Courses

Reading and analysis of major works of Arabic literature from the 6th to the 17th centuries including classical poetry, the Qur'an, and the Arabian Nights. This course introduces students, through a series of texts in English translation, to important works representative of pre-modern Arabic literature -- the longest continuous literary tradition in the Western world. These works (including pre- and early Islamic poetry, the Qur'an, Abbasid court and urban literature, Hispano-Arabic poetry and the Arabian Nights) are set in their cultural and historical context through reading assignments and classroom lectures, and they are discussed in some depth with full student participation. Students not only become acquainted with a number of masterpieces of a major and highly influential world literature, while considerably expanding their cultural horizons, but also encounter basic approaches of dealing with translations of those texts. Serious attention will be devoted to the nature of literary evidence and its utilization in support of aesthetic and critical judgments. Prereq: English 1110 (110). Not open to students with credit for 371. GE Foundation: Literary, Visual, and Performing Arts

Readings from The Arabian Nights; the history of the text, translations and literary and cinematic adaptations. The 1001 Nights – popularly known as the Arabian Nights – is a corpus of Arabic stories that rose from relative obscurity to global fame. The origins of the Nights lie in the Islamic Near East, but the versions we know today are a direct result of the translations of anonymous Arabic manuscripts in late-17th century Paris. The vogue for “oriental tales” spread throughout Europe and back to the Islamic world, where subsequently there appeared several greatly expanded Arabic editions of the collection. The Nights is a remarkable example of a shared, global literary heritage that at the same time has played a major part, for better or worse, in shaping Western perceptions of the Arabo-Islamic world. In this course, students will read the original stories, which remain delightful to this day, and come to understand the process by which the corpus of Nights was preserved, expanded, translated, dissemination and even forged. Then we will consider the remarkable diffusion and reception of the tales and their characters, especially in cinema and modern literature. This course is taught in English. Prereq: None GE Foundation: Literary, Visual, and Performing Arts

Reading and analysis of selected chapters from the Hebrew scriptures and post-biblical Hebrew writings representative of major historical, cultural, and literary trends.   The Hebrew Bible is a foundational document in modern human history. Its stories have inspired great authors, philosophers, political thinker, and others. This course is an introduction to its content. Students will read, discuss, and critique large sections of the Hebrew Bible. In addition to exposure to the Bible’s influential stories and poetry, the student will learn and fine-tune the transferable skills of critically investigating written evidence, of deduction and inference, of critical question formulation, and of concise writing. The Hebrew Bible contains content that spans a range of possible human experiences, including stories of violence, such as bodily mutilation, war, (attempted) rape (man-on-woman and woman-on-man), ethnic attacks/genocide, psychological abuse, fratricide, and more. It also contains some of the most important tales of success, underdog victories, and inspirational poetry to be found in the so-called Western Canon. This course is taught in English. Prereq: 2700H requires Honors standing or permission of instructor.  English 1110 (110). Not open to students with credit for 370. Cross-listed in Jewish Studies. GE Foundation: Literary, Visual, and Performing Arts. 

Reading and analysis of selected chapters from the Hebrew scriptures and post-biblical Hebrew writings representative of major historical, cultural, and literary trends. Prereq: Honors standing, and English 1110; or permission of instructor. Not open to students with credit for 2700, JewshSt 2700, or 2700H. GE lit and diversity global studies course. Cross-listed in JewshSt.

The dynamics of Israelite prophecy and apocalyptic in the context of ancient Near Eastern culture.  Prereq: English 1110 (110). Not open to students with credit for 373. GE lit and diversity global studies course.  Cross-listed in Jewish Studies. By the end of this course, the student will be able to: 1) articulate the essential features of Israelite prophecy as a distinctive social phenomenon in the context of ancient Near Eastern culture; 2) trace the evolution of the phenomenon in Israel from its rise to its decline and ultimate transformation into apocalyptic; 3) identify the nuances and idiosyncrasies of certain individual prophets; and 4) identify the primary contributions of the prophetic phenomenon to the Judaeo-Christian heritage. To achieve these objectives, class lecture coupled with class discussion will form the core of this course, supplemented by outside readings and written assignments. The readings will include primary and secondary sources, providing the student opportunity for exposure to the prophetic literature at first hand while also supplying input from contemporary scholarship.

An examination of the social, legal, and religious position of women as they appear in the Hebrew Bible and the ways in which the have been represented and interpreted in later textual, visual, and audio sources.  Prereq: English 1110 (110). Not open to students with credit for 374. GE lit and diversity global studies course.  Cross-listed in Jewish Studies.  This course examines the cultural images and legal status of women during biblical times and late antiquity. Although its focus will be on the period of ancient Israel, students will also examine how biblical narrative and law have continued to have an impact on Jewish, Christian and secular culture. By looking at the images of women in biblical texts, students will be asked how contemporary feminist readers of the Bible have found new meanings in a literature that has been the subject of so much re-reading and re-writing over the centuries. The course will begin with a general review of biblical literature and a historical survey of the status of women in some ancient societies. Throughout, its approach will be interdisciplinary, inviting students to pursue interests in historical, literary critical, feminist, and religious studies approaches.

Reading and analysis of selected chapters from the Hebrew scriptures and post-biblical Hebrew writings representative of major historical, cultural, and literary trends. Prereq: English 1110. Not open to students with credit for 2700H, Hebrew 2700, or 2700H. GE lit and diversity global studies course. Cross-listed in Hebrew.

Reading and analysis of selected chapters from the Hebrew scriptures and post-biblical Hebrew writings representative of major historical, cultural, and literary trends. Prereq: Honors standing, and English 1110; or permission of instructor. Not open to students with credit for 2700, Hebrew 2700, or 2700H. GE lit and diversity global studies course. Cross-listed in Hebrew.

An exploration of the nature and function of art in ancient Judaism from the standpoints of history, cultural history, and material culture. Prereq: English 1110 (110). GE VPA course.

An intensive investigation into the dynamics of Israelite prophecy and apocalyptic in the context of ancient Near Eastern culture. Prereq: English 1110. Not open to students with credit for 2703, Hebrew 2703, or 3703. GE lit and diversity global studies course. Cross-listed in Hebrew.

An examination of the social, legal, and religious position of women as they appear in the Hebrew Bible and the ways in which they have been represented and interpreted in later textual, visual, and audio sources. Prereq: English 1110. Not open to students with credit for 2704, Hebrew 2704, or 3704. GE lit and diversity global studies. Cross-listed in Hebrew.

A study of Persian literature in translation and the history of its discourses, genres, and styles.  Prereq: English 1110 (110). Not open to students with credit for 371. GE lit and diversity global studies course. This course will expose students to Persian literature in translation from both classical and modern periods in order to make it available to students and comparativists in other languages and disciplines. The aim of the course is for the student to become acquainted with a number of representative works of Persian literature, to identify enduring themes in the literature, and to see the ways in which modern Persian literature has grown from its classical origins.

A study of Turkish literature and the history of its discourses, genres, and styles.  Not open to students with credit for 372. GE lit and diversity global studies course. Students will be introduced to masterpieces of Turkish literature through the reading of texts in translation. They will come out of the course with a basic yet comprehensive knowledge of the history of Turkish discourses, genres, and styles gained through lecture and discussion.