THEMATIC SEMINAR (NEAR AND MIDDLE EAST)

The Thematic seminar, for the master's degree in which it is offered, aims to develop a specific theme by analyzing it from the different linguistic and cultural perspectives of the Near and Middle Eastern context. For the academic year 2024-25, the topic will be the linguistic traditions of the Near East in Late Antiquity, with a focus on some case studies, such as the Arabic and Syriac traditions.

The expected learning outcomes relate to the analysis of linguistic literatures. Course participants will approach the topic of language description and canonization, also accounting for its historical and cultural components. Students will critically analyze the different language (re)presentations of the Near and Middle East from the perspectives of the authors of the respective linguistic traditions. Furthermore, they will familiarize themselves with theories, approaches, and methods in the fields of linguistics, metalinguistics, and philosophy of language.

General knowledge of the historical and cultural background of North Africa, and the Near and Middle East. Knowledge of English and the language of your study program.

An interdisciplinary approach is built into the program’s structure, utilizing methods from historical linguistics, sociolinguistics, discourse analysis, and philosophy of language. Students will be introduced to the study of language description and canonization by investigating historical aspects, source description and use, as well as studies from the linguistic traditions. The approach to the investigation will be primarily metalinguistic.

Main reference:
Auroux, Sylvain, E.F.K. Koerner, Hans-Josef Niederehe, and Kees Versteegh, eds. History of the Language Sciences / Geschichte Der Sprachwissenschaften / Histoire Des Sciences Du Langage. 1. Teilband. Vol. 1. History of the Language Sciences. Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton, 2000, pp. 215-344.
Further references and materials will be provided at a later stage.

All course participants are required to read all the reference texts that will be provided and to actively engage in discussing them in class.
The assessment will be based on: 50% presentation on a topic agreed upon with the lecturer; 50% oral examination on the course topics.

Lectures, group discussions, presentations.

Italian

The language of instruction is English. The final exam can be taken in Italian.

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