MISSION

NELC promotes exposure to Near Eastern cultures from the dawn of civilization to modern times, enabling every interested undergraduate to rise to the fullest level of his or her ability in learning everything that these cultures have contributed to world knowledge. NELC is committed to making these cultures accessible to non-specialists, while recognizing and teaching that the deepest understanding of any culture requires a profound knowledge of its language(s). Because of the interdependence of language and culture, the teaching of languages is an integral part NELC's mission.

CURRICULUM

NELC offers to all students broad-based, culturally-integrated general education courses on Near Eastern languages, literatures, history, cultures and thought, as well as more specialized courses which incorporate texts taught in translation. Many of these fulfill the General and Distributional requirements. We offer several Freshman Seminars each year and participate actively in the Pilot Curriculum and other initiatives in SAS.
In NELC, it is possible to pursue rigorous, broad-based majors in Hebrew & Judaica, Arabic & Islamic Studies, Arabic & Hebrew Studies (modern or medieval) and Ancient Near East Civilizations. Major courses generally focus on primary "textual" sources (broadly defined to include oral and written as well as art, archaeology, and material culture) but the approach is interdisciplinary, comparative and diachronic. For students majoring in other departments, NELC offers a dual major, a minor and language certification in Arabic, Hebrew and/or Persian.

UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH

Undergraduate research is a significant component of the NELC undergraduate major experience. Every major is required to complete a substantial research project within his/her chosen concentration culminating in a major research paper (the Concentration Paper requirement). For Honors, the Concentration Paper requirement is replaced by an Honors Thesis, a significant content paper written at the conclusion of a two-term course of guided readings and research.

HONORS PROGRAM

Students must consult with the advisor in their concentration about admission to NELC's Honors Program. A student's overall GPA as well as the student's major GPA will be taken into consideration in awarding Honors. A student admitted into the Department's Honors Program will be required to take an additional 2 c.u. in the student's senior year: one course in guided research (AMES 301) and one course in independent study (AMES 399), culminating in the writing of an honors thesis. The thesis must earn a grade of A or A- and will be in lieu of the Concentration Paper requirement.

SUBMATRICULATION INFORMATION

An undergraduate student may wish to undertake an intensified major program leading to the awarding of both the B.A. and M.A. degrees. Such a program of study must be approved by the undergraduate advisor, the undergraduate chair, and the Dean of the student's undergraduate school.

Undergrad majors in NELC who wish to submatriculate into the NELC Graduate Group may apply to the Graduate Group at pre-registration time in the second semester of the junior year. If there is a question about the student's standing, the faculty may choose to wait until the semester's grades are in before making a final deci-sion. Only graduate courses taken in the senior year will count for both graduate and under-graduate credit. An undergraduate must fulfill the graduate requirements in a course and re-ceive a grade of A before that course can be considered for graduate credit. Courses required for fulfillment of the undergraduate major cannot be counted for graduate credit.
Students wishing to submatriculate as majors in NELC must apply prior to the beginning of the fall semester of their senior year. Students must also apply to the Graduate School. Only graduate courses taken in the senior year will count for both graduate and undergraduate credit. The student must fulfill the graduate requirements in a course and receive a grade of A before the course can be counted for double credit. Undergraduates who wish to sub-matriculate are required to pursue the Honors Program Major (a total of 16 c.u.) in addition to fulfilling all of the graduate program requirements. Students who sub-matriculate can usually complete the M.A. degree in one year after receiving the B.A. degree.