The department offers the Bachelor of Arts degree in five fields: (1) Ancient Near Eastern Civilizations, (2) Arabic, (3) Hebrew, (4) Iranian Studies, and (5) Jewish Studies. In each of these fields students must meet the prerequisites and take the courses prescribed. Their adviser assists in selecting a plan of study developed around their interests.
Students may combine their major with one in another department (double major) to enhance their educational opportunities. Due to the number of additional courses required, they are advised to consider this option early in their academic career and in consultation with program advisers in both majors.
There are four options for a major in ancient Near Eastern civilizations: (1) Mesopotamia, (2) Egypt, (3) Syria/Palestine, and (4) biblical studies.
Requisites for options 1 and 2 are German 1 and 2; requisites for options 3 and 4 are Greek 1, 2, Hebrew 1A-1B-1C, 102A-102B-102C. Majors in all four fields are expected to continue their study of German or Greek beyond the requisite levels.
Majors in all four options are required to take 14 courses selected in consultation with the program adviser.
Majors selecting options 1, 2, and 3 are required to take four language courses as follows: option 1 -- Semitics 140A-140B, 141, 142; option 2 -- Ancient Near East 120A-120B-120C, 121A; option 3 -- Semitics 130 and three terms of Hebrew 120. The remaining 10 courses for all three options are to be selected from the following: three literature courses from Ancient Near East 150A, 150B, 150C, Jewish Studies M150A; three courses in history and religion from Ancient Near East M104A, M104B, M105, 130, 170, History M191A, 193D, M203A, Iranian 169, 170; three courses in archaeology and art from Ancient Near East 160A, 160B, 161A, 161B, 161C, 162, Art History 101A, 101B; one course in research methodology (such as Anthropology C115R, M116Q, or Linguistics 120A, 120B, or English 140A) taken preferably in another department with the consent of the adviser.
Majors selecting option 4 are required to take 14 courses as follows: three terms of Hebrew 120; Ancient Near East 150C, 162, 170; English 108B or History 194A; Greek 130; Jewish Studies M150A; History M191A; Semitics 130. The remaining three courses may be selected from Ancient Near East M104A, M104B, M105, 130, 150A, 150B, 160A, 160B, Art History 101A, 101B, 105A, Classics 168, Greek 131, History 193D, 194B, Iranian 169, 170, Latin 120.
Students majoring in Arabic may combine the major with the interdepartmental specialization in business and administration to enhance their career opportunities. Due to the number of additional courses required, they are advised to consider this option early in their academic career.
Required: Arabic 1A-1B-1C, 102A-102B-102C, 150.
Required: Fifteen courses, including Arabic 103A-103B-103C and History 107A or Islamics 110; five courses from Arabic 120, 130, 132, 141; three courses from Arabic 111A, 111B, 111C, 112A, 112B, 112C, 114A, 114B, 114C; three courses from Art History 104A, Geography 187, History 106A, 106B, 106C, 107B, 108A, 108B, Political Science 132A, 132B, 157.
Required: Hebrew 1A-1B-1C, 102A-102B-102C, Jewish Studies M150A-150B, or equivalent.
Required: Sixteen courses, including Hebrew 103A-103B-103C; three terms of Hebrew 120 and/or 125; two courses from Hebrew 130, 135; two courses from Hebrew 140, 160; Hebrew 190A-190B; two additional courses in Hebrew or Aramaic to be approved by the adviser; two courses from History M191A, M191B, M192A, M192B.
Students majoring in Iranian studies may combine the major with specialization in other fields to enhance their career opportunities. Due to the number of additional courses required, they are advised to consider this option early in their academic career.
Required: Iranian 1A-1B-1C or equivalent, 150A-150B.
Required: Sixteen courses, including Iranian 102A-102B-102C, 103A-103B-103C, 140, 141, 142, 180A-180B; five courses from Ancient Near East 163A, 163B, Arabic 1A, 1B, 1C, Art History 104A, 104B, C104C, Ethnomusicology 20B, History 106A, 106B, 106C, 110B, Iranian 120, 169, 170, 190A, 190B, Political Science 157.
Required: Hebrew 1A-1B-1C, History M191A-M191B, or equivalent.
Required: Sixteen courses, including Hebrew 102A-102B-102C, 103A-103B-103C, 120 or 125, Jewish Studies M150A-150B, 151A-151B, 199, and four other upper division courses. At least two of the four must be courses in the areas of Hebrew, Jewish history, or Yiddish. The remaining two may be selected either from those areas or from courses with Jewish content given in other departments and approved by the adviser.
The Near Eastern languages and cultures minor is designed for students who wish to augment their major program in the College of Letters and Science with a group of related courses from various linguistic, literary, archaeological, and historical disciplines of the Near East, from ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, and biblical studies to the modern Arabic, Armenian, Iranian, Jewish, and Turkish world.
To enter the minor, students must have an overall grade-point average of 2.0 or better, have completed a total of seven upper division courses in the department, and file a petition in 255 Kinsey Hall, (310) 825-4165.
Required Upper Division Courses: Seven courses selected in consultation with an academic adviser from any of the courses offered by the department; 199 courses may not be applied.
All minor courses must be taken for a letter grade, with an overall grade-point average of 2.0 or better. Successful completion of the minor is indicated on the transcript and diploma.