The Babylonian Talmud, known simply as the Bavli, is the foundational legal and ethical document of rabbinic Judaism. It is one of the best read works of world literature, and it is the most widely disseminated and revered rabbinic work. It not only contains legal discussions and rulings but rather it also presents the worldview of the rabbis. This course will analyze and contextualize the perspectives of the Talmud towards the important phases of life. We will examine in-depth several Talmudic passages relating to the various stages of the human lifecycle: birth and naming of the child; circumcision; bar/bat mitzva and adulthood; earning a livelihood and choosing a career; marriage and divorce; procreation and raising children; death, burial, mourning and the belief in the resurrection of the dead among others. We will evaluate these teachings in light of other traditions and in their broader late antiquity and contemporary contexts. All texts will be read in their English translation but originals will also be provided.

Seeing is Believing engages in a historical, theoretical, and cross-cultural analysis of the place of visuality in religion and of religion in visual culture. We will examine images, buildings, places, objects, performances and events. The geographical, cultural and historical scope of the material is broad, including subjects from Europe, the Islamic World, non-Muslim South Asia, the US and Latin America from the medieval period until the present. Theoretical works will be read in conjunction with representative examples to invite intellectual engagement in a socially and historically grounded way. Important issues to be covered include the relationship of visual to material culture; visual theories versus theories of vision; locating religion in human sensory experience; perception at individual and collective levels; authentics, fakes and simulacra; iconoclasm and image veneration; aesthetics, use and utility; and things.

The purpose of this course is to present a variety of narrative genres and to discuss and illustrate the modes whereby they can be analyzed. We will be looking at shorter types of narrative: short stories, novellas, and fables, and also some extracts from longer works such as autobiographies. While some works will come from the Anglo-American tradition, a larger number will be selected from European and non-Western cultural traditions and from earlier time-periods. The course will thus offer ample opportunity for the exploration of the translation of cultural values in a comparative perspective.

This course is an introduction to Ottoman Turkish with basic characteristics. Ottoman Turkish through readings in printed selections will be exercised with different techniques. Students will learn Persian and Arabic effects on Ottoman Turkish. They will be able to read simple texts at the end of this course. General information on Ottoman Turkish will be given to students during this course. This course will be offered one semester during the school year. Two semesters of Turkish and two semesters of Arabic or Persian OR four semesters of Turkish or equivalent recommended.

This course is TURK 024 for graduate students.

This course is TURK 022 for graduate students.

This course is TURK 122 for graduate students.

This course is an introduction to Ottoman Turkish with basic characteristics. Ottoman Turkish through readings in printed selections will be exercised with different techniques. Students will learn Persian and Arabic effects on Ottoman Turkish. They will be able to read simple texts at the end of this course. General information on Ottoman Turkish will be given to students during this course. This course will be offered one semester during the school year. Two semesters of Turkish and two semeters of Arabic or Persian or four semsters of Turkish or equivalent. Two semesters of Turkish and two semesters of Arabic or Persian OR four semesters of Turkish or equivalent recommended. Course is not open to auditors.

The course would start with a brief introduction to Turkic languages and the place of Turkish in relation to them. This would be followed by information about the Turkic language family's relationship to that of other languages in the context of historical linguistics; the teaching of some of this discipline's principles would be involved. After a brief presentation of the development of Turkish, involving the influence of other languages on it, we would focus on the phonology of Turkish, including phonemes, allophones and vowel harmony. A large part of the course would be devoted to morphology, comprising of suffixes and their function. Finally, syntax, including idiom formation and use would be explored.