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NMC Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations Courses HUM199Y1 Undergraduate seminar that focuses on specific ideas, questions, phenomena or controversies, taught by a regular Faculty member deeply engaged in the discipline. Open only to newly admitted first year students. It may serve as a distribution requirement course; see page 44. NMC101Y1 (formerly NMC170Y) 78L NMC201Y1 This course acquaints students with the main features and
legacies of the civilization that was formed in the Middle East in the 8th-10th centuries
C.E. under the impetus of Islam, and marked by several highpoints before the early modern
period. Continuity with the earlier civilizations of the ancient Near East are
highlighted, and the diverse cultural traditions that contributed to the formation of
Islamic civilization are described. NMC305Y1 Introduction to Old Babylonian. Grammar and the reading of
selected texts. (Offered in alternate years) NMC405Y1 (Offered in alternate years) NMC210Y1 Introduction to the grammar and basic vocabulary of standard
or literary Arabic, the one language written and read, and also spoken by those educated
to speak it, throughout the Arab world. NMC310Y1 Begins with a review of basic grammar and proceeds with the
reading of simple, connected prose passages that typify normal patterns of Arabic syntax.
More literary and idiomatic passages are introduced gradually. NMC410Y1 After a short introduction to the history of the Arabic
language within the framework of Semitic languages, connected passages of Arabic texts
drawn from both classical and modern times are studied detail. NMC412Y1 Systematic outline of the development, characteristics, and
peculiarities of selected genres of classical Arabic literature such as historiography,
belles-lettres (adab), philosophy, ethics - Qur'an, exegesis, Literature of Tradition -
poetry. Complementary readings, analysis and translation of original text passages are
given emphasis. NMC413H1 Insights into the history of ideas in Islam. Original texts
by Jurjani (d. 1078, literary criticism), Ghazali (d. 1111, philosophy), Ibn Rushd (d.
1196, law), Shahrastani (d. 1153, heresiography), Ibn Taymiyah (d. 1328, dogmatics), and
Ibn Khaldun (d. 1406, social history). (Offered in alternate years) NMC315Y1 Introduction to Aramaic grammar. Readings from biblical
Aramaic. NMC415Y1 An intensive study of various Targumim to the Pentateuch:
Onkelos, Pseudo-Jonathan, Neophyti, Samaritan and Fragment Targumim. Differences among
them in vocabulary, syntax and verb usage are discussed, as well as their relationship to
the Palestinian midrashim. (Offered in alternate years) NMC416Y1 The Talmud of the Land of Israel, also called Talmud
Yerushalmi or Palestinian Talmud, is written in a mixture of Jewish Western Aramaic and
Mishnaic Hebrew. It is the principal document of the Land of Israel in Late Antiquity. The
course examines the legal argumentation, terminology and language which differ from those
of the Babylonian Talmud. (Offered in alternate years) NMC418Y1 (Offered in alternate years) NMC320Y1 Grammar and reading of selected hieroglyphic texts. NMC420Y1 Middle Egyptian texts. NMC225H1 The primary focus is a systematic and intensive review of
Greek grammar, illustrated by readings from the Gospel of Luke. NMC227H1 Readings include a cross-section of the New Testament and,
typically, two texts from other Early Christian or Jewish literature. One additional text
is read from a manuscript (papyrus) facsimile. NMC325H1 Readings from the so-called fragmentary Jewish authors of the
Hellenistic period. Includes a study of Greek word-building, focused on improvement of
reading skills. (Offered in alternate years) NMC326H1 Readings are from Jewish Romances composed in Aramaic or
Hebrew but (fully) preserved only in Greek translation. Includes a study of Greek
word-building, focused on improvement of reading skills. (Offered in alternate years) NMC327H1 Readings are from the books of the Maccabees and Josephus.
Includes a study of Greek word-building, focused on improvement of reading skills.
(Offered in alternate years) NMC328H1 Readings are from Jewish Romances composed partly or totally
in Greek. Includes a study of Greek word-building, focused on improvement of reading
skills. (Offered in alternate years) NMC136Y1 Introduction to the fundamentals of Hebrew grammar and syntax
through classroom and language laboratory practice. Emphasis on the development of oral
and writing skills. NMC230Y1 An introduction to biblical Hebrew prose. Grammar and
selected texts. For students with no previous knowledge of Hebrew. NMC236H1 Intensive study of written and spoken Hebrew. NMC237H1 Intensive study of written and spoken Hebrew. NMC330Y1 Study of Hebrew grammar and training in translation providing
a continuation of NMC230Y, or the formal grammatical
study needed in the modern Hebrew Specialist Program. NMC331H1 The language and ideas of post-biblical texts, including
Hebrew Ben Sira, Qumran scrolls, the so-called Damascus Covenant, and the Bar Kochva
letters. (Offered in alternate years) NMC332H1 Readings from a variety of ancient mystical texts which
pre-date the Zoharic Kabbalah, including such texts as Shiur Qomah, Heikhalot, Sefer
HaBahir, and Shir HaShirim Zuta. The question of what makes a text mystical and esoteric
is explored. (Offered in alternate years) NMC334Y1 Selections from a tractate in Babylonian Talmud in order to
gain facility in the understanding of the dialogic structure of the legal discussions.
Practice in the use of classical commentaries and critical aids to allow independent study
of the text. (Conducted in Hebrew) (Offered in alternate years) NMC336H1 Survey of Hebrew literature from post-biblical to
contemporary writings. Stylistic analysis of various genres. (Conducted in Hebrew) NMC337H1 Survey of Hebrew literature from post-biblical to
contemporary writings. Stylistic analysis of various genres. (Conducted in Hebrew) NMC430Y1 Readings from the prophetic literature. (Offered in alternate
years) NMC431Y1 (Offered in alternate years) NMC432Y1 This course familiarizes students with the methodology and
terminology of the two midrashic systems: Devei R. Akiba and Devei R. Ishmael. Sections of
all the midrashic halakha (Mekhiltot, Sifra and Sifre) are studied and compared to other
Tannaitic materials. (Conducted in Hebrew) (Offered in alternate years) NMC433Y1 Traditional Jewish concepts as discussed in rabbinic and
mediaeval literature of various literary genres. (Offered in alternate years) NMC436H1 A study of the poetic works of a major modern Hebrew poet.
(Conducted in Hebrew) (Offered in alternate years) NMC437H1 A study of an important modern writer of Hebrew fiction.
(Conducted in Hebrew) (Offered in alternate years) NMC240Y1 The fundamentals of modern standard Persian grammar, with
emphasis on attaining fluency in reading and writing simple texts. Also serves as a basis
for classical Persian. (Offered in alternate years) NMC242Y1 The fundamentals of modern standard Persian grammar for
students who may be native speakers, but who have not had formal training in Persian
grammar. Emphasis on attaining fluency in reading, writing, and translation of Persian
texts of moderate difficulty. Also serves as a basis for classical Persian. (Offered in
alternate years) NMC340Y1 Reading of a variety of modern prose texts on the
intermediate level, with an emphasis on grammatical analysis and translation. Introduction
to the classical language in the second term, with readings from selected authors.
(Offered in alternate years) NMC341Y1 Examines the cultural environment for the emergence of the
short story in Iran and in world literature and traces the development of the Iranian
short story through 20th century examples of this literary genre in Persia. (Offered in
alternate years) NMC342Y1 Development of reading and writing skills for native or
near-native users, with an emphasis on grammatical analysis, composition, and translation.
Also includes reading and analysis of selected texts in classical Persian. (Offered in
alternate years) NMC441Y1 Introduction to classical Persian poetry, including the
Persian national epic and the mystical tradition, and survey of the development of
classical Persian prose, based on readings from selected authors. (Offered in alternate
years) NMC245Y1 The basic features of modern Turkish grammar. In the second
term, Turkish prose and newspapers are studied, with some practice in writing simple
Turkish. This course serves as a basis for the study of Ottoman Turkish. (Offered in
alternate years) NMC345Y1 Modern texts literary, scholarly and journalistic. Turkish
grammar and syntax; the nature of Turkish culture. (Offered in alternate years) NMC445Y1 Literary texts and composition in modern Turkish.
Introduction to Ottoman Turkish. (Offered in alternate years) NMC255H1 Representative Arabic poems of the pre-Islamic period,
followed by certain aspects of the Qur'an. Development of lyric poetry in the Islamic
period and of prose, with emphasis on narrative prose. (Offered in alternate years) NMC350Y1 Selected texts from Syriac literature written between the 3rd
and 13th centuries C.E., including versions of the Bible and prominent authors of biblical
commentaries, hymns, acts of martyrs, liturgical texts, historiography, grammatical and
lexicographical works, as well as translations from Greek. (Offered every four years) NMC357Y1 This course examines a) the transformations of Middle Eastern
societies in the context of the development of communication technologies and media
cultures; and b) Western media constructions of the Middle East and its diasporas in the
West. (Offered in alternate years) NMC455Y1 Examines literature by women from the various cultures of the
Middle East. Readings are selected to illustrate the theme of the search for public and
personal direction through writing. Course materials are in English translation and
include autobiographical as well as literary sources. NMC260Y1 A general introduction to the archaeology of the ancient Near
East including prehistory, Syria-Palestine, and the high civilizations of Mesopotamia and
Egypt. Organized chronologically to trace the historical development of agriculture,
urbanism, and complex state-ordered societies in the region. NMC261Y0 Field Archaeology (formerly NMC261H) Participation for 4 - 7 weeks during the summer in an
approved archaeological excavation in the eastern Mediterranean. This experience is then
critiqued in a previously assigned essay researched and written under guidance upon
return. Departmental permission is required in December-February prior to the fieldwork.
Registration in the course will take place in the fall following field activity. NMC361Y1 From the Paleolithic to the Persian period, with primary
emphasis on the Bronze and Iron Ages. The historical development of Palestinian
archaeology, current field methods and interpretive strategies, and the relationship of
archaeological discoveries to written records, including the Hebrew Bible. (Offered in
alternate years) NMC362Y1 Architecture, formal arts, and decorative arts to the end of
the Pharaonic period. Cultural evolution rather than art history. (Offered in alternate
years) NMC363H1 The archaeology, art and architecture of Iraq, North Syria
and western Iran from ca. 3000 B.C.E. to the Persian period. The civilizations of Sumer,
Akkad, Babylonia and Assyria, as well as their relationship to those of the surrounding
areas. (Offered in alternate years) NMC365Y1 A survey of archaeological investigation of sites in the
Middle East from the 7th to the 19th centuries. (Offered every three years) NMC366Y1 Architectural studies, historical sources and archaeological
research are used to examine the physical and social morphology of the pre-industrial
Islamic city from Central Asia to North Africa and Spain, from the 7th to the 17th
centuries. (Offered every three years) NMC369H1 Materials and technology help define the cultures and
civilizations that use them, especially for archaeologists. Focusing on the Near and
Middle East, this course is aimed at promoting understanding of the nature of materials
used by the peoples of the region from the earliest prehistory until recent times. This
course has a hands-on emphasis. (Offered in alternate years) NMC461Y1 Prerequisite: 1.5 courses from NMC360H/361Y/362H/363H/364H/367H; two courses
from NMC370Y/371Y/372Y/470Y NMC462H1 The use of polarized-light microscopy in the examination of
ceramics, stone, other materials, and microstratigraphy. Lectures in elementary optical
mineralogy and case-studies are followed by lab sessions in which typical thin-sections of
rocks, pottery, soils and other materials are studied. (Offered in alternate years) NMC463H1 A research project in archaeological ceramic petrology
involving a preliminary paste-characterization of an assemblage of ceramics using a 10X to
40X microscope. Between 20 and 50 thin-sections are analyzed using the polarizing
microscope, and written up to publication standards. (Offered in alternate years) NMC464H1 An intense view of the basic corpus of pottery from the
Middle East, ca. 700-1800 C.E. The identification of technology, form, and style of the
main ceramic groups, enabling identification, dating and attribution of original
provenance. (Offered in alternate years) NMC465H1 A survey of methods of classification and analysis (form,
fabric and style) involved in the study of archaeological ceramics, and the use of
ceramics to infer patterns of production, distribution, and social organization; linking
research questions with appropriate analytical techniques. NMC466H1 An introduction to the basic corpus of Near Eastern ceramics,
from the invention of pottery production in the Neolithic until the Persian period,
utilizing existing collections at the University and in the Royal Ontario Museum. NMC270Y1 The birth of Christianity in Syria and Mesopotamia and the
rise of the Monophysite and Nestorian Churches; their life under the Byzantines,
Sassanians, Arabs, Mongols and Ottomans. The role of Syrian Christians in diplomacy,
science, missions, and relations with other churches. (Offered in alternate years) NMC273Y1 Features of the pre-Islamic Middle East inherited by Islamic
civilization, birth of Islam, life and times of Muhammad, formation of Islamic empire and
civilization, political disintegration of the caliphate, emergence of autonomous
dynasties, the fall of Baghdad to Mongols in 1258 and the rise of the Mamluks. NMC274Y1 The remarkable career of nomads in the Eurasian steppes
(Turks, Mongols) and of their Islamicized, but far from assimilated descendants in the
Middle East - slave-soldiers, raiders, migrants, conquerors, and state-builders (e.g.
Ghazanavids, Seljuks, Mamluks, Ottomans, Safavids). Topics to be covered include pastoral
nomadism, steppe and other warfare, clan, tribal and state structure, ethnicity,
sedentarization, the role of geography and ecology. (Offered in alternate years) NMC276Y1 This course examines the transformation of Middle Eastern
societies form the perspective of non-state actors, especially the social and political
movements of peasants, women, labour, students, and other social groups. NMC277Y0 A course offered only at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem
in conjunction with Woodsworth College. Specific topics each year determined by the
instructor. NMC278Y1 Historical survey of the principal countries of the Middle
East in the 19th and 20th centuries. Themes include the interplay of imperial and local
interests, the emergence of national movements, and the formation of modern states. NMC370Y1 The political and cultural history of ancient Israel from the
origin of the Hebrews to the exile and restoration in the Persian period. (Offered in
alternate years) NMC371Y1 The political and cultural history of Egypt from the close of
the predynastic period to its conquest by Alexander the Great; the use of both
archaeological and literary evidence. (Offered in alternate years) NMC372Y1 The political and cultural history of the peoples of ancient
South-Western Asia (Sumerians, Babylonians, Hittites and Persians). (Offered in alternate
years) NMC373Y1 A survey of the social, cultural, and political
transformations of Turkey and Iran in the context of Eurasian and international relations.
(Offered in alternate years) NMC374Y1 A survey of the history of Egypt under Islamic rule from the
Arab to the Ottoman conquest (1517 C.E.), including the Fatimid, Ayyubid and Mamluk
dynasties. Issues treated thematically include conversion and inter-communal relations,
relations with Syria, militarization of the political structure, including the military
slave (mamluk) institution, religious currents, the impact of the Crusades and Mongol
invasions, commercial and diplomatic relations, the emergence of Cairo as the centre of
the later mediaeval western Islamic world. (Offered in alternate years) NMC375Y1 The transformation of ancient Persian civilization by the
Islamic conquests, the "New Persian" renaissance of the 10th century and Turkish
ascendancy. The Mongol invasions and successor states. Nomads and the empires of Tamerlane
and the Safavids. The start of western influence in the 18th century. (Offered in
alternate years) NMC376H1 Muslim conquest of North Africa and Spain, history of Spain
under Muslim rule to 1492. Attention given to institutional and cultural development,
Islamic Spain's relations with the Islamic east and neighbours in Europe. (Offered in
alternate years) NMC377Y1 History of the emergence of the Ottoman state and its
evolution from a border principality in Asia Minor into an empire. Ottoman expansion into
Europe, Asia and Africa. The empire at its height under Suleyman the Lawgiver. The
development of important administrative and military institutions. First military and
diplomatic setbacks. NMC378Y1 Political, social and economic history of the Arab lands of
North Africa and the Middle East from 1700 to the present. Arabs under Ottoman rule,
western colonial rule, emergence of independent states, current problems and prospects. NMC379H1 An introduction to mathematics, astronomy, alchemy and the
medical sciences, as they were known, developed, and applied in practical ways in the
mediaeval Islamic world. NMC470Y1 Survey of Achaemenid Persia; effects of Alexander the Great
and Greek culture on the Near East. In consultation with the co-ordinator, students choose
their own research topic and submit, following a directed reading program, a research
paper. (Offered in alternate years) NMC476Y1 Selected readings in the sources and in modern scholarship,
focusing on problems in the interpretation of terms such as aslama, umma, mu'min, etc.,
and issues such as the treatment of the Jahiliyya in Muslim sources, the nature of Meccan
trade and its connection with the rise of Islam, etc. Open to advanced undergraduates who
have a solid background in early and mediaeval Islamic history and an overall average of
B+ or higher. (Offered in alternate years) NMC477Y1 This course examines the formation of nations and
nation-states, national and ethnic conflicts, self-determination, conflict resolution, and
national and ethnic minority rights. NMC478Y1 An issue-oriented seminar organized around readings
pertaining to the modern Middle East and North Africa, ca. 1800-present. (Offered in
alternate years) NMC479Y1 A seminar organized around readings in selected topics. The
topics are related to the instructor's research interests. (Offered in alternate years) NMC185Y1 The place of Islam in world history, its central beliefs and
practices. The Islamic contribution to world civilization; the pluralistic community,
learning and the arts. Islam and modernity. NMC280Y1 The Bible looked at as a whole. Lectures are centred around
large themes that occur throughout and straddle both Testaments (in English translation).
Topics include: the origin and interpretation of the Bible; creation, history, and
salvation; theology, law and philosophy; community and individual expressions of belief. NMC284H1 Explores the interaction between Jewish religious and secular
movements and feminism. Investigates Jewish law (halakha) and the Jewish legal (halakhic)
process in terms of feminist critique. Marriage, divorce, Torah study, bat mitzvah, other
ceremonies, female rabbinic ordination and women's prayer groups are some of the topics
considered. (Offered in alternate years) NMC285H1 Concern is mainly with the sacred character of the Qur'an
(Koran), its preeminence in Islam. Topics include: the idea of the sacred book, the Qur'an
and the Bible, the influence of the Qur'an on Islamic spirituality, literature, theology,
law, philosophy, and the various approaches taken in interpreting the Qur'an. Knowledge of
Arabic is not required. NMC380Y1 Religious belief and practice in Mesopotamia and Syria
(Ugarit). (Offered in alternate years) NMC382Y1 Religious belief and practice in Egypt. (Offered in alternate
years) NMC384Y1 Jewish attitudes to various personal status issues, such as
the foetus, the minor, the pubescent child, and the mentally and physically challenged
adult from biblical and rabbinic sources to modern Jewish positions. (Offered in alternate
years) NMC484Y1 Abortion, rape, family violence and similar topics from the
perspective of historical and legal development, scientific theory, socio-ethical
attitudes and anthropological comparison in the Bible and other ancient Near Eastern
sources, through Jewish legal texts to modern responses. (Offered in alternate years) NMC486Y1 The development of mediaeval Islamic theology (kalam) and
philosophy (falsafa). The metaphysics of such philosophers as Kindi, Alfarabi and
Avicenna, Ghazali's occasionalist critique of the concept of casual necessity, Averroes'
Aristotelian defence of philosophy. The relationship of metaphysics to political theory in
the writings of Alfarabi and his successors. NMC391H1 The architecture of the Islamic Mediterranean arose out of a
dialogue between its classical origins, its Christian neighbours and its allegiance to the
Islamic world. Developments (e.g., ribbed dome, arabesque and palace) in Spain, Sicily,
North Africa, Egypt, Syria and Turkey. (Offered every three years) NMC392H1 Monumental architecture, whether for secular or religious
purposes, played a special role in Muslim societies, particularly in major centres such as
Isfahan, Samarkand and Delhi. Beginning with the Taj Mahal (1632) the best-known elements
of Islamic architecture the double dome, the pointed arch, glazed tiles are traced
retroactively in Iran, Central Asia, and India, and their social context is studied.
(Offered every three years) NMC393H1 (formerly NMC390Y) 26L NMC394H1 (formerly NMC390Y) 26L NMC396Y1 An overview of late antique Greek, Arab and Persian material
culture, as seen through the archaeological record of Syria, Iraq, and Iran. (Offered
every three years) NMC299Y1
NMC398H0/399Y0
NMC495Y1
NMC496H1
NMC497H1
NMC499Y1
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