Spring 2008:

CLLA 10001/60001 01: Beginning Latin I

Instructor: Patrick Gardner

MWF 3:00-3:50

also meets T 3:30-4:20

4 credits

CLLA 10002/60002 01: Beginning Latin II

Section 1

Professor Jason Banta
MWF 1:55-2:45
also meets T 12:30-1:20

Section 2

Instructor: Phil Wynn
MWF 11:45-12:35
also meets T 11:00-11:50

Section 3

Instructor: Peggy Garvey
MWF 8:30-9:20
also meets T 2:00-2:50

4 credits

Prerequisite for CLLA 10002:  CLLA 10001

This two-semester sequence of courses introduces students to the language of the ancient Romans for the first time. It emphasizes the fundamentals of Latin grammar and vocabulary, and prepares students to read original Latin texts. An appreciation for ancient Roman culture is also fostered through secondary readings and class discussion. CLLA 10001 is offered each fall semester and CLLA 10002 is offered each spring semester.

CLLA 20003/60003: Intermediate Latin I
Section 01

Professor Tadeusz Mazurek
M W F 10:40-11:30

Section 02

Professor Elizabeth Mazurek
MWF 1:55-2:45
3 credits

Prerequisite:  CLLA 10002, 10111 or equivalent.

This second-year language course builds on the work of Beginning Latin I and II. It combines a review of grammar with careful reading of classical Latin authors such as Cornelius Nepos and Ovid. The course improves students' translating skills, introduces methods for studying Latin literature in its historical and cultural contexts, and prepares students for more advanced work in the sophisticated literature of the ancient Romans.

CLLA 20004/60004 01: Reading and Writing Latin Prose

Professor David Ladouceur

TR 12:30-1:45

3 credits

This second-year language course continues the review of grammar begun in CLLA 20003 and introduces students to stylistic analysis through close readings of Latin prose authors such as Cicero and the younger Pliny. A special feature of the course is that studetns learn to write classical Latin for themselves. Offered each spring semester.

CLLA 30012 01: Latin History-Writing
Prof. Sabine MacCormack
TR 2:00-3:15
3 credits
Prerequisite: CLLA 20004 or equivalent

This third-year course builds on CLLA 20003 and CLLA 20004, and offers close reading of passages from the works of the historical writer Tacitus. Latin historiography is a sophisticated instrument for narrating past events, for showing how notions of cause and effect and change over time develop in historical thinking, and for indicating the relevance of the past to the present. The political and social conditions of Rome that informed the writing of Tacitus are discussed, and his compositional techniques of their works are examined. The course prepares students for advanced offerings in Latin literature, especially CLLA 40022, CLLA 40032, and CLLA 40052. Offered in spring semester, alternate years.

CLLA 40017 01:  Medieval Latin Survey

Professor Martin Bloomer

MW 1:30-2:45

3 credits

Prerequisite: Third year Latin

The aim of this course is to experience a broad spectrum of Medieval Latin texts. Readings representative of a variety of genres (literary and subliterary), eras, and regions will be selected. Students planning to enroll in this course should be completing Introduction to Christian Latin Texts or they must secure the permission of the instructor. Those with interests in particular text types should inform the instructor well in advance so that he can try to accommodate their interests.

CLLA 40021 01: Lucretius

Prof. Catherine Schlegel

TR 12:30-1:45
3 credits
Prerequisite: Third Year Latin

This advanced course introduces students to Lucretius’ epic poem, De rerum natura, whose subject is Epicurean philosophy. Close reading of passages from the poem reveals its didactic character and highlights important topics: the atomic nature of matter, the mortality of the soul, the vanity of religion, and the importance of achieving intellectual tranquillity. Lucretius’ contribution to defining Epicureanism and the place of philosophy in the cultural life of Rome’s elite citizens are key themes for discussion in the course.

CLLA 40028: Introduction to Meister Eckhart

Prof. Stephen Gersh

TR 12:30-1:45

3 credits

Prerequisite: Third Year Latin

This course will attempt to introduce Eckhart's thought by reading a selection of his most important Latin works. This close textual study will demonstrate the extent to which Eckhart presents a possibly unique combination of extreme technical exactitude and exegetical flexibility and how, thanks to these skills he is able to develop a radically Neoplatonic (Dionysian) philosophy within the context of Augustinian readings and a methodology responsive to the demands of the Aristotelian or Scholastic traditions. Selections will be from works including the Exposition of Genesis, the Book of the Parables of Genesis, the Exposition of John, the Parisian Questions, the Prologue to the Tripartite Work, and the Prologue to the Work of Propositions. Although the works to be selected for study are available at least in German and sometimes also in French or English translations, a reading of knowledge of Latin is essential for this course. Requirements: regular translation exercises (written and oral) and one short oral presentation.

Fall 2008:

CLLA 10001: Beginning Latin I

Instructor: Jason Baxter

MWF 8:30-9:20

Also meets R 3:30-4:45

Section 02

Professor Brian Krostenko

MWF 9:35-10:25

Also meets T 9:30-10:20

Section 03

Instructor: Phillip Wynn

MWF 1:55-2:45
Also meets T 2:00-2:50

4 credits

This two-semester sequence of courses introduces students to the language of the ancient Romans for the first time. It emphasizes the fundamentals of Latin grammar and vocabulary, and prepares students to read original Latin texts. An appreciation for ancient Roman culture is also fostered through secondary readings and class discussion.

CLLA 10002 01: Beginning Latin II

Professor Elizabeth Mazurek

MWF 1:55-2:45

also meets R 2:00-2:50

Section 2

Instructor: David Jones

MWF 11:45-12:35

also meets R 11:00-11:50

4 credits

This two-semester sequence of courses introduces students to the language of the ancient Romans for the first time. It emphasizes the fundamentals of Latin grammar and vocabulary, and prepares students to read original Latin texts. An appreciation for ancient Roman culture is also fostered through secondary readings and class discussion.

CLLA 20003: Intermediate Latin

Professor Tadeusz Mazurek

MWF 9:35-10:25

Section 02

Professor Catherine Schlegel

MWF 11:45-12:35

3 credits

Prerequisite: CLLA 10002, 10111 or equivalent.

This second-year language course builds on the work of Beginning Latin I and II. It combines a review of grammar with careful reading of classical Latin authors such as Cornelius Nepos and Ovid. The course improves students' translating skills, introduces methods for studying Latin literature in its historical and cultural contexts, and prepares students for more advanced work in the sophisticated literature of the ancient Romans. Offered each fall semester.

CLLA 20004: Reading and Writing Latin Prose

Professor Brian Krostenko

MWF 10:40-11:30

3 credits

Prerequisite:  CLLA 20003 or equivalent. 

This second-year language course continues the review of grammar begun in CLLA 20003 and introduces students to stylistic analysis through close readings of Latin prose authors such as Cicero and the younger Pliny.  A special feature of the course is that students learn to write classical Latin for themselves. 

CLLA 30013: Roman Lyric Poetry

Professor Martin Bloomer

TH 12:30-1:45

3 credits

This third-year course builds on CLLA 20003 and CLLA 20004, and offers close reading of passages from the lyric poetry of such authors as Catullus and Horace.  The lyric form gives precise and economical expression to a wide range of human thoughts and emotions, from the highly personal to the grandly patriotic.  The range of Roman lyric, the technique of its practitioners, and the place of lyric poetry in Roman life are themes that receive special attention.  This course prepares students for advanced offerings in Latin literature, especially CLLA 40023, CLLA 40033, CLLA 40043, and CLLA 40053.  Offered in fall semester, alternate years.

CLLA 30070: Introduction to the Latin Vulgate

Professor David Ladouceur

TR 3:30-4:45

3 credits

Readings in the prose and poetry of the Latin Bible.  The peculiarities of its Latin, influenced by Greek and Hebrew, will be analyzed from an historical linguistic perspective and also interpreted according to Christian exegetical tradition.  Special stress on the Psalms with accompanying readings in Augustine's Enarrationes.  No knowledge of Hebrew or Greek required.

CLLA 40016: Introduction to Christian Latin Texts

Professor Hildegund Müller

MW 11:45-1:00

Crosslisting: MI 40003/60003, THEO 30004/60001, LIT 73677

3 credits

Prerequisite: Third year Latin
This course has two goals: to improve the student’s all-around facility in dealing with Latin texts and to introduce the student to the varieties of Christian Latin texts and basic resources that aid in their study. Exposure to texts will be provided through common readings which will advance in the course of the semester from the less to the more demanding and will include Latin versions of Scripture, exegesis, homiletic, texts dealing with religious life, formal theological texts, and Christian Latin poetry. Philological study of these texts will be supplemented by regular exercises in Latin composition. Medieval Latin Survey will follow this course in the spring term.

CLLA 40040: Latin History Writing: The Younger Pliny's 'Letters'

Professor Keith Bradley

TR 2:00-3:15

3 credits

Prerequisite:  Third-year Latin. This advanced course in Latin prose literature begins with an introduction to the genre of history-writing in classical antiquity, and examines representative readings from the major Roman historians Sallust, Livy, Tacitus and Ammianus Marcellinus. It concentrates, however, on alternative modes of preserving memory in Latin prose writing, and takes as its primary text the 'Letters' of the younger Pliny, which are studied from two points of view: first as a self-conscious portrait for posterity of a prominent Roman senator of the early Antonine age, and secondly as a set of documents exposing features of Roman social, political, economic and cultural life. The biographical 'Lives of the Twelve Caesars' by Pliny's contemporary Suetonius are also considered.

Classics in English Courses:

• Spring 2008
• Fall 2008

Spring 2008:

CLAS 10200 01: Introduction to Greco-Roman Mythology

Prof. Tadeusz Mazurek

MWF 12:50-1:40

Freshmen only.

3 credits

This first-year course surveys the mythologies of Greece and Rome—some of the foundational narratives of the Western literary and artistic tradition—and traces their transmission and influence over the course over two and a half thousand years from ancient to modern times. The course is particularly valuable as an initial course in the humanities because it pays special attention to such current interpretative theories as structuralism, psycho-analysis. feminism, and post-modernism that allow the many meanings of myths to be deciphered and understood. Offered annually.

CLAS 20400 01: Introduction to the Ancient Art of Greece, Rome, Egypt and the Near East

Prof. TBA

MWF 10:40-11:30
Crosslisting: ARHI 20100 01
3 credits
Fulfills Fine Arts requirement

This course will examine the origins of western art and architecture, beginning with a brief look at the Bronze Age cultures of the Near East and Egypt, then focusing in detail on Greece and Rome, from the Minoan and Mycenaean world of the second millennium B.C.E. to the rule of the Roman emperor Constantine in the fourth century C.E. Among the monuments to be considered are ziggurats, palaces, and the luxuriously furnished royal graves of Mesopotamia; the pyramids at Giza in Egypt and their funerary sculpture; the immense processional temple of Amon at Luxor; the Bronze Age palaces of Minos on Crete-the home of the monstrous Minotaur-and Agamemnon at Mycenae, with their colorful frescoes and processional approaches; the great funerary pots of early Athens and the subsequent traditions of Red and Black Figure vase painting; architectural and freestanding sculpture of the Archaic and Classical periods; the Periclean Acropolis in Athens, with its monumental gateway and shining centerpiece, the Parthenon; and finally, among the cultural riches of Rome, the painted houses and villas of Pompeii; the tradition of Republican and Imperial portraiture; the Imperialfora; the exquisitely craved Altar of Peace of Augustus; the Coliseum; and the Pantheon of the philhellene emperor Hadrian.

CLAS 20500 01: Intro to Early Christian and Byzantine Art

Prof. Charles Barber
MW 1:30-2:45
3 credits
This course will introduce students to the visual arts of the period ca. AD 200 to ca AD 1600. Our work will take us from the first fashioning of an identifiable Christian art through to the remarkable poetics of Late Byzantine painting. In so doing, the student will be introduced to the full array of issues that arise around the question of there being a Christian art. Working from individual objects and texts, we will construct a variety of narratives that will reveal a vital, complex, and rich culture that, in a continuing tradition, has done so much to shape the visual imagination of Christianity.

CLAS 30120 01: The Greeks and Their Gods

Prof. Isabelle Torrance
MWF 3:00-3:50
3 credits
An introduction to the varied and unique religious beliefs and practices of the ancient Greeks. With the aid of anthropological and comparative material on religion from other cultures and societies, the course stresses the intersection of religious conventions with politics, gender, and class in the Greek city-states, and gives special attention to the religious life of the best documented Greek community of all, ancient Athens.

CLAS 30210 01: Roman Law and Governance

Prof. Tadeusz Mazurek
MWF 9:35-10:25
3 credits
An introduction to the nature and influence of Roman law, one of the most celebrated and distinctive elements of ancient Roman culture. The course surveys the development of Roman civil and criminal law from the very early and enigmatic Twelve Tables to the very late and amazingly great Digest of Justinian. Topics covered include legal procedures, the creation of law, and Roman jurisprudence, all of which are studied in the broad context of Roman government and administration. The lasting effects of Roman law on modern legal systems are also considered.

CLAS 30323 01: Sport and Spectacle in the Ancient World

Prof. Jason Banta
TR 3:30-4:45
3 credits
This course introduces students to the centrality of athletics and spectacle in Ancient Greece and Rome. Beginning with a survey of sport practices in Mesopotamia and Egypt, the course moves on to discuss the role of athletics in Greek culture, including studies of the ancient Pan-Hellenic games like the Olympia, Homeric sport, Athenian citizen-athletes, and Spartan soldier-athletes. The latter part of the class concentrates on contests in the Roman Empire, to include an examination of the origin and development of the ultimate spectacle: the gladiatorial combats. We will also examine chariot racing in the Roman Empire, both the racers and the fans—who became the first sport fanatics in the world. The course will also discuss the role of sport in society, sport and gender in the ancient world and modern (mis)conceptions of ancient athletics. The course materials will be multimedia, with readings in English.

CLAS 30330 01: The Greek and Latin Origins of Medical Terminology

Prof. David Ladouceur
TR 11:00-12:15
3 credits
This course offers an introduction to the ancient Greek and Latin languages that enables students to decipher the arcane and often perplexing vocabulary of modern medicine. Basic linguistic concepts are explained, the manner in which medical terms are constructed from Greek and Latin roots is analyzed, and appropriate contextual material on ancient medicine is provided. This is a course of great practical value, not least for the attention it pays to human anatomy.

CLAS 40355 01: Greek and Roman Epic Poetry

Prof. Catherine Schlegel
TR 9:30-10:45
3 credits
Fulfills University Literature Requirement
This advanced course in literature provides detailed study of the major epic poems of the classical literary tradition—the Iliad and Odyssey of Homer, the Aeneid of Virgil, and the Metamorphoses of Ovid. Discussion centers on the cultural contexts in which the works were written or produced, and the literary conventions on which they rely for their ever-appealing aesthetic and emotional power.

CLAS 50400 01: Seminar: Topics in Ancient Art

Professor TBA

MW 3:00-4:15

Crosslisting: ARHI 43105 and 63105

Fulfills Fine Arts Requirement.

3 credits
The purpose of this course will be to examine in detail the first truly monumental temple in Greece, including the methodology of its reconstruction, and to plot strategies and details of its forthcoming exhibition.

CLAS 60501 01: Proseminar in Early Christian Studies

Prof. Martin Bloomer
T 3:00-5:00
3 credits
The Proseminar in Early Christian Studies will examine the practice and theory of rhetorical education in the first five centuries of Christianity. A fascination with the power of words to persuade, to educate, and to convert characterizes the culture of the late antique world. Various Christians exploited, modified or even sought to replace the techniques of rhetoric. In trying to understand the dynamics of early Christian communities, modern scholarship has returned to study the methods of communication, composition, and interpretation that so gripped the ancient authors. Students will study the chief ancient sources (including material culture) and leading scholarly studies and interpretations. In addition, students will be introduced to the research methods for studying primary evidence from late antiquity.

CLAS 73209 01: Plato's Republic

Prof. David O'Connor
MW 1:30-2:45
3 credits
This is a graduate seminar on Plato's Republic. If there is space, a few undergraduates with special backgrounds may also be admitted. The first half of the semester, we will simply read the Republic, along with some of the epic poetry of Homer and Hesiod through and against which Plato defines his own project. The second half of the semester, we will go through the Repulbic again, this time reading contemporary essays in two recent collections intended for a broad audience, the Cambridge Companion to Plato's Republic and Blackwell's Guide to Plato's Republic. This should strike a balance between considering Plato in his own place and time and considering his importance to recent scholarship.
The course will be taught in translation, but there will be a supplemental one-credit Greek reading course, focusing on Plato's critique of poetry.

CLAS 70301 01: Seminar: St. Ephrem the Syrian

Prof. Joseph Amar M 9:35-12:35
3 credits
This seminar explores the life and literary legacy of St. Ephrem the Syrian (c. 310 – c 373), Father and Doctor of the Church. The singular importance of Ephrem derives from the fact that he is the most eloquent representative of Christian faith expressed in its native semitic milieu. Long after Greco-Latin writers embraced the analytical categories of philosophy and classical rhetoric, Syriac-speaking Christianity in the person of Ephrem continued to articulate its faith in the richly allusive and nuanced language of Symbolic Theology. Ephrem's poetic sensibility combined with his arresting interpretive skills earned him the title "Master" of Christian Aramaic biblical exegesis and catechesis. In short, Ephrem represents the unique phenomenon of Christianity in cultural and linguistic dialogue with the thought-world of Late Second Temple Judaism while anticipating the language and religious milieu of nascent Islam. Contemporary scholarship unanimously regards Ephrem as the most influential theologian-poet in all of early Christianity.

Fall 2008:

CLAS 10100: Ancient Greece and Rome

Prof. Tadeusz Mazurek

MWF 12:50-1:40

Crosslisting: HIST 10210

(First Year of Studies)

Fulfills History Requirement.

Offered only in the fall semester.

3 credits
This first-year course introduces the general history and culture of ancient Greece and Rome to students coming to the subject for the first time. Literary texts central to the ancient Greek and Roman traditions receive prime attention, including works by Homer, Plato, Cicero and Virgil, but students are also exposed to the importance of learning from documentary texts, archeology, and art history. Topics discussed include concepts of divinity and humanity, heroism and virtue, gender, democracy, empire, and civic identity, and how they changed in meaning over time. The course allows students to develop a rich appreciation for the Greek and Roman roots of their own lives, and prepares them to study the Greco-Roman past at more advanced levels. Offered annually.

CLAS 13186: University Seminar: Texts and Transformations

Professor Martin Bloomer

TR 9:30-10:45

(First Year of Studies)

3 credits

This course asks a fundamental and difficult question: how does the reading of literary texts change the reader. We will look at texts that are said to be of great importance for changing one's life and at leading explanations of how texts do transform the individual (and sometimes the group-be it society, class, or religion). We will also read texts that model transformations, some serious, some comic and irreverent. The focus of the course will be on ancient Greek and Latin texts, from Homer's poems to Augustine's confessions, but we will also read modern texts that treat transformation (Goethe, Kafka) and modern discussions of the process and consequences of reading.

CLAS 20410: Intro to Early Christian and Byzantine Art

Professor Charles Barber

TR 12:30-1:45

3 credits

Departmental approval required.

Fulfills Fine Arts requirement.

This course will introduce students to the visual arts of the period ca. AD 200 to ca. AD 1600. Our work will take us from the first fashioning of an identifiable Christian art through to the remarkable poetics of Late Byzantine painting. In so doing, the student will be introduced to the full array of issues that arise around the question of there being a Christian art. Working from individual objects and texts, we will construct a variety of narratives that will reveal a vital, complex, and rich culture that, in a continuing tradition, has done so much to shape the visual imagination of Christianity.

CLAS 30022: Roman Literature and Culture

Professor Hildegund Müller

MWF 1:55-2:45

3 credits

This course surveys the leading works of ancient Roman literature and examines the cultural contexts in which they were written, received, and transmitted.  Students read poetry and prose from many genres, and sample works from six hundred years of literary versatility that combined enormous originality with a literary tradition inherited from the Greeks. Among the authors introduced are Plautus, Lucretius, Catullus, Cicero, Horace, Livy, Lucan, Tacitus, Apuleius, Ammianus, and Augustine.  Special attention is paid the formal structures of Roman literary works, the cultural issue they raise, and the lasting value of Latin literature to the modern age.  The course prepares students for more advanced study in classical literature and culture.  Offered annually. 

CLAS 30105: History of Ancient Greece

Professor Christopher Baron

MWF 12:50-1:40

3 credits

An outline introduction to the history of ancient Greece from the Bronze age to Roman conquest.  The topics covered include the rise of the distinctive Greek city-state (polis), Greek relations with Persia, Greek experiments with democracy, oligarchy, and empire, the great war between Athens and Sparta, the rise to power of Philip and Alexander of Macedon, and the Greeks’ eventual submission to Rome.  Readings include narrative, documentary, and archeological sources. The course prepares students for advanced study in ancient history.  Offered biennially.

CLAS 30799: Hieroglyphs and History

Professor David Ladouceur

TR 11:00-12:15

3 credits

This course will focus on Egyptian hieroglyphs both as a means to reconstruct Egyptian history and culture as well as a reflection of that culture.  The student will be taught to translate and interpret primary sources especially on monuments and archaeological finds.  Material from the tomb of Tatankhamun will be read and analyzed in detail.  In addition there will be lectures and discussions on specific historical topics and also on developing chronologies, understanding color symbolism, recognizing the numerous Egyptian deities, and interpreting Pharaonic names.

CLAS 32105: The History of Ancient Greece Tutorial

Professor Christopher Baron

F 12:50-1:40

A weekly tutorial required for those registered for CLAS 30105, The History of Ancient Greece, or its crosslists.

Section 2

Professo r Chris Baron

F 12:50-1:40

Section 3

Nathan Ristuccia

F 1:55-2:45

Section 4

Nathan Ristuccia

F 1:55-2:45

CLAS 40350: The Myths of the Greeks and Romans

Professor Isabelle Torrance

3 credits

TR 12:30-1:45

This advanced course investigates the mythologies of Greece and Rome and traces their transmission to and influence on modern literature and art.  Special attention is given to the wide range of media in which ancient stories about gods and heroes were expressed and communicated, and to the process by which these marvelous stories survived in later literature and the visual arts, inspiring writers and artists to adapt them to their own purposes.  Current theories at the forefront of scholarship in the humanities are explored for their value in interpreting myths.

CLAS 40410:  Greek Architecture

Professor Robin Rhodes

TR 5:00-6:15

3 credits

Crosslisted as ARHI 40121/60121

In this course the development of Greek monumental architecture, and the major problems that define it, will be traced from the 8th to the 2nd centuries BC, from the late Geometric through the Archaic, classical, and Hellenistic periods.  Among themes to be related are the relationship between landscape and religious architecture, the humanization of temple divinities, the architectural expression of religious tradition and even specific history, architectural procession and hieratic direction, emblem and narration in architectural sculpture, symbolism and allusion through architectural order, religious revival and archaism, and the breaking of architectural and religious canon.

CLAS 43357/63357: The Age of Hadrian Seminar

Professor Keith Bradley

W 4:30-7:00

3 credits

This advanced seminar in ancient history and literature examines the life and reign of the Roman emperor Hadrian, who is remembered as one of the most complex and enigmatic of Roman rulers: the builder of the Wall in Britain and the Pantheon and Castel Sant-Angelo in Rome, an inveterate traveller across the ancient Mediterranean world, a devotee of Greek culture, a reformer of Roman law, a poet who mused about his soul on his death-bed, a creator of new gods, the first Roman emperor to wear a beard. A principal theme of the course is the question of how historical experience can be recovered, and readings from original sources (in English translation) are studied in conjunction with documentary and iconographic evidence. The
course also considers how modern historians, biographers and
novelists have recreated this mysterious figure, Ronald Syme and
Marguerite Yourcenar included.

CLAS 50100:  Honors Seminar

Professor Catherine Schlegel

MW 3:00-4:15

3 credits

Departmental approval required.

This course is offered each fall semester and is a requirement for all majors in Classics and Greek and Roman Civilization who wish to receive an honors degree.  The specific content of the seminar varies from year to year, but its broad purpose is to introduce students to scholarly methods of research, and through research to reflect on the value of studying classical antiquity.

CLAS 73928: Literary Criticism from Aristotle to Jakobson

Professor Vittorio Hosle

TR 9:30-10:45

3 credits

Departmental approval required.  

The course will render the students familiar with some basic texts from two millennia. We will begin with Aristotle's "Poetics," discuss Horace's "Ars poetica" and Longinus's "On the sublime." The medieval period will be represented by a work by Dante. A special focus will lie on the creation of modern literary criticism in German idealism, but we will also discuss post-idealistic works (including Nietzsche) and end with Roman Jakobson's grondbreaking structuralist approach to the nature of poetic language.

Arabic Courses

• Spring 2008
• Fall 2008

Spring 2008:

MEAR 10002/60002: First Year Arabic II

Section 1

Professor Abdul Saadi

MWF 11:45-12:35

Section 2

Professor Abdul Saadi

MWF 12:50-1:40

Section 3

Professor Ghada Bualuan

MWF 8:30-9:20

Section 4

Professor Ghada Bualuan

MWF 9:35-10:25

3 credits

Prerequisite: MEAR 10001 or 6001 or equivalent

This two-semester sequence of courses is a basic introduction to all aspects of the Arabic language through a comprehensive and integrated method. The focus is on language proficiency in all areas of the language including speaking, reading, and writing. The course also introduces students to aspects of Arabic culture and everyday life in the Middle East.

MEAR 10001 is offered each fall semester and MEAR 10002 is offered each spring semester.

MEAR 20004/60004 01: Second Year Arabic II

Section 1

Prof. Abdul Saadi
MWF 8:30-9:20
3 credits

Section 2

Prof. Abdul Saadi
MWF 9:35-10:25
3 credits

Prerequisite: MEAR 20003 or equivalent

This course is geared to consolidating skills gained in the previous three semesteres while enhancing the ability to converse and conduct oneself in Arabic. Reading skills are enhanced by exposure to more sophisticated examples of literature. Original written expression is encouraged through the composition of short essays.

MEAR 30005/60005 01: Third Year Arabic I

Professor Li Guo
TR 11:00-12:15
3 credits

Section 2

Prof. Asma Afsaruddin
TR 9:30-10:45
3 credits

Prerequisite: MEAR 20004, 60004 or equivalent.

This third-year Arabic course emphasis is on developing listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills in interactive settings. Vocabulary building will be the focus of drills; we will cover basic vocabulary in various authentic uses of the language. Special attention will also be given to media Arabic. Basic Arabic grammar should be completed by the end of the year. We will continue with Part 2 of the Kitaab sequence. Supplementary materials, mainly from Arabic media (BBC Arabic News, newspapers, magazines), will be provided. Tests, both oral and written, will cover the textbook material, in addition to the basic grammar and the cumulative vocabulary.

Courses in English:

MELC 13186 01: Literature University Seminar: The Arabian Nights and World Literature

Professor Li Guo

TR 2:00-3:15

(Freshmen only)

Fulfills University Literature requirement.

3 credits

Chances are we have all heard of Aladdin, Ali Baba, Genies, and Sinbad the Sailor, but how well do we really know them? Where do they come from ? How did they reach us? This course has as its focal point the famous collection of tales from which theses characters are taken, the Thousand and One Nights (sometimes better known as the Arabian Nights). By any title, these stories, framed by the tale of Scherazade (Shahrazad), have enjoyed a widespread and varied reputation over the centuries and across cultures. (Their role in popular American culture is well known: one need only look at the Disney Aladdin animated trilogy, or the recent syndicated TV series loosely based on the adventures of Sinbad the Sailor to see how these names and stories have permeated our entertainment medium.) In this course, we will examine these stories from a variety of academic perspectives, taking advantage of the wealth of material available (both textual and audi-visual). We will examine issues of provenance: where did these stories originate and when? We will study the stories as literary texts as well as historical documents, asking what, if anything, they tell us about the cultures they reflect and the societies in which they are set. We will examine how these tales have been interpreted by later societies, both Arab and Western, and what those interpretations tell us about the interpreters. Finally, we will use this course and its content to introduce us to the study of the Middle East, its languages, history, literature, and peoples and further ground us in the culture of higher education.

MELC 20080 01: Women in Islamic Societies

Prof. Asma Afsaruddin
TR 12:30-1:45
3 credits

This course is a broad survey of women's and gender issues in various Islamic societies, with a focus on the Arab Middle East. The first half of the semester will concentrate on the historical position of women in Islamic societies, defined by the normative values of Islam and by cultural traditions and norms. We will discuss how the interpretations of these values in diverse circumstances and who gets to do the interpreting have had an important impact on women's societal roles. The second half of the course will privilege women's voices and agency in articulating their gendered identities and roles in a number of pre-modern and modern Islamic societies. Our sources for discovering these voices are women's memoirs, fiction, magazine articles, and public speeches. We will also focus on how historical phenomena such as Western colonialism, nationalist liberation movements, civil and other forms of war have given rise to women's organized movements and a feminist socio-political consciousness in many cases.

MELC 30040 01: Christianity in the Middle East

Prof. Joseph Amar
TR 3:30-4:45
3 credits

The spread of Christianity from Palestine to the West is well-documented. Less well-known is the development of Christianity in the lands of its origin, the Middle East. This course introduces students to the largely untold story of Christianity that expresses itself in the native Aramaic language and culture of the Semitic East. The origins of the indigenous Christian churches of Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, and Iran. The development of these traditions will be viewed in relation to western/European forms of Christianity that have come to be viewed as mainstream and normative. The course concludes with an assessment of the impact of religious “fundamentalisms,” the diaspora of Middle Eastern Christians throughout Europe and the United States, and the contemporary state of Christianity in the Middle East.

Fall 2008:

MEAR 10001: First Year Arabic I

Section 1

Professor Ghada Bualuan

MWF 8:30-9:20

also meets T 9:30-10:20

Section 2

Professor Ghada Bualuan

MWF 9:35-10:25

also meets T 11:00-11:50

Section 3

Professor Ghada Bualuan

MWF 10:40-11:30

also meets R 9:30-10:20

Section 4

Professor Ghada Bualuan

MWF 11:45-12:35

also meets R 11:00-11:50

Section 5

Instructor: Aram Shahin

MWF 12:50-1:40

also meets T 12:30-1:20

4 credits

This two-semester sequence of courses is a basic introduction to all aspects of the Arabic language through a comprehensive and integrated method. The focus is on language proficiency in all areas of the language including speaking, reading, and writing. The course also introduces students to aspects of Arabic culture and everyday life in the Middle East.

MEAR 10001 is offered each spring semester and MEAR 10002 is offered each fall semester.

MEAR 20003: Second Year Arabic I

Section 1

Instructor: Aram Shain

MWF 3:00-3:50

Section 2

Instructor: Aram Shain

MWF 1:55-2:45

Section 3

Professor Joseph Amar

MWF 12:50-1:40

Section 4

Professor Abdul Saadi

MWF 9:35-10:25

3 credits

Prerequisite: MEAR 10002, 60002 or equivalent.

This second-year Arabic course builds on the previous two semesters. The emphasis is on speaking and writing for self-expression with continued study of the basic grammatical structures. Proficiency remains the focus through readings and conversations in the language.  Students develop skill in the use of the Arabic dictionary.

MEAR 30005: Third Year Arabic I

Professor Abdul Saadi

MWF 11:45-12:35

Section 2

Professor Abdul Saadi

MWF 12:50-1:40

3 credits

Prerequisite: MEAR 20004, 60004 or equivalent.

This third-year Arabic course emphasis is on developing listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills in interactive settings. Vocabulary building will be the focus of drills; we will cover basic vocabulary in various authentic uses of the language. Special attention will also be given to media Arabic. Basic Arabic grammar should be completed by the end of the year. We will continue with Part 2 of the Kitaab sequence. Supplementary materials, mainly from Arabic media (BBC Arabic News, newspapers, magazines), will be provided. Tests, both oral and written, will cover the textbook material, in addition to the basic grammar and the cumulative vocabulary.

MEAR 30006: Third Year Arabic II

Professor Abdul Saadi

MWF 8:30-9:20

3 credits

Prerequisite MEAR 20004, 60004 or equivalent.

This third-year Arabic course emphasis is on developing listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills in interactive settings. Vocabulary building will be the focus of drills; we will cover basic vocabulary in various authentic uses of the language. Special attention will also be given to media Arabic. Basic Arabic grammar should be completed by the end of the year. We will continue with Part 2 of the Kitaab sequence. Supplementary materials, mainly from Arabic media (BBC Arabic News, newspapers, magazines), will be provided. Tests, both oral and written, will cover the textbook material, in addition to the basic grammar and the cumulative vocabulary.

Courses in English:

CSEM 23101: Muslims and Christians: Finding Common Ground

Professor Asma Afsaruddin

TR 3:30-4:45

3 credits
As the title suggests, this course will explore commonalities between Islam and Christianity without denying the differences. Theological, ethical, moral, and legal perspectives will inform our readings and discussions as we engage historically relevant and contemporary issues pertaining to Christian-Muslim relations. The significance of the diversity of thought within each religious tradition and of multiple interpretations of religious texts which allow for more pluralistic perspectives to emerge among Muslims and Christians will receive considerable attention. The course will attempt to frankly assess both the obstacles to and possibilities for establishing common ground and fostering greater inter-faith understanding.

MELC 20020: Revelation to Revolution

Professor Joseph Amar

MWF 3:30-3:50

3 credits

This basic introduction to Arabic literature links the phenomenon of "literature" to the larger world of Islamic studies. The course emphasizes connections between Arabic literary tradition and that of other Semitic and western traditions. Topics include: the idea of scripture, “Falasuufs” and the Renaissance, the literature of empire, Al-Andanus - Muslim Spain, mytho-poetics, rogues and scoundrels. All readings are in English.

MELC 30070: Islam and Modernity

Professor Asma Asfaruddin

TH 11:00-12:15

3 credits

Islam and its compatibility with modernity is a much-debated issue in the contemporary period.   The course will address this timely topic and discuss the most important "hot-button" issues involved: political Islam, democracy, pluralism, rights of women, and secularism.  The historical contexts in which these issues have been debated will also receive attention.  What internal resources exist within Islamic thought which are being drawn upon by modernists to make a strong case for an essential compatibility between Islam, modernity, and democracy, for example?  Is democracy (or Islam, for that matter) a monolithic concept?  Students will be expected to actively take part in discussions centered around such questions, the assigned readings, and class lectures.  Prior exposure to at least one class on Islam or the Middle East is strongly recommended.

MELC 30160: Middle East and the West

Professor Asher Kaufman

MWF 3:00-3:50

3 credits

This course surveys Middle Eastern history from 1800 to the present.  The primary themes to be covered include: the demise of the Ottoman Empire; European colonial and imperial penetration of the Middle East in the 19th century; the social and cultural impact of imperialism; state-building in the 20th century; new ideologies/nationalisms; the Arab-Israeli conflict and contemporary problems of political and economic development.  We will also consider the most important movements of Islamic reform and revival over the past two centuries.

Syriac Courses

• Hebrew Courses
• Egyptology Courses

Syriac Courses:

Hebrew Courses:

Fall 2007:

MEHE 10002 01: Elementary Hebrew II

Instructor: Steven Schweitzer

MWF 8:30-9:20

Crosslisting: THEO 30003 and THEO 60003

3 credits

This is a two-semester introductory course in biblical Hebrew; under normal circumstances, the student must complete the first in order to enroll in the second. The fall semester will be devoted to learning the grammar of biblical Hebrew. The spring semester will be divided into two parts. For the first six weeks we will finish and review the grammar. In the remaining part of the course we will read and translate texts from the Hebrew Bible, Qumran, and Rabbinic literature. The course will focus on developing reading and comprehension skills in biblical Hebrew through the study of biblical texts. In addition, students will learn how to use reference grammars, concordances, and apparatus to the Biblical Hebraica. The course encourages students to think about the grammatical forms and their implications for biblical interpretation.

This course in Hebrew is offered through the Department of Theology.  The Department of Classics crosslists the course.  For specific information on the course, please check the Theology website at http://www.nd.edu/~theo/

Spring 2008

MEHE 10002 01: Elementary Hebrew II

Instructor: Abraham Winitzer

MW 1:30-2:45

Crosslisting with THEO 30003/60003

3 credits

This is a two-semester introductory course in biblical Hebrew; under normal circumstances, the student must complete the first in order to enroll in the second. The fall semester will be devoted to learning the grammar of biblical Hebrew. The spring semester will be divided into two parts. For the first six weeks we will finish and review the grammar. In the remaining part of the course we will read and translate texts from the Hebrew Bible, Qumran, and Rabbinic literature. The course will focus on developing reading and comprehension skills in biblical Hebrew through the study of biblical texts. In addition, students will learn how to use reference grammars, concordances, and apparatus to the Biblical Hebraica. The course encourages students to think about the grammatical forms and their implications for biblical interpretation.

Egyptology Courses:

CLAS 30335: The History of Ancient Medicine

Professor David Ladouceur

Not offered every year

3 credits

This course traces the development of medicine in the ancient Mediterranean world, concentrating on the medical beliefs, theories, and practices of the Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans.  The course emphasizes the value of studying written sources such as the Hippocratic treatises and the works of Galen with artistic evidence and human remains.  A connection between ancient and modern medicine is made by considering two contrasting models of disease—the biomedical and the biopsychosocial —that figure as the focus of a contemporary debate on health care.

CLAS 20901: Egyptian Civilization

Professor D. Ladouceur

Not offered every year

3 credits

An introduction to Egyptian civilization. The course will demonstrate how scholars employ both archaeological artifacts and written texts to compose a coherent historical narrative from the so-called Predynastic Period (before 3100 B.C.) down to the New Kingdom (1567-1085 B.C.)

Political history, religion and mythology, art and architecture will be surveyed with equal attention. Among some specific topics to be covered are the following: 1) Geography and Egyptian history. 2) The pharaoh compared to other Near Eastern monarchs. 3) The design and construction of the Pyramids. Some recent theories on their relationship to stellar rather than solar cult. 4) Funerary beliefs and customs. The process of mummification. 5) The Armana Period and the "heretic" pharaoh Akhenaton, the so-called first monotheist. 6) Interpreting the "Tale of Sinuhe" and other classics of Egyptian Literature. 7) Egyptian medical literature and its relationship to magic. 8) An analysis of the objects from the tomb of Tutankhamen.

In addition, the course will offer an elementary introduction to hieroglyphs sufficient to read simple inscriptions.