EMWAR Courses 2022-23

Fall 2022

Thematic Courses

REL 527 The Hebrew Bible, Race, and Racism
Joel Baden
W 1:30-3:25
In this course we explore the ways that the Hebrew Bible, race, and racism have been aligned and constructed from ancient Israel to the present. Topics for the course include biblical texts related to slavery, ethnicity, and foreignness; race and the Bible in early interpretation and in modern discourse; the racializing of biblical characters; black, womanist, and Africana interpretations of the Bible; and the whiteness of traditional biblical scholarship. Area I.
Prerequisite: REL 503 and REL 504 or the equivalent.

REL 554 The Book of Jeremiah
Rachel Frish
Th 1:30-3:20
The Book of Jeremiah is a unique and complex work that deals with one of the most influential events in the history of ancient Israel: the end of the kingdom of Judah and the destruction of the first Temple. The book includes prophecies associated with the great prophet, alongside stories about his struggles with his opponents, personal and national laments, and more. An analysis of the book’s complex composition and editing processes allows readers to become acquainted with different theological perspectives and political conflicts before, during, and after the destruction of the Temple. The book of Jeremiah had a great influence on later texts within and beyond the Bible, and the prophet was perceived as a model of the pious sufferer in different traditions. This course is devoted to a critical analysis of selected sections of the book through various scholarly approaches. During the course, we discuss the historical and geographical background of the events mentioned in the book, the main subjects reflected in the prophetic text, and the different ways in which the book was interpreted during its reception. The texts discussed in the course are translated from Biblical Hebrew and compared with the various ancient translations. Area I.
Prerequisite: REL 503 and REL 504 or equivalent and at least one—preferably two—years of Biblical Hebrew.

REL 524 Jews, Greeks, and Egyptians: Philo’s Life of Moses
Greg Sterling
M 3:30-5:20
This course is intended to introduce students to some of the ways Jews, Greeks, and Egyptians interacted in the ancient world, focusing on the contested figure of Moses. We read Philo of Alexandria’s expansive Life of Moses as an entry point to a range of issues: the Philonic corpus, the development of ancient biography, Hellenistic Jewish attitudes toward Greek education (paideia), Jewish adaptations of Greek literary criticism, the history of Hellenistic Jewish literature, and the reception of Philo in Judaism and Early Christianity. The theoretical framework for the seminar interrogates (1) the status of biography as a literary genre, (2) the problems that attend the study of ethnicity and identity in antiquity, and (3) authoritative figures in ancient religious traditions. Selections of the Life of Moses are read in Greek while the entire work in English translation is discussed. We also consider a broader selection of modern scholarship and ancient literature in translation. An advanced Greek option is open to students with at least two years of Ancient Greek (equivalent to the L5 level). The seminar includes invited guest speakers as well as a trip to the Beinecke to examine material evidence for ancient education. Area I.
Prerequisite: One year of Ancient Greek or permission of instructor.

REL 538 Mark, Wonder, and the Miraculous (English Exegesis of the Gospel of Mark)
Michal Beth Dinkler
Th 9:30-11:20
How do the visual and invisible worlds relate? What constitutes a miracle, and who decides? Can humans wonder at the sublime in the midst of trauma? This course focuses on close readings (exegesis) of the Gospel of Mark with special attention to the themes of wonder and the miraculous. Engaging theorists across a variety of discourses, including affect theory, trauma theory, disability studies, narratology, cultural studies, and postcolonialism, we situate the first Gospel in its social and historical contexts and explore varieties of readerly perspectives, both ancient and modern. Area I.
PrerequisiteREL 505 or REL 506 or equivalent.

REL 590 Jesus as influencer? Rhetoric, Storytelling, and New Testament Narratives
Michal Beth Dinkler
Th 1:30-3:20
Jesus sought to influence others through storytelling. Those who composed the stories about Jesus in the four canonical Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles sought to influence their audiences through narration, as well. And many people throughout the centuries have used the stories of and about Jesus to persuade others to believe certain things and to behave in certain ways. Who gets to tell whose stories? Whose stories remain untold? When is storytelling a form of gaslighting and oppression, and when is it liberating? What is the relationship among stories, truth, and identity? This interdisciplinary course weaves among studies of ancient Greco-Roman rhetoric, psychological and communications-based studies of influence and persuasion today, and the texts of the Gospels and Acts themselves to explore questions such as these. Additional topics include the ethics of storytelling, rhetoric and narrative/rhetoric of narrative, exemplarity and imitation across the literary and spiritual realms, “anti-rhetoricism,” embedded rhetorical performances (e.g., speeches, oratory, parables, etc.), non-verbal forms of persuasion (e.g., visual, emotional, etc.). Familiarity with either Greek or Latin preferred but not required. Area I.

REL 584 Greek Exegesis: 1 Corinthians
Laura Nasrallah
W 1:30-3:20
This course is devoted to close reading and interpretation of 1 Corinthians. Discussion of the Greek text of 1 Corinthians focuses on literary style, use of rhetoric, philology, and the social and theological issues of the text. Hermeneutical approaches include feminist, African American, Asian, text critical, etc. Area I.
Prerequisite: two terms of Greek.

REL 712 History of Early Christianity: Origins and Growth
Teresa Morgan
MWF 9:30-10:20
This course introduces students to early Christianity from the first to the eighth century. This is an introductory course which does not assume any prior knowledge of the topic. We examine the social, political, religious, and cultural contexts in which early Christianity (or Christianities) emerged, and how “the faith” grew, was shaped by, and helped to shape the world around it. We explore practices of corporate worship and devotion; the development of doctrine and the idea of orthodoxy; the evolution of Church institutions; the formation of Christian scriptures; the impact of persecution and imperial patronage; the development of Christian material culture, art and architecture; and what it meant for people in different roles and situations to live as “the faithful” in everyday life. In dialogue with influential theologians of the period, we explore how Christian identities are formed and articulated and the role of power, conflict, and resistance in that process. Students encounter a wide range of primary sources, secondary literature, and historical methods and approaches, giving them the opportunity to sharpen their critical and historiographical skills. In many ways, this is the most formative and influential period of Christian history, and getting to grips with its broad outlines and key themes is both fascinating in itself and gives students vital contextual knowledge for understanding later developments in Christian history and thought. This course serves as essential preparation for the study of Christian history and theology in later historical periods. Above all, it provides an opportunity to consider early Christianity on its own terms and to discover how it continues to shape the lives of Christians today. Area III.

REL 566/RLST 862 Grief and Emotions: Ancient Philosophy and Theology, Modern Conversations
Laura Nasrallah
T 1:30-3:20
This course focuses on grief and theories of the emotions in the ancient Mediterranean world, touching also upon contemporary conversations about grief among scholars in black studies, as well as queer, feminist, and affect theories. Course materials include New Testament texts, Roman-period consolation letters and literature, philosophical writings, tragedies, and scholarly hypotheses regarding lifespan. Special attention is paid to political and economic issues (including slavery), as well as to instructions to women on how to mourn. The course examines the work of modern scholars such as Saidiya Hartman, Judith Butler, Claudia Rankine, and Eve Sedgwick. Area I and Area V.

REL 756/MDVL 756 The Cult of Mary: Early Christian and Byzantine Art
Vasileios Marinis and Felicity Harley-McGowan
T 1:30-3:20
This course examines the origins and development of the veneration of Mary as the Mother of God, focusing specifically on the treatment of Mary in the visual and material culture of early Christianity and Byzantium. Its aim is to introduce students to key points in the history of the cult through the close study of images preserved on a range of objects in different media (including frescoes, glassware, sculpture, coins, textiles, mosaic), made for a variety of purposes. This visual material is analyzed in conjunction with relevant literary, theological, and liturgical evidence for the development of the cult. It is designed as a seminar for students who have interest or background in the material, textual, and religious culture of early Christianity.

REL 571 An Introduction to Rabbinic Literature
Michal Bar-Asher Siegal
Th 6-8
This course explores rabbinic culture and provides an introduction to the major texts that shaped Judaism for centuries to come. Issues considered include gender and ethnicity, Jewish-Christian interactions, Jewish mysticism, creation of Jewish liturgy, and rabbinic modes of grappling with the Bible. These issues are considered through the lives and thought of key figures and as expressed in the major genres of rabbinic literature—Mishnah, Tosefta, Midrash, Targum, the Babylonian and Palestinian Talmuds. The course assumes no prior knowledge of rabbinic literature or Hebrew. Area I.

RLST 220/683 JDST 127/707 Christians in Early Jewish Sources
Michal Bar-Asher Siegal
Th 9:25-11:15
Exploration of Jewish and Christian texts from the first centuries (1-6th) C.E. Comparison of texts produced by Jewish and Christian writers in various geographical areas and communities; how the two religious communities saw each other and the world in which they both lived. Further understanding of the complexity of Jewish-Christian interactions in this early period.

REL 745/MDVL 745 Byzantine Art and Architecture
Vasileios Marinis
Th 1:30-3:20
This lecture course explores the art, architecture, and material culture of the Byzantine Empire from the foundation of its capital, Constantinople, in the fourth century to the fifteenth century. Centered around the Eastern Mediterranean, Byzantium was a dominant political power in Europe for several centuries and fostered a highly sophisticated artistic culture. This course aims to familiarize students with key objects and monuments from various media—mosaic, frescoes, wooden panels, metalwork, ivory carvings—and from a variety of contexts—public and private, lay and monastic, imperial and political. We give special attention to issues of patronage, propaganda, reception, and theological milieux, as well as the interaction of architecture and ritual. More generally, students become acquainted with the methodological tools and vocabulary that art historians employ to describe, understand, and interpret works of art.

REL 767 Gods, Goods, and the Goals of Life: Early Christian Ethical Thinking in Ancient World Contexts
Teresa Morgan
T 9:30-11:20
This course explores early Christian ethical thinking, to around the end of the second century, in its social and cultural contexts. In the process we encounter the differences among approaches to ethics in history, anthropology, philosophy, and theology and consider how they influence the way ethics are interpreted. We discuss some of the most important passages of the Hebrew Bible that frame later Jewish and Christian ethical thinking, and we consider how later Jewish writing relates especially to the Mosaic Law. We explore some classics of Greek and Roman philosophical ethics and popular morality, and how they influenced Christian thought. Against these backgrounds we read some of the key passages of ethical teaching in the New Testament together with a cross-section of non-testamental second-century writers. At every point, we are interested both in where Christianity is in continuity with the ethical discourses that helped to shape it and where it is distinctive. We discuss what ethical topics these writers talk about, and what they do not, and why. Where God is the ultimate moral authority, what aspects of God are invoked in ethical contexts? Where God is the ultimate authority, are ethics always deontological, or are there other reasons for doing the right thing? What is the relationship between divine command and human freedom? Where does evil come from? Can human beings argue effectively with God, or protest against God’s commands, or improve on them? What evaluative language do these texts employ—good and bad, good and evil, useful, necessary, beautiful, sweet—and what difference does it make? Why do ethical texts so often take the form of miscellanies? How do ethical writings contribute to our understanding of early Christian thinking about God, Christ, and the Church? What are the challenges as we draw on early Christian tradition to help us think ethically today?Area II and Area III.
Prerequisite: At least one course in Hebrew Bible, New Testament, Greek Philosophy, or Ethics.

RLST 618 Readings in Islamic Social History
Travis Zadeh
T 9:25-11:15
This graduate seminar surveys topics in Islamic social history through readings in classical Arabic prosopography, geography, and historiography.

RLST 622 Law and Religion: Comparative and Historical Perspectives
Maria Doerfler and James Whitman
T 2:10-4 pm
How easily can we distinguish “law” from “religion”? In many traditions, past and present, no such distinction has been made. Historically, the realms of religion and law have intersected with one another, frequently to the point of mutual identification. Nor did the Enlightenment era, the drafting of the American Constitution, or the advent of the twenty-first century sever their ties, even as the boundaries between the two have shifted over time. Drawing on the disciplines of legal historiography and religious studies, and centering on the realm of family and household, this seminar aims to ask big questions concerning the relationship between religion and law and the practices of interpretation and ritual by which they constitute themselves. Paper required. Enrollment limited.

NELC 669/ MDVL 679 Near Eastern Manuscript Research
Kevin von Bladel
M 3:30-5:20
Introduction to research using manuscripts in Near Eastern languages. Topics include codicology, palaeography, manuscript history, textual criticism and edition, and a variety of other matters specific to Near Eastern manuscripts.
Prerequisites: reading ability in one premodern Near Eastern language and permission of the instructor.

Languages

Arabic
(See also the entire sequence of introductory, intermediate, and advanced course offerings in the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations.)

ARBC 561 Arabic Seminar I: Early Adab
Kevin von Bladel
W 1:30-3:20
Study and interpretation of classical Arabic texts for advanced students. The focus is on Arabic scholarly texts.

Aramaic

SMTC 545/RLST 835 Northwest Semitic Inscriptions: Aramaic
Jimmy Daccache
Th 10:30-12:20 (ONLINE)
This two-term course is designed to familiarize students with Aramaic epigraphy from the first millennium BCE. The Aramaic grammar is illustrated through early monumental inscriptions on stones from Anatolia and the abundant papyri of the Persian period from Egypt.

SMTC 534/JDST 673 Introduction to Babylonian Aramaic
Elitzur Bar-Asher
M 9:25-11:15
An introduction to the language of the Jewish Babylonian Aramaic. This course covers the grammar of this dialect followed by reading of texts of different genres. In addition this class introduces some of the major philological aspects for approaching Talmudic texts.

Greek
(See also the entire sequence of introductory, intermediate, and advanced course offerings in the Department of Classics.)

REL 3605 Elementary New Testament Greek I
Dan Bohac
MWF 8:30-9:20
First term of a two-term introduction to the ancient Greek language of the New Testament for those with little or no knowledge of ancient Greek. This first term concentrates on elementary grammar and syntax and on building vocabulary.

REL 518 Intermediate New Testament Greek
Judith Gundry
TTh 8:30-9:50
This course is the sequel to Elementary New Testament Greek and consists of a systematic study of New Testament Greek syntax; translation and syntactical analysis of New Testament texts illustrating different genres and literary styles; sight-reading of other early Christian Greek texts, the Septuagint, etc.; vocabulary-building assignments; and review of NT Greek grammar. Area I.
PrerequisitesREL 3605 and REL 3606; or GREK 110 and GREK 120; or REL 3609; or equivalent study of Koine or Attic Greek.

Hebrew
(See also the entire sequence of introductory, intermediate, and advanced course offerings in the Department Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations) 

REL 3603 Elementary Biblical Hebrew I
Eric Reymond
MWF 8:30 - 9:20
An introduction to the language of the Hebrew Scriptures—Biblical Hebrew. Students work through the grammar book, doing exercises and practicing paradigms. Among these exercises is the reading of specific biblical texts. By the end of the year, students should have a basic grasp of this ancient language’s grammar and some experience reading Hebrew.

REL 572 Post-Biblical Hebrew
Eric Reymond
M 1:30-3:20
The course explores the language of post-biblical Hebrew writings, primarily through a close study of text specimens written in unpointed or unvocalized Hebrew. We begin by studying briefly Late Biblical Hebrew texts before moving on to the study of the Hebrew of the Wisdom of Ben Sira and the Hebrew of the Dead Sea Scrolls, and then concluding with a study of Mishnaic Hebrew. Area I.
Prerequisite: one year of Biblical Hebrew.

Latin
(See also the entire sequence of introductory, intermediate, and advanced course offerings in the Department of Classics.)

Persian

PERS 110/500, Elementary Persian I
Farkhondeh Shayesteh
MTWThF 10:30-11:20
Introduction to modern Persian, with emphasis on all four language skills: reading, writing, listening, and speaking.

PERS 130/502, Intermediate Persian I
Farkhondeh Shayesteh
MTWThF 11:35-12:25
Continuation of PERS 120, with emphasis on expanding vocabulary and understanding more complex grammatical forms and syntax. 
Prerequisite: PERS 120 or permission of instructor.

Syriac

SMTC 513/RLST 838 Elementary Syriac I
Jimmy Daccache
TTh 9-10:15 ONLINE
Syriac was an Aramaic dialect that developed its own written tradition in the northern Levantine city of Edessa in classical antiquity. It became (and remains to this day) the liturgical language of Eastern Christianity in its various manifestations. This course provides students with a basic working knowledge of the language, namely, the three principal scripts (Estrangela, Serṭo, and “Nestorian”), verbal morphology, and the fundamental rules of syntax. Extracts of several Syriac texts are studied for purposes of application. At the end of the course, students are able to read, translate, and analyze simple texts.

Ugaritic

SMTC 520/RLST 840 Introductory Ugaritic I
Jimmy Daccache
T 10:30-12:2- ONLINE
The Ugaritic texts from the Bronze Age found at Ras Shamra-Ugarit on the Mediterranean coast of Syria provide the earliest well-attested example of the use of alphabet writing. The Ugaritic corpus comprises more than 2,000 texts of several genres (myths, rituals, incantations, “scientific” manuals, letters, administrative documents, and others), written in a “cuneiform” script. This course prepares students to read and analyze Ugaritic texts, seeking also to foster a basic appreciation of the nature and diversity of Ugaritic literature.

Spring 2023

Thematic Courses

REL 544 History and Methods of Old Testament Interpretation I
Joel Baden and Jacqueline Vayntrub
W 1:30-3:20
In this course, students engage with classic secondary works from the history of Old Testament scholarship. Area I.
PrerequisitesREL 503 and 504 or equivalent.

REL 556 Hebrew Exegesis: Exodus
Joel Baden
W 9:30-11:20
A close reading of selected portions of the book of Exodus. Topics discussed include the grammar and syntax of the Hebrew, themes and theologies raised by the passages, and interpretive methods productively applied to the text. Students are expected to engage extensively with secondary scholarship. Area I.
PrerequisitesREL 503 or REL 504 or equivalent, and at least one year of Biblical Hebrew.

RLST 757 From Temple to Talmud: The Remaking of Ancient Judaism
Steven Fraade and Vered Noam (Tel Aviv University)
M 9-12 (coordinated with TAU; calendar differs from standard Yale calendar)

RLST 232/738 JDST 128/708 Jews in Early Christian Sources
Michal Bar-Asher Siegal
Th 9:25-11:15
Exploration of Jewish and Christian texts from the first centuries (1-6th) CE. Christian writers are at the center of class readings: writings of Church fathers, east and west and church cannons of laws. The focus is on the comparative angle of the texts, and the importance of incorporating various geographical areas and various communities, in different times and historical circumstances. Students discuss the contacts and interactions between the two religious communities as they appear in these texts: the way they saw each other, and the world in which they both lived. All these serve to demonstrate the complex picture which is the Jewish-Christian interactions in this early period.

RLST 422/658, EGYP 147/512 Egyptian Monastic Literature in Coptic
Stephen Davis
TTh 9-10:15
Readings in the early Egyptian classics of Christian asceticism in Sahidic Coptic, including the desert Fathers and Shenute.
Prerequisite: EGYP 127 or equivalent. Counts as L4 if taken after EGYP 137 or equivalent.

REL 517 “Race” and the New Testament
Yii-Jan Lin
M 1:30-3:20
This seminar is divided into two parts. The first considers possible concepts of race and/or ethnicity in the ancient Mediterranean world, while the second focuses on racial/ethnic theory and minoritized hermeneutics. Ancient primary sources, the New Testament, and contemporary scholarship form the reading materials. Area I and Area V.

REL 583/RLST 861 Archaeology of the Roman Empire for the Study of New Testament and Early Christianity
Laura Nasrallah
T 1:30-3:20
The first portion of the course introduces students to working with archaeological data from the Greco-Roman world (inscriptions, architecture, sculpture, coins). The second portion consists of seminars in Greece and Turkey during May, including some meetings with archaeologists and other scholars abroad. Area I.
Prerequisites: some level of reading ability in Greek, Latin, or Arabic; some level of reading ability in German, French, or modern Greek; and previous course work in early Christianity, New Testament, or Classics/Roman history.

RLST 608/NELC 619/HIST 568 Approaches to the Study of Christianity in Late Antiquity
Maria Doerfler
W 1:30-3:20
This proseminar addresses key methodological and historiographical issues in the periodization and commodification of late antiquity as a field of inquiry, focusing especially on Christianity from the rise of Constantine (313) to the Council of Chalcedon (451). Part One of the course focuses on theories and methods that have marked the study of late ancient Christianity in recent decades, including the analysis of discourse, sexuality and gender, bodies and ritual practice, and hybridity and ethnic identities. Part Two focuses on a series of case studies, including the rise of Constantine, North African ecclesiastical resistance, the role of bishops and councils, barbarians and Roman borders, monasticism, pilgrimage, and the cult of the saints. The course concludes with a consideration of early Christian archaeology. The course is designed for EMWAR students with a primary or secondary area of concentration in Early Christianity, Late Ancient Christianity, Christianity and Judaism in the Hellenistic East, and West Asian Religions of the Sasanian and Early Islamic Eras. The course also provides important historical context for students concentrating in New Testament and in Scriptures and their Interpretation in Antiquity. Students interested in completing a seminar-based exam in connection with the course are encouraged to speak with the instructor.
EMWAR area of concentration designations: EarXty, LateXty, XtyJudEast, WAR.

REL 737 Clement of Alexandria: Culture, Theology, and the Stromateis
Teresa Morgan
T 9:30-11:20
Clement of Alexandria was one of the most creative and influential theologians of the early Church. A Christian convert with a high-level education in literature and philosophy and an admirer of his Jewish compatriot, Philo, he lived and worked in the incomparably rich culture and diverse society of Alexandria-by-Egypt. Among his pupils was another compatriot, Origen. His attempt to square Platonist philosophy with his adopted Christian faith changed Christianity forever, including the concept of “faith” itself. This course explores Clement in his social, cultural, and intellectual contexts, and we read some substantial sections of his greatest work, the Stromateis, to examine his thinking in some detail. The Stromateis is an extraordinary work—miscellaneous and systematic, charming and challenging—and full of insight into everything from the knowledge of God to Clement’s pronounced views on sex and martyrdom.
PrerequisiteREL 712

RLST 358/627 Humor and Play in Rabbinic Literature
Christine Hayes
W 12-3 pm
This course examines the role of humor and play in ancient Jewish and rabbinic literature as compared with the role of humor and play in classical Greek and Roman culture and as illuminated by contemporary theories of humor, play, and performance. The course challenges anachronistic assertions of the incompatibility of humor and the sacred and explores the way ancient Jews, and the talmudic rabbis in particular, used humor and play to articulate a countercultural ethics, epistemology, and metaphysics.

CLSS 864/HSAR 563 Art and Ritual in Greek Antiquity
Milette Gaifman
W 1:30-3:20
The relationship between art and ritual has received much scholarly attention in various fields, particularly classics, history of art, religious studies, and anthropology. Greek antiquity offers an ideal context for considering the intricate ties between visual culture and religious practices, for much of what is known today as ancient Greek art and architecture was originally related to rituals; artifacts and architectural monuments such as painted pottery, sculptural reliefs, and temples served as settings for worship and ceremonial events and featured representations of activities such as libations and sacrifices. The seminar explores how works of art and architecture shaped ancient practices and theologies. While examining closely ancient artifacts and monuments, students consider the most recent theoretical frames related to the subject from various schools of thought such as the Paris school, British anthropology, and Bildwissenschaft.

 

Languages

Aramaic

SMTC 535/JDST 672 Readings in Babylonian Aramaic Texts
Elitzur Bar-Asher
M 9:25-11:15
This course builds on SMTC 534. We read different texts from all sources of Jewish Babylonian Aramaic, with concentration on a variety of linguistic topics.

Greek
(See also the entire sequence of introductory, intermediate, and advanced course offerings in the Department of Classics.)

REL 3606 Elementary New Testament Greek II
Dan Bohac
MWF 8:30-9:20
Second term of a two-term introduction to the ancient Greek language of the New Testament for those with little or no knowledge of ancient Greek. The second term focuses on improving reading and translation skills and on developing working knowledge of the critical scholarly tools used in New Testament interpretation.
Prerequisite: REL 3605 or equivalent.

Hebrew
(See also the entire sequence of introductory, intermediate, and advanced course offerings in the Department Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations)

REL 3604 Elementary Biblical Hebrew II
Staff
MWF 8:30-9:20
A continuation of REL 3603. An introduction to the language of the Hebrew Scriptures—Biblical Hebrew. Students work through the grammar book, doing exercises and practicing paradigms. Among these exercises is the reading of specific biblical texts. By the end of the year, students should have a basic grasp of this ancient language’s grammar and some experience reading Hebrew.

Latin
(See also the entire sequence of introductory, intermediate, and advanced course offerings in the Department of Classics.)

Persian

PERS 120/501 Elementary Persian II
Farkhondeh Shayesteh
MTWThF 10:30-11:20
Continuation of PERS 110, with emphasis on all four language skills: reading, writing, listening, and speaking.
PrerequisitePERS 110 or permission of instructor.

PERS 140 Intermediate Persian II
Farkhondeh Shayesteh
MTWThF 11:35-12:25
Continuation of PERS 130, with emphasis on expanding vocabulary and understanding more complex grammatical forms and  syntax.
PrerequisitePERS 130 or permission of instructor.

Syriac

SMTC 514/RLST 839 Elementary Syriac II
Jimmy Daccache
TTh 9-10:15
Syriac was an Aramaic dialect that developed its own written tradition in the northern Levantine city of Edessa in classical antiquity. This course provides students with a basic working knowledge of the language, namely, the three principal scripts (Estrangela, Serṭo, and “Nestorian”), verbal morphology, and the fundamental rules of syntax. The course completes the introduction to the Syriac language. Extracts of several Syriac texts are studied for purposes of application. At the end of the course, students are able to read, translate, and analyze simple texts.
PrerequisiteRLST 838/SMTC 513.

Ugaritic

SMTC 521/RLST 841 Introductory Ugaritic II
Jimmy Daccache
T 1:30-3:20
The Ugaritic texts from the Bronze Age found at Ras Shamra-Ugarit on the Mediterranean coast of Syria provide the earliest well-attested example of the use of alphabet writing. The Ugaritic corpus comprises more than 2,000 texts of several genres (myths, rituals, incantations, “scientific” manuals, letters, administrative documents, and others), written in a “cuneiform” script. This course completes the introduction to Ugaritic language. Students have the opportunity to improve their knowledge of Ugaritic literature by reading and analyzing texts in the major genres of Ugaritic literature, with special emphasis on mythological texts.
PrerequisiteRLST 840/SMTC 520.