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 The department is the only one of its kind in Irish universities. However, Arabic, Aramaic-Syriac and Hebrew have been taught in the old universities for centuries. For the academic study of the ancient, medieval and modern Near East, competence in the relevant languages is essential. Even in the world of diplomacy and commerce, it is important for people to learn languages like Arabic, if they are to have a proper understanding of cultures which quite different from those of the West. There are research supervision facilities for the M. Litt. in Arabic, Aramaic-Syriac, Hebrew and Ugaritic. ARABIC In the coming academic year 2006-2007 Arabic will be available at Level 3/Final Year students only. Students following the Arabic course in their first year at the University are not expected to have any prior knowledge of the language or the culture. A daily Arabic class in the first year introduces the student, first of all to the script, and then to the grammar of the language. In addition, there are lectures on the history, religion and customs of the Islamic world. Students who continue with Arabic for their degree, study in the second year selected portions, in Arabic, of the sacred book of Islam, the Koran, and of the collected sayings and deeds of the prophet Muhammad. They also study passages, in Arabic, from the accounts of well-known Arab travellers. There is a weekly translation class in which the skills of translation from Arabic into English and vice versa are developed. In addition, students read, in Arabic, examples of the modern short story and excerpts from the modern Arabic novel. In the final year, students follow a course in Islamic history and historiography. The period covered begins with the start of Islam, and ends on the eve of the Crusades. Selected Arabic historical and belle-lettrist texts are studied. The weekly translation class continues in the final year, although at a more advanced level than in the second. The modern Arabic short story and novel course also extends into the third year. HEBREW Students following the Hebrew course in their first year at the University are not expected to have any prior knowledge of the language. A daily Hebrew class in the first year introduces the student, first of all to the script, and then to the grammar of the classical language as found in the Hebrew Bible. In addition there are lectures on the history, religion and customs of ancient Israel. Students who continue with Hebrew for their degree, study in their second year the biblical books of Deuteronomy, Song of Songs, Ruth and Esther. They also read a selection of ancient Hebrew and Phoencian inscriptions. There is a weekly translation class in which the skills of translation from classical Hebrew into English and vice versa are developed. In the final year, students read, in Hebrew, more Biblical literature. The students also follow a course on the Dead Sea Scrolls. They read The Rule of the Community and the main Pesharim. The weekly translation class continues in the final year. Students following the Arabic or Hebrew courses in the second year, may begin the study of other languages of the Near East, for example Aramaic and Syriac. However, these courses may not always be available. They may only be taken with permission from the head of the department. |
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e-mail: nel@ucd.ie |
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Last modified: September, 2001