Spring 2025 Class Schedule

Arabic 111-3: First-Year Arabic
First-Year Arabic, Arabic 111, is a three-quarter sequence providing a thorough grounding for listening, speaking, reading, and writing Arabic. The course follows the integrated approach which blends the standard Arabic, Fuṣḥā, and the dialect or colloquial language, āmmiyya, in a way that reflects the authentic practice of native Arabic speakers. To develop reading and writing skills we will be using Modern Standard Written Arabic called Fuṣḥā; to develop speaking and listening skills we will be using an educated spoken version of the āmmiyya of the Levantine dialect. Units covered during this quarter are: Unit 9 (Shopping), Unit 10 (Food and Friends), Unit 11 (Lebanese Cities), Unit 12 (Weather), Unit 13 (Family, Migration, Professions), Unit 14 (Sarah\'s Family), Unit 15 (Living in an apartment).
PREREQUISITE: 111-2 or placement test results
TEXTBOOK: Arabiyyat al-Naas, Part One, Second Edition: An Introductory Course in Arabic. Younes, Weatherspoon, Foster. (2023) Publisher: Routledge. Print ISBN: 9781138492868. (Units 9-15)

Arabic 121-3: Second-Year Arabic
Second-year Arabic follows the integrated approach which blends the standard Arabic, Fuṣḥā, and the dialect or colloquial language, āmmiyya, in a way that reflects the authentic practice of native Arabic speakers. To develop reading and writing skills, we will be using Modern Standard Written Arabic called Fuṣḥā, which will be used in reading and writing; an educated spoken version of the āmmiyya of the Levantine dialect will be used to develop speaking and listening skills. This Spring quarter, we will start with Arabiyyat al-Naas (Part Two, second edition) focusing on culture, history, and useful vocabulary and phrases to communicate in a real-life context. Students will learn about the modern Arab world and its history, geography, culture and language. Different media tools will be used such as games, crosswords, songs, movies, interviews, and documentaries about the Arab world culture and history.

PREREQUISITE: Arabic  121-2 or placement test results
TEXTBOOK:Arabiyyat al-Naas (Part Two): An Intermediate Course in Arabic. Younes, Al-Masri. 2022 Second Edition. Publisher: Routledge. ISBN: 978-1138353114, 113853116.  (Units 1-4)

Arabic 211-3: Third-Year Arabic
This is an intermediate level class in which students will continue to advance their proficiency in Arabic language and learn more about the culture and the people of the Middle East. Third-year Arabic will focus on the integrated approach which blends the standard Arabic, Fuṣḥā, and the dialect or colloquial language, āmmiyya, in a way that reflects the authentic practice of native Arabic speakers. We will develop reading and writing skills using Modern Standard Arabic and speaking and listening skills using an educated spoken version of the āmmiyya of the Levantine dialect. Students will learn about the modern Arab world and its history and economy, culture and language. Different media tools will be used such as games, crosswords, songs, movies, interviews, and documentaries about the Arab world. In the Spring Quarter, we will cover Unit 15 (festivals and Celebrations), Unit 16 (lMigrationa and Refugees), Unit 17 (The Environment), Unit 18 (Marriage). 
PREREQUISITE: Arabic  211-2 or placement test results
TEXTBOOK: Arabiyyat al-Naas (Part Two, Second Edition): An Intermediate Course in Arabic. Munther; Al-Masri., Featherstone, Huntley, Weatherspoon. (2023) Publisher: Routledge. Print: 9781138353114, eBook: 9780429434402 (Units 15,16,17,18)

Arabic 316-2 Fourth-Year Arabic: Reading Classical Arabic Texts
This course is for undergraduate and graduate students who are interested in exploring ancient and medieval classicists’ Arabic text from the pre-Islamic period to the Abbasid’s era: The Golden Age of Islamic Civilization. The course offers students an invaluable opportunity to closely read, analyse, discuss and build a vital background in the essential themes of Arabic literary traditions spanning well over a millennium in chronological order and within its historical context. Students will read parts of the Holy Qur’an; Hadith of the Prophet Muhammad; letters by the SaHaba; a chapter of Arabic grammar from Sibawayhi’s Al-Kitab, as well as a famous classical poem by Abu Al-Tayyib al-Mutanabbi, among others. The selected readings will cohesively deepen students’ literary experience with ancient and medieval texts. The provided glossaries of idioms and phrases will assist students with basic comprehension, but students should also make use of a dictionary or consult the instructor.
PRREREQUISITE: Completion of Arabic 211-3 (the third-year sequence) or equivalent, and one course on the 300-level such as a 316. This course is designed for advanced learners (at least “Advanced-Mid” on the ACTFL scale) in our program and for heritage and quasi native speakers who were placed into a 300-level class through a placement test result. If a student is unsure whether they possess the required language skill for this course, they should reach out to the instructor.
TEXTBOOK: Course material will be selected from Bassam Franjieh’s book: “Anthology of Arabic Literature, Culture, and Thought”. Yale University Press, 2005 and will be provided to the students in PDF format on Canvas.

 Hebrew 111-3: First-year Hebrew
The three-quarter first-year course in Hebrew is designed to develop all four language skills (speaking, writing, listening, and reading comprehension) as well as provide a cultural foundation. The course is based on Hebrew From Scratch, a comprehensive textbook with grammar and interactive exercises for the beginning adult learner. The instructions for the exercises as well as the translations of the vocabulary lists are in English. Otherwise, the course is taught in Hebrew, creating an important immersive environment for the students throughout the year. 
Hebrew 111-3, taught in the Spring Quarter, builds on material learned in the first two quarters. New words and structures will be integrated into short texts and lively conversations which are part of the wider context of Israeli culture. As always, students will have ample opportunities to practice and expand all skills. 
PREREQUISITE: Hebrew 111-3 or placement test results
TEXTBOOK:Hebrew From Scratch Part 1 (in Hebrew: Ivrit Min Ha-Hatchala Ha-Chadash Alef) Written by: Shlomit Chayat, Sarah Israeli, Hila Kobliner Printed by Akademon Press through Magnes Press, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, 2012 ISBN-13: 978-9653501126 ISBN-10: 9653501127 

Hebrew 121-3: Second-Year Hebrew
Second-year Hebrew is a three-quarter sequence covering comprehensive grammar explanations and examples as well as cultural themes. The purpose of this course is to enlarge the students’ vocabulary, and to reinforce and expand their knowledge of Hebrew grammar, as well as to deepen their knowledge of Israeli culture. Class will consist of interactive exercises for the intermediate learner, readings of a level-appropriate difficulty with more information on Israeli daily life and reality and listening to form of songs and clips in Hebrew. In Hebrew 121-3, taught in the Spring quarter,  we will expand our knowledge of past tense verbs to forms of פעל שלמים (לכתוב, לאכול, לרקוד) and פעל ל"ה (לרצות, לעשות) andפיעל (לדבר, לספר) and הפעיל (להזמין, להרגיש)and התפעל (להתרגש, להתלבש). This variety of forms will allow us to develop our self-expression and to include writing and conversations about childhood memories, everyday situations like a visit to the doctor, volunteering in organizations, and more. We will learn more prepositions and their conjugations (like שלי, שלך) and more useful grammar structures like צריך, יכול, אפשר. We will have a fun unit about family and childhood (prepare your pictures!) and we will also learn about the Jerusalemite Zoo. As always, grammar and new vocabulary will be woven into the content. 
PREREQUISITE: Hebrew 121-2 or placement test results
TEXTBOOK: Hebrew From Scratch Part 1 (in Hebrew: Ivrit Min Ha-Hatchala Ha-Chadash Alef) Shlomit Chayat, Sarah Israeli, Hila Kobliner. Akademon Press through Magnes Press, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, 2012 ISBN-13: 978-9653501126 ISBN-10: 9653501127

 Hebrew 216-3: Third Year Hebrew - Topics in Hebrew Literature: Between Two Writers: Sayed Kashu'a and Etgar Keret
This course is for undergraduate and graduate students as well as post doc researchers who are interested in exploring contemporary writings by two prominent writers in Israeli culture, Sayed Kashu'a and Etgar Keret. These writers share unique perspectives on Israeli society: Keret, a son of Holocaust survivors, writes short stories, often surreal and absurdist, that deal with the paradoxes of modern Israeli society; Kashu'a, an Israeli Arab who grew up in the Israeli educational system, writes books and humorous columns in the Hebrew language in which he addresses the problems faced by Arabs in Israel. Shortly after Kashu'a and his family left Israel following a politically charged summer, the two writers began a lively correspondence chronicling their innermost thoughts and trepidations. In this class students will delve into the writers correspondence (which was translated into English and published in the New York Times), explore selective works from both authors, watch films and TV series they have created (such as Keret's movie Jellyfish and Kashu'a's TV series "Arab Labor") as well as discuss their other visual works.
PREREQUISITE: Hebrew 121-3
TEXTBOOK: Material provided by the instructor.

MENA 290-6-3: Exploring Hebrew Literature (in Translation): Othering and Otherness in Israeli Film
Since its inception, Israeli society is comprised of various and different social groups; immigrants, Arabs, Jews, foreign workers, religious people, secular people, ultra-orthodox Jews, Christians, to name several. In a society where many feel themselves as outsiders, how do social norms apply and is there actually something such as "social norms"? Or perhaps there are social norms within each group of "others"? What happens when social norms of a certain group clash with what is supposedly the social norms of "Israeli society"? And is there an actual entity of "Israeli society" or is it only imagined by those who seek to be part of it? Film in its nature is an introspective tool, and in the case of Israeli film it has always been a prism through which Israeli directors examine questions of identity, the treatment of "others", and the relationship between the center and the margins. In this class we will watch various Israeli films that relate to the notion of otherness and to the dilemmas that arise from the characters' complex position in Israeli society. Among the movies we will watch are "Borrowed Identity", "The Matchmaker", "Sandstorm" and "Baba Joon". We will read texts that will contextualize the movies and will shed light on the stance of otherness in Israeli society. No previous knowledge of Hebrew or Israel or Israeli cinema is required. All the movies will have English subtitles and all the readings will be in English, as well as the lectures and class discussions.
PREREQUISITE: None
TEXTBOOK: Material provided by the instructor.

Turkish 111-3: First-Year Turkish
Turkish 111-3, taught in the Spring Quarter, is the third and final quarter of first-year Turkish. The course builds on material learned in the first two quarters by introducing additional grammar and fundamental sentence structures, by presenting new vocabulary, and by providing students ample opportunities to practice and expand all skills. We will continue to use texts and audio centered around topics in Elementary Turkish I and II as well as work with additional printed audio and video material provided by the instructor. The course covers Unites 16-19 Elementary Turkish II. We will also watch a new TV show to practice our language skills and improve our understanding of Turkish culture and history. 
PREREQUISITE: Turkish 111-2 or placement test results
TEXTBOOK: Elementary Turkish: A Complete Course for Beginners. Revised Third Edition (2015). Kurtuluş Öztopçu. Kebikeç-Yayınları Sanat Kitabevi. Please purchase the print book, not the e-book. Additional materials will be provided by the instructor.

MENA 290-6-1: Tomb Robbers, Smugglers, and Millionaires: Looting and Trafficking of Antiquities in the Middle East
In this course, we will explore the complex and multifaceted issue of looting and trafficking of antiquities in the Middle East. We will survey the rich archaeological heritage of the region and the historical significance of its antiquities as well as the history of looting and destruction of cultural material since antiquity. We will examine the historical, cultural, and economic factors that contribute to the illicit trade of cultural heritage, including poverty, conflict, and the demand for antiquities in the global market. We will consider the organized criminal networks involved in the trafficking of antiquities, from local looters to international dealers. We will investigate specific instances of looting and trafficking in countries such as Iraq, Syria, Turkey, and Egypt, and the efforts to recover stolen artifacts. Finally, we will discuss international laws, conventions, and ethical considerations related to the protection of cultural heritage. Through lectures, guest speakers, readings, and discussions, we will gain a comprehensive understanding of the challenges and complexities involved in protecting cultural heritage in the Middle East. The course includes an optional field trip to the Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures (ISAC) Museum at the University of Chicago to experience artifacts from the ancient Middle East firsthand.
PREREQUISITE: None.
TEXTBOOK: Material provided on Canvas.