The Middle East is home to some of the earliest human civilizations, such as Sumer, Babylonia, and Assyria. The world’s first cities, the first writing, first irrigation systems: What can these and other “firsts” teach us about the human experience? Why might studying ancient Middle Eastern cultures be more relevant to our present moment than ever before? In this First-Year Seminar, we will try to answer these questions by combining a close reading of texts (e.g, the Epic of Gilgamesh) and material culture (e.g., city and house plans) with experiential learning.

• Days/Times: F 2:00PM - 4:30PM
• Instructor: Lauinger, Jacob
• Room: Gilman 130G
• Status: Open
• Seats Available: 12/12
• PosTag(s): n/a

The Walters Art Museum in Baltimore is home to one of the finest collections of Egyptian art in the United States. This course will provide an introduction to the culture and society of pharaonic Egypt and ancient Egyptian art based upon this collection. Most of the sessions will take place in the museum’s galleries, in front of the objects. The course will be divided into thematic sessions: Living in Ancient Egypt; Believing and Worshipping; Writing and Creating Art; Dying in Ancient Egypt. One session will also be devoted to the history of the Walters Art Museum and its Egyptian department, with a “behind-the-scenes experience” provided by the museum's curators. The goal of this course is not only to provide a general introduction to ancient Egypt to the students, but also to educate them in the observation, description, and analysis of ancient art and daily life objects. In this way, students will be able to place them in a broader context and understand how objects and artworks contribute to our knowledge and understanding of societies of the past.

• Days/Times: Th 2:00PM - 4:30PM
• Instructor: Arnette, Marie-Lys
• Room:  
• Status: Waitlist Only
• Seats Available: 0/10
• PosTag(s): NEAS-ARTARC

A broad survey of the significant political and cultural dynamics of Jewish history in the Medieval and Early Modern eras.

• Days/Times: TTh 10:30AM - 11:45AM
• Instructor: Katz, David
• Room: Smokler Center 213
• Status: Open
• Seats Available: 3/19
• PosTag(s): n/a

In the ancient Middle East, the term “scribe” refers to individuals skilled in writing cuneiform, the writing system developed in Mesopotamia. Their intellectual work, preserved primarily on clay tablets, is associated with various aspects of society, including politics, administration, trade, law, religion and culture. This course will introduce students to the core subjects that junior scribes learned to read and write in school. We will also explore scribes’ diverse roles within specific social and historical contexts and understand how these skilled writers engaged in social activities and preserved and shaped their past.

• Days/Times: WF 3:00PM - 4:15PM
• Instructor: Qi, Grace
• Room: Gilman 238
• Status: Open
• Seats Available: 13/15
• PosTag(s): NEAS-HISCUL

A survey of the history of Sumer, Babylonia, and Assyria.

• Days/Times: M 1:30PM - 4:00PM
• Instructor: Delnero, Paul
• Room: Gilman 130G
• Status: Open
• Seats Available: 1/10
• PosTag(s): n/a

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.

• Days/Times: TTh 4:30PM - 5:45PM
• Instructor: Wilkinson, Alison Michelle
• Room: Gilman 238
• Status: Open
• Seats Available: 4/6
• PosTag(s): n/a

This course examines the archaeology of the Arabian Peninsula from the earliest Paleolithic in the region (ca. 1.5 million years ago) through the first millennium of the Islamic era (ca. AD 1600). We will review basic geology and environmental conditions, examine the development of animal herding and crop cultivating lifeways, and study the rise of ancient complex societies and civilizations.

• Days/Times: TTh 12:00PM - 1:15PM
• Instructor: Harrower, Michael James
• Room: Latrobe 120
• Status: Open
• Seats Available: 12/20
• PosTag(s): n/a

Water and its histories reveal deep similarities and pivotal differences among human societies that are critical to understanding the human past and our future. Environments are often defined by water availability and periodicity, water is a frequent theme of religious traditions and a common point of political conflict. The hydraulic hypothesis, one of the longest-standing potential explanations for the rise of the world’s earliest civilizations, claims that organizational requirements of large-scale irrigation spawned ancient political hierarchies and cities. Archaeologists now know irrigation was not the only factor responsible for the origins of ancient states, but water management was important to agriculture in every region of ancient state formation. This course explores economic and social histories of water in the ancient Near East. It examines water’s diverse roles in ancient Mesopotamian, Egyptian, Levantine and South Arabian agriculture, politics, ritual and religion, including water’s interconnected significance in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

• Days/Times: TTh 10:30AM - 11:45AM
• Instructor: Harrower, Michael James
• Room: Gilman 119
• Status: Open
• Seats Available: 20/25
• PosTag(s): n/a

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

• Days/Times: TTh 3:00PM - 4:15PM
• Instructor: Grassi Freire, Lucas
• Room: Gilman 238
• Status: Open
• Seats Available: 5/5
• PosTag(s): n/a

In the early Middle Ages the Talmud emerged as the defining document of official Jewish religion and culture, and remained so until the dawn of the Modern Era. The problem was that the texts were not easily understandable, and the norms unclear. In premodern times, certain literary-approaches evolved which were taken by contemporaries as yielding significant meaning. Among the most interesting of these was the broad-sugya. In this course, students will follow the reasoning-process of a broad-sugya as they read a guided-series of passages and commentaries located throughout the Babylonian Talmud on the subject of the valence of human-life. All readings will be in the original Hebrew and Aramaic. Ability to read Hebrew and Aramaic required.

• Days/Times: TTh 12:00PM - 1:15PM
• Instructor: Katz, David
• Room: Smokler Center Library
• Status: Open
• Seats Available: 17/19
• PosTag(s): n/a

This hybrid seminar examines in depth a series of artistic case studies over a 3000 year period in the region of what is today Iraq, Syria, and southeastern Turkey, from c, 3500-500 BCE. Discussion will focus on processes of making and contexts of using myriad forms of art and architecture. Topics will include the invention of writing and complex imagery; portraiture and ritual practice; the symbolic value of materials; visual narration; and the uses of space for expressive purposes. We will approach these and other topics through critical engagement with existing scholarship, as well as by direct study of objects in nearby museum collections.

• Days/Times: W 1:30PM - 4:00PM
• Instructor: Feldman, Marian
• Room: Gilman 130G
• Status: Open
• Seats Available: 3/10
• PosTag(s): HART-ANC, MSCH-HUM

Introduction to the grammar, vocabulary, and writing system of biblical Hebrew.

• Days/Times: TTh 9:00AM - 10:15AM
• Instructor: Saunders, Matthew John
• Room: Gilman 238
• Status: Open
• Seats Available: 10/12
• PosTag(s): n/a

Reading of biblical Hebrew prose, especially from the Pentateuch, Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings. Cross-listed with Jewish Studies.

• Days/Times: TTh 1:30PM - 2:45PM
• Instructor: Saunders, Matthew John
• Room: Gilman 238
• Status: Open
• Seats Available: 9/10
• PosTag(s): n/a

Translation and analysis of selected texts in Biblical Hebrew giving attention to advanced features of grammar and syntax. Topic: "Archaic Biblical Poetry".

• Days/Times: T 3:00PM - 5:30PM
• Instructor: Lewis, Ted
• Room: Gilman 130G
• Status: Open
• Seats Available: 4/5
• PosTag(s): n/a

An introduction to archaeology and to archaeological method and theory, exploring how archaeologists excavate, analyze, and interpret ancient remains in order to reconstruct how ancient societies functioned. Specific examples from a variety of archaeological projects in different parts of the world will be used to illustrate techniques and principles discussed.

• Days/Times: TTh 1:30PM - 2:45PM
• Instructor: Schwartz, Glenn M
• Room: Gilman 55
• Status: Open
• Seats Available: 30/40
• PosTag(s): ARCH-ARCH, ARCH-RELATE

Elementary Modern Hebrew is the first exposure to the language as currently used in Israel in all its functional contexts. All components of the language are discussed: reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Simple idiomatic sentences and short texts in Hebrew are used. Students learn the Hebrew alphabet, words and short sentences. Cultural aspects of Israel will be intertwined throughout the course curriculum.

• Days/Times: MWF 10:00AM - 10:50AM
• Instructor: Bessire, Mirit
• Room: Smokler Center 301
• Status: Open
• Seats Available: 12/15
• PosTag(s): n/a

Hebrew for Beginners 121 is a continuation of Hebrew 120 and as such, students are required to have a foundation in Hebrew. The course will enhance and continue to expose students to Hebrew grammar, vocabulary, and syntax. All components of the Hebrew language will be emphasized in this course; we will highlight verbs, adjectives, and the ability to read longer texts. Speaking in Hebrew will also be highlighted to promote students’ engagement and communication. Cultural aspects of the language will be incorporated into lessons too

• Days/Times: MWF 9:00AM - 9:50AM
• Instructor: Staff
• Room: Gilman 443
• Status: Open
• Seats Available: 10/10
• PosTag(s): n/a

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.

• Days/Times: M 1:30PM - 4:00PM
• Instructor: Chen, Xin
• Room: Krieger 108
• Status: Waitlist Only
• Seats Available: 0/24
• PosTag(s): ENVS-MINOR, ARCH-RELATE, ENVS-MAJOR