An introduction to the writing system and grammar of Ottoman Turkish through close reading of graded selections of printed texts from tghe late Ottoman and early Republican era. Introduction to Ottoman paleography and diplomatics. Documents will be in divani and rik'a scripts. Critical study of selected texts from the Babylonian and Palestinian Talmuds. Extracts from the major genres of medieval Arabic writing relevant to Islamic history.
Special attention is given to historical, geographical, and biographical literature.
An introduction to the reading of Arabic texts written by medieval Jews in the Hebrew script. The course is based on selections of poetry and prose. Problems of narrative, poetics, and the like may be discussed according to the interests of the class. The course studies different genres, periods, and authors, both classical and modern, with an emphasis on various techniques of literary analysis. The syllabus varies with the interests of the students and instructor.