Faculty of the Graduate Group 

Graduate studies in MELC are conducted under the auspices of the Graduate Group in Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures. In the Graduate Group faculty, the Standing Faculty of MELC is augmented by archeologists, historians, art historians, and specialists on religions of Middle Eastern origin who share its focus on the primary sources of the Middle East. Many emeritus faculty also continue to be active in working with students in the MA and PhD programs.

MELC faculty also hold close connections with Penn Museum (which draws several of its curators from the faculty of MELC), the Middle East Center, the Center for Ancient Studies, the program in Ancient History, the Center for Advanced Judaic Studies, and the program in the Art and Archaeology of the Mediterranean World, among other programs and institutions.

Timothy Hogue

Timothy Hogue

Assistant Professor of Hebrew Bible and Ancient Israelite History and Culture

709 Williams HallRead Bio

Headshot Of Jennifer Houser Wegner

Jennifer Houser Wegner

Curator, Egyptian Section, Penn Museum Adjunct Associate Professor of Middle Eastern Languages & Cultures (Egyptology)

514 PENN MuseumRead Bio

Firoozeh Kashani-Sabet

Firoozeh Kashani-Sabet

Walter H. Annenberg Professor of History

Modern Middle East, the Ottoman Empire, and Iran

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Harun Küçük

Harun Küçük

Associate Professor of History and Sociology of Science

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Photo Of Joseph E. Lowry With Chin Resting On His Hand

Joseph E. Lowry

Associate Professor of Arabic and Islamic Studies

Medieval Islam, Islamic Law

837 Williams HallRead Bio

Holly Pittman

Holly Pittman

Bok Family Professor in the Humanities

Ancient Near Eastern Art

302 Jaffe BuildingRead Bio

Lauren Ristvet

Lauren Ristvet

Associate Professor of Anthropology

Near Eastern Archaeology

516 PENN MuseumRead Bio

Headshot Of Fatemeh Shams

Fatemeh Shams

Associate Professor of Persian Literature

Persian Literature

838 Williams HallRead Bio

Photo Of Heather J. Sharkey Standing On College Green

Heather J. Sharkey

Professor of Modern Middle Eastern and North African History

Modern Islamic History, Thought & Culture

835 Williams HallRead Bio

Photo Of David P. Silverman Sitting On A Rock In Egypt

David P. Silverman

Eckley Brinton Coxe, Jr. Professor of Egyptology Curator, Egyptian Section, University Museum

Egyptology

521 PENN MuseumRead Bio