The Department of Near Eastern Studies offers instruction in the languages, literatures, histories, cultures and religions of the ancient Near East and the medieval and modern Middle East. The department’s language offerings provide the foundation for the academic study of the literatures, histories, cultures and religions of the region. The ancient language offerings include Sumerian, Egyptian, Akkadian, Hittite, Ugaritic, Avestan, Aramaic, and Classical Hebrew. The medieval and modern language offerings include Armenian, Arabic, Hebrew, Persian, Turkish, and Uzbek.

The division of Ancient Civilizations and Biblical Studies (ACABS) offers instruction at the introductory to advanced levels in the languages, literatures, histories, cultures, and religions of the ancient Near East (Anatolia, Egypt, Mesopotamia, Israel, Jordan, and Syria).