Interdisciplinary and/or Inter-Institutional master's degree programs

• Studying the Middle East

  0593aA1.1

  Learning objectives:

  Students are aware of the complexity of the Near and Middle East as a field of research, region, and area of cultural production regarding its diversity in terms of languages, religions, and cultures. They gain insights into the fields of study and expertise represented by the disciplines involved in the master’s program Interdisciplinary Studies of the Middle East with attention to the complex nature of history, societies, cultures of text and cultures of knowledge, languages, and literature. They are familiar with the diversity and interrelatedness of scholarly approaches within Interdisciplinary Studies of the Middle East, which in turn allows them to assess the corresponding secondary literature critically. They are conscious of intercultural and epistemological challenges involved in dealing with the history, society, culture, literature, and language of the Near and Middle East. This awareness lets them answer complex questions and present the results of their research and analyses coherently and comprehensibly either in writing or orally.

  Content:

  The module offers in-depth, interdisciplinary insights into the Near and Middle East as a field of research, as a region and as a space of cultural production. A variety of phenomena including language, cultural history, religion, and traditions of knowledge are up for discussion, especially regarding paradigms with historical implications, such as identity, gender, cultures of memory, nationalism, modernization, exile; this includes research trends as well as the possibility to focus on historical periods or geographical regions. Students get practice conducting academic work as they encounter varying issues, research debates, and research literature, as well as by using tools specific to the study of the Near and Middle East. Using methods from the humanities and cultural studies, they work on an interdisciplinary topic with a focus on one or more selected regions in the Near and Middle East. This work includes several written assignments designed to help them compose an academic paper.

  Modes of instruction/ Contact hours / Regular attendance required

  Lecture / 2 SWS / yes

  Methodology course / 2 SWS / yes

  Module assessment

  Written assignment (approx. 5000 words); the module assessment is graded on a pass/fail basis only.

  Language

  English (or if applicable, Arabic, Hebrew, Persian, Syriac-Aramaic,Turkish)

  Total workload

  450 hours (15 credit points)

  duration / Frequency

  One semester / Every winter semester
  • 14400 Lecture
    Interdisciplinary Explorations of the Middle East in Berlin (Victoria Mummelthei)
    Schedule: Di 10:00-14:00 (Class starts on: 2025-10-14)
    Location: 2.2058 Seminarraum (Fabeckstr. 23/25)
    

    Comments

    Walk Berlin. Notice buildings, streets, spaces that draw your attention. Syrian restaurants occupy former East German buildings. Turkish families have lived in Kreuzberg for decades. Arabic appears on memorial plaques. Kurdish newspapers sell at corner kiosks. What stories do these layers tell? How do communities make themselves at home in cities that have been repeatedly unmade and remade? What gets preserved and what gets erased? Who decides what belongs? Students choose one book to read: Anna Tsing's The Mushroom at the End of the World, James C. Scott's Seeing Like a State, or Robert Macfarlane's Is a River Alive?

  • 14401 Methods Tutorial
    Writing Berlin and the Middle East: What survives in cities? (Victoria Mummelthei)
    Schedule: Mi 10:00-12:00 (Class starts on: 2025-10-15)
    Location: 2.2059 Seminarraum (Fabeckstr. 23/25)
    

    Additional information / Pre-requisites

    Requirements: Participation in collaborative sessions, completion of written investigation (4,000-6,000 words).

    Comments

    What survives in cities? Everyone will investigate this question, but each from their own disciplinary perspective and background. A historian might trace layers of memory. An economist might follow networks of exchange. A literature student might collect stories that persist. We meet intensively at the start to establish our shared inquiry around Berlin, then gather periodically to share what we're discovering. Each student develops a substantial piece of writing that approaches our central question through their own lens. The course reveals how different ways of seeing generate different kinds of knowledge and writing. No prior knowledge of Berlin or urban studies required.

• Interdisciplinary Perspectives on the Middle East

  0593aA1.2

  Learning objectives:

  Students gain advanced skills need to conduct independent research in Interdisciplinary Studies of the Middle East from a global perspective. They can position themselves and situate complex issues from the fields of cultures, literatures, languages, history, and societies of the Near and Middle East in current debates, especially regarding the comparative analysis of processes and problems that cut across different regions. They are skilled to apply interdisciplinary methods to answer complex questions of Interdisciplinary Studies of the Middle East in writing and orally. They have broad, detailed, and up-to-date knowledge as well as a critical understanding of one or more subject areas in the transregional field of Interdisciplinary Studies of the Middle East.

  Content:

  The module provides students with sound specialist knowledge of central topics in Interdisciplinary Studies of the Middle East from a global perspective. The module focuses on the comparative analysis of historical, social, and cultural formations regarding issues that have global relevance, such as gender, human rights, imperialism, nationalism, identity, language, and literature. Students are instructed to compare the effects of such processes in a differentiated manner regarding the Near and Middle East. They practice analyzing problems on their own from a cross-disciplinary and transregional perspective and apply interdisciplinary theories and methods.

  Modes of instruction/ Contact hours / Regular attendance required

  Advanced seminar / 2 SWS / yes

  Methodology course / 2 SWS / yes

  Module assessment

  Term paper (approx. 5000 words)

  Language

  English (or if applicable, Arabic, Hebrew, Persian, Syriac-Aramaic,Turkish)

  Total workload

  450 hours (15 credit points)

  duration / Frequency

  One or two semesters / Every semester
  • 14158 Advanced seminar
    Manuscripts and Digital Humanities: Editing, Encoding, and Analyzing Ancient Texts (Christian Dane Casey)
    Schedule: Di 12:00-14:00 (Class starts on: 2025-10-14)
    Location: K 23/21 (Habelschwerdter Allee 45)
    

    Additional information / Pre-requisites

    English, general computer literacy, knowledge of one relevant language (Arabic, Greek, Egyptian, etc.)

  • 14227-ISME Seminar
    Dis:Integration. Whiteness, Gender, and the Politics of Belonging in Germany (Miriam Kurz (LA))
    Schedule: Do 14:00-16:00 (Class starts on: 2025-10-16)
    Location: 0.3099B Seminarraum (Zugang von der L-Strasse) (Fabeckstr. 23/25)
    
  • 14402 Advanced Seminar
    Narratives of Revolt in the Middle East & North Africa (Hanan Natour)
    Schedule: Mi 14:00-16:00 (Class starts on: 2025-10-15)
    Location: 2.2058 Seminarraum (Fabeckstr. 23/25)
    

    Comments

    Since 2011, scholars have predominantly focused on the political, societal, economic and religious aspects of the uprisings that were sparked in Tunisia on 17 December 2010. These events inspired demonstrations in several countries of the region which became known as the so-called ‘Arab Spring’ – a term which the course critically questions. How to study these processes of change without reproducing Eurocentric stereotypes that dominate their media coverage? One approach is to engage with literary and non-literary texts from the countries themselves. Considering different political contexts from the Maghreb and Mashrek, the course therefore turns to the literary side of this period of significant change. Instead of focusing entirely on the contemporary timeframe, it will draw links to former pre- and postcolonial uprisings through texts from a wide variety of authors, including poets like Abu al-Qasim al-Shabbi and Mahmud Darwish, novelists like Ahlam Mosteghanemi and Karim Alrawi and intellectuals like Frantz Fanon. The selected texts combine Arabic and Francophone authors in English translation. The course will address different countries and genres to provide an interdisciplinary angle on how regime changes are reflected and formed in the writings of authors across the region. How are narratives of revolt shaped? How do words influence moments of upheaval? Which historical references do these narratives of revolt draw? Which perspective do women writers contribute?

  • 14475 Seminar
    The People of the Comic Book: Jews and Comics (Lukas Mühlethaler)
    Schedule: Mo 14:00-16:00 (Class starts on: 2025-10-13)
    Location: K 23/27 (Habelschwerdter Allee 45)
    

    Comments

    In this course we explore the relationship between Jews and comics, from the creation of Superman in 1938 to the rise of Israeli graphic novels in the 21st century. We examine the outsized role Jewish writers and artists have played in shaping the comic book industry, as well as the ways Jewish identity, memory, ethics, and politics have been represented in the medium. Topics include American superheroes, Holocaust representation, autobiographical comics, and the development of a distinct Israeli comics scene. Readings will include works by Siegel and Shuster, Will Eisner, Art Spiegelman, Joann Sfar, Rutu Modan, and others. No prior knowledge of comics or Jewish history is required, just curiosity and a willingness to read both visually and critically.

  • 14228-ISME Methods Tutorial
    Dis:Integration. Whiteness, Gender, and the Politics of Belonging in Germany (Miriam Kurz (LA))
    Schedule: Do 16:00-18:00 (Class starts on: 2025-10-16)
    Location: 0.3099B Seminarraum (Zugang von der L-Strasse) (Fabeckstr. 23/25)
    

• Communicating Research in Interdisciplinary Studies of the Middle East

  0593aA1.3

  Learning objectives:

  Students can plan and carry out research endeavors independently and present them comprehensibly. They are enabled to reflect on their research question and substantiate their approach, selection of methods and, if applicable, their choice of sources in the setting of scholarly discussions. They learn how to present the benefits of their theoretical and methodological approaches convincingly by contrasting them with other relevant approaches and explaining the advantages in relation to their thesis project.

  Content:

  Both before and during the master’s thesis, students participate in a colloquium, where they discuss their concepts and open questions with fellow students and instructors. They present their topics, theoretical and methodological approaches to their thesis and initial results.

  Modes of instruction/ Contact hours / Regular attendance required

  Colloquium/ 2 SWS / yes

  Module assessment

  Poster presentation (approx. 10 minutes); the module assessment is graded on a pass/fail basis only.

  Language

  English (or if applicable, Arabic, Hebrew, Persian, Syriac-Aramaic,Turkish)

  Total workload

  150 hours (5 credit points)

  duration / Frequency

  One or two semesters / Every semester
  Module with no course offerings

• Reading the Middle East

  0593aA2.1

  Learning objectives:

  Students understand the significance of global key concepts and central terms and how they relate to thinking about the Near and Middle East and ascriptions of identity. They are familiar with the scholarly significance of texts and debates that shape the discourse of Interdisciplinary Studies of the Middle East and learn how to classify them in historical terms as well as from today’s perspective, considering their origins and the changing contexts in which they are used. They have in-depth knowledge of texts that constitute the Near and Middle East from a transregional perspective. They are thereby enabled to classify transdisciplinary methodological and theoretical approaches, especially in comparative cultural studies, and to apply them to their research against the background of current research debates and present the results appropriately, both in writing and orally.

  Content:

  The module discusses key texts, central concepts and fields of researching the Near and Middle East (e.g. Orientalism, world/global literatures, Islam in Europe, postcolonialism, nationalism) in their historical development and from a transregional and cross-disciplinary perspective. Besides, the module explores the historical and transdisciplinary dynamics of terms and concepts, how they circulate, and how their meaning transforms in changing contexts.

  Modes of instruction/ Contact hours / Regular attendance required

  Elective course / 2 SWS / yes

  Elective course / 2 SWS / yes

  Module assessment

  Presentation with follow-up discussion (approx. 20 minutes)

  Language

  English (or if applicable, Arabic, Hebrew, Persian, Syriac-Aramaic,Turkish)

  Total workload

  450 hours (15 credit points)

  duration / Frequency

  One or two semesters / Every semester
  • 14410 Wahlveranstaltung
    Beyond Human Language: Reading Intelligence Across Forms of Life" (Victoria Mummelthei)
    Schedule: Di 10:00-14:00 (Class starts on: 2025-10-21)
    Location: 2.2058 Seminarraum (Fabeckstr. 23/25)
    

    Additional information / Pre-requisites

    Participation in intensive sessions, extended engagement with the text between meetings.

    Comments

    What does it mean to be intelligent? To communicate? To have agency in the world? This course centers on Zoë Schlanger's The Light Eaters (2024), a groundbreaking exploration of plant intelligence that challenges fundamental assumptions about consciousness, communication, and what constitutes a "voice" worth hearing. Through intensive discussions separated by extended periods of reflection, we will live with Schlanger's revelations about how plants sense, decide, remember, and communicate—often in ways that exceed human imagination. As we encounter beings that challenge the boundaries between self and other, active and passive, individual and collective, questions emerge: How do we write about forms of life that resist our categories? What happens when the subjects of our study refuse to be objects? If plants can "author" their own chemical communications, what does this mean for human claims to literary authority? How might different cultural traditions—from Islamic concepts of layered consciousness to Arabic literary frameworks that recognize hidden meanings—offer ways of understanding intelligence that Western science is only beginning to glimpse? When a text argues that consciousness exists on a spectrum rather than as a binary, how do we read differently? What would literary criticism look like if it took seriously the possibility that meaning-making happens beyond human language? How do contemporary writers from regions often studied as "objects" navigate questions of agency, voice, and representation that plants now pose to science itself? Students from all disciplines and backgrounds will find their own frameworks—literary, cultural, philosophical, scientific—both illuminated and complicated by this text. No prior knowledge of botany required; curiosity about the limits of human language and the possibilities of non-human meaning-making essential as well as an openness for explorative formats of learning - if you are expecting sessions every week and page by page discussions of literature, this will likely not satisfy you.

• Reading the Middle East through Its Languages

  0593aA2.2

  Learning objectives:

  Students have a thorough understanding of basic questions about the relationship between text and knowledge; they can analyze the significance of original language texts within the context of the Near and Middle East as a pluricultural, multifaith, and multilingual region. They are confident to reflect on theories and models critically and build a conceptual toolkit to decipher the rhetoric of different texts and genres. Students have the skills they need to reach conclusions about the heuristics of different texts and genres on their own and by using controlled methods; they can present their findings orally and in writing appropriately.

  Content:

  The module develops interdisciplinary terms and concepts from the fields of cultural studies and humanities by means of various forms of original language sources (oral and written) from Arabic, Persian, Syriac-Aramaic, Jewish, Islamic, or Christian culture and literature. Building on this, students examine and discuss methods of text and source analysis used to organize, contextualize, and interpret primary sources; they then apply those methods to selected examples (works by different authors and from different literary genres, periods, movements, etc.).

  Modes of instruction/ Contact hours / Regular attendance required

  Elective course / 2 SWS / yes

  Elective course / 2 SWS / yes

  Module assessment

  Presentation with follow-up discussion (approx. 20 minutes)

  Language

  English (or if applicable, Arabic, Hebrew, Persian, Syriac-Aramaic,Turkish)

  Total workload

  450 hours (15 credit points)

  duration / Frequency

  One or two semesters / Every semester
  • 14154 Reading Course
    Oneself in Modern Poetry of Arab Women (Maysoon Shibi)
    Schedule: Mi 12:00-14:00 (Class starts on: 2025-10-15)
    Location: 0.2002 Seminarraum (Fabeckstr. 23/25)
    

    Information for students

    The language of the course is English, but knowledge of Modern Standard Arabic is mandatory, as the reading material is literary material in Arabic.

    Additional information / Pre-requisites

    Good Arabic reading skills

    Comments

    "When we talk about an autobiographical text, we understand that we are dealing with a prose text. An autobiography is usually a long literary text in which the author narrates about himself or herself or his or her life. However, when we think about autobiography as a term, we find that it is possible to find references to it in poetry texts as well. In this course, we will learn about autobiography in Arabic literature by reading women's poetry from the twentieth century. This poetry contains many of the life experiences of Arab women, especially the experiences they faced in patriarchal societies. Among the most important experiences that began to crystallize in Arab women's poetry during this time are cultural and political experiences, which we will address in our lessons. "

  • 14226-ISME Practice seminar
    Global Secularity: Arabic Sources (Mohammad Magout)
    Schedule: Mo 14:00-16:00 (Class starts on: 2025-10-13)
    Location: 0.3099B Seminarraum (Zugang von der L-Strasse) (Fabeckstr. 23/25)
    

    Comments

    This reading class accompanies the MA course “Global Secularity: Near Eastern cases”, and it is recommended to take both courses together. In this course, we will be reading and translating a selection of Arabic texts on questions of secularity. The lecturer will at the beginning present a range of possible texts, stemming from the end of the nineteenth century until the present and from a variety of genres: journalism, political speeches, and academic publications. The participants will then jointly decide on those texts they want to dealt with and translate in the course. This course is also directed to Arabic native speakers, and it will become clear that translating Arabic texts into English prompts a deeper engagement with the meaning of words than their intuitive understanding might yield. The reflection on possible meanings that an author had on their mind goes along with need for contextual knowledge. Google Translate does not have this (yet?). Since this program is however increasingly getting better, we will correct individual translations done by Google Translate, so as to find out when one may productively use that tool and where its limits are at which skills acquired through our historical studies come in.

  • 14371 Seminar
    (VS) Northwest Semitic Inscriptions (Grace Jeongyeon Park)
    Schedule: Mo 12:00-14:00 (Class starts on: 2025-10-13)
    Location: 0.2002 Seminarraum (Fabeckstr. 23/25)
    
  • 14151 Language Course
    Lovers, Gazelles, Mounts and Deserts - Classical Arabic Texts (Montserrat Rabadan Carrascosa)
    Schedule: Mo 10:00-12:00, Mi 10:00-12:00 (Class starts on: 2025-10-13)
    Location: 1.2052 Seminarraum (Fabeckstr. 23/25)
    

    Information for students

    Nachschreib-Klausur: 17. April 2026

    Comments

    In this course, participants will engage with a selection of classical Arabic texts by various authors and literary genres. The aim of the course is to provide an initial introduction to the richness and diversity of classical Arabic literature through close reading and discussion.

  • 14221-ISME Practice seminar
    The Mamluk Sultanate through Arabic Texts (Ingrid Austveg Evans)
    Schedule: Format: Block seminar January–February 2026 (Class starts on: 2026-01-05)
    Location: 1.2052 Seminarraum (Fabeckstr. 23/25)
    

    Information for students

    BLOCK Seminar in January and February 2026

    Comments

    In this course, participants will gain an overview of a range of narrative and scholarly sources dating from the Mamluk Sultanate and hone their skills in reading these texts in Arabic. While the main focus will be on historiographical sources such as chronicles and biographical dictionaries, we will also dip into neighboring genres through the analysis of the so-called encyclopedic impulse that shaped the textual culture of the period. Students will not only practice reading these texts for meaning, but also be trained in navigating them for research purposes by studying their underlying structure.

  • 14230-ISME Reading Course
    The Mosque (Birgit Krawietz)
    Schedule: Do 14:00-16:00 (Class starts on: 2025-10-16)
    Location: 1.2051 Seminarraum (Fabeckstr. 23/25)
    

    Information for students

    The Arabic reading course focuses on mosque conflicts and the discussion of correct behaviour within such sacred spaces. It tackles important debates, but also adds to the understanding of particular case studies.

  • 14372 Reading Course
    (Lk) Northwest Semitic Inscriptions (Grace Jeongyeon Park)
    Schedule: Fr 12:00-14:00 (Class starts on: 2025-10-17)
    Location: 1.2001 Seminarraum (Fabeckstr. 23/25)
    
  • 14461 Reading Course
    Ibn Falaquera and the Emergence of a Hebrew Philosophical Tradition (Lukas Mühlethaler)
    Schedule: Di 14:00-16:00 (Class starts on: 2025-10-14)
    Location: JK 25/138 weitere Hinweise zur Austattung unter: www.raum.geschkult.fu-berlin.de
    

    Comments

    This seminar examines the emergence of Hebrew philosophical writing through close readings (in translation) of selected works by the poet and philosopher Shem Tov Ibn Falaquera (c. 1225–1295) who played a central role as translator, compiler, and commentator in transmitting Arabic philosophy and science into Hebrew and Jewish contexts and helped establish a philosophical and scientific tradition in Hebrew. We will study excerpts from Sefer ha-Mevaqqesh (The Book of the Seeker), Iggeret ha-Vikkuach (The Epistle of the Debate), and Moreh ha-Moreh, Falaquera’s commentary on Maimonides’ Guide of the Perplexed. Our discussions will focus on how Falaquera frames philosophical inquiry as both religiously legitimate and rationally grounded, and how his writings contributed to the development of a Hebrew tradition of philosophical discourse. No knowledge of Hebrew is required, but participants with reading knowledge of Hebrew are encouraged to read the Hebrew text in parallel to the translations.

• Histories and Societies of the Middle East

  0593aB1.1

  Learning objectives:

  Students have in-depth knowledge and understanding of the historical and social formations of the Near and Middle East from late antiquity to the present as well as the historical conditions since antiquity. They are familiar with important current theoretical and methodological debates in social history research that are relevant to the study of the Near and Middle East. Students can recognize, classify, and articulate the circumstances and problems surrounding socialhistorical descriptions of the Near and Middle East; they also know how to consult, evaluate, and interpret source material independently and to apply the tools of history and social sciences when dealing with questions they have developed themselves. They are aware of the central categories of analysis used to examine historical and social processes and know how to discuss and present the results of their scholarly analyses orally and in writing.

  Content:

  In this module, students engage intensively with complex topics such as periodization, dimensions of space (power centers vs. peripheral regions, transregional connections), governance, statehood and social groups as well as identity, mobility, communication, and ethnic and religious minorities. The module teaches them to reflect on topics from the fields of Arab-Islamic, Arab-Christian and Syrian-Christian, Byzantine, Persian, Jewish or Turkish history as well as from historical source studies considering theories and methods specific to historical and social science and by critically evaluating scholarly debates in these fields.

  Modes of instruction/ Contact hours / Regular attendance required

  Elective course / 2 SWS / yes

  Elective course / 2 SWS / yes

  Module assessment

  Written assignment (approx. 5000 words)

  Language

  English (or if applicable, Arabic, Hebrew, Persian, Syriac-Aramaic,Turkish)

  Total workload

  450 hours (15 credit points)

  duration / Frequency

  One or two semesters / Every semester
  • 14186 Advanced seminar
    Iran and Turan: Sogdians and Turks on the Silk Road (Desmond Durkin-Meisterernst)
    Schedule: Di 16:00-18:00 (Class starts on: 2025-10-14)
    Location: 1.2058 Seminarraum (Fabeckstr. 23/25)
    
  • 14220-ISME Seminar
    The Mamluk Sultanate in Its Global Context (Christian Mauder)
    Schedule: Mi 16:00-18:00 (Class starts on: 2025-10-15)
    Location: 1.2051 Seminarraum (Fabeckstr. 23/25)
    

    Information for students

    for ISME students only

    Comments

    What happens when an alien, originally non-Muslim group of military slaves takes power in a central part of the Islamic world? How are the political processes changing and what influence does such a military takeover have on economic and cultural life? How do these former slave soldiers engage with neighboring polities, and how are they viewed by outside observers? How do diverse groups of inhabitants organize their lives under the new rulers? The seminar addresses these and similar questions by introducing its participants to the history of the Mamluk Sultanate – a powerful polity that ruled over Egypt, Syria, and neighboring areas for more than 250 years from the end of the crusades to the beginning of the early modern period. The participants in the seminar learn about the history, economy and governmental structure of this unique sultanate, its elite and popular cultures, and its interactions with its neighbors including Crusader states, other Muslim-ruled sultanates, and European powers trying to expand their influence across the Mediterranean and into the Indian Ocean.

  • 14221-ISME Practice seminar
    The Mamluk Sultanate through Arabic Texts (Ingrid Austveg Evans)
    Schedule: Format: Block seminar January–February 2026 (Class starts on: 2026-01-05)
    Location: 1.2052 Seminarraum (Fabeckstr. 23/25)
    

    Information for students

    BLOCK Seminar in January and February 2026

    Comments

    In this course, participants will gain an overview of a range of narrative and scholarly sources dating from the Mamluk Sultanate and hone their skills in reading these texts in Arabic. While the main focus will be on historiographical sources such as chronicles and biographical dictionaries, we will also dip into neighboring genres through the analysis of the so-called encyclopedic impulse that shaped the textual culture of the period. Students will not only practice reading these texts for meaning, but also be trained in navigating them for research purposes by studying their underlying structure.

  • 14226-ISME Practice seminar
    Global Secularity: Arabic Sources (Mohammad Magout)
    Schedule: Mo 14:00-16:00 (Class starts on: 2025-10-13)
    Location: 0.3099B Seminarraum (Zugang von der L-Strasse) (Fabeckstr. 23/25)
    

    Comments

    This reading class accompanies the MA course “Global Secularity: Near Eastern cases”, and it is recommended to take both courses together. In this course, we will be reading and translating a selection of Arabic texts on questions of secularity. The lecturer will at the beginning present a range of possible texts, stemming from the end of the nineteenth century until the present and from a variety of genres: journalism, political speeches, and academic publications. The participants will then jointly decide on those texts they want to dealt with and translate in the course. This course is also directed to Arabic native speakers, and it will become clear that translating Arabic texts into English prompts a deeper engagement with the meaning of words than their intuitive understanding might yield. The reflection on possible meanings that an author had on their mind goes along with need for contextual knowledge. Google Translate does not have this (yet?). Since this program is however increasingly getting better, we will correct individual translations done by Google Translate, so as to find out when one may productively use that tool and where its limits are at which skills acquired through our historical studies come in.

  • 14227-ISME Seminar
    Dis:Integration. Whiteness, Gender, and the Politics of Belonging in Germany (Miriam Kurz (LA))
    Schedule: Do 14:00-16:00 (Class starts on: 2025-10-16)
    Location: 0.3099B Seminarraum (Zugang von der L-Strasse) (Fabeckstr. 23/25)
    
  • 14471 Seminar
    Leo Strauss - Jewish Thought and Political Crisis (Reimund Leicht)
    Schedule: Do 14:00-16:00 (Class starts on: 2025-10-16)
    Location: 1.2052 Seminarraum (Fabeckstr. 23/25)
    

    Additional information / Pre-requisites

    The seminar will concentrate on a reconstruction of the formation of Strauss’ intellectual formation during his early years before WWII. Parts of his major works from this period will be read in class. The course will be taught in English, but most of the texts are also available in original versions in German. The seminar will also be attended online by students of the Hebrew University Jerusalem.

    Comments

    Leo Strauss (1899–1973) was an influential political philosopher and one of the most original interpreters of Jewish philosophy. His thought in both fields was deeply influenced by the experience of political crisis that characterized the Weimar Republic and German Jewry in the first decades of the 20th century. Starting his academic career with the study of a critic of Enlightenment and a research project on Spinoza, Strauss soon moved on to study Maimonides and other medieval Jewish and Arabic philosophers. Later in his life, his interests shifted more towards classical authors of European political thought. During his later years in the United States, Strauss became a controversial and influential critic of liberalism. At the same time, his theories about Maimonides’ philosophy and his distinction between “esoteric” and “exoteric” writing shaped whole generations of scholars on Jewish philosophy. Acquaintance with Strauss’ thought is a gateway to both, the interpretation of major aspects of medieval Jewish philosophy and to an important chapter in 20th century political philosophy and the philosophy of Judaism.

  • 14478 Advanced seminar
    How Maimonides' Mishneh Torah Transformed Jewish Law (Lukas Mühlethaler)
    Schedule: Mo 12:00-14:00 (Class starts on: 2025-10-13)
    Location: K 23/21 (Habelschwerdter Allee 45)
    

    Comments

    We examine how Maimonides’ Mishneh Torah transformed the structure and scope of Jewish law to understand why it sparked such controversy when it was completed and circulated in 1180. Intended as a comprehensive and self-sufficient code of law, the Mishneh Torah broke from earlier traditions of halakhic writing by omitting sources and offering definitive rulings across all areas of law, from ritual to ethics to political theory. While some hailed the work as a masterpiece of legal clarity and philosophical coherence, others saw it as an audacious challenge to rabbinic consensus and the centrality of Talmud study. The course focuses on readings of key sections and analysis of the work's reception across centuries. Knowledge of Hebrew is not required, but students with reading knowlege of Hebrew are encouraged to engage with the plain but elegant Hebrew of Maimonides’ Code.

  • 14481 Lecture
    Introduction to the History of Jewish Knowledge (Lukas Mühlethaler)
    Schedule: Mo 10:00-12:00 (Class starts on: 2025-10-13)
    Location: 2.2059 Seminarraum (Fabeckstr. 23/25)
    

    Comments

    This lecture course draws on questions and methods from the field of the history of knowledge (Wissensgeschichte) to introduce students to various traditions of Jewish knowledge. Using examples from antiquity to the present, we examine the forms and contents of knowledge, the processes of its production and accumulation, the individuals who act as its carriers, the diverse social contexts in which it develops, the modes of its communication and dissemination, and its practical applications. We do not treat “Jewish knowledge” as a fixed or static category. Rather, our aim is to understand the processes by which certain forms and contents of knowledge come to be regarded as “Jewish.” Accordingly, the course serves a dual purpose: to acquaint students with diverse Jewish knowledge traditions and to critically examine the criteria by which such traditions have been classified as Jewish.

  • 14225-ISME Seminar
    Global Secularity: Near Eastern Cases (Mohammad Magout)
    Schedule: Mo 12:00-14:00 (Class starts on: 2025-10-13)
    Location: 0.3099B Seminarraum (Zugang von der L-Strasse) (Fabeckstr. 23/25)
    

    Information for students

    for ISME students only

    Comments

    By ‘secularity’ we in this course understand the conceptual distinction and structural differentiation of religion from other social spheres, e.g., politics, economics, science. In modernity, secularity has come to shape societies globally, including Near Eastern societies. We will in this course attend first to structural processes and arrangements of differentiations in selected Arab countries and Turkey. We will then turn to conceptual distinctions that were formulated in view of the structural conditions of secularity. In this regard, we will focus on Islamic intellectuals, but also include Christian thinkers and secular politicians. It will become evident that while the majority of Islamic intellectuals refutes secularism, i.e., the increased separation of religion and its respective other, they, too, operate with an underlying distinction of secularity, also when arguing for greater connections. We will focus on the time from the late nineteenth to the middle of the twentieth century, as that time in which structures of secularity were established and basic conceptions formulated. We will, however, attend also to more recent and contemporary elaborations of secularity and will address classical historical moments and sources insofar as these were appropriated as references for conceptualizing secularity in modern times.

  • 14228-ISME Methods Tutorial
    Dis:Integration. Whiteness, Gender, and the Politics of Belonging in Germany (Miriam Kurz (LA))
    Schedule: Do 16:00-18:00 (Class starts on: 2025-10-16)
    Location: 0.3099B Seminarraum (Zugang von der L-Strasse) (Fabeckstr. 23/25)
    
  • 14229-ISME Seminar
    The Mosque (Birgit Krawietz)
    Schedule: Do 12:00-14:00 (Class starts on: 2025-10-16)
    Location: 1.2051 Seminarraum (Fabeckstr. 23/25)
    

    Comments

    The seminar addresses a variety of local settings, comprising a huge temporal and geographical corridor. It takes a look at the history of mosque architecture/design and the emergence of certain types that can be related to different societies and regions. A number of famous buildings and their environments will be analyzed in some detail. Furthermore, mosques are not understood here as stand-alone building units; rather, we will tackle embedded places in their wider cultural and socio-economic functions. Dimensions like sound regimes, gendered spaces, and the genre of state mosques will be considered. A certain focus will be on mixed styles, modern mosques, and the phenomenon of transnational architecture.

  • 14230-ISME Reading Course
    The Mosque (Birgit Krawietz)
    Schedule: Do 14:00-16:00 (Class starts on: 2025-10-16)
    Location: 1.2051 Seminarraum (Fabeckstr. 23/25)
    

    Information for students

    The Arabic reading course focuses on mosque conflicts and the discussion of correct behaviour within such sacred spaces. It tackles important debates, but also adds to the understanding of particular case studies.

• Traditions of Texts and Knowledge in the Middle East

  0593aB1.2

  Learning objectives:

  Students have a thorough understanding of the emergence and systematization of various traditions of knowledge and texts in the Near and Middle East, including their presentation and mediality, as well as the people involved in those traditions and the authority associated with them regarding religious, social and epistemological structures, especially from the beginnings of Islam to the present. They are aware of the historical and contemporary processes of collective formation and positioning of identity in cultures of knowledge and texts in the Near and Middle East; they have a conceptual toolkit of established theories and methods from the history of knowledge, cultural studies, and philology, which allows them to reflect on sources from different knowledge and text cultures and to present the results of their analyses orally and in writing appropriately.

  Content:

  The module deals with the history and current significance of textual cultures and knowledge cultures from the Near and Middle East, especially from the beginnings of Islam to the present day. This includes, on the one hand, the reception and further development of antiquity’s legacy in natural sciences and humanities (in philosophy, logic, mysticism, etc.) as well as scientific literature in the broadest sense through the centuries and, on the other hand, normative traditions, such as the exegesis of sacred texts as well as the study of traditions, norms, dogmatics, hagiography, religious ethics, or rituals. One focus is on the cultural and intellectual history of the Arabic-speaking world, Jewish history of knowledge and the relationship between Judaism and Islam as well as facets of the Christian Orient and Iranian religions in the past and present.

  Modes of instruction/ Contact hours / Regular attendance required

  Elective course / 2 SWS / yes

  Elective course / 2 SWS / yes

  Module assessment

  Written assignment (approx. 5000 words)

  Language

  English (or if applicable, Arabic, Hebrew, Persian, Syriac-Aramaic,Turkish)

  Total workload

  450 hours (15 credit points)

  duration / Frequency

  One or two semesters / Every semester
  • 13996 Lecture
    Thinking Across the Divide: Mathematics, History, and Society (Anuj Misra)
    Schedule: Mo 10:00-12:00 (Class starts on: 2025-10-13)
    Location: Arnimallee 10, Room 205
    

    Information for students

    If it is not possible to enrol for this course via Campus Management, please enrol via the form "Modul-, Lehrveranstaltungs- und Prüfungsanmeldung" when you decided to take the course. Please submit this document to the Studienbüro within the same time frame you would have to enrol in your courses in Campus Management, namely within the first two or three weeks of the course. The workload of the course equals 240 hours: attendance 30 hours, preparation and wrap-up 90 hours, presentation and Hausarbeit 120 hours. (Together with the companion course "Mathematics, Society, and the Mind" the workload equals 450 hours). For questions regarding credits you will have to approach your BA- or MA advisor of your study program."

    Additional information / Pre-requisites

    COURSE OVERVIEW This course discusses developments in mathematics within their historical, sociocultural, and philosophical contexts. In this course, students will learn about mathematical encounters between different cultures by reading historical documents from various sources. COURSE OBJECTIVES The objectives of this course are to train learners in (a) recognising diversity in mathematical thinking; (b) becoming aware of the interconnectedness between mathematical activities, sociocultural practices, geopolitical movements, and philosophical positions; and (c) analysing the past to engage with the present. In addition, the course is designed to help students develop transferable skills in historical analyses, critical thinking, verbal and written communication, and collaborative research. COURSE DESCRIPTION The course introduces the history of mathematical practices in different cultures. Through a series of lectures, we will examine select contributions from classical antiquity, post-classical history, and the modern period. Our emphasis will be on understanding the diversity in the mathematical thinking of different cultures. The lectures will include material from historical books, research articles, monographs, and textbooks. In addition, we will also include articles from ethnographic and anthropological studies to understand non-traditional forms of mathematical practice: for instance, the study of South Indian kolam (decorative patterns) design or the Mäori art of mahi kete whakairo (weaving of flax kits). Towards the end of the first half of this course, we will select (parts of) a historical mathematical text to discuss it in greater detail. This selection will be chosen in consultation with all participating students. For example, our selection could come from Euclid’s Elements, Brahmagupta’s Brahmasphu?asiddhanta, al-Khwarizmi’s Al-kitab al-mukhta?ar fi ?isab al-jabr wa?l-muqabala, Qín Jiusháo’s Shùshu Jiuzhang, Regiomontanus’ De Triangulis Omnimodis, Descartes’ Le Discours de la méthode, or Whitehead and Russell’s Principia Mathematica (to name just a few).

    Comments

    COURSE OVERVIEW This course discusses developments in mathematics within their historical, sociocultural, and philosophical contexts. In this course, students will learn about mathematical encounters between different cultures by reading historical documents from various sources. COURSE OBJECTIVES The objectives of this course are to train learners in (a) recognising diversity in mathematical thinking; (b) becoming aware of the interconnectedness between mathematical activities, sociocultural practices, geopolitical movements, and philosophical positions; and (c) analysing the past to engage with the present. In addition, the course is designed to help students develop transferable skills in historical analyses, critical thinking, verbal and written communication, and collaborative research. COURSE DESCRIPTION The course introduces the history of mathematical practices in different cultures. Through a series of lectures, we will examine select contributions from classical antiquity, post-classical history, and the modern period. Our emphasis will be on understanding the diversity in the mathematical thinking of different cultures. The lectures will include material from historical books, research articles, monographs, and textbooks. In addition, we will also include articles from ethnographic and anthropological studies to understand non-traditional forms of mathematical practice: for instance, the study of South Indian kolam (decorative patterns) design or the Mäori art of mahi kete whakairo (weaving of flax kits). Towards the end of the first half of this course, we will select (parts of) a historical mathematical text to discuss it in greater detail. This selection will be chosen in consultation with all participating students. For example, our selection could come from Euclid’s Elements, Brahmagupta’s Brahmasphu?asiddhanta, al-Khwarizmi’s Al-kitab al-mukhta?ar fi ?isab al-jabr wa?l-muqabala, Qín Jiusháo’s Shùshu Jiuzhang, Regiomontanus’ De Triangulis Omnimodis, Descartes’ Le Discours de la méthode, or Whitehead and Russell’s Principia Mathematica (to name just a few).

  • 13997 Seminar
    Mathematics, Society, and the Mind: A Seminar Series (Anuj Misra)
    Schedule: Di 14:00-16:00 (Class starts on: 2025-10-14)
    Location: Arnimallee 10, Room 010
    

    Information for students

    If it is not possible to enrol for this course via Campus Management, please enrol via the form "Modul-, Lehrveranstaltungs- und Prüfungsanmeldung" when you decided to take the course. Please submit this document to the Studienbüro within the same time frame you would have to enrol in your courses in Campus Management, namely within the first two or three weeks of the course. The workload of the course equals 330 hours: attendance 30 hours, preparation and wrap-up 180 hours, Hausarbeit 120 hours. (Together with the companion course “Thinking Across the Divide: Mathematics, History and Society", LV 13996, the workload equals 450 hours). For questions regarding credits you will have to approach your BA- or MA advisor of your study program."

    Additional information / Pre-requisites

    This is a companion seminar series for the lecture course on “Thinking Across the Divide: Mathematics, History, and Society” (LV 13996). Through a curated selection of research articles and primary texts (in translation), as well as topical seminars by visiting scholars, we will discuss the influence of language, culture, and identity on the mathematical thinking of different societies. The aim of the discussions will be to motivate students to reflect upon the philosophy of mathematics seen through the lenses of onto-epistemic pluralities.

  • 14461 Reading Course
    Ibn Falaquera and the Emergence of a Hebrew Philosophical Tradition (Lukas Mühlethaler)
    Schedule: Di 14:00-16:00 (Class starts on: 2025-10-14)
    Location: JK 25/138 weitere Hinweise zur Austattung unter: www.raum.geschkult.fu-berlin.de
    

    Comments

    This seminar examines the emergence of Hebrew philosophical writing through close readings (in translation) of selected works by the poet and philosopher Shem Tov Ibn Falaquera (c. 1225–1295) who played a central role as translator, compiler, and commentator in transmitting Arabic philosophy and science into Hebrew and Jewish contexts and helped establish a philosophical and scientific tradition in Hebrew. We will study excerpts from Sefer ha-Mevaqqesh (The Book of the Seeker), Iggeret ha-Vikkuach (The Epistle of the Debate), and Moreh ha-Moreh, Falaquera’s commentary on Maimonides’ Guide of the Perplexed. Our discussions will focus on how Falaquera frames philosophical inquiry as both religiously legitimate and rationally grounded, and how his writings contributed to the development of a Hebrew tradition of philosophical discourse. No knowledge of Hebrew is required, but participants with reading knowledge of Hebrew are encouraged to read the Hebrew text in parallel to the translations.

  • 14475 Seminar
    The People of the Comic Book: Jews and Comics (Lukas Mühlethaler)
    Schedule: Mo 14:00-16:00 (Class starts on: 2025-10-13)
    Location: K 23/27 (Habelschwerdter Allee 45)
    

    Comments

    In this course we explore the relationship between Jews and comics, from the creation of Superman in 1938 to the rise of Israeli graphic novels in the 21st century. We examine the outsized role Jewish writers and artists have played in shaping the comic book industry, as well as the ways Jewish identity, memory, ethics, and politics have been represented in the medium. Topics include American superheroes, Holocaust representation, autobiographical comics, and the development of a distinct Israeli comics scene. Readings will include works by Siegel and Shuster, Will Eisner, Art Spiegelman, Joann Sfar, Rutu Modan, and others. No prior knowledge of comics or Jewish history is required, just curiosity and a willingness to read both visually and critically.

  • 13995 Lecture
    Introduction to History of Ancient Science - Methods and Topics (Antonius Ossendrijver)
    Schedule: Di 10:00-12:00 (Class starts on: 2025-10-14)
    Location: Arnimallee 10, Room 010
    

    Information for students

    If it is not possible to enrol for this course via Campus Management, please enrol via the form "Modul-, Lehrveranstaltungs- und Prüfungsanmeldung" when you decided to take the course. Please submit this document to the Studienbüro within the same time frame you would have to enrol in your courses in Campus Management, namely within the first two or three weeks of the course. The workload of the course equals 240 hours: attendance 30 hours, preparation and wrap-up 90 hours, presentation and Hausarbeit (5000 words) 120 hours. For questions regarding credits you will have to approach your BA- or MA advisor of your study program."

    Additional information / Pre-requisites

    This course offers an introduction to methods, sources, and topics in the history and the historiography of ancient science. Addressed topics include past and present approaches to the study of ancient science (e.g Kuhn's paradigms, sociology of knowledge), philological, archival, and epistemological approaches); knowledge transfer; divination, mathematics, astral science, scholarly circles

  • 14180 Lecture
    Religious Minorities in the Iranian-Speaking World: Beyond the Mainstream (Khanna Usoyan)
    Schedule: Do 12:00-14:00 (Class starts on: 2025-10-16)
    Location: 1.2002 Seminarraum (Fabeckstr. 23/25)
    

    Comments

    This graduate seminar examines the diverse religious minorities of the Iranian-speaking world through their belief systems, oral traditions, and contemporary transformations. Designed for MA students in Iranian Studies and taught in English, the course explores how these communities maintain their religious identities while responding to modern challenges. The course focuses on several groups, including (Neo-)Zoroastrians, Yarsan (Ahl-e Haqq/Kaka'i), Yezidis, Alevis, Sufi orders, Mandaeans, as well as regional Jewish and Christian communities. Three key aspects structure our investigation: distinctive religious doctrines, the crucial role of oral traditions in preserving knowledge, and adaptive responses to globalization and social change. Students will engage with both textual sources and living traditions to develop a comprehensive understanding of these communities' historical evolution and contemporary realities. Upon completing the course, students will be able to map the religious landscape of the Iranian-speaking world, to analyze oral traditions as vehicles of cultural memory, and identify patterns of continuity and transformation within minority communities.

    Suggested reading

    Bruinessen, M. van, Mullas, Sufis and Heretics: The Role of Religion in Kurdish Society, collected articles, The Isis press, Istanbul, 2000; Hutter, M., Iranische Religionen: Zoroastrismus, Yezidentum, Baha?itum, De Gruyter, Berlin, Boston, 2019; Omarkhali, Kh. (ed.), Religious Minorities in Kurdistan: Beyond the Mainstream, Series: Studies in Ori¬ental Religions, vol. 68, Harrassowitz, Wiesbaden, 2014; So¨kefeld, M., "Religion or culture? Concepts of identity in the Alevi diaspora", in W. Kokot, K. To¨lo¨lyan and C. Alfonso (eds), Diaspora, Identity and Religion: New Directions in Theory and Research, Routledge, London, 2004, pp. 133-155; Sanasarian, E., Religious Minorities in Iran, Cambridge Middle East Studies 13, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2000; Raei, Sh. (ed.), Islamic Alternatives. Non-Mainstream Religion in Persianate Societies, Göttinger Orientforschungen, III. Reihe: Iranica, Neue Folge 16, Harrassowitz, Wiesbaden, 2017.

  • 14229-ISME Seminar
    The Mosque (Birgit Krawietz)
    Schedule: Do 12:00-14:00 (Class starts on: 2025-10-16)
    Location: 1.2051 Seminarraum (Fabeckstr. 23/25)
    

    Comments

    The seminar addresses a variety of local settings, comprising a huge temporal and geographical corridor. It takes a look at the history of mosque architecture/design and the emergence of certain types that can be related to different societies and regions. A number of famous buildings and their environments will be analyzed in some detail. Furthermore, mosques are not understood here as stand-alone building units; rather, we will tackle embedded places in their wider cultural and socio-economic functions. Dimensions like sound regimes, gendered spaces, and the genre of state mosques will be considered. A certain focus will be on mixed styles, modern mosques, and the phenomenon of transnational architecture.

  • 14230-ISME Reading Course
    The Mosque (Birgit Krawietz)
    Schedule: Do 14:00-16:00 (Class starts on: 2025-10-16)
    Location: 1.2051 Seminarraum (Fabeckstr. 23/25)
    

    Information for students

    The Arabic reading course focuses on mosque conflicts and the discussion of correct behaviour within such sacred spaces. It tackles important debates, but also adds to the understanding of particular case studies.

  • 14460 Advanced Seminar
    Jewish Philosophy – Major Texts and Central Questions (Lukas Mühlethaler)
    Schedule: Di 10:00-12:00 (Class starts on: 2025-10-14)
    Location: JK 25/138 weitere Hinweise zur Austattung unter: www.raum.geschkult.fu-berlin.de
    

    Comments

    This course offers an introduction to key questions and major texts in Jewish philosophy. It is open to all participants with intellectual curiosity and a reading knowledge of English. As an academic field, Jewish philosophy, as it is understood today, took shape from research concerns in the 19th century and came to include works situated at the intersection of Judaism and philosophical inquiry. Accordingly, the course engages central questions that emerge from this intersection and are addressed through philosophical reasoning. Major texts from antiquity to the present serve as case studies. At the same time, the course draws attention to approaches, problems, and traditions that have often been overlooked or marginalized in conventional accounts of Jewish philosophy.

  • 14471 Seminar
    Leo Strauss - Jewish Thought and Political Crisis (Reimund Leicht)
    Schedule: Do 14:00-16:00 (Class starts on: 2025-10-16)
    Location: 1.2052 Seminarraum (Fabeckstr. 23/25)
    

    Additional information / Pre-requisites

    The seminar will concentrate on a reconstruction of the formation of Strauss’ intellectual formation during his early years before WWII. Parts of his major works from this period will be read in class. The course will be taught in English, but most of the texts are also available in original versions in German. The seminar will also be attended online by students of the Hebrew University Jerusalem.

    Comments

    Leo Strauss (1899–1973) was an influential political philosopher and one of the most original interpreters of Jewish philosophy. His thought in both fields was deeply influenced by the experience of political crisis that characterized the Weimar Republic and German Jewry in the first decades of the 20th century. Starting his academic career with the study of a critic of Enlightenment and a research project on Spinoza, Strauss soon moved on to study Maimonides and other medieval Jewish and Arabic philosophers. Later in his life, his interests shifted more towards classical authors of European political thought. During his later years in the United States, Strauss became a controversial and influential critic of liberalism. At the same time, his theories about Maimonides’ philosophy and his distinction between “esoteric” and “exoteric” writing shaped whole generations of scholars on Jewish philosophy. Acquaintance with Strauss’ thought is a gateway to both, the interpretation of major aspects of medieval Jewish philosophy and to an important chapter in 20th century political philosophy and the philosophy of Judaism.

  • 14478 Advanced seminar
    How Maimonides' Mishneh Torah Transformed Jewish Law (Lukas Mühlethaler)
    Schedule: Mo 12:00-14:00 (Class starts on: 2025-10-13)
    Location: K 23/21 (Habelschwerdter Allee 45)
    

    Comments

    We examine how Maimonides’ Mishneh Torah transformed the structure and scope of Jewish law to understand why it sparked such controversy when it was completed and circulated in 1180. Intended as a comprehensive and self-sufficient code of law, the Mishneh Torah broke from earlier traditions of halakhic writing by omitting sources and offering definitive rulings across all areas of law, from ritual to ethics to political theory. While some hailed the work as a masterpiece of legal clarity and philosophical coherence, others saw it as an audacious challenge to rabbinic consensus and the centrality of Talmud study. The course focuses on readings of key sections and analysis of the work's reception across centuries. Knowledge of Hebrew is not required, but students with reading knowlege of Hebrew are encouraged to engage with the plain but elegant Hebrew of Maimonides’ Code.

  • 14481 Lecture
    Introduction to the History of Jewish Knowledge (Lukas Mühlethaler)
    Schedule: Mo 10:00-12:00 (Class starts on: 2025-10-13)
    Location: 2.2059 Seminarraum (Fabeckstr. 23/25)
    

    Comments

    This lecture course draws on questions and methods from the field of the history of knowledge (Wissensgeschichte) to introduce students to various traditions of Jewish knowledge. Using examples from antiquity to the present, we examine the forms and contents of knowledge, the processes of its production and accumulation, the individuals who act as its carriers, the diverse social contexts in which it develops, the modes of its communication and dissemination, and its practical applications. We do not treat “Jewish knowledge” as a fixed or static category. Rather, our aim is to understand the processes by which certain forms and contents of knowledge come to be regarded as “Jewish.” Accordingly, the course serves a dual purpose: to acquaint students with diverse Jewish knowledge traditions and to critically examine the criteria by which such traditions have been classified as Jewish.

• Languages of the Middle East

  0593aB1.3

  Learning objectives:

  Students can reflect critically on linguistic developments in the Near and Middle East drawing from the most important primary and secondary sources. They know the principles of classifying languages of the region (e.g. historically, comparatively, typologically, regionally) and are confident in applying various methods from empirical linguistics to the languages of the region (e.g. language documentation, field research, dialectology, variational linguistics, sociolinguistics). They know how to make use of models and examples demonstrating the complex interrelationship between language and society in different historical contexts; they can examine oral and written sources independently regarding linguistic issues and to present their observations in oral and written form in a structured and logical way.

  Content:

  The courses provide an overview of the region’s language groups, their historical sources, and their current classification (e.g. Semitic, Iranian, Turkish); furthermore, the module surveys linguistic ecology regarding topics such as nation states, minorities, gender, regional languages, diglossia, writing systems, and linguistic ideologies.

  Modes of instruction/ Contact hours / Regular attendance required

  Elective course / 2 SWS / yes

  Elective course / 2 SWS / yes

  Module assessment

  Written assignment (approx. 5000 words)

  Language

  English (or if applicable, Arabic, Hebrew, Persian, Syriac-Aramaic,Turkish)

  Total workload

  450 hours (15 credit points)

  duration / Frequency

  One or two semesters / Every semester
  • 14183 Seminar
    Northern Kurdish I (Kurmanci) (Khanna Usoyan)
    Schedule: Do 10:00-12:00 (Class starts on: 2025-10-16)
    Location: 1.2051 Seminarraum (Fabeckstr. 23/25)
    

    Comments

    Kurmanji, the most widely spoken Kurdish dialect, belongs to the northwestern Iranian branch of the Indo-European family. It is the primary language of Kurds in Turkey, Syria, northern Iraq, Iran’s Khorasan region, the Caucasus, and diaspora communities worldwide. Despite its broad use, Kurmanji faces challenges in standardization due to historical political constraints and limited institutional support. This course provides a foundational study of modern Kurmanji. Students will master the Latin-based alphabet (developed by Celadet Bedirxan in Hawar), essential grammar, and practical communication skills. Designed for Master’s students with no prior experience, the seminar combines structured lessons with interactive practice to build reading, writing, and conversational proficiency – equipping learners for further linguistic or regional studies.

    Suggested reading

    Bedir Khan, E.D. und Lescot. R., Kurdische Grammatik. Kurmancî-Dialekt, Bonn, 1986; Chyet, M., Kurdish-English Dictionary, New Haven and London, 2003; Chyet, M., Em hînî Kurmancî dibin [We learn Kurmanji], unpubl., last update 1999; Incekan, A., Kurdisch Kompakt Lehr- und Übungsbuch mit Lösungsschlüssel und CD, Wiesbaden, 2010; Omarkhali, Kh., Kurdish Reader. Modern Literature and Oral Texts in Kurmanji. With Kurdish-English Glossaries and Grammatical Sketch, Wiesbaden, 2011; Rizgar, B., Kurdish-English, English-Kurdish (kurmancî) dictionary, London, 1993; Thackston, W.M., Kurmanji Kurdish. A Reference Grammar with Selected Readings; Wurzel, P., Rojbas. Einführung in die kurdische Sprache, Wiesbaden, 1997.

  • 14185 Seminar
    Historical Grammar of Iranian Languages with Special Regard to Middle Iranian (N.N.)
    Schedule: Mo 14:00-16:00 (Class starts on: 2025-10-13)
    Location: 0.2001 Seminarraum (Fabeckstr. 23/25)
    
  • 14188 Reading Course
    Two Pamir languages (Desmond Durkin-Meisterernst)
    Schedule: Fr 15:00-17:00 (Class starts on: 2025-10-17)
    Location: 1.2058 Seminarraum (Fabeckstr. 23/25)
    
  • 14363 Methods Tutorial
    (MÜ) From Fieldwork to Manuscripts: Methods in Semitic Studies (Maciej Klimiuk)
    Schedule: Di 14:00-16:00 (Class starts on: 2025-10-14)
    Location: 1.2058 Seminarraum (Fabeckstr. 23/25)
    
  • 14364 Advanced seminar
    (HS) Introduction to Arabic Dialectology (Maciej Klimiuk)
    Schedule: Di 16:00-18:00 (Class starts on: 2025-10-14)
    Location: 1.2002 Seminarraum (Fabeckstr. 23/25)
    
  • 14371 Seminar
    (VS) Northwest Semitic Inscriptions (Grace Jeongyeon Park)
    Schedule: Mo 12:00-14:00 (Class starts on: 2025-10-13)
    Location: 0.2002 Seminarraum (Fabeckstr. 23/25)
    
  • 14152 Language Course
    Applied Arabic Grammar (Montserrat Rabadan Carrascosa)
    Schedule: Mo 12:00-14:00, Mi 12:00-14:00 (Class starts on: 2025-10-13)
    Location: 1.2052 Seminarraum (Fabeckstr. 23/25)
    

    Information for students

    Nachschreib-Klausur: 17. April 2026

    Comments

    "This course focuses on practical exercises using modern texts and audiovisual materials. Through reading and discussion of selected content, students will deepen their grammatical knowledge and gain insight into various aspects of Arab culture. The course aims to review and consolidate key grammar topics while developing dynamic reading comprehension. In addition, speaking skills and listening comprehension will be actively fostered. Written proficiency will be systematically trained through the production of text summaries."

  • 14178 Basic Course
    Avestan I (Alberto Cantera Glera)
    Schedule: Di 10:00-12:00 (Class starts on: 2025-10-14)
    Location: 1.2052 Seminarraum (Fabeckstr. 23/25)
    
  • 14179 Basic Course
    Middle Persian I (Alberto Cantera Glera)
    Schedule: Mi 10:00-12:00 (Class starts on: 2025-10-15)
    Location: 2.2063 Seminarraum (Fabeckstr. 23/25)
    
  • 14184 Seminar
    New Persian II (Ramin Shahzadi)
    Schedule: Di 14:00-16:00 (Class starts on: 2025-10-14)
    Location: K 23/27 (Habelschwerdter Allee 45)
    
  • 14187 Reading Course
    Bactrian II (Desmond Durkin-Meisterernst)
    Schedule: Fr 13:00-15:00 (Class starts on: 2025-10-17)
    Location: 1.2058 Seminarraum (Fabeckstr. 23/25)
    
  • 14361 Advanced seminar
    (HS) Introduction to Aramaic Linguistics (Shabo Talay)
    Schedule: Do 14:00-16:00 (Class starts on: 2025-10-16)
    Location: 2.2058 Seminarraum (Fabeckstr. 23/25)
    
  • 14365 Reading Course
    (Lk) Damascus Arabic (Maciej Klimiuk)
    Schedule: Do 12:00-14:00 (Class starts on: 2025-10-16)
    Location: 0.2052 Seminarraum (Fabeckstr. 23/25)
    
  • 14369 Seminar
    (S) Introduction to Semitic Languages and Linguistics (Nikita Kuzin)
    Schedule: Mo 14:00-16:00 (Class starts on: 2025-10-13)
    Location: 2.2058 Seminarraum (Fabeckstr. 23/25)
    
  • 14372 Reading Course
    (Lk) Northwest Semitic Inscriptions (Grace Jeongyeon Park)
    Schedule: Fr 12:00-14:00 (Class starts on: 2025-10-17)
    Location: 1.2001 Seminarraum (Fabeckstr. 23/25)
    

• Literatures of the Middle East in their Social Dimensions

  0593aB1.4

  Learning objectives:

  Students develop their analytical skills in the scholarly handling of written and oral sources from the Near and Middle East; they have an awareness of the origins and reception of literary production in the past and present. They can approach research questions in a methodologically and terminologically reflective manner based on various genres of texts and literary phenomena; they know how to evaluate secondary literature as well as the most important primary sources critically, and to describe, analyze and classify them historically and aesthetically. They can recognize connections and intertextual references and understand and historically contextualize mutual influences, continuities, and ruptures. They strengthen their ability to reflect and reason complex, multilingual, transregional matters. They are skilled to reflect their approaches to research questions and to present their analyses orally and in writing appropriately.

  Content:

  The module deals with selected epochs, authors, genres, language levels of the Near and Middle East or of a specific literary genre, using the most important sources and critically illuminating specialist literature. The courses provide an overview of partial epochs or literary genres, including debates concerning specific literary, social and gender-historical research problems. Students discuss significant texts in the regional languages regarding authorship, production processes, and media representations, as well as to influences and patterns of perception that have an impact on the literary reception from the regions of the Near and Middle East; thereby, they experiment with theoretical approaches to interpretation of sources from Arabic, Persian, Hebrew, Syriac-Aramaic, or Turkish literature.

  Modes of instruction/ Contact hours / Regular attendance required

  Elective course / 2 SWS / yes

  Elective course / 2 SWS / yes

  Module assessment

  Written assignment (approx. 5000 words)

  Language

  English (or if applicable, Arabic, Hebrew, Persian, Syriac-Aramaic,Turkish)

  Total workload

  450 hours (15 credit points)

  duration / Frequency

  One or two semesters / Every semester
  • 14151 Language Course
    Lovers, Gazelles, Mounts and Deserts - Classical Arabic Texts (Montserrat Rabadan Carrascosa)
    Schedule: Mo 10:00-12:00, Mi 10:00-12:00 (Class starts on: 2025-10-13)
    Location: 1.2052 Seminarraum (Fabeckstr. 23/25)
    

    Information for students

    Nachschreib-Klausur: 17. April 2026

    Comments

    In this course, participants will engage with a selection of classical Arabic texts by various authors and literary genres. The aim of the course is to provide an initial introduction to the richness and diversity of classical Arabic literature through close reading and discussion.

  • 14154 Reading Course
    Oneself in Modern Poetry of Arab Women (Maysoon Shibi)
    Schedule: Mi 12:00-14:00 (Class starts on: 2025-10-15)
    Location: 0.2002 Seminarraum (Fabeckstr. 23/25)
    

    Information for students

    The language of the course is English, but knowledge of Modern Standard Arabic is mandatory, as the reading material is literary material in Arabic.

    Additional information / Pre-requisites

    Good Arabic reading skills

    Comments

    "When we talk about an autobiographical text, we understand that we are dealing with a prose text. An autobiography is usually a long literary text in which the author narrates about himself or herself or his or her life. However, when we think about autobiography as a term, we find that it is possible to find references to it in poetry texts as well. In this course, we will learn about autobiography in Arabic literature by reading women's poetry from the twentieth century. This poetry contains many of the life experiences of Arab women, especially the experiences they faced in patriarchal societies. Among the most important experiences that began to crystallize in Arab women's poetry during this time are cultural and political experiences, which we will address in our lessons. "

  • 14181 Seminar
    Introduction to the Pre-Islamic Iranian Literature (Alberto Cantera Glera)
    Schedule: Di 12:00-14:00 (Class starts on: 2025-10-14)
    Location: 1.2002 Seminarraum (Fabeckstr. 23/25)
    
  • 14475 Seminar
    The People of the Comic Book: Jews and Comics (Lukas Mühlethaler)
    Schedule: Mo 14:00-16:00 (Class starts on: 2025-10-13)
    Location: K 23/27 (Habelschwerdter Allee 45)
    

    Comments

    In this course we explore the relationship between Jews and comics, from the creation of Superman in 1938 to the rise of Israeli graphic novels in the 21st century. We examine the outsized role Jewish writers and artists have played in shaping the comic book industry, as well as the ways Jewish identity, memory, ethics, and politics have been represented in the medium. Topics include American superheroes, Holocaust representation, autobiographical comics, and the development of a distinct Israeli comics scene. Readings will include works by Siegel and Shuster, Will Eisner, Art Spiegelman, Joann Sfar, Rutu Modan, and others. No prior knowledge of comics or Jewish history is required, just curiosity and a willingness to read both visually and critically.

• Research Perspectives

  0593aC1.1

  Learning objectives:

  Students practice forms of debate in Interdisciplinary Studies of the Middle East by examining current research projects. The aim of the module is to prepare students to compose a draft of an independent research project, which could serve as the basis for a master’s thesis and/or dissertation for those potentially interested in an academic career. Upon completion of the module, students will have gained an overview of current research trends in the Interdisciplinary Studies of the Middle East as well as in-depth knowledge and a critical understanding of a representative subject area and field of research; they will be able to participate in academic discussions with colleagues. They are familiar with different phases and aspects of research in Interdisciplinary Studies of the Middle East, and know how to identify methodological problems as well as the broader scholarly and social relevance of Interdisciplinary Studies of the Middle East.

  Content:

  In this module, students attend a course offering insights into current research perspectives, for example research colloquia at one of the cooperating institutes. Students discuss methodological, content-related and practical aspects of their research projects with researchers using presentations, selected current secondary literature, or previously circulated drafts of texts.

  Modes of instruction/ Contact hours / Regular attendance required

  Elective course / 2 SWS / yes

  Module assessment

  Academic conversation (approx. 20 minutes); the module assessment is graded on a pass/fail basis only.

  Language

  English (or if applicable, Arabic, Hebrew, Persian, Syriac-Aramaic,Turkish)

  Total workload

  450 hours (15 credit points)

  duration / Frequency

  One or two semesters / Every semester
  • 14158 Advanced seminar
    Manuscripts and Digital Humanities: Editing, Encoding, and Analyzing Ancient Texts (Christian Dane Casey)
    Schedule: Di 12:00-14:00 (Class starts on: 2025-10-14)
    Location: K 23/21 (Habelschwerdter Allee 45)
    

    Additional information / Pre-requisites

    English, general computer literacy, knowledge of one relevant language (Arabic, Greek, Egyptian, etc.)

  • 14159 Colloquium
    Colloquium (Beatrice Gründler)
    Schedule: Do 12:00-14:00 (Class starts on: 2025-10-16)
    Location: -1.2057 Seminarraum (UG) (Fabeckstr. 23/25)
    
  • 14362 Colloquium
    (C) Research Perspectives in Semitic Studies (Shabo Talay)
    Schedule: Do 16:00-18:00 (Class starts on: 2025-10-16)
    Location: 1.2001 Seminarraum (Fabeckstr. 23/25)
    

• Internship

  0593aC1.2

  Learning objectives:

  By completing an internship, participants in the module acquire experience in the professional application of knowledge from Interdisciplinary Studies of the Middle East in relevant institutions, organizations and companies, e.g. in university and non-university research institutions, in documentation institutions, journalism, archives and museums, in international organizations, non-governmental organizations, in working with migrants, in tourism; in adult and continuing education, furthermore, in the mediation of intercultural problems in academic and non-academic teaching and education settings, in knowledge transfer, management, and social, political and cultural lobbying, especially in companies and organizations operating internationally or in special world regions.

  Content:

  This module introduces students to the demands and nature of applying knowledge from Interdisciplinary Studies of the Middle East to professional work through an internship of at least nine weeks at an institution of their choosing. It is also possible to do complete shorter internships with a total workload of at least 360 hours. Before the internship, an agreement must be drafted and signed between the student, the degree program coordinator, and the internship host, in which the rights and obligations of the parties involved during the internship are defined. An internship report serves as feedback to the degree program coordinator; the report consists of an objective description of the work done and a reflection on the transfer of the student’s knowledge acquired through research to practical contexts.

  Modes of instruction/ Contact hours / Regular attendance required

  Internship / 9 weeks / yes

  Module assessment

  Internship report (approx. 5 pages); the module assessment is graded on a pass/fail basis only.

  Language

  English (or if applicable, Arabic, Hebrew, Persian, Syriac-Aramaic,Turkish)

  Total workload

  450 hours (15 credit points)

  duration / Frequency

  One or two semesters / Every semester
  Module with no course offerings

• Modules w/o courses in this semester

  5 Modules
  • Complementary Module (15 CP) 0593aC2.1
  • Complementary Module (10 CP) 0593aC2.2
  • Complementary Module (5 CP) 0593aC2.3
  • Complementary Module (5 CP) 0593aC2.4
  • Complementary Module (5 CP) 0593aC2.5