Program
Department of Near Eastern Studies

Degrees Offered
BA
MA
PhD

Middle East Languages
Arabic (Elementary, Intermediate, Advanced)
Hebrew (Elementary, Intermediate, Advanced)
Akkadian
Aramaic
Ugaritic
Hieroglyphic Egyptian
Sumerian

Courses
Near Eastern Studies
Introduction to Near Eastern Civilization
The History and Archaeology of Ancient Israel
Israel: Literature and Society
Ancient Seafaring
Agriculture and Society in the Ancient Near East
Society and Law in the Ancient Near East
Jerusalem Through the Ages
The Divided Monarchy
The History and Archaeology of the Ancient Near East
Mythology and Religion of Ancient Mesopotamia & Canaan
Issues in Twentieth Century Catholic Thought
Introduction to Qur'anic and Classical Arabic
Hebrew Bible and Arabic Qur'an in Comparative Perspective
Cultural History of the Jews of Spain
Islamic Spain: Culture and Society
Seminar on Jewish Mysticism
Modern History of the Near East: Changing Politics, Society, and Ideas
The Quest for the Historical Jesus
Introduction to Christian History
Gender, Sexuality and the Body in Early Christianity
Women in the Hebrew Bible
Heresy and Orthodoxy in Early Christianity
The History of Early Christianity
Gnosticism and Early Christianity
Arabs and Jews: Cultures in Confluence and Conflict
Introduction to Islam: Politics and Religion
Introduction to Islamic Law
Islamic Law and Society
Introduction to Classical Jewish History
Introduction to Ancient Judaism
Islamic History: 600-1258
Islamic History: 1258-1850
The Ottoman Empire from 1300-1923
Religion and Politics in the Middle East
Modern History of the Middle East
Islam and Politics
Introduction to Islamic Civilization
International Relations of the Middle East
State, Society and Language in Ancient Egypt
Arab Society and Culture
Classical Arabic Texts
Readings in Judeo-Arabic: Medieval Judeo-Arabic and Hebrew Poetics
Introduction to the New Testament
Imagining the Modern Middle East
Introduction to the Hebrew Bible
Exodus and Conquest
Introduction to the Prophets, Genesis
Readings in Biblical Hebrew Prose
The Lyrics of Love and Death
Readings in Modern Turkish Culture and Society
Readings in Classical Arabic Texts
Readings in Biblical Hebrew Poetry
Medieval Biblical Hebrew Exegesis
Modern Medicine and the Catholic Tradition
Thomas Merton - Monk & Author
Readings in the New Testament
Crime and Conflict in the Modern Arabic Novel
Muhammed and Mystics in the Literatures of the Islamic World
Language courses are taught every year. Most other courses are taught in
alternating years or every three years.
Related Courses in Other Departments

Archaeology
Minoan-Mycenean Art and Archaeology
The Greeks and their Eastern Neighbors
Ancient Seafaring
Introduction to Biblical History and Archaeology

Classics
The Archaeology of Cyprus: Comparative Economics Government
The Ethnic Dimensions in Politics
Politics of the Military
Comparative Revolutions
Theories of International Relations
Contemporary American Foreign Policy
International Relations of the Middle East

History
History of American Foreign Policy
Church and State during the Middle Ages
From Medievalism to Modernity: The History of Jews in Early Modern Europe
1492-1789
History of Zionism and the Birth of Israel
History of the Holocaust
Islamic History: The Age of Ibn Khaldun
History of Jews in Modern France
The Herodotean Moment

Faculty
Samer Alatout (visiting assistant professor)
Esperanza Alfonso (Hebrew and Arabic Literature)
Martin Bernal (Ancient Near Eastern Mediterranean History)
Mia Bloom (Modern Near Eastern History)
Ross Brann (Judeo-Arabic Studies)
Kim Haines-Eitzen (New Testament and Early Christianity)
Gerald Kadish (Hieroglyphic Egyptian)
Donna McKenzie (Catholic Studies)
David I. Owen (Ancient Near Eastern and Biblical History and Archaeology)
David Powers (Arabic and Islamic Studies)
Gary Rendsburg (Biblical and Semitic Studies)
Nava Scharf (Hebrew Language)
Shalom Shoer (Hebrew Language)
Shawkat Toorawa (Arabic Literature and Islamic Studies)
Munther Younes (Arabic Language and Linguistics)
Jeffrey Zorn (Biblical Archaeology)

Students
Graduate, 1 (1 male, 0 female)
Majors, 25
Degrees Granted in 2000
BA, 2 (0 male, 2 female)
PhD, 1 (male)

Degree Requirements
The program is designed to help students acquaint themselves with the most fundamental elements of their chosen languages and literatures as well as to acquire a high degree of specialization in one or more areas of: (1) ancient Near Eastern and Biblical studies; (2) ancient, medieval, and modern Jewish history; (3) Islamic history; (4) classical and modern Arabic literature; and (5) Hebrew language and literature. Candidates for the PhD degree will be expected to demonstrate mastery in the language or languages of the main texts that will be directly related to the topic of their dissertations. Students are advised to determine early in their training the special field of their concentration and to consult their advisors about linguistic requirements. Before the end of the fourth term of graduate study, each PhD candidate must demonstrate competence in reading scholarly materials in any two of the following languages: French, German, Italian, Russian, and Spanish. Candidates for the Master's degree must demonstrate competence in one of these languages or in Greek by at least
one term before the degree is awarded

Chair
Ross Brann

Scholarships/Graduate Support
Cornell University Fellowships available, please contact Graduate School
For information
Special Features
Junior Year Abroad programs in Egypt, Israel and Turkey are recognized by
the Department of Near Eastern Studies and archaeological fieldwork may
also qualify for course credit.

Inquiries
Julie Graham, Administrative Manager
Department of Near Eastern Studies
360 Rockefeller Hall
Cornell University
Ithaca NY 14853-2502
607-255-6275
fax 607-255-1345
neareastern@cornell.edu
http://www.arts.cornell.edu/nes/index.html