Transfer Student Courses in Arabic, Armenian, Persian, Turkish, and Islamic Studies (Division 325)

Fall Term, 1999 (September 8 - December 22, 1999)

To see what Transfer Student courses have been added or changed in Arabic, Armenian, Persian, Turkish, and Islamic Studies this week go to What's New This Week.

Section 001.

Instructor(s): Gary Beckman (sidd@umich.edu) , John Turner (persons@umich.edu)

Prerequisites & Distribution: (4). (HU).

Credits: (4; 3 in the half-term).

Course Homepage: https://cgi.www.umich.edu/~proflame/nes100/

This course will survey Middle Eastern political, social, and cultural history from Sumer (3000 BC) to Khomeini’s Iran (1979-89). The lectures, the readings, the visuals (web, movies, slides) are all geared towards providing the student with a sense of the nature of authority, political and cultural styles, the fabric of society, attitudes and behaviors, heroes and villains, that are and were part of the heritage of those peoples who lived in the lands between the Nile and Oxus rivers, generally referred to as the Middle East. Throughout the term you will have four quizzes (10%), a midterm (25%), and an accumulative final exam (40%). A one page synopsis of your readings will be due weekly for your discussion section.

Language Courses

Section 002, 003, 004.

Instructor(s): Muhammad Eissa

Prerequisites & Distribution: (5). (LR). Laboratory fee ($12) required.

Credits: (5).

Lab Fee: Laboratory fee ($12) required.

Course Homepage: No Homepage Submitted.

This is the first of a two-term sequence in elementary Modern Standard Arabic (MSA). It is designed for those students who want to study MSA for communication and academic purposes. It starts with an introduction to Arabic phonology and script combined with oral basic communication practice. This is followed by situational dialogues and short reading passages including basic vocabulary and fundamental grammatical structures. The course offers combined training in listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Students are provided with opportunities to practice Arabic through the use of highly-structured drills, contextualized exercises, and supplementary communicative activities. Course requirements include: daily preparation of the basic texts and the grammatical explanations; oral practice utilizing newly learned vocabulary and structures; reading supplementary short texts and situational dialogues and writing answers to certain drills; filling out forms and supplying simple biographical information. Course evaluation is based on class participation, daily written assignments, achievement tests, monthly comprehensive tests, and a final exam. Textbooks: (1) Arabic Sounds and Letters. A Beginning Programmed Course (Textbook and Manual); (2) Elementary Modern Standard Arabic, Part 1 (Lessons 1-12); (3) Supplementary Enrichment Vocabulary and Achievement Tests to accompany EMSA; (4) Hans Weher's Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic.

Language Courses

Section 001.

Prerequisites & Distribution: No credit granted to those who have completed or are enrolled in Persian 143. (4). (LR).

Credits: (4).

Course Homepage: No Homepage Submitted.

Persian has been called the French of the Near/Middle East. Certainly, Persia/Iran has been in the news. Persian is an Indo-European language, related to English, etc. Its literature, like other arts, is a major part of Near/Middle Eastern and Muslim tradition. Persian 141 is the first term of a four-term sequence. It takes the student through to the basic mastery of the skills of reading and writing, and of comprehension and speaking. Cultural as well as communicative skills are emphasized. By the end of the term the student should be well versed in these skills. Individual students work with the instructor to polish and improve the student's Persian language skills. The objective is language use. Students who have special needs, such as those acquiring the knowledge of Persian for reading purposes, only, or for communicative skills, only, will be given special attention and special sessions. Similarly, students of Iranian heritage, who may know some Persian in its colloquial form, will find the linguistic and cultural content of this course stimulating.

Language Courses

Section 001.

Prerequisites & Distribution: No credit granted to those who have completed or are enrolled in Turkish 155. (4). (LR).

Credits: (4).

Course Homepage: No Homepage Submitted.

Part of the departmental sequence in modern Turkish language, this course aims at introducing and providing the opportunity to practice the basic structures of Turkish. Although it specifically focuses on enhancing spoken proficiency, reading and writing skills are taught and practiced through special readings and written assignments. Students are evaluated in accordance with the provisional Proficiency Guidelines prepared by the American Association of Teachers of Turkic Languages, class participation, achievements in weekly quizzes, a midterm, and a final examination. The required texts are named by the person who happens to be teaching the course in a given year.

Language Courses

Section 001.

Prerequisites & Distribution: (4). (LR).

Credits: (4).

Course Homepage: No Homepage Submitted.

This course is designed for students with no previous knowledge of Armenian. Reading, writing, and speaking are equally emphasized. Homework assignments and listening to tapes on a regular basis, frequent short tests, and a final examination are required. Overall performance throughout the year/term and in the final examination and compliance with requirements will determine the grade.

Language Courses

Section 001.

Prerequisites & Distribution: AAPTIS 102. (4). (LR).

Credits: (4).

Course Homepage: No Homepage Submitted.

The Intermediate Arabic for Communication sequence (Arabic 203 and 204) is designed for students and persons who have completed at least one year of standard Arabic and want to expand their knowledge of spoken and written standard Arabic for communication and career purposes. Arabic 203 provides useful information on all Arab countries and includes topics related to the communication needs of travelers and business people such as obtaining a visa, making travel arrangements, filling out entry and exit forms in airports, making hotel reservations, staying at a hotel, making telephone conversations, ordering a meal at restaurants, etc. The situational-communicative methodology is used throughout the course to help students become fluent in the use of Arabic in communicative situations. Emphasis is placed on listening, speaking, writing, and culture through a combination of video, audio, and text supported by multimedia interactive practice in the computer lab. Course grade is based on class attendance and participation, weekly quizzes, a midterm, and a final examination. Textbook: Arabic for Communication: Language, Culture, and Business (Lessons 1-10).

Language Courses

Section 001.

Instructor(s): Hatice Aynur

Prerequisites & Distribution: Turkish 152 or 155. No credit granted to those who have completed or are enrolled in Turkish 255. (4). (LR).

Credits: (4).

Course Homepage: No Homepage Submitted.

Part of the department sequence in modern Turkish. Those who enroll in the course should have completed Turkish 152 or equivalent. All participants are tested to ascertain their levels of proficiency in the language and the results determine the strategy to be followed by the instructor. Normally the first few weeks are devoted to structures and syntax not covered in the first year. The text used for this course is G. Lewis' Teach Yourself Turkish. M. Galin's Turkish Sampler is used for reading. The learning is done through exercises, compositions, reading, translation, and conversation. Student evaluation is based on class performance, written work, a midterm and final as well as a test to determine level of proficiency.

Persian Literature and Culture in English

Section 001 – High Culture/Low Culture.

Instructor(s): Parvaneh Pourshariati

Prerequisites & Distribution: (3). (Excl).

Credits: (3).

Course Homepage: No Homepage Submitted.

The classical literary productions of the medieval Iranian world have been celebrated in Oriental studies for their central contributions to the development of Perso-Islamic civilization. By contrast, the study of the rich popular, folkoric literatures of Iran have been neglected for their presumed uncouth and vulgar character. Using a variety of representative literary works in translation, this course concentrates on the question of cultural representation and examines the possible points of interconnection between "high" and "low" literary productions of the medieval Iranian world.

Turkish Literature and Culture in English

Section 001.

Instructor(s): Hatice Aynur

Prerequisites & Distribution: (3). (Excl).

Credits: (3).

Course Homepage: No Homepage Submitted.

The objective of the course is to share information on the literary activities of the Turkish people from 600 AD when they were in Central Asia to their present home in Asia Minor. Taught in English with English translations of prose and poetry, it will serve Near Eastern concentrators, undergraduates, graduates and other interested students, to savor a literature that began with a few "quatrains" and is, today, on a par with the best of literatures, both in quality and quantity. Meeting three times a week, the course will consist of lectures and discussions focusing on background, historical contexts, and critical appraisals of literary material. Students will be expected to prepare short essays on works read and have a final examination.

Language Courses

Section 001.

Instructor(s): Hatice Aynur

Prerequisites & Distribution: Turkish 152 or 155. (3). (Excl).

Credits: (3).

Course Homepage: No Homepage Submitted.

Part of the sequence of courses required of concentrators, MA and PHD candidates. The objective is to have speedy access to the printed word in Ottoman Turkish in the Arabic script. Method of instruction is through the study of texts while reviewing the Arabic and Persian elements in the language. It is intended for those studying Turkish for the purpose of reading Ottoman texts and archives.

Section 001.

Instructor(s): Michael Bonner (mbonner@umich.edu) , Rudi Lindner (rpl@umich.edu)

Prerequisites & Distribution: Junior standing. Taught in English. (3). (Excl).

Credits: (3).

Course Homepage: http://www.lib.umich.edu/libhome/Reserves/F99/HS442/

Team taught by Professors Bonner (NES) and Lindner (History), this is the first course in a two-course introductory sequence (442 and 443) that covers Near Eastern history from the era of Muhammad to the present. Our purpose is to introduce you to (and give you some practice in) methods of studying the Near East as well as to some of the content of Near Eastern history; we expect no previous background in the field.

This course begins with the background and rise of Islam and ends in the heyday of the Ottoman Turkish and Safavid Persian empires, circa 1700. Although the basic organization of the course is chronological, we will discuss topics in such areas as politics and governance, religion (formal and "folk," including theology and mysticism), law, foreign relations and war, art and architecture, literature, economics, and social life. The classes will include lectures by (and probably discussions between) the instructors, and there will also be weekly class discussion of the assigned readings. In addition to the final examination, students will be expected to prepare two three-page exercises based on the readings, which will consist of modern scholarly works and translated medieval sources.

Language Courses

Section 001.

Prerequisites & Distribution: (4). (LR).

Credits: (4).

Course Homepage: No Homepage Submitted.

The primary goal of this first course of the Classical Arabic series is to introduce students to the phonology and script of Classical Arabic and its basic vocabulary and grammar. The course also aims to improve students’ reading and writing skills through extensive reading and writing practice based on the newly introduced words and related expressions and sentences in each lesson. Upon completion of this course, the students will be able to read with acceptable pronunciation simple Arabic passages, including general information on the principles of Islam and six short suras from the Qur'an. Evaluation is based on class participation, achievement tests, midterm and a final exam.

Section 001.

Instructor(s): Juan Cole (jrcole@umich.edu)

Prerequisites & Distribution: (3). (Excl).

Credits: (3).

Course Homepage: http://www-personal.umich.edu/~jrcole/syls.htm

See History 443.001.

Section 001 – Readings in Classical Arabic Grammar.

Instructor(s): Sherman Jackson (sajackso@umich.edu)

Prerequisites & Distribution: (3). (Excl). May be repeated for a total of six credits.

Credits: (3).

Course Homepage: No Homepage Submitted.

This course will be devoted to reading, analyzing, and demonstrating mastery of an entire classical Arabic grammatical work in Arabic. All classroom readings will be conducted in Arabic, and periodic exams will test mastery of grammatical and syntactic conventions. The course is designed to provide students with the facility in reading primary sources in Arabic grammar such that they acquire the ability to conduct their own research and cross-checks on difficult points of grammar and syntax following graduation. The text to be used will be al-Tuhfah al-Sanîyah (or a comparable text.) Supplementary training will include instruction in the use of classical Arabic dictionaries arranged according to rhyme-meters. Grading will be based on performance on periodic exams.

Language Courses

Section 001.

Instructor(s): Raji Rammuny (raram@umich.edu)

Prerequisites & Distribution: AAPTIS 404. (3). (Excl).

Credits: (3).

Course Homepage: No Homepage Submitted.

The objectives of this course are to develop fluency and accuracy in understanding, speaking, and writing modern standard Arabic, and to expand students' awareness of Arab-Islamic culture and civilization. The course is based on a variety of literary texts and authentic cultural audio-visual materials including slides, video cassettes, and films. The course materials reflect not only the literary but also the cultural, social, and political trends of contemporary Arab society. Occasionally, students are required to read outside topics and give brief presentations. Evaluation is based on daily preparations, weekly written compositions, monthly tests, and a final paper in Arabic. Textbook is Advanced Standard Arabic by Raji Rammuny. Parts One and Two.

Persian Literature and Culture in Persian

Section 001.

Instructor(s): Gernot Windfuhr (windfuhr@umich.edu)

Prerequisites & Distribution: Persian 242 or 243. (3). (Excl).

Credits: (3).

Course Homepage: No Homepage Submitted.

This course is designed for students on the advanced level of Persian, and speakers of Persian with interest in the humanities. This course is a "hands-on" introduction to contemporary Persian fiction. Following a general overview, the focus will be on the interrelation of intellectual and literary developments up to the present. Selected literary pieces in the Persian original, with translations where available, and secondary readings will be provided. Discussions will focus on the language of and literature itself, as well as on the dominant themes of the cultural and political matrix in which the text originates. Students will take turns in discussing assigned texts, authors, or topics. Grades are based on class participation, presentations, and a term project. The language of the class is Persian, with occasional discussions of "technical" linguistic and literary matters in English.

Arabic Literature and Culture in Arabic

Section 001.

Instructor(s): Trevor LeGassick (tleg@umich.edu)

Prerequisites & Distribution: AAPTIS 403 or reading knowledge of Arabic(3). (Excl).

Credits: (3).

Course Homepage: No Homepage Submitted.

Selected examples of contemporary imaginative prose writing, such as short and long fiction and drama, will be studied. Readings will be in Arabic, and class discussions will be in English.

Arabic Literature and Culture in Arabic

Section 001.

Instructor(s): Trevor LeGassick (tleg@umich.edu)

Prerequisites & Distribution: AAPTIS 403 or reading knowledge of Arabic. (3). (Excl).

Credits: (3).

Course Homepage: No Homepage Submitted.

This course introduces the work of major Arab writers of the 19th and 20th centuries. Variable in focus according to the interests of the class, readings are selected for translation, analysis, and commentary. The course explores the historical progression in the development of political and societal theories in modern times in the Arab world.

Arabic Literature and Culture in Arabic

Section 001 – Arabic Historical Texts.

Instructor(s): Michael Bonner (mbonner@umich.edu)

Prerequisites & Distribution: AAPTIS 404. (3). (Excl). May be repeated for a total of 9 credits.

Credits: (3).

Course Homepage: No Homepage Submitted.

Biography is one of the most distinctive genres of Arabic literature. It is also an important element in the history and historiography of the Islamic Near East. In this course, we read biographical texts taken from a variety of periods and genres. Much emphasis on developing navigational skills; main requirement is a good reading knowledge of Arabic.

Section 001 – Social History Through the Shahnama.

Instructor(s): Parvaneh Pourshariati

Prerequisites & Distribution: (3). (Excl).

Credits: (3).

Course Homepage: No Homepage Submitted.

Authored in the tenth century in northeastern Iran, the Shahnama has been acclaimed as an epic-poetic magnum opus that mirrors the "national" Iranian historical memory from the first man-king to the last pre-Islamic king of the House of Sasan. Using excerpts of the work in translation as well as other historical and literary sources at our disposal, this course examines the social milieu of the production of the Shahnama: Who authored the Shahnama? Who sponsored its production and why? Who was its audience? And finally what socio-political factors stimulated its production?