Degree and Diploma Programs by Graduate Unit
2014-15 SGS Calendar
Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations
Faculty Affiliation
Arts and Science
Degree Programs Offered
Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations—MA, PhD
Collaborative Programs
The following collaborative programs are available to
students in participating degree programs as listed below:
1. Diaspora and Transnational Studies
 Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations, MA, PhD
2. Jewish Studies
 Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations, MA, PhD
3. Sexual Diversity Studies
 Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations, MA, PhD
4. Women and Gender Studies
 Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations, MA, PhD
Overview
The Department of Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations
offers graduate programs leading to the Master of Arts
and Doctor of Philosophy in two fields:
 Ancient Near Eastern Studies
 Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies
Courses are offered and faculty conduct research in the
following areas: Egyptology, including archaeology,
language, history, and religion; Mesopotamia and the Near
East, including archaeology and Assyriology; SyroPalestinian archaeology; Hebrew and Judaic studies,
including Biblical and Rabbinic Hebrew, law, history, and
religion; Aramaic and Syriac studies, including language,
history, and religion; Arabic studies; Islamic studies;
history of the Islamic world and the modern Middle East;
Islamic art; Persian studies; and Turkish studies, including
Ottoman language and history.
Contact and Address
Web: http://nmc.utoronto.ca/
Telephone: (416) 978-3181
Fax: (416) 978-3305
Department of Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations
University of Toronto
2nd Floor, 4 Bancroft Avenue
Toronto, Ontario M5S 1C1
Canada
Degree Programs
Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations
Master of Arts
Minimum Admission Requirements
 Applicants are admitted under the General Regulations
of the School of Graduate Studies. Applicants must also
satisfy the Department of Near and Middle Eastern
Civilizations' additional admission requirements stated
below.
 An appropriate bachelor's degree in a relevant program
from a recognized university with an average of at least
B+, or equivalent, in the final year.
 Two letters of reference.
 Statement of academic intent.
 Some programs may require appropriate knowledge of a
primary source language, or one or more European
languages.
 Students choosing a concentration in Islamic Art and
Material Culture must have a reading knowledge of
French or German at the time of admission.
 Applicants whose primary language is not English, and
who graduated from a university where the language of
instruction and examination is not English are required to
meet the School of Graduate Studies English-language
proficiency requirements.
Program Requirements
 Depending on the amount of undergraduate preparation,
students may be enrolled in either a two-year program or
a one-year program option. Students can also complete
the MA through a coursework option or a thesis option.
 The MA program may be taken on a part-time basis.
 Students choosing a concentration in Islamic Art and
Material Culture are required to successfully complete at
least 6.0 FCEs in art and Near and Middle Eastern
Civilizations (a minimum of 2.0 FCEs in each). This is
normally a two-year program.
One-Year Coursework Option
 3.0 full-course equivalents (FCEs)
Two-Year Coursework Option
 6.0 FCEs
One-Year Thesis Option
 a thesis (1.0 FCE) under the guidance of a supervisor on
a topic approved by the supervisor; and
 2.0 FCEs
2014-2015 School of Graduate Studies Calendar
www.sgs.utoronto.ca/calendar
Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations
1
Degree and Diploma Programs by Graduate Unit
Two-Year Thesis Option
 a thesis (1.0 FCE) under the guidance of a supervisor on
a topic approved by the supervisor; and
 5.0 FCEs.
Program Length
3 sessions full-time 1-year option (typical registration
sequence: F/W/S);
6 sessions full-time 2-year program (typical registration
sequence: F/W/S/F/W/S);
9 sessions part-time 1-year option;
18 sessions part-time 2-year program.
Time Limit
3 years full-time;
6 years part-time
Doctor of Philosophy
Minimum Admission Requirements
 Applicants are admitted under the General Regulations
of the School of Graduate Studies. Applicants must also
satisfy the Department of Near and Middle Eastern
Civilizations' additional admission requirements stated
below.
 Admission via one of two routes:
1. MA degree in a relevant program from a recognized
university with at least an A- average or equivalent in
courses taken for the MA program.
2. Direct entry from a bachelor's degree for exceptionally
qualified applicants, at the discretion of the
department.
 Ability to conduct independent research.
 Competence in primary source language(s) relevant to
the applicant's research.
 Two letters of reference.
 Statement of academic intent.
 Writing sample of no more than 12 double-spaced pages
including footnotes.
 Curriculum vitae (CV)/resumé up to three pages in
length.
 Applicants whose primary language is not English, and
who graduated from a university where the language of
instruction and examination was not English, are
required to successfully complete one of the English
tests listed on the department website.
Program Requirements
French or German may be substituted with approval of
the Academic Advisor and the Graduate Coordinator. In
some cases, the department may require competence in
another language relevant to the student's program. The
choice of language(s) must be approved by the
department.
 Students are required to be registered on campus for the
period during which coursework requirements are being
fulfilled, and in no case for less than two academic
years.
 The minimum course requirement will normally be 6.0
graduate full-course equivalents (FCEs). Students who
have previously completed a two-year MA in the
department may apply for a course reduction that will be
granted at the discretion of the department. The
reduction should normally be 1.0 FCE, but may be up to
3.0 FCEs in cases of students who also have an
exceptional preparation in their field of study at the BA
level.
Program Length
4 years full-time; 5 years direct-entry
Time Limit
6 years full-time; 7 years direct-entry
Course List
Akkadian and Sumerian Languages and
Literatures
NMC 1001Y
Introduction to Old Babylonian
NMC 1002Y
Selected Standard Babylonian
Texts
NMC 1003Y
Akkadian Historical Texts
NMC 1004Y
Intermediate Sumerian
NMC 1005Y
The Assyrian Language
NMC 1006Y
Akkadian Literary Texts
NMC 1007Y
Akkadian Letters and Business
Documents (Early Period)
NMC 1008Y
Akkadian Letters and Business
Documents (Late Period)
NMC 1009Y
Introduction to Sumerian
NMC 1701Y
Selected Readings in Sumerian
 Program of study is determined in consultation with the
department and includes written and oral general
examinations. These examinations should be taken no
later than January in the year following the completion of
coursework for the PhD program.
 Students are required to demonstrate reading
comprehension in two languages of modern scholarship
(typically French and German), the first by the end of
their first year in residence, and the second by the end of
their second year of residence. A language other than
2014-2015 School of Graduate Studies Calendar
www.sgs.utoronto.ca/calendar
Ancient Egyptian Language and Literature
NMC 1201Y
Introduction to Middle Egyptian
NMC 1202Y
Middle Egyptian Texts
Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations
2
Degree and Diploma Programs by Graduate Unit
NMC 1203Y
Late Egyptian Texts
NMC 1204Y
Cursive Script
NMC 1209H
Old Egyptian Texts
NMC 1210H
Ancient Egyptian Historical Texts
NMC 1213H
Ancient Egyptian Religious and Funerary
Literature
Arabic Studies
NMC 2100Y
Introductory Standard Arabic
NMC 2101Y
Intermediate Standard Arabic I
NMC 2102Y
Intermediate Standard Arabic II
NMC 2103Y
Advanced Standard Arabic
NMC 2110H
Al-Jahiz and His Debate Partners
NMC 2130H
Introduction to Classical Arabic Literary
Prose
NMC 2131H
Introduction to Classical Arabic Poetry
Aramaic-Syriac Language and Literature
NMC 1410H
Archaeology and Material Culture of
Ancient Egypt II
NMC 1411H
Near Eastern Ceramics I
NMC 1412H
Near Eastern Ceramics II
NMC 1414H
Egyptian Artifacts
NMC 1416H
Egyptian Iconography
NMC 1417H
Architecture of Egypt
NMC 1418Y
Archaeology of Nubia
NMC 1419Y
Art, Archaeology and Culture of Egypt in
the Age of the Pyramids
NMC 1420H
Selected Topics in Near Eastern
Archaeology
NMC 1421H
Seminar in Egyptian Archaeology I
NMC 1422H
Seminar in Egyptian Archaeology II
NMC 1423H
The Archaeology of Mesopotamia I
(8,000–2,000 BC)
NMC 1424H
The Archaeology of Mesopotamia II
(2,000–330 BC)
NMC 1425H
Mesopotamian Material Culture I: Art and
Artifacts
NMC 1426H
Mesopotamian Material Culture II:
Architecture
NMC 1100Y
Introduction to Aramaic
NMC 1101Y
Early Syriac Texts
NMC 1102Y
Palestinian Aramaic Texts
NMC 1104Y
Aramaic Epigraphy
NMC 1105Y
Syriac Historical Texts
NMC 1427H
Archaeology of State Societies
NMC 1106Y
Syriac Exegetical Texts
NMC 1428H
NMC 1110H
Palestinian Targum
Problems in Mesopotamian Archaeology
I: Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age
Chronologies
NMC 1111Y
Babylonian Aramaic
NMC 1429Y
Polarized-Light Microscopy in
Archaeology
Archaeology
NMC 1400Y
Introduction to the Archaeology of the
Near East
NMC 1500Y
Archaeology, from Alexander to
Muhammad
NMC 1406Y
Problems in the Archaeology of Bronze
Age Syria-Palestine
NMC 2540Y
Islamic Archaeology
NMC 1407Y
Problems in the Archaeology of Iron Age
Syria-Palestine
NMC 1408Y
Seminar in the Archaeology of SyriaPalestine
NMC 1409H
Archaeology and Material Culture of
Ancient Egypt I
2014-2015 School of Graduate Studies Calendar
www.sgs.utoronto.ca/calendar
Gender-Related Topics in Law and
Religion
NMC 1607H
Life Cycle and Personal Status Issues in
Jewish Law—Biomedical Ethics and
Reproductive Technology
NMC 1608H
Gender Issues in Jewish Law
Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations
3
Degree and Diploma Programs by Graduate Unit
NMC 1609H
Gender-Related Topics in Law and
Religion
Hebrew Language and Literature
NMC 1305H
Early Hebrew Epigraphy
NMC 1306H
Scribes, Manuscripts, and Translations of
the Hebrew Bible
NMC 1307H
History of Ancient Israel
NMC 1308H
Readings in Hebrew Bible
NMC 1309H
Wisdom in Ancient Israel
NMC 1310H
The First Part of Isaiah
NMC 1311Y
Post-Biblical Hebrew: Mishnah and
Midrashim
NMC 1312H
Midrash Before the Rabbis: The
Beginnings of Biblical Interpretation
NMC 1313H
Mishnah and Tosefta
NMC 1314H
Law in Ancient Judaism
NMC 1315H
Advanced Readings in the Dead Sea
Scrolls
NMC 1316H
Modern Hebrew Poetry
NMC 1317H
Modern Hebrew Prose
NMC 1318H
Midreshei Halakha: Purity and Cultic
Texts
NMC 1319H
Midreshei Halakha: Legal Texts and
Narrative
NMC 1326Y
Topics in Midrashic Literature
NMC 1327H
Themes in Midrashic Literature
NMC 1328H
Intertextuality: Tannaitic and Amoraic
Literature
History
NMC 2081H
Anthropology of the Middle East
NMC 2090Y
Islamic History to the Fall of Baghdad
NMC 2117H
Readings in Medieval Arabic Chronicles
NMC 2118H
Readings in Medieval Arabic Biographical
Literature
NMC 2119H
Readings in Medieval Arabic Legal
Documents
NMC 2170H
Topics in Modern Arab History I
NMC 2171H
Topics in Modern Arab History II
NMC 2173H
Intellectuals of the Modern Arab World
NMC 2180H
Iranian Modernity
NMC 2225Y
History of Iran
NMC 2226H
Medieval Persian Historiography and
Diplomatics
NMC 2310Y
Ottoman History to 1800
NMC 2315Y
Topics in Ottoman History
NMC 2345Y
The Steppe Frontier in Eurasian and
Islamic History
Islamic Art and Material Culture
NMC 2500H
Early Islamic Art and Architecture
NMC 2501H
Persianate Art and Architecture
NMC 2515Y
The Islamic City
NMC 2521H
The Taj Mahal and Its Origins
NMC 2525H
Painting in Late Medieval and Early
Modern Iran and Beyond
NMC 2526H
Text and Image: The Formation of Arabic
and Persian Manuscript Illustration
NMC 2527H
Islamic Decorative Arts
NMC 1020H
Ancient Mesopotamia I: Sumerians and
Akkadians
NMC 2530Y
Selected Problems in Islamic Art and
Archaeology
NMC 1021H
Ancient Mesopotamia II: Assyrians and
Babylonians
NMC 2541Y
Contextualizing Medieval Middle Eastern
and Islamic Pottery
NMC 1401H
Ancient Egyptian Cultural History I
Linguistics
NMC 1402H
Ancient Egyptian Cultural History II
NMC 1651H
Phoenician and Punic Epigraphy
NMC 2080H
Theory and Method in Middle Eastern
Studies
NMC 1652H
Ugaritic
2014-2015 School of Graduate Studies Calendar
www.sgs.utoronto.ca/calendar
Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations
4
Degree and Diploma Programs by Graduate Unit
NMC 1653H
Issues in Ancient Hebrew Philology
NMC 2330Y
Readings in Ottoman Historical Texts
NMC 1654H
Advanced Ancient Hebrew Grammar
NMC 2331Y
Ottoman Palaeography and Diplomatics
NMC 1655H
Comparative Semitics
NMC 2340Y
Studies in Ottoman and Turkish
Literature
JNE 2320H
Modern Turkey
Persian Studies
NMC 2200Y
Introductory Persian
NMC 2201Y
Intermediate Persian
NMC 2220Y
Classical Persian Literature
NMC 2221H
Medieval Persian Ethical and Advice
Literature
NMC 2222H
Persian Mystical Poetry
NMC 2223H
The Masnavi of Rumi
NMC 2224H
Persian Myths, Islamic Legends, and
Mystical Allegories
NMC 2227H
Zoroastrian Cosmic History: From
Genesis to Universal Judgment
NMC 2228H
Zoroastrian Apocalyptic Literature: To the
Netherworld and Beyond
NMC 2229H
Introduction to Old and Middle Iranian
NMC 2235Y
Literature and Society in Modern Iran
Other Courses
NMC 2000Y
Directed Reading
NMC 2001Y
Directed Reading and Research
Religion and Philosophy
NMC 1613Y
Ancient Near Eastern Religions (PhD
students in Near and Middle Eastern
Civilizations excluded)
NMC 1614Y
Ancient Egyptian Religion (PhD students
in Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations
excluded)
NMC 2045Y
Islamic Philosophical Texts
NMC 2050Y
Prayer in Islamic Thought
NMC 2052H
Islamic Religious Thought
NMC 2053Y
Images of the Prophet Muhammad
NMC 2055H
The Qur'an and Its Interpretation
NMC 2056H
Readings in Qur'an and Tafsir
Turkish and Ottoman Studies
NMC 2300Y
Introductory Turkish
NMC 2301Y
Intermediate Turkish
2014-2015 School of Graduate Studies Calendar
www.sgs.utoronto.ca/calendar
Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations
5