NES 2500 Pyramids, Priests, and Prostitutes (also RELST 2500)
summer. 3 credits. A. Kleinerman. Meets MTWRF 10:00-11:15am and 2:00-3:15pm

This course surveys religious traditions and practices in Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia as preserved in written sources and the archaeological record. Using a comparative approach, units focus on national theocracy, local pantheons and funerary cults. Close readings of literature in translation introduce themes of ethics and piety, witchcraft, magic and divination, divine retribution and the individual quest for immortality. This course will be taught June 2 – June 25, 2010 (three-week session).

NES 2659 Islam: Religion, Society and Politics (also RELST 2659, HIST 2659)
summer. 3 credits. D. Powers. Meets MTWRF 1:00-2:15pm
“America needs to understand Islam,” Malcolm X wrote in his Autobiography. In this course, we will explore Malcolm’s recommendation by studying the history of Islamic civilization from the seventh century down to the present. You will learn about the career of the Prophet Muhammad and the basic tenets of the Muslim faith, with attention to how they relate to Judaism and Christianity; and how the Muslims created a new and vibrant civilization that united the inhabitants of the lands from Spain to India. You will read selections from the Qur’an and from Muslim classics in theology, literature, mysticism, and philosophy; discover what Islamic law has to say about gender, slavery and race; and be exposed to the achievements of Muslims in science, art, and architecture. Finally, you will learn why the Islam is experiencing a revival in the 21st century and why Muslims around the globe are calling for the “return” of Islam. This course will be taught June 28 – August 6, 2010 (six-week session).

NES 2666 Jerusalem Through the Ages (also RELST 2666, ARKEO 2666, JWST 2666)
summer. 3 credits. J. Zorn. Meets MTWRF 9:00-10:30am and 11:30am-1:00pm
Jerusalem is a holy city to the adherents of the three great monotheistic faiths: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. For most of its existence it has also been a national capital or major provincial center for the many states and empires which vied for control of the vital land bridge connecting Africa, Europe and Asia. Thus many of the pivotal events which shaped western civilization were played out in the streets and structures of Jerusalem. This class will explore the history, archaeology, and natural topography of Jerusalem throughout its long life, from its earliest remains in the Chalcolithic period (ca. 4000 B.C.E.) to the 19th century, including Jebusite Jerusalem, Jerusalem as the capital of the Davidic dynasty, the Roman era city of Herod and Jesus, the Crusaders and medieval Jerusalem, and Ottoman Jerusalem as the city entered the modern era. Students will examine the original historical sources (e.g. the Bible, Josephus, the Madeba map, etc.) which pertain to Jerusalem. Slides and videos will be used to illustrate the natural features, man-made monuments, and artifacts which flesh out the textual material providing a fuller image of the world’s most prominent spiritual and secular capital. This course will be taught June 2 – June 25, 2010 (three-week session).

Summer Intensive Arabic Program

June 3 – July 30, 2010

The program

The Cornell Arabic program integrates spoken Arabic with Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) in a way that

reflects the use of the language by native speakers. Arabs use a spoken dialect for ordinary conversation and MSA for reading, writing, and formal speech. The Cornell program introduces spoken Arabic and MSA simultaneously, using each variety as it is used in real life. The four language skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing are developed with a focus on communication (i.e., understanding the language and communicating ideas in it) rather than on the study of grammar. An important objective of the program is familiarizing students with basic facts about the geography, history, and culture of the Arab world.

Arabic learning community

In this program, students and teachers will form an "Arabic learning community." The teachers will work as a

team, sharing the tasks of teaching, providing supplementary materials, and planning activities that enhance classroom instruction. The number of students in each class is not expected to exceed five or six, so the teacher/student ratio will be around one to three.

A number of popular Arabic songs are integrated into the teaching materials at all levels. The last day of classes will be devoted to Arabic music and song. Nikolai Ruskin, Co-Director of the Cornell Middle East Music Ensemble, will meet with all the students in the program, introduce them to different Middle Eastern musical instruments, and teach them to sing a couple of songs that they will have heard during the course and whose language will be familiar to them.

Courses

NES 1201 Elementary Arabic I (also ASRC 1201) MTWRF 8:30-Noon June 3 - July 2, 2010

NES 1202 Elementary Arabic II (also ASRC 1202) MTWRF 8:30-Noon July 5 - July 30, 2010

This two-course sequence provides a thorough grounding in the four language skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Short stories, anecdotes, and dialogues reflecting real life experiences with an element of authenticity and humor

are used to develop the listening and speaking skills. Reading and writing are developed through a "mini-course" in Arabic

on Arab history, geography, and culture. The readings start with short phrases describing Arab countries, cities, and people, and end with page-long biographies of important Arab historical figures. Songs, Jeopardy-type games, crossword puzzles

and other vocabulary-building activities that recycle the words of the listening, speaking, and reading materials are used to enhance the learning and retention of vocabulary and grammatical structures. There is no prerequisite for NES 1201. The prerequisite for NES 1202 is NES 1201 or one semester of Arabic.

NES 1203 Intermediate Arabic I (also ASRC 1203) MTWRF 8:30-Noon June 3 - July 2, 2010

NES 2200 Intermediate Arabic II (also ASRC 2200) MTWRF 8:30-Noon July 5 - July 30, 2010

This two-course sequence continues the development of the four language skills through the extensive use of carefully selected graded materials on a variety of topics. The materials have been selected with the goal of generating lively

classroom discussions and mastering vocabulary and structures that are useful in real-life situations in an Arabic-speaking environment outside of the classroom. While more attention is given to developing native-like pronunciation and to grammatical accuracy than in NES 1201-1202, the main focus of the course is on encouraging fluency and facility in understanding the language and communicating ideas in it. In addition to building on the linguistic foundation started in

NES 1201-1202, the course continues the practice of introducing students to Arab society, history, and culture through the

use of folktales, songs, poems, newspaper articles, and short stories depicting different aspects of Arab life and culture. The prerequisite for NES 1203 is NES 1202 or one year of Arabic. The prerequisite for NES 2200 is NES 1203 or equivalent.

Credits

Each of the four courses carries four credits and is equivalent to a semester of language study at Cornell. Students will have the option of signing up for one or both courses in each sequence.

Further information

For more information about the courses, call (607) 255-6523 or e-mail Yomna Chami at yhc22@cornell.edu.

Beginners Intensive Summer Hebrew Program in Haifa, Israel
July 5 - 28, 2010

The Program The program is a three-credit intensive Summer Hebrew Program in Israel. The program is designed for students who want to immerse themselves in an intensive language learning experience. Imagine studying Hebrew in a course that uses the country you are living in as a learning tool.  Imagine learning Hebrew, and also picking up a few words of Arabic, Russian, Amharic, French, Spanish, and other languages you'll hear on campus spoken by students from over 30 countries.  Imagine walking out the door of your dorm room and into the Carmel National Forest, Israel's largest park.  Imagine watching the sunrise over the hills of the Galilee and the sunset over the Mediterranean.  The program is comprised of two courses and is both personally enriching and academically demanding.

NES/JWST 1104 Beginners Intensive Hebrew July 5-July 28, 2010

This course will be taught in Israel as part of the University of Haifa Summer Hebrew Program. The curriculum is comparable to the current Cornell University class NES 1101 or JWST 1101 (Elementary Modern Hebrew I). After completing this program, students will be able to continue and join the Elementary Modern Hebrew II class (NES 1102 or JWST 1102) in the spring 2010 semester. The class is taught using Ivrit B’Ivrit (Teaching Hebrew using Hebrew) and is part of a comprehensive integrated skills curriculum, based on Hebrew as a living language. Students are encouraged to use Hebrew from the moment they wake up, during their meals and throughout the day. The students study grammar, reading, writing, structure of the language, listening, and conversation.

Extra Curricular Activities The students will have the opportunity to explore and understand Israel through a wide range of social activities, including trips, lectures, and celebrations.  The program begins with a tour around Haifa, enabling students to become familiar with the city. Throughout the program, the students may also participate in other trips throughout Israel.

Living About 1,200 students live in the dorms at the University of Haifa. In most cases you will be placed in an apartment with no more than one other foreign student and the rest of your roommates will be Israeli.

NES/JWST 1105 Summer Hebrew-Supplemental (Fall 2010 semester)

This course is a complementary course for the Beginners Intensive Hebrew Summer Program, NES/JWST 1104 course, taught over the summer in Israel. It is a one-credit course with S/U grade option that is designed for the students who have successfully completed the Intensive Hebrew Summer Program and intend to enroll in NES 1102 or JWST 1102 the following spring semester. The course is designed to ease the transition and help the students maintaining their Hebrew level through the fall semester.

Further information For more information about the courses, please contact Shalom Shoer at (607) 255-1328 or by e-mail at

ss66@cornell.edu). You may also access the following website for further details, http://www.sce.cornell.edu/ss/about/index.php