the Middle Kingdom period in Egypt) and is intended to provide familiarity with a variety of texts written in hieratic (e.g., literary tales, religious compositions, wisdom literature, letters, accounts, graffiti).

This course employs English translations of ancient Egyptian literary texts to explore the genres, conventions and techniques of ancient Egyptian literature. Discussions of texts examine how the ancient Egyptians conceptualized and constructed their equivalent of literature, as well as the fuzzy boundaries and subtle interplay between autobiography, history, myth and fiction.

This sequence examines hieroglyphic writing and the grammar of the language of classical Egyptian literature.

The course is aiming to enable students to reach a reasonable level of proficiency in the Armenian language. The curriculum is heavily based on real life situations. Each class session includes a healthy balance of real-life like conversations (shopping, placing an order in a restaurant, asking directions, talking with natives, getting around in the city, banking, etc.), readings (e-mails, text messages, ads, news, etc.) and writings (messages, filling forms, etc). The students can also communicate in Armenian well beyond basic needs about the daily life and obtain some level of fluency in their professional interests. This sequence covers a wider-range vocabulary and complex grammatical structures in modern formal and colloquial Armenian. Reading assignments also include a selection of simple original Armenian literature and excerpts from mass media.

The course focuses on the basic grammatical structure and vocabulary of the Classical Armenian language, Grabar (one of the oldest Indo-European languages). It enables students to achieve basic reading skills in the Classical Armenian language. Reading assignments include a wide selection of original Armenian literature, mostly works by 5th century historians, as well as passages from the Bible, while a considerable amount of historical and cultural issues about Armenia are discussed and illustrated through the text interpretations. Recommended for students with interests in Armenian Studies, Classics, Divinity, Indo-European or General Linguistics.

This three-quarter sequence focuses on the acquisition of speaking, listening, reading and basic writing skills in modern formal and spoken Armenian. The course utilizes the most advanced computer technology and audio-visual aids enabling students to master a core vocabulary, the alphabet and the basic grammatical structures to communicate their basic needs in Armenian, understand simple texts and to achieve a minimal level of proficiency in modern formal and spoken Armenian. A considerable amount of historical-political
and social-cultural issues about Armenia are skillfully built into the course for students who have intention to conduct research in Armenian Studies or related fields, or to pursue work in Armenia. A language competency exam is offered at the end of spring quarter for those taking this course as college language requirement.