Departments & Programs

Near Eastern Languages and Cultures

Major in Near Eastern Languages and Cultures
Purpose

The B.A major in Near Eastern Languages and Culture provides training in the languages of the Near East and introduces students to Near Eastern cultures with degree tracks in Arabic, Hebrew, and Persian.  Courses in Near Eastern literatures and cultures, many of which are open to students with no knowledge of these languages, may be used in conjunction with other disciplines such as linguistics, English, comparative literature, and folklore to satisfy Breadth of Inquiry requirements. All courses can also be taken as electives.

Required Courses

Students must select either the Language Track or the Culture Track. Students must complete a minimum of 31 credit hours in department-approved courses. Students with language proficiency who are not eligible for special credit in the major language will need to take department-approved advanced language courses or additional culture courses to meet the 31 credit hour minimum required for the major. Language courses at the 100 level do not count toward the major.

Language Track (Arabic, Hebrew, or Persian)
  1. Three years of Arabic, ancient Egyptian, Hebrew, Persian or Turkish language (or the equivalent).
  2. Additional courses chosen with the consent of the undergraduate advisor to total a minimum of 31 credit hours in the major.
  3. At least 18 credit hours must be completed at the 300–400 level.
Culture Track
  1. Two years of Arabic, ancient Egyptian, Hebrew, Persian, or Turkish language (or the equivalent).
  2. Additional courses chosen with the consent of the undergraduate advisor to total a minimum of 31 credit hours in the major.
  3. At least 18 credit hours must be completed at the 300–400 level.

Students must also complete the degree requirements of the College of Arts and Sciences.

Note: For Hebrew language and culture courses, see language courses in the Jewish Studies section of this Bulletin.

Related Fields
Anthropology, Central Eurasian studies, classics, comparative literature, economics, fine arts, folklore, gender studies, geography, history, history of art, Jewish studies, linguistics, philosophy, political science, religious studies, and sociology.