The courses listed below are provided by Student Information Services (SIS). This listing provides a snapshot of immediately available courses within this department and may not be complete. Course registration information can be found at sis.jhu.edu/classes.
Please consult the online course catalog for cross-listed courses and full course information.
Column one has the course number and section. Other columns show the course title, days offered, instructor's name, room number, if the course is cross-referenced with another program, and a option to view additional course information in a pop-up window.
Course # (Section)
Title
Day/Times
Instructor
Room
PosTag(s)
Info
AS.130.137 (11)
Cleopatra's Seven Veils: Recreating women's experiences in Ancient Egypt
MWF 9:00AM - 12:15PM
Zhang, Lingxin
Cleopatra's Seven Veils: Recreating women's experiences in Ancient Egypt AS.130.137 (11)
We see Cleopatra through many layers of "veils": Romanticism, Colonialism, and Feminism, to name a few. This class leads students to envision lives of ancient Egyptian women through textual and archaeological evidence by using interdisciplinary approaches. Its topics cover the religion, science, art, literature, and society of ancient Egypt. The class intends to deconstruct the loaded images of ancient Egyptian women with the hope of recovering their agency in history.
Credits: 3.00
Level: Lower Level Undergraduate
Status: Canceled
Seats Available: 30/30
PosTag(s): n/a
Column one has the course number and section. Other columns show the course title, days offered, instructor's name, room number, if the course is cross-referenced with another program, and a option to view additional course information in a pop-up window.
Course # (Section)
Title
Day/Times
Instructor
Room
PosTag(s)
Info
AS.130.148 (01)
Freshman Seminar: The Development of Useful Things: A Comparative Approach to the Study of Technology and Economy in the Ancient World
W 1:30PM - 4:00PM
Dumitru, Ioana Andrada
Mattin Center 162
NEAS-ARTARC, ARCH-ARCH
Freshman Seminar: The Development of Useful Things: A Comparative Approach to the Study of Technology and Economy in the Ancient World AS.130.148 (01)
This archaeology course will provide an overview of technological developments in the ancient world (from the Neolithic period to the beginning of the first millennium CE) and will explore their
effects on the organization of economies and societies. Each week we will discuss a technological innovation and assess its impact on the societies that introduced it. This course will focus primarily on developments and case studies from the ancient Near Eastern and eastern Africa. We will depart from this trajectory to engage in relevant comparisons with developments occurring in other areas of the ancient world. Throughout the course, social aspects of technologies will be explored alongside economic aspects. In addition to focusing on the development of technologies as ‘objects’ (stone tools, pottery, metals, etc.), we will study non-material technologies, that arose as solutions to practical problems and have altered the world in important ways (agriculture, animal domestication, writing, etc.). This course approaches past technologies from a number of different perspectives: (1) by learning about particular anthropological and archaeological case studies, (2) by engaging with scholarship focusing on major theoretical and philosophical themes, (3) by engaging with ethnographic research, both in the form of articles and in the form of documentaries, and (4) by means of thought experiments and debates. This course will benefit humanities, social science, and science-oriented students who have an interest in understanding the inner-workings of two important aspects of human societies: technology and economy
Credits: 3.00
Level: Lower Level Undergraduate
Status: Open
Seats Available: 8/18
PosTag(s): NEAS-ARTARC, ARCH-ARCH
AS.130.140 (01)
Hebrew Bible / Old Testament
MW 12:00PM - 1:15PM
Lewis, Theodore
Maryland 202
Hebrew Bible / Old Testament AS.130.140 (01)
The Bible is arguably the most read and yet most misinterpreted book of all time, one of the most influential and yet most misapplied work of literature. The Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) is Scripture to Jews and Christians yet also a rich collection of literature w/ numerous literary genres that has been highly influential on secular Western culture. At its core, it is our most important literary source that (when wed with archaeology) helps us to understand the people and culture of Iron Age Israel and Judah. This is an introductory course surveying of the books of the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) giving primary attention to the religious ideas they contain and the ancient contexts in which they were composed. Topics include: The Academic Study of Religion, Ancient Creation Accounts, Ancestral Religion, The Exodus and Moses, Covenant, Tribalism and Monarchy, The Ideology of Kingship, Prophecy, Priestly Sources, Psalms, Wisdom Literature, and Apocalyptic Thought.
Credits: 3.00
Level: Lower Level Undergraduate
Status: Open
Seats Available: 5/25
PosTag(s): n/a
AS.100.374 (01)
Conquest, Conversion, and Language Change in the Middle Ages
Conquest, Conversion, and Language Change in the Middle Ages AS.100.374 (01)
Examines case-studies of imperial conquests (Islamic, Mongol, reconquista, early colonialism) and attendant changes in religion (Christianization; Islamization) and in language (Arabization; transition from Latin to European vernaculars) across medieval Eurasia.
Ancient Near Eastern Civilizations AS.130.101 (01)
Review of important issues in ancient Near Eastern history and culture from the Neolithic era to the Persian period. Included will be an examination of the Neolithic agricultural revolution, the emergence of cities, states and writing, and formation of empires. Cultures such as Sumer and Akkad, Egypt, the Hittites, Israelites, Assyrians, Babylonians, and Persians will be discussed.
Credits: 3.00
Level: Lower Level Undergraduate
Status: Open
Seats Available: 74/80
PosTag(s): ARCH-ARCH
AS.130.147 (01)
What My Soul Said To Me
TTh 4:30PM - 5:45PM
Waller, Jill S
Gilman 134
NEAS-ARTARC
What My Soul Said To Me AS.130.147 (01)
“What My Soul Said to Me” will be focused on looking at the mortuary culture in Middle Kingdom Egypt through various types of evidence. By looking at the funerary culture of this age, students will learn about the funerary culture of Egypt during this period and will also become more familiar with the Middle Kingdom period in general. More importantly, students will be encouraged to think
about larger topics involved in archaeological and historical studies, while using Middle Kingdom period Egypt as a setting to focus those discussions. This course is aimed at students without a previous background in archaeology or Egyptology, but more advanced students are welcome.
Credits: 3.00
Level: Lower Level Undergraduate
Status: Open
Seats Available: 11/18
PosTag(s): NEAS-ARTARC
AS.130.139 (01)
Stargazing and Reading the Future: Science and Magic in Ancient Egypt
TTh 3:00PM - 4:15PM
Zhang, Lingxin
MSE Library Eisenberg
NEAS-HISCUL
Stargazing and Reading the Future: Science and Magic in Ancient Egypt AS.130.139 (01)
Is astrology science? Is ancient medicine magic? What is the logic of divination? I invite you to explore the answers with me by traveling back in time to ancient Egypt, a place where knowledge from the ancient Mediterranean world once converged. We will start by bridging the difference between science and magic and establishing the importance of contextualization in cross-culture studies.
The topics range from the birth of astronomy, the language and logic of dream books to gynecological texts’ connections with love magic.
Credits: 3.00
Level: Lower Level Undergraduate
Status: Open
Seats Available: 6/18
PosTag(s): NEAS-HISCUL
AS.130.138 (01)
Jerusalem: The Holy City
TTh 10:30AM - 11:45AM
Mandell, Alice H
Gilman 50
NEAS-HISCUL
Jerusalem: The Holy City AS.130.138 (01)
This course will survey the cultural history of Jerusalem over three millennia, primarily as the symbolic focus of three faiths: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The course content will focus on the transformation of sacred space as reflected by literary and archaeological evidence by examining the artifacts, architectural monuments, and iconography in relation to written sources. The creation of mythic Jerusalem through event and experience will be examined. Course requirements will focus on the development of advanced writing skills and critical thinking.
Credits: 3.00
Level: Lower Level Undergraduate
Status: Open
Seats Available: 63/70
PosTag(s): NEAS-HISCUL
AS.010.112 (01)
Freshman Seminar - Lower, Later, Farther Away: Roman Art Beyond the Center
TTh 4:30PM - 5:45PM
Bevis, Elizabeth Allison
Bloomberg 168
Freshman Seminar - Lower, Later, Farther Away: Roman Art Beyond the Center AS.010.112 (01)
This course will introduce students to the art of the Roman world through art created by and for the Roman lower classes, art created in late antiquity, and art created in the far provinces of the empire. These topics represent a dramatic shift away from the traditional “center” of the study of Roman art (art created for the wealthy and politically privileged citizens of central Italy between the first century BCE and the first century CE), and are leading to new understanding of marginalized groups in the Roman world.
Credits: 3.00
Level: Lower Level Undergraduate
Status: Open
Seats Available: 13/15
PosTag(s): n/a
AS.010.307 (01)
Diplomats, Dealers, and Diggers: The Birth of Archaeology and the Rise of Collecting from the 19th c. to Today
MW 1:30PM - 2:45PM
Feldman, Marian
Gilman 119
ARCH-ARCH
Diplomats, Dealers, and Diggers: The Birth of Archaeology and the Rise of Collecting from the 19th c. to Today AS.010.307 (01)
The development of archaeology in the Middle East – its history of explorers, diplomats, missionaries and gentlemen-scholars – profoundly shaped the modern world, from the creation of new museums and the antiquities market to international relations and terrorism.
Credits: 3.00
Level: Upper Level Undergraduate
Status: Open
Seats Available: 9/19
PosTag(s): ARCH-ARCH
AS.010.319 (01)
Medieval Art and Architecture of the Holy Land
MW 12:00PM - 1:15PM
Zchomelidse, Nino
Gilman 177
ISLM-ISLMST, HART-MED
Medieval Art and Architecture of the Holy Land AS.010.319 (01)
The course focuses on art and architecture in the political and religious contexts of the Middle East, from the 4th to the 14th c. The three monotheistic religions all claimed specific territories -- in particular the city of Jerusalem -- for cult practices. This situation resulted in military conflicts that had an impact of Jewish, Medieval, Byzantine, and Islamic art in the Holy Land. The political conflicts, which still plague the region today, are rooted in the complex situation of the medieval period. The Roman, Arab, Byzantine, and crusader invasions resulted however in exciting eclectic styles that characterize the art and architecture of the region. We will discuss concepts behind political and religious leadership, as they intersect with the power of the arts.
Credits: 3.00
Level: Upper Level Undergraduate
Status: Open
Seats Available: 16/19
PosTag(s): ISLM-ISLMST, HART-MED
AS.130.218 (01)
Language and Society
MW 3:00PM - 4:15PM
Medill, Kathryn Anne
NEAS-HISCUL
Language and Society AS.130.218 (01)
We all use language every day—not just to communicate information, but to communicate who we are. How does this work? What do our language choices tell others about us? This course will consider some of the ways in which language and society are entangled—both the ways that different social categories are encoded in language, and the ways that groups of people use language to define themselves. Along the way, the course will address questions of dialect, diglossia, multilingualism, style, language planning, politeness, language and gender, language and power, and more.
This course is designed for students without a background in linguistics. During the semester students will learn the basic research methods used by sociolinguists, then complete a project on a topic of their choosing.
Credits: 3.00
Level: Lower Level Undergraduate
Status: Canceled
Seats Available: 18/18
PosTag(s): NEAS-HISCUL
AS.130.216 (01)
History of the Jews in Modern Times, from the Middle Ages to 1917
TTh 9:00AM - 10:15AM
Katz, David
Smokler Center Library
INST-GLOBAL, INST-NWHIST
History of the Jews in Modern Times, from the Middle Ages to 1917 AS.130.216 (01)
A broad survey of the significant political and cultural dynamics of Jewish history in the Medieval, Early-Modern, and Modern Eras.
Credits: 3.00
Level: Lower Level Undergraduate
Status: Open
Seats Available: 13/19
PosTag(s): INST-GLOBAL, INST-NWHIST
AS.130.388 (01)
Elementary Sumerian
TTh 12:00PM - 1:15PM
Chapin, Michael A
MSE Library Eisenberg
Elementary Sumerian AS.130.388 (01)
An introduction to the paleography, grammar and lexicon of the Sumerian language, and the reading of simpler texts in that language.
Credits: 3.00
Level: Upper Level Undergraduate
Status: Open
Seats Available: 8/10
PosTag(s): n/a
AS.130.328 (01)
Ancient Egypt /Africa
MW 12:00PM - 1:15PM
Bryan, Betsy Morrell
Gilman 130G
ARCH-ARCH
Ancient Egypt /Africa AS.130.328 (01)
Recent excavation and research have shed light on several ancient cultures of the Nile and its tributaries.
We will look at the available archaeological and textual (all Egyptian) evidence for these societies and their interactions with Egypt between 3500 and 300 B.C. We will also discuss research aims and methods employed now and in the past in Egypt and the Sudan.
Credits: 3.00
Level: Upper Level Undergraduate
Status: Open
Seats Available: 9/19
PosTag(s): ARCH-ARCH
AS.130.364 (01)
Archaeology of Arabia
TTh 12:00PM - 1:15PM
Harrower, Michael James
Gilman 119
ISLM-ISLMST, ARCH-ARCH
Archaeology of Arabia AS.130.364 (01)
This course examines the archaeology of the Arabian Peninsula from the earliest Paleolithic in the region (c. 1.5 million years ago) through the first few centuries of the Islamic era (c. 1000 AD). We will review basic geology and environmental conditions, examine the development of animal herding and crop cultivating lifeways, and scrutinize the rise of ancient South Arabian complex societies and civilizations. Co-listed with AS.131.664.
Credits: 3.00
Level: Upper Level Undergraduate
Status: Open
Seats Available: 6/15
PosTag(s): ISLM-ISLMST, ARCH-ARCH
AS.130.219 (01)
The Art of War and Peace in Ancient Mesopotamia
MW 4:30PM - 5:45PM
Taylor, Avary Kathryn
Gilman 219
NEAS-ARTARC, ARCH-ARCH
The Art of War and Peace in Ancient Mesopotamia AS.130.219 (01)
Ancient Mesopotamia, modern-day Iraq, Syria, and Iran, is the “cradle of civilization.” It witnessed new inventions previously unknown to the ancient world: urban cities, writing systems, kingship,
and empires. This course examines the close relationship between war and peace and art in ancient Mesopotamia (ancient Sumer, Babylonia, and Assyria) from 3500 to 539 BCE. During the semester students will be introduced to the art, architecture, and archaeology of ancient Mesopotamia. This course is aimed at students without a previous background in art historical or archaeological approaches to Mesopotamia, but more advanced students are welcome.
Credits: 3.00
Level: Lower Level Undergraduate
Status: Open
Seats Available: 14/18
PosTag(s): NEAS-ARTARC, ARCH-ARCH
AS.130.381 (01)
Elementary Akkadian
F 1:30PM - 4:00PM
Essam, Richard James Llewellyn
Hodson 216
Elementary Akkadian AS.130.381 (01)
An introduction to the paleography, grammar and lexicon of the Akkadian language, and the reading of simpler texts in that language. Co-listed with AS.132.600
Credits: 3.00
Level: Upper Level Undergraduate
Status: Open
Seats Available: 10/10
PosTag(s): n/a
AS.130.353 (01)
Space Archaeology: An Introduction to Satellite Remote Sensing, GIS and GPS
TTh 9:00AM - 10:15AM
Harrower, Michael James
Krieger 108
ARCH-ARCH
Space Archaeology: An Introduction to Satellite Remote Sensing, GIS and GPS AS.130.353 (01)
This course introduces technologies archaeologists use to map ancient landscapes. These include Geographic Information Systems (GIS) mapping software, advanced Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers, and various types of satellite imagery.
Taught together with AS.131.653.
Credits: 3.00
Level: Upper Level Undergraduate
Status: Open
Seats Available: 11/15
PosTag(s): ARCH-ARCH
AS.130.442 (01)
Readings - Hebrew Prose
Church, Gregory P
Readings - Hebrew Prose AS.130.442 (01)
Reading of biblical Hebrew prose, especially from the Pentateuch, Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings. Cross-listed with Jewish Studies.
Credits: 3.00
Level: Upper Level Undergraduate
Status: Open
Seats Available: 9/10
PosTag(s): n/a
AS.130.400 (01)
Introduction to Middle Egyptian
MWF 10:00AM - 10:50AM
Jasnow, Richard
MSE Library Eisenberg
AFRS-DIASPO
Introduction to Middle Egyptian AS.130.400 (01)
Introduction to the grammar and writing system of the classical language of the Egyptian Middle Kingdom (ca. 2055-1650 B.C.). In the second semester, literary texts and royal inscriptions will be read. Course meets with AS.133.600.
Credits: 3.00
Level: Upper Level Undergraduate
Status: Approval Required
Seats Available: 4/5
PosTag(s): AFRS-DIASPO
AS.130.300 (01)
History of Ancient Mesopotamia
T 2:00PM - 4:30PM
Delnero, Paul
Gilman 130G
History of Ancient Mesopotamia AS.130.300 (01)
A survey of the history of Sumer, Babylonia, and Assyria.
Credits: 3.00
Level: Upper Level Undergraduate
Status: Open
Seats Available: 8/15
PosTag(s): n/a
AS.130.440 (01)
Elementary Biblical Hebrew
Church, Gregory P
Elementary Biblical Hebrew AS.130.440 (01)
Introduction to the grammar, vocabulary, and writing system of biblical Hebrew.
Credits: 3.00
Level: Upper Level Undergraduate
Status: Open
Seats Available: 8/10
PosTag(s): n/a
AS.270.205 (01)
Introduction to Geographic Information Systems and Geospatial Analysis
M 1:30PM - 4:00PM
Chen, Xin
Krieger 108
GECS-SCI, ARCH-RELATE
Introduction to Geographic Information Systems and Geospatial Analysis AS.270.205 (01)
The course provides a broad introduction to the principles and practice of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and related tools of Geospatial Analysis. Topics will include history of GIS, GIS data structures, data acquisition and merging, database management, spatial analysis, and GIS applications. In addition, students will get hands-on experience working with GIS software.
