Winter

This course builds on the basics of grammar learned in EGPT 10201 and provides readings in a variety of Coptic texts (e.g., monastic texts, biblical excerpts, tales, Gnostic literature).

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

This three-quarter sequence enables the students to reach an advanced level of proficiency in the Armenian language. Reading, discussion and writing assignments include a selection of original Armenian literature and excerpts from mass media. 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 and related area studies or to pursue work in Armenia.

This three-quarter sequence enables the students to reach an Intermediate level of proficiency in the Armenian language. The course covers a rich vocabulary and complex grammatical structures in modern formal and colloquial Armenian. Reading assignments include a selection of original Armenian literature and excerpts from mass media. 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 and related area studies or to pursue work in Armenia.

This course focuses on the basic structure and vocabulary of the Classical Armenian language of Grabar, which is one of the oldest Indo-European languages. Course work enables students to acquire the alphabet, phonology, and grammar to achieve basic reading skills in the Classical Armenian language. Reading assignments include a selection of original Armenian literature. This course is recommended for students who intend to conduct research in Armenian studies, Indo-European studies, or general linguistics.

This three-quarter sequence utilizes the most advanced computer technology and audio-visual aids enabling the students to master a core vocabulary, the alphabet and basic grammatical structures and to achieve a reasonable level of proficiency in modern formal and spoken Armenian (one of the oldest Indo-European languages). 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 and related area studies or to pursue work in Armenia.

The purpose of this three-quarter sequence is to enable the student to read Syriac literature with a high degree of comprehension. The course is divided into two segments. The first two quarters are devoted to acquiring the essentials of Syriac grammar and vocabulary. The third quarter is spent reading a variety of Syriac prose and poetic texts and includes a review of grammar.

Al-Mutanabbī is arguably the best known and most quoted poet of the Arabic language. Scores of streets and bookstores in the Arab Middle East are named after him, as are schools, poetry festivals, markets, and even ships. What did al-Mutanabbī do to merit this enormous fame? Was it the power of the panegyrics that he composed celebrating the victories of important kings and princes? Or was it the biting humor of the satires that he wrote censuring these same potentates? Indeed, his poems provoked great political, lexical, critical, and grammatical debate, during his lifetime and beyond. A close reading of a selection of al-Mutanabbī’s poetry in various genres and medieval critique of his alleged “sariqāt,” will—inshaallah!—illuminate some of the answers.

Advanced Readings in Arabic

This two-quarter sequence is an introduction to the classical Arabic language. It is useful for students whose research includes the reading of classical Arabic texts in varied fields such as literature, history, political science, theology and philosophy. In the class 1) rules of Arabic grammar are studied intensively, topic by topic; 2) parsing (i'rab) is an important component, with a view to understanding the structure of the language; 3) brief texts from different fields of classical Arabic are read focusing on their grammatical structure, and 4) some theory about the development of the grammatical genre is introduced, as are the basic features of prosody ('arud) and rhetoric (balagha).