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Note:

  1. The Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies courses offered in the Graduate School of Arts and Science are open to qualified undergraduates. Permission of the instructor and the Director of Undergraduate Studies is required.
  2. Regularly offered Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies graduate courses may be lectures, colloquia, or seminars. Unless otherwise noted, all nonlanguage courses listed below are colloquia.
  3. For elementary, intermediate and advanced courses in Middle Eastern languages, see Language Courses as well as the advanced language and literature courses listed below.
  4. Courses on Middle East-related topics offered by the Departments of Anthropology, Classics, Comparative Literature, Economics, History, Politics, and Sociology and by the Institute of Fine Arts are open to students with permission of the instructor and may be credited toward a degree in Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies in accordance with departmental rules and requirements.
  5. Problems and Methods in Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies G77.1687 Required of all incoming M.A. and Ph.D. students (4 points).

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  1. Introduction to Ancient Egyptian I, II
    G77.1359, 1360 (4 points per term)
    Introduction to hieroglyphics; readings in ancient Egyptian texts.
    Prof. Goelet

  2. Advanced Ancient Egyptian I, II
    G77.1390, 1391 Identical to G43.3817 Prerequisite: G77.1360 or the equivalent (4 points per term)
    Advanced readings in ancient Egyptian texts.
    Prof. Goelet

Advanced readings courses in hieroglyphic texts, Old Egyptian, and Coptic are also offered.

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For Elementary, Intermediate and Advanced Arabic language courses, see Arabic.
Prerequisite for graduate Arabic language courses: Intermediate Arabic V77.0103, 0104 or the equivalent.
Contact: Prof. Ferhadi, Prof. Kennedy, Prof. Mikhail, Staff.

  1. Advanced Contemporary (Media) Arabic I, II
    G77.1005, 1006 Prerequisite: Intermediate Arabic or the equivalent. (4 points per term)
    Prof. Ferhadi

  2. Classical Arabic I, II
    G77.1112, 1113 Identical to G78.1121, 1122. (4 points per term)
    Grammar and reading, providing the transition from modern standard Arabic to classical texts.
    Prof. Kennedy, Prof. Mikhail

  3. Medieval Arabic Literature: Prose
    G77.1114 (4 points)
    Readings in selected authors from the 8th century to the 12th century.
    Prof. Kennedy

  4. Medieval Arabic Literature: Poetry
    G77.1115 Identical to G29.1115 (4 points)
    Readings in selected poets from the 8th century to the 12th century.
    Prof. Kennedy

  5. Medieval Arabic Literature: Qu'ran and Tafsir
    G77.1116 (4 points)
    Readings from the Qu'ran and Tafsir.
    Prof. Kennedy

  6. Arabic Literature: Modern Prose and Poetry
    G77.1117 Identical to G29.1732 (4 points)
    Introduction to the genres of modern Arabic prose and poetry, with readings in each.
    Prof. Mikhail

  7. Colloquial Arabic: Egyptian
    G77.1118 Prerequisite: one year or the equivalent of modern standard Arabic (4 points)
    Practice in aural/oral communication in the colloquial Arabic dialect of contemporary Egypt.
    Prof. Mikhail

  8. Arabic Composition
    G77.1120 (4 points)
    Practical language exercises in Arabic language and style. The finer points of grammar and syntax are studied. Introduction to the different styles of expository prose writing, standard forms of letter writing, and idiomatic expressions.
    Prof. Mikhail

  9. Topics in 20th Century Literature
    G77.1122 (4 points)
    Selected topics in 20th-centuryArabic literature from a global perspective.
    Staff: TBA

  10. 20th Century Arabic Literature in Translation
    G77.1710 Identical to G29.1710 (4 points)
    Introduction to 20th-century Arabic literature.
    Prof. Mikhail

  11. Modern Arabic Literary Criticism
    G77.1777 Identical to G29.1777 (4 points)
    Selected topics in 20th-century Arabic literary criticism.
    Prof. Mikhail

  12. Drama and Mass Media in the Arab World
    G77.1778 (4 points)
    Seminar will investigate the origins of modern Arabic drama and its initimate interfacing with mass media in contemporary Arab societies.
    Prof. Mikhail

  13. Recognition/Anagnorisis in Arabic, Islamic, and European Narrative
    G77.1124 Identical to G29.1124 (4 points)
    Prof. Kennedy

  14. Seminar in Medieval Arabic Literature
    G77.3192 (4 points)
    Selected topics in medieval Arabic literature.
    Prof. Kennedy

  15. Seminar in Modern Arabic Literature I
    G77.3193 (4 points)
    Selected topics in modern Arabic literature.
    Prof. Kennedy

  16. Seminar in Modern Arabic Literature II
    G77.3197 Identical to G29.3197 (4 points)
    Staff: TBA

    Selected topics in modern Arabic literature.See also undergraduate Literature Courses.

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For Elementary, Intermediate and Advance Persian language courses, see Persian. Prerequisite for all graduate Persian language courses, Intermediate Persion V77.0403, 0404 or the equivalent.
Staff: Prof. Chelkowski, Prof. Khorrami, Prof. McChesney.

  1. Persian Historical and Biographical Texts
    G77.1412 (4 points)

  2. Advanced Persian: Poetry
    G77.1413 (4 points)

  3. Advanced Persian: Mystical Texts
    G77.1414 (4 points)

  4. Advanced Persian: Contemporary Literature
    G77.1415 (4 points)
  5. Persian Literary Prose
    G77.1416 (4 points)

  6. Persian Literary Texts: Drama
    G77.1417 (4 points)

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For Elementary, Intermediate and Advanced Turkish, see Turkish.
Prerequisite for the following courses:

  1. Intermediate Turkish
    V77.0503, 0504 or the equivalent
    Staff: Prof. Erol, Staff

  2. Turkish Literary Texts: Ottoman Historical Texts
    G77.1512, 1513 ( 4 points per term)

  3. Turkish Literary Texts: Modern Turkish Literature
    G77.1514, 1515 (4 points per term)

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The following are lecture courses:

  1. History of the Middle East, 600-1200
    G77.1640 Identical to G57.1502 (4 points)
    Survey of the history of the Middle East from 600 to 1200.
    Staff: TBA

  2. History of the Middle East, 1200-1800
    G77.1641 Identical to G57.1641
    Survey of the history of the Middle East from 1200 to 1800.
    Prof. McChesney

  3. History of the Middle East, 1750-Present
    G77.1642 Identical to G57.1642 (4 points)
    Survey of the history of the Middle East from 1750 to the present.
    Prof. Fahmy, Prof. Lockman

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The following are colloquia:

  1. Revolutions in the Islamic Middle East
    G77.1616 (4 points)
    Comparative survey of revolutionary movements, ideologies and states in the Middle East.
    Staff: TBA

  2. Literature of the Field:Modern Middle Eastern History
    G77.1643 (4 points)
    Staff: TBA

  3. Topics in Medieval Islamic History
    G77.1646 (4 points)
    Topics in medieval Middle Eastern social, cultural, economic, and political history.
    Staff: TBA

  4. Communities of Knowledge: Medieval Identities and Histories
    G77.1647 Identical to G57.1647 (4 points)
    This course aims for a critical engagement with the issues surrounding the social production and use of knowledge in the pre-Modern Muslim world. The class will attend to the changing interplay and relationships between textuality, oralisty, andmemory in the dissemination of knowledge and the construction of its various forms of authority.
    Staff: TBA

  5. Contemporary Turkey
    G77.1649 (4 points)
    Introduction to the politics and culture of the Turkish Republic from its establishment to the present day.

  6. Topics in Ottoman History
    G77.1651 Identical to G57.1513 (4 points)
    Topics in Ottoman political, social, economic, and cultural history.
    Staff: TBA

  7. The Late Ottoman Empire
    G77.1652 Identical to G57.1652 (4 points)
    Topics in the history of the Ottoman Empire from the 18th century to the First World War.
    Staff: TBA

  8. Medieval Iran (650-1500)
    G77.1660 Identical to G57.1540 (4 points)
    Principal themes of Iranian history, including a brief survey of ancient Iran but focusing on the period since the arrival of Islam and particularly the rise of the Safavid and the Samanid dynasties and the Safavid Empire.
    Prof. McChesney

  9. Modern Iran (1800 to the Present)
    G77.1661 Identical to G57.1541 (4 points)
    History of Iran in the 19th and 20th centuries, focusing on the internal and external forces that have helped shape modern Iranian history in its political, economic, social, cultural, and religious dimensions.
    Prof. Chelkowski

  10. Egypt in Modern Times
    G77.1664 Identical to G57.1511 (4 points)
    Modern Egyptian history from the end of the Ottoman-Mamluk period to the present, largely through an exploration of the scholarly literature and of various paradigms that have been used to interpret that history.
    Prof. Lockman, Prof. Fahmy

  11. History of Muslim Central Asia
    G77.1666 (4 points)
    General survey covering the region of the central Asian republics from the Muslim conquests in the 8th century to the present. Focus on social and economic history.
    Prof. McChesney

  12. Nationalisms and Nation-States in the Middle East
    G77.1670 (4 points)
    Emergence of national identities, nationalist movements, and nation-states in the modern Middle East, studied comparatively and in relation to various approaches to understanding nationalism and state formation.
    Prof. Lockman

  13. Problems and Methods in Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies
    G77.1687 (4 points)
    Introduction to key issues and methods in the study of the Middle East.
    Staff: TBA

  14. Islam and the West
    G77.1806 Identical to G57.1806 and G90.1806 (4 points)
    Evolving diplomatic, economic, and cultural relations between the lands of Islam and the West and their mutual interactions.
    Staff: TBA

  15. Islamic Institutions
    G77.2855 (4 points)
    Origins, evolution, and significance of key political, social, cultural, and religious institutions of premodern Islamic societies.
    Staff: TBA

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The following are courses are seminars:

  1. Seminar in the History of the Modern Middle East I
    G77.1653 Identical to G57.1653 (4 points)
    Topics in the history of the modern Middle East.
    Prof. Lockman, Prof. Fahmy

  2. Seminar in the History of the Modern Middle East II
    G77.1654 Identical to G57.1654 (4 points)
    Topics in the history of the modern Middle East.
    Prof. Lockman, Prof. Fahmy

  3. Seminar in Waqf Studies
    G77.1783 (4 points)
    Pre-Islamic origins, legal systemization, social uses, and economic impact of Islamic religious endowments from medieval times to the present.
    Prof. McChesney

  4. Seminar in Safavid History
    G77.2551 (4 points)
    Study of the historiographical issues, the nature and development of state structures, and the parameters of involvement in the world economy of the 16th and 17th centuries.
    Prof. McChesney

  5. Seminar on Early Modern Central Asia
    G77.2660 (4 points)
    Evolution of the Chinggisid system and the economy, society, and culture of Bukhara, Samarkand, and Balkh.
    Prof. McChesney

  6. Seminar in Ottoman History
    G77.2680 Identical to G57.2680 (4 points)
    Topics in Ottoman history.
    Staff: TBA

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  1. Islamic Legal Theories
    G77.1851
    Legal theory has been one of the primary arenas of Islamic thought. The discipline of jurisprudence (usul al-fiqh) has been a lens for the examination of foundational issues of epistemology, hermeneutics, and religious authority. Many of these issues have been revisited in the modern period, sometimes resulting in radical revision of pre-modern theories. This course will examine the development and transformation of Islamic legal thought, from the formative period through the debates of recent decades.
    Prof. Katz

  2. The Study of Hadith
    G77.3127
    Examines the genre of texts known as hadith, that is, reports recounting the statements, actions, and tacit approvals of the Prophet Muhammad. The focus will be on the ways in which these texts have been used and evaluated by Muslims, as well as on the controversies over their origins and authenticity initiated by modern western scholars. We will look at selections from medieval Islamic works, modern scholarly critiques, and contemporary Islamic responses to the criticism of hadith.
    Prof. Katz

  3. Cities of the Middle East
    G77.1626 Identical to G65.1021 and G14.1626 (4 points)
    Issues of modernity in Middle Eastern cities and regions. Topics may include approaches to the transformation of cities in the Middle East; colonial and postcolonial urban spaces; architecture, politics, and social identities; discourses of the city; tradition and modernity; and everyday life, work, and gender issues.

  4. Anthropology for Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies
    G77.1636 Identical to G14.1322 (4 points)
    Assessment of the contribution of anthropological research to the study of Middle Eastern history, politics, literature, and civilization.
    Prof. Gilsenan

  5. Introduction to Islamic Studies
    G77.1700 Identical to G90.1700 (4 points)
    Approaches and methods used in the study of Islam as a religion and of Islamic history.
    Prof. Peters

  6. Sufism
    G77.1668 Identical to G90.1575 (4 points)
    Survey of the origins, development, forms, and significance of Sufism as a dimension of Islamic thought and practice.
    Prof. Chelkowski

  7. Topics in the Sociology of the Modern Middle East
    G77.1612 Identical to G90.1576 (4 points)
    Staff: TBA

  8. Shi'i Islam
    G77.1750 Identical to G90.1577 and G93.1618 (4 points)
    Survey of the origins, development, forms, and significance of Shi'i Islam.
    Prof. Chelkowski

  9. Economy of the Middle East
    G77.1781 Identical to G31.1608 (4 points)
    Economic and policy issues facing the states in the region, including the effect of oil on the economies of the exporting states, industrial and agreicultural strategies and experience, and labor migration.
    Staff: TBA

  10. Topics in the Economic and Social History of the Middle East
    G77.1782 (4 points)
    Staff: TBA

  11. Islam in the Modern World
    G77.1803 Identical to G90.1803 (4 points)
    Social, political, and cultural roles of Islam in the modern period.

  12. Islamic Law and Society
    G77.1852. Identical to G62.3006 and L05.3560 (4 points)
    Introduction to Islamic law in theory and as social practice.
    Prof. Haykel

  13. Women and Islamic Law
    G77.1852 Identical to G62.3007 (4 points)
    Islamic law and its treatment of women in theory and practice.
    Prof. Haykel

  14. Muhammad and the Qu'ran
    G77.1857 Identical to G90.1502 (4 points)
    Life, times, and works of Muhammad and the Qu'ran as a sacred text.
    Prof. Peters

  15. Seminar in Islamic Philosophy
    G77.3111 (4 points)
    Problems in Islamic philosophy in the original texts and translation.
    Prof. Ivry

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  1. History of the Ancient Near East
    G77.1600 (Hebrew and Judaic Studies) Identical to G78.2601 (4 points)
    Prof. Levine

  2. Government and Politics of the Middle East
    G77.2590 (Politics) Identical to G53.2590 (4 points)
    Prof. Kazemi, Prof. Mitchell

  3. Economy of the Middle East
    G77.1781 (Economics) Identical to G31.1608 (4 points)
    Prof. Majd

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Department faculty may also offer various specialized reading, directed study, independent study, and master's thesis and dissertation research courses. These courses require permission of both the instructor and the director of graduate studies and, where appropriate, command of the relevant language.

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