College of Letters and Science
378 Kaplan Hall
Box 951511
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1511
Near Eastern Languages and Cultures
310-825-4165
Department e-mail
Kathlyn (Kara) M. Cooney, PhD, Chair
The Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures offers instruction in the major modern and ancient languages of the Near East: Akkadian, ancient Egyptian, Arabic, Aramaic, Armenian, Berber, Coptic, Hebrew, Persian, and Turkic. To meet increasing demands for a knowledge of this area and its past and present, it treats each language in a wide perspective—as a means of communication, as a vehicle of a cultural heritage, as a research tool for the area, and as an object of research itself.
The mission of the department is the discovery, interpretation, dissemination, and preservation of human values created over a period of five or more thousand years in an area that was the cradle of all civilization.
Undergraduate majors may be taken in Ancient Near East and Egyptology, Arabic, Iranian Studies, Jewish Studies, and Middle Eastern Studies. In each of these fields students must meet the requisites and take the courses prescribed. Their adviser assists in selecting a plan of study developed around their interests.
Students may combine their major with one in another department (double major) to enhance their educational opportunities. Due to the number of additional courses required, they are advised to consider this option early in their academic career and in consultation with program advisers in both majors.
Master of arts (MA) and doctor of philosophy (PhD) programs are offered in Ancient Near Eastern Civilizations, Arabic, Armenian, Hebrew, Iranian, Islamic Studies, Semitics, and Turkic.
Courses in the department prepare students for careers in government, foreign trade, teaching abroad, journalism abroad, archaeology, and further academic work involving the area.
Near Eastern Languages and Cultures courses are in the following subject areas:
