• V77.0301, V77.0302 Elementary Urdu
• V77.0303, V77.0304 Intermediate Urdu
• Advanced Urdu I & II

Course Objective:

Consisting of a two-year curriculum, these beginning Urdu courses are aimed at introducing the students to the basics of Urdu alphabet, grammar and sentence structure. All four skills are emphasized -- writing and reading, as well as speaking and listening. The courses are tailored to address students' interests not only in the language, bust also in the culture it is rooted in. Along with texts for script and grammar, new and additional materials will be constantly introduced, especially as the students develop increased facility and proficiency in the language.

Course Objective:

The overall goal of these courses is to prepare the students to achieve a high level of proficiency in Urdu. The courses are designed to also further develop fluency in oral and written communication by extensively using literature, film and social exchange.  The first and second year language sequence relies heavily on student interaction, partner activities and group work.

Course Objective:

Open to both undergraduates and graduates, this course offers an overview of Urdu and its cultural contexts via authentic texts and is designed to improve students' advanced level reading as well as their written and oral discourse strategies in Urdu. Students will be carefully guided through linguistically complex and demanding texts. Emphasis will be placed on the development of linguistic skills required for a close reading and in-depth analysis of the texts.  We will study works by such writers as Manto, Premchand, Bano Qudsia, Chughtai and Ashfaq Ahmed, and engage in critical analyses of poems by Ghalib, Iqbal and Faiz.

Target audience: Students who have completed the two-year sequence of Urdu or who have equivalent background and are interested in Urdu literature and Pakistan.

URDU AND THE SOUTH ASIAN STUDIES MINOR
The Department of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies offers a minor in South Asian Studies, with requirements that are distinct from those of its long-established minor in Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies. Clinical Associate Professor Gabriela Ilieva serves as Faculty Advisor for the minor in South Asian Studies

The minimum requirements for the completion of a minor program are four 4-point courses (16 points) chosen in consultation with the South Asian Studies Faculty Advisor. Students can pursue three broad areas of concentration:

Track A: Language will provide students with a solid foundation in a modern Indian language. Students must complete a four-semester sequence of either Hindi or Urdu, provided that these courses are not also used to satisfy the CAS language requirement.

Track B: History, Culture, Politics fosters a broad interdisciplinary perspective on South Asia.  All four courses must be non-language courses.

Track C: Students must take two non-language South Asia courses and two courses in Hindi or Urdu, provided that the language courses are not also used to satisfy the CAS language requirement.

A MAP World Cultures course on South Asia may be counted toward the non-language minor requirement. With prior approval, one independent study course can count toward the four courses required for a minor. At least three of the four required courses must be completed at NYU. The South Asian Studies Faculty Advisor will determine the eligibility of courses taken in study-abroad programs or in institutions not part of the consortium exchange.

Tahira Naqvi
Urdu Language Lecturer
Department of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies
Office: 306 Kevorkian, 50 Washington Square South,
Phone: (914) 319-6016
Email: tn9@nyu.edu

Back to Language Programs