Undergraduate Program

NELC Major Options│Minor in Near East Studies
Honors Degree Program│ Student Learning Goals

NELC Major Options

The Department currently offers four Bachelor of Arts degree options. Below you will also find Degree Plan Worksheets, which you can use to help you keep on track (for an example, please click here - gif image):

1. LANGUAGES AND CIVILIZATION ( Degree Plan Worksheet - pdf file)
2. CULTURE AND CIVILIZATION ( Degree Plan Worksheet - pdf file)
3. COMPARATIVE ISLAMIC STUDIES ( Degree Plan Worksheet - pdf file)
4. BIBLICAL AND ANCIENT ( Degree Plan Worksheet - pdf file)

NEAR EASTERN STUDIES - LANGUAGES AND CIVILIZATION (69 credits)

1. Two years or its equivalent (as evidenced by an examination) of one of the following Near Eastern languages: Arabic, Persian, Turkish, Modern Hebrew, Uzbek (or other appropriate languages approved by the Undergraduate Advisor).
2. 9 credits of advanced literature courses in one of the core languages (this requirement can be satisfied only after the student has successfully completed the primary language requirement above), or third year Arabic if Arabic is the primary language.
3. NEAR E 210 - Introduction to Islamic Civilization (5 credits).
4. For students of Arabic, Persian, Turkish, and Central Eurasian languages: NEAR E 211 - Introduction to Islam (5 credits). For students of Hebrew: NEAR E 240 - Introduction to the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament (5 credits) or RELIG 210 - Introduction to Judaism (5 credits).
5. 20 credits of supporting coursework from the following categories:
   1. Additional advanced literature courses in the student's primary NELC language
   2. Courses in a second Near Eastern language (not to exceed 15 credits)
   3. NELC courses taught in English (courses offered under the NEAR E prefix)
   4. Courses from other departments approved for student's program by the Undergraduate Advisor

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NEAR EASTERN STUDIES - CULTURE AND CIVILIZATION (73 credits)

1. Two years or its equivalent (as evidenced by an examination) of one of the following Near Eastern languages: Arabic, Persian, Turkish, Modern Hebrew, Uzbek (or other appropriate languages approved by the Undergraduate Advisor).
2. NEAR E 210 - Introduction to Islamic Civilization (5 credits) or NEAR E 220 - Introduction to the Ancient Near East (5 credits).
3. For students of Arabic, Persian, Turkish, and Central Eurasian languages: NEAR E 211 - Introduction to Islam (5 credits). For students of Hebrew: NEAR E 240 - Introduction to the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament (5 credits) or RELIG 210 - Introduction to Judaism (5 credits).
4. 20 credits in Near Eastern courses, including at least one course from each of the following categories:
   1. Near Eastern Civilization course sequence
   2. Near Eastern Religion course sequence
   3. Near Eastern Literature in Translation course sequence
      
5. 8 credits in non-language, upper division NELC courses, or upper division courses from other departments approved for student’s program by the Undergraduate Advisor.
6. NEAR E 498 - Senior Essay on a topic in Near Eastern Civilization (5 credits).

NEAR EASTERN STUDIES - COMPARATIVE ISLAMIC STUDIES (70 Credits)

1. Two years or its equivalent (as evidenced by an examination) of one of the following languages: Arabic, Persian, Turkish, Uzbek, Kazakh (or other appropriate languages as approved by the Undergraduate Advisor).
2. NEAR E 210 - Introduction to Islamic Civilization (5 credits).
3. NEAR E/RELIG 211 Islam (5 credits) or NEAR E/RELIG 212 Introduction to the Qur’an (5 credits).
4. 10 Credits in Islamic Religious Traditions and Texts.
5. 15 credits in History, Society, and Culture of Islam from at least two of the following areas (see advisor for approved courses in each category):
   1. General
   2. Near East and Africa
   3. Central Asia and Europe
   4. South Asia, Southeast Asia, Pacific Rim
6. NEAR E 498 - Senior Essay on a topic in Comparative Islamic Studies (5 credits).

NEAR EASTERN STUDIES - HEBREW BIBLE AND ANCIENT NEAR EAST (73 credits)

1. Two years or its equivalent (as evidenced by an examination) of Biblical Hebrew. Alternatively, a student may satisfy this language requirement by combining a minimum of four quarters of Biblical Hebrew with two quarters of other ancient Near Eastern Languages, including Aramaic, Hieroglyphic Egyptian, Coptic, Akkadian, second year Greek (or other appropriate languages as approved by the Undergraduate Advisor).
2. NEAR E 220 - Introduction to the Ancient Near East (5 credits).
3. NEAR E 240 - Introduction to the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament (5 credits).
4. 20 credits in Near Eastern courses with at least one course from each of the following areas (at least 10 of these credits must be taken within NELC):
   1. Ancient Near Eastern History, Society, and Culture
   2. Ancient Near Eastern Literature in Translation
5. 8 credits in non-language, upper division NELC courses related to the Ancient Near East.
6. NEAR E 498 - Senior Essay on a topic in Biblical and Ancient Near Eastern Studies (5 credits).

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Minor in Near Eastern Studies (25 credits)

1. NEAR E 210 or 220 (5 credits).
2. NEAR E 211, NEAR E 240 or RELIG 210 (5 credits).
3. 15 credits from Near Eastern civilization or advanced language courses (These may NOT include language courses at the elementary or intermediate level).

Honors Degree Programs in Near Eastern Studies

The department offers students the opportunity to pursue the Near Eastern Studies major as an honors major. There are two levels of honors programs at the University of Washington: College Honors and Departmental Honors. For the differences, see the general University website discussing the distinction between the two.

NELC majors who have not been admitted to the College Honors program may request to be admitted to the NELC departmental honors program. (a) Students will be admitted only by NELC faculty nomination, students may convey their interest in the honors track to any NELC faculty member; (b) prior to admission to the departmental honors program a student must have taken at least one advanced 400-level course in NELC (this does not include elementary and intermediate language courses); (c) the student must maintain a minimum GPA of 3.5 overall and 3.7 in courses required for the NELC major; (d) the student must successfully complete an honors thesis, written over the course of two quarters under the supervision of a faculty advisor; the expectations for this honors thesis are substantially higher than those for the senior essay.

NELC majors who are also in the College Honors program must complete the above minimum requirements. In addition, they must also take the series of courses offered by NELC faculty in the College Honors curriculum.

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Student Learning Goals

The Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilization provides a liberal arts education in new global realities and their connections specifically to history of culture in the Near East and Central Asia. A detailed and critical knowledge of ancient and modern languages of these regions is of utmost importance for a better understanding of their rich cultural heritages, and development of language skills requires cultural-historical knowledge. This includes the following:

• Development of language skills, including proficiency in ancient languages of the Near East, and proficiency in modern foreign languages of the Near East and Central Asia, involving all four language skills (speaking, writing, reading, and listening).
• Expansion of student understanding of cultural diversity through study of languages, literature, religious, and other cultural aspects of the ancient and modern Near East and Central Asia:
  • Close textual and hermeneutic studies of ancient languages and texts.
  • Classical and modern literature.
  • History of culture.

Additionally, NELC focuses on the development of student abilities in:

• Critical analyses of texts.
• Thorough understanding of historical and cultural contexts.
• Integrative and critical thinking.
• Analytical writing.
• Research procedures and strategies.
  

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