neareasternstudies.cornell.eduNear Eastern Studies | Department of Near Eastern Studies

’ );Jump to main navigation Jump to section navigation Jump to main content Cornell University Department Homepage Academics Undergraduate Graduate Current Graduate Students Language Study Courses Faculty Research Faculty BooksContacts Kroll Travel Prize The College of Arts & Sciences Open search Open nav Search for: Near East, Middle East, Southwest Asia & North Africa Near Eastern Studies Study the languages, literatures, cultures, religions and history of regions from ancient Sumer to the modern Middle East. What is the "Near East"? The Near East is an older term for the Middle East. As defined by the department, the Near East” extends from Morocco (and medieval Spain), through Egypt, the Levant (Israel and Palestine, Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan), Turkey, Southwest Asia and North Africa (SWANA). Faculty specializing in the earliest millennia of the region’s history bring a range of disciplines, methods and theoretical orientations to bear on the study of what is conventionally called the ancient Near East. Geographically, our vision is wide, extending from the shores of the eastern Mediterranean to the lowlands of Mesopotamia, from the highlands of Anatolia and the Caucasus to the plains of southwestern Iran. Learn more about our faculty , research , undergraduate study and graduate study . Explore the Department Undergraduate Major Courses Faculty Language Study Ph.D. Program Support the department Near Eastern Studies News A career focused on voting rights 5/13/2024 Alumna Jenna Zitomer ’18 discusses her involvement with civic engagement through the Voter Participation Center in Washington, D.C. Read more Exploring the remains of ancient daily life 4/30/2024 The collection Households in Context: Dwelling in Ptolemaic and Roman Egypt” shifts the archaeological perspective from public and elite spaces such as temples, tombs and palaces to everyday dwellings and interactions of families. Read more Milstein faculty fellow’s course examines tech’s role in cultural preservation 4/29/2024 As the new Milstein Faculty Fellow in the Milstein Program in Technology & Humanity, Adam T. Smith co-developed a new course exploring how the latest technologies are reshaping cultural preservation. Read more Summer Experience Grant applications now open 4/01/2024 The grants provide funding for students in unpaid or low-paying summer experiences to offset the cost of taking on those positions. Read more Understanding politics at home and abroad: Sarah Cutler ’16 3/13/2024 Sarah Cutler, an alumna of Arts & Sciences, has used her work in journalism to help people understand political polarization in the U.S. Read more Students in DC examine antisemitism, Islamophobia 3/06/2024 Students from the Cornell Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy’s Cornell in Washington program will have an opportunity to observe in person how policymakers contend with Islamophobia and antisemitism at a White House briefing on March 14. Read more Talk focuses on academic freedom post Oct. 7 3/04/2024 On March 13, the Department of Near Eastern Studies in the College of Arts and Sciences will host Academic Freedom and Middle East Scholars after Oct. 7,” one of Cornell’s Freedom of Expression theme year events. Read more Support Arts & Sciences on Giving Day March 14 3/01/2024 Your gift allows the College to fulfill our mission — to prepare our students to do the greatest good in the world. Read more More News Courses of Interest New Fall 2024 Classes Gateway to Arabic Language and Culture : offered MW 2:55 - 4:10pm, 3 credits Introduction to Islam : offered TR 11:40am - 12:55pm, 3 credits Interpreting the Qu’ran : offered TR 2:55 - 4:10pm, 3 credits Bordering Humanity: Race and Migration in the Modern Middle East and North Africa : offered M 11:15am - 1:45pm, 3 credits Elementary Akkadian I : offered TR 2:55-4:10pm, 3 credits Ancient Egyptian I: Introduction to Middle Egyptian Hieroglyphs : offered TR 2:55-4:10pm, 3 credits All Fall 2024 courses More Information Current Graduate Students Recorded Lectures Alumni spotlights E-Newsletter Engage and Learn Major in Near Eastern studies Interested in exploring the languages, literatures, cultures, religions, and history of the Middle East from antiquity to the modern day? Consider pursuing a major in Near Eastern studies . My NES education afforded me the unique opportunity to look through a multifaceted lens of religion, culture, gender, and language and showed me how much the relationships of the past affect the present. All of these learning experiences proved to be vital in finding my future educational and career path and transformed my thinking in a capacity for which I will always be grateful. - Danielle Greco ’23 We also offer undergraduate minors in Arabic and Near Eastern studies. Study a Middle Eastern language Take Arabic , Hebrew , Turkish , or Persian to fulfill the College of Arts & Sciences language requirement! We also offer instruction in some of the ancient Middle Eastern languages like Akkadian, Biblical Hebrew, Hieroglyphic Egyptian, and Sumerian. NES Alumni Spotlight Alumni Spotlight: Nelly Silagy Benedek ’84 Alumni Spotlight: Cristian Gonzalez ’20 Alumni Spotlight: Sarah Powers ’11 Alumni Spotlight: Andy Warner ’06 Recent Publications Racial Blackness and Indian Ocean Slavery Parisa Vaziri December 2023 University of Minnesota Press Unknowing and the Everyday Sufism and Knowledge in Iran Seema Golestaneh February 2023 Duke University Press 409 White Hall Ithaca, NY 14853 United States Email Department of Near Eastern Studies 607-255-6275 Twitter Facebook Cornell University The College of Arts & Sciences Website Accessibility Privacy Policy Equal Education & Employment Emergency Information Land Acknowledgment © 2023 College of Arts & Sciences...