Academic Catalog

NE - Near Eastern Studies

NE 1900 Comparative Religion Cr. 3

Origins of religion: its social importance, its structure (fetish, totemism, myth, ritual). Pre-historic religion and the major religious traditions. Offered Every Other Year.

Equivalent: PHI 1900

NE 2000 Introduction to Islamic Civilization of the Near East Cr. 3

Satisfies General Education Requirement: Civ and Societies (CLAS only), Foreign Culture, Global Learning Inquiry

The origin of Islam; growth of Islamic thought and institutions; Islamic revival and reform in modern times. Offered Yearly.

NE 2010 The Bible and Ancient Mythology Cr. 3

Satisfies General Education Requirement: Cultural Inquiry, Civ and Societies (CLAS only)

The Bible and Biblical religion in the context of its antecedents in the ancient world. Offered Yearly.

NE 2030 The Age of Islamic Empires: 600-1600 Cr. 3

Satisfies General Education Requirement: Cultural Inquiry, Global Learning Inquiry, Historical Studies

Historical evolution of the Islamic world from birth of Islam to height of Ottoman Empire. Islamic history and civilization in a world-historical context; developments indigenous to specific regions, such as Islamic Spain. Offered Every Term.

Equivalent: HIS 1800

NE 2040 The Modern Middle East Cr. 3

Satisfies General Education Requirement: Cultural Inquiry, Global Learning Inquiry, Historical Studies

Survey of Middle East history in modern era, focusing on the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Ottoman history from 1600: impact of European imperialism and nationalist movements, resulting in development of modern state systems, regional/national conflicts, and Islamic response to modernization. Offered Every Term.

Equivalent: HIS 1810

NE 2060 Trends and Themes in Films of the Middle East Cr. 3

Satisfies General Education Requirement: Cultural Inquiry, Visual Performing Arts

This course focuses on major trends and themes in contemporary films of the Middle East. It presents the directors, writers, actors, cinematographers, editors, and composers in representative fictional dramas both serious and comedic based on societal issues of the region while, at the same time, touching upon universal messages. The course is taught in English; films have English subtitles. Offered Every Term.

NE 2170 Islamic and Near Eastern Philosophy Cr. 3

Satisfies General Education Requirement: Global Learning Inquiry

An examination of major figures and movements in Islamic and Near Eastern philosophy. Offered Every Other Year.

Equivalent: PHI 2170

NE 2700 Topics in Middle Eastern Studies Cr. 1-8

Specialized topics related to the Middle East: language, literature, etc. Offered Intermittently.

Repeatable for 8 Credits

NE 3010 Jewish History from the Bible to Present Cr. 3

This course will survey the 3000-year history of the Jews from biblical antiquity to the present. The course will explore a wide variety of topics, but will focus around three central themes: the emergence of Judaism and the Jewish life in the diaspora out of the religious and social matrix of ancient Israelite society, in response to the challenges of Hellenistic culture; the disparities between Jewish life under Christianity and Islam; and the challenges of being Jewish in the modern world. Throughout the course, the dual emphasis will be placed on the broader context in which Jews lived as an ethnic and religious minority — the Ancient Near East, the Hellenistic world, the Roman Empire, Christendom, Islam, Europe, Russia, America, and the modern Middle East — and the internal development of Judaism and the Jewish community in these diverse situations. Offered Intermittently.

Equivalent: HIS 3010

NE 3040 Twentieth Century Middle East Cr. 3

The contemporary Middle East; emphasis on social and economic development. Investigation of issues that identify the region, such as oil, gender issues, fundamentalism, and regional conflicts. Offered Every Term.

Equivalent: HIS 3320

NE 3061 Oral History in Middle Eastern Tradition Cr. 3

Methodologies, techniques and applications of oral history used as tools to investigate modern social history of Middle Eastern societies. Offered Every Other Year.

Equivalent: ANT 3061

NE 3225 Modern Israeli Culture: A Pluralistic Perspective Cr. 3

Satisfies General Education Requirement: Foreign Culture, Global Learning Inquiry

Minorities in Israel; the Kibbutz; women in public life; the Arab in Israeli literature; the press; education; technology; archaeology; music and dance. Taught in English. Offered Every Term.

NE 3550 Arab Society in Transition Cr. 3

Satisfies General Education Requirement: Diversity Equity Incl Inquiry, Foreign Culture, Global Learning Inquiry

Distinctive social and cultural institutions and processes of change in the Arab Middle East. Regional variations: background and discussion of current political and economic systems and their relations to international systems. Offered Intermittently.

Equivalent: ANT 3550

NE 3990 Directed Study Cr. 1-3

Readings; consultations and reports. Offered Every Term.

Repeatable for 9 Credits

NE 5000 Globalization, Social History and Gender in the Arabian Gulf Cr. 3

Social history of the Arabian Gulf (especially Bahrain, Qatar, and the UAE) in the age of globalization. Contemporary history with special emphasis on gender relations as an index of current social developments in the region. Offered Every Other Year.

Equivalent: HIS 5960

NE 5100 Teaching of Arabic as a Foreign/Second Language (TAFL) Cr. 3

Theoretical and conceptual framework of second language learning. Proper training in pedagogy as related to learning Arabic as a foreign/second language. Offered Yearly.

Equivalent: ARB 5100, LIN 5110

NE 5110 History and Development of Islamic Political Thought Cr. 3

Historical analysis of political Islam through study of the precepts and historical vicissitudes impacting the Islamic world from within and from external forces. Offered Intermittently.

Prerequisites: NE 2030 with a minimum grade of D- and NE 3040 with a minimum grade of D-

Equivalent: PS 5760

NE 5210 Arabic Sociolinguistics Cr. 3

Arabic dialectology; Arabic as a minority language in contact. Theories and techniques developed outside Arabic, and their applicability to Arabic situations. Offered Fall.

Equivalent: ARB 5210, LIN 5210

NE 5220 Muslim Personal Law Cr. 3

Study of Muslim family law, with attention to the status of women and children in the law. Areas include: betrothal, marital contracts, forms of marital dissolution, laws of inheritance, and child custody. Focus on classical interpretation of the law, and its application in modern times. Offered Intermittently.

NE 5230 Structure of Arabic Cr. 3

Survey of historical constitution and theoretical structure of Arabic. Offered Yearly.

Equivalent: ARB 5230, LIN 5230

NE 5300 Quran: History and Interpretation Cr. 3

Traditional and revisionist narratives of the canonization of the Quran; textual features of the Quran; history of quranic hermeneutics and exegesis Offered Yearly.

NE 5700 Topics in Middle Eastern Studies Cr. 1-4

Special topics in Middle Eastern politics, language, and literature. Offered Yearly.

Repeatable for 8 Credits

NE 5710 Islam and the Challenge of Modernity Cr. 3

Influence of Enlightenment values and colonial institutions on the social, political, and ideological structures of the Islamic World. Offered Every Other Year.

NE 5990 Directed Study Cr. 1-3

Offered Every Term.

Repeatable for 9 Credits

NE 5993 Writing Intensive Course in Near Eastern and Asian Studies Cr. 0

Satisfies General Education Requirement: Writing Intensive Competency

Disciplinary writing assignments under the direction of a faculty member. Must be selected in conjunction with a designated corequisite; see section listing in Schedule of Classes for corequisites available each term. Satisfies the University General Education Writing Intensive Course in the Major requirement. Required for all majors. Offered Every Term.

Prerequisites: AFS 2390 with a minimum grade of C, ENG 2390 with a minimum grade of C, ENG 3010 with a minimum grade of C, ENG 3020 with a minimum grade of C, or ENG 3050 with a minimum grade of C

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate level students.

NE 5999 Internship in Near Eastern Studies Cr. 3

Internship in a public or private organization related to Near Eastern studies. Offered for undergraduate credit only. Offered Every Term.

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to students with a major, minor, or concentration in Near Eastern Languages , Near Eastern Languages Honors, Near Eastern Studies or Near Eastern Studies Honors.

NE 6031 Methodologies and Research in Oral History: Near Eastern and Asian Societies Cr. 3

Techniques, methodologies and legalities of studying and interpreting alternative data for historical research. Social and cultural sensitivities of Near Eastern and Asian societies and the gathering of historical information through oral research. Offered for graduate credit only. Offered Every Other Year.

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

NE 6500 Religion and Society Cr. 3

Role of religion in societies from ancient to contemporary times. Religion as related to science, violence, patriarchy, feminism, art, government, ethics, and issues of religious pluralism. Offered Every Other Year.

NE 7100 Islam and the West Cr. 3

Areas covered include: emergence of Muslim political power in seventh century Middle East; Iberian Peninsula and religious pluralism; Crusades and their impact on religion and society in Middle East; colonialism and transfer of Enlightenment values to Islamic world; Muslim migration to Europe and America. Offered Every Other Year.

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

NE 7300 Qur'an: History and Interpretation Cr. 3

Traditional and revisionist narratives of the canonization of the Qu'ran; textual features of the Qu'ran; history of qur'anic hermeneutics and exegesis Offered Yearly.

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

NE 7999 Master's Essay Direction Cr. 1-3

Offered Every Term.

Restriction(s): Enrollment limited to students with a class of Candidate Masters; enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

NE 8999 Master's Thesis Research and Direction Cr. 1-8

Offered Every Term.

Restriction(s): Enrollment limited to students with a class of Candidate Masters; enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

Repeatable for 8 Credits

Back to top