The UN estimates that 2.9 of the world's 6.1 billion people live in cities and that this percentage is rapidly increasing in many parts of the world. This course examines urban life and urban problems by providing anthropological perspectives on this distinctive form of human association and land use. First we will examine the "origin" of cities, focusing on several of the places where cities first developed, including Mesopotamia and the Valley of Mexico. We will then investigate the internal structure of non-industrial cities by looking at case studies from around the world and from connections between the cities of the past and the city in which we live and work today.

The great pyramids and mysterious mummies of Egypt, the fabled Tower of Babel, and the laws of the Babylonian king Hammurabi are some of the things that might come to mind when you think of the ancient Middle East. Yet these are only a very few of the many fascinating -- and at time perplexing -- aspects of the civilizations that flourished there c. 3300-300 BCE. This is where writing first developed, where people thought that the gods wrote down what would happen in the future on the lungs and livers of sacrificed sheep, and where people knew how to determine the length of hypotenuse a thousand years before the Greek Pythagoras was born. During this course, we will learn more about these other matters and discover their place in the cultures and civilizations of that area. This is an interdisciplinary survey of the history, society and culture of the ancient Middle East, in particular Egypt and Mesopotamia, utilizing extensive readings from ancient texts in translation (including the Epic of Gilgamesh, "one of the great masterpieces of world literature"), but also making use of archaeological and art historical materials. The goal of the course is to gain an appreciation of the various societies of the time, to understand some of their great achievements, to become acquainted with some of the fascinating individuals of the time (such as Hatshepsut, "the women pharaoh," and Akhenaten, "the heretic king"), and to appreciate the rich heritage that they have left us.

An introduction to the skills of reading, writing, and conversing in modern Hebrew. This course assumes no previous knowledge of Hebrew. A grade of B- or higher is needed to continue in the language.

This course is for students who are from all different levels of Turkish knowledge. They are expected to write and talk about Turkish movies, culture, politics according to their own level and pace. They will talk to Turkish visitors and interview them. Turkish movies will be the part of the course and once a month, students will watch a Turkish movie and analyze it. Discussions will take place and students will write essays about the movie. This course is designed with a technology-rich, project based approach. The materials will go beyond instruction in grammar and vocabulary to support the acquisition of socio-cultural pragmatics, and intercultural learning.

A continuation of elementary Turkish, with emphasis on grammar and reading. This course is for students who have previous knowledge of Turkish or students who have completed Elementary Turkish I and II. This course is designed to improve students' writing and speaking competence, to increase vocabulary, to deepen grammar usage and to help develop effective reading and listening strategies in Turkish. Students' Turkish language proficiency and cultural awareness and knowledge will increase by exposing to autentic materials and coursework. and in order give them cultural knowledge, students are exposed to authentic materials.

This is a course for graduate students who have no previous knowledge of Turkish. Using a communicative approach, Elementary Turkish introduces basic vocabulary and grammar rules and focuses on building language competencies in listening, reading, speaking and writing. By the end of the course, students will be able to participate in simple conversations, to know daily expressions, and will understand simple dialogues in day-to-day context and will be able to count and tell time. Will be able to speak about events that happened in the past and express plans for the future. Students will also develop writing strategies that will allow them to write simple letters and fill in commonly-used forms.

This course is for students who are from all different levels of Turkish knowledge. They are expected to write and talk about Turkish movies, culture, politics according to their own level and pace. They will talk to Turkish visitors and interview them. Turkish movies will be the part of the course and once a month, students will watch a Turkish movie and analyze it. Discussions will take place and students will write essays about the movie. This course is designed with a technology-rich, project based approach. The materials will go beyond instruction in grammar and vocabulary to support the acquisition of socio-cultural pragmatics, and intercultural learning.

A continuation of elementary Turkish, with emphasis on grammar and reading. This course is for students who have previous knowledge of Turkish or students who have completed Elementary Turkish I and II. This course is designed to improve students' writing and speaking competence, to increase vocabulary, to deepen grammar usage and to help develop effective reading and listening strategies in Turkish. Students' Turkish language proficiency and cultural awareness and knowledge will increase by exposing to autentic materials and coursework. and in order give them cultural knowledge, students are exposed to authentic materials.

This is a course for beginners who have no previous knowledge of Turkish. Using a communicative approach, Elementary Turkish introduces basic vocabulary and grammar rules and focuses on building language competencies in listening, reading, speaking and writing. By the end of the course, students will be able to participate in simple conversations, to know daily expressions, and will understand simple dialogues in day-to-day context and will be able to count and tell time. Will be able to speak about events that happened in the past and express plans for the future. Students will also develop writing strategies that will allow them to write simple letters and fill in commonly-used forms.

Introduction to Kurdish is an introductory-level course designed to help you start learning Kurdish and to give you the necessary tools to continue your study of Kurdish language. This course introduces the Kurdish alphabet (Arabic script) alongside grammar and vocabulary. Toward the end of the semester, the course will also involve some Kurdish classical and modern poetry. Emphasis is placed on actively using the language for interpersonal, interpretive, and presentational modes of communication. The four language skills (i.e., listening, speaking, reading, and writing) as well as pronunciation and culture are integrated into the curriculum. There is no prerequisite. The course will focus on a variety of Kurdish dialects as well.