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Major in Ancient Near Eastern Studies
The Ancient Near East is where history begins. It is
where the first crops were sown, the first towns built, and where writing
was first invented. The origins of Western culture are to be found in its
great civilizations, from the three great monotheistic religions -
Christianity, Islam, and Judaism - to everyday aspects of our life that we
take for granted, such as the alphabet and marking time by hours and
minutes.
The Near Eastern Studies major can be the focal point of
a broad liberal arts education, as well as a basis for graduate study. As
an undergraduate major, you can study the civilizations of the ancient Near
East in general or specialize in one of the four main areas: Northwest
Semitic Languages and Literatures (including Biblical Studies), Egyptology,
Assyriology, and Near Eastern Archaeology. You can also major in ancient
history, in conjunction with courses in other departments. A complete
listing of courses may be found in the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences On-line
Course Catalog. For information about applying to Johns Hopkins see
Undergraduate Admissions.
Requirements for Major
All students majoring in Near Eastern Studies must take
two years of one ancient Near Eastern language and at least four courses of
historical nature, 300-level or above. Your adviser will help you to devise
a program around this core, tailored to your individual interests and
needs.
Students intending to continue at graduate level should
acquire a reading knowledge of German or French or both. Qualified
undergraduates may be admitted to 600-level courses. These are small,
intimate seminars in which you will get the opportunity to experience the
cutting edge of new research, working together with the professor and
doctoral students.
Minor in Ancient Law
Ancient Law is a pre-law program with a difference. It treats
law not as a technical profession but as a liberal arts subject, one of the
major achievements of human civilization. It considers fundamental
questions of law like "What is a contract?" "What is a
crime?" by seeing them through the eyes of societies with legal
systems utterly different from our own.
The minor is a combined program of the Classics and Near
Eastern Studies Departments and you are encouraged to take classes in both.
Ancient Law is suitable not just for pre-law students but for anyone who
wants an intellectually challenging option that looks at cultures other
than our own.
Requirements for Ancient Law Minor
The minimum requirement is 18 credits, all in courses at
300 level or higher. The distribution requirement is:
- 3 survey courses in
ancient law
- 2 survey courses in
ancient history / civilization
- 1 course in an aspect of
modern law or legal theory (e.g. Constitutional Law, Law and
Psychology, Philosophy of Law).
For students interested in learning an ancient language,
an alternative configuration is possible:
- 2 semesters of a language
(Akkadian, Biblical Hebrew, Egyptian, Greek
or Latin)
- 3 courses in ancient law
- 1 course in ancient
history / civilization
The minor is directed by Professor Raymond Westbrook in the
Department of Near Eastern Studies. For further details, contact Professor
Westbrook at rwestb@jhu.edu.
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