Seminar : Oriental Christian Literatures [ LGLOR2921 ]

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Having completed one or more courses in one of the Oriental Christian languages or Greek. Exceptions may be allowed. 

This seminar concentrates on the critical analysis of recent studies (monographs, articles). The critical reading of original texts will be research oriented. The seminar addresses the literatures of the Christian Near East, primarily of the classical period, in a variety of languages: Coptic, Syriac, Arabic, Georgian, Armenian, and incidentally, Greek and Ethiopic.

Various subjects are taken up: - literary, religious and historical themes, relevant for the various communities in the region; - documentary evidence of the texts and their historical context (author, period, literary genre, typology, text transmission); - issues pertaining to translation and to the multilingual setting of Christian Near East; - interaction of Near Eastern Christianity with other traditions (Byzantine, Muslim).

At the end of the seminar, the student should have acquired :

- general knowledge of the various literatures of the Christian Near East;

- basic knowledge of modern scholarly approaches to these literatures;

- the heuristic skills of using the main research tools: dictionaries, encyclopedias, bibliographies, monographs and articles, proceedings, reviews, web-based resources;

- the ability to conduct personal research on special topics within the field of the Christian literatures of the Near East;

- the communication skills required to orally present the findings of a small-scale research project on a topic in the field;

- the communication skills required to actively participate in a discussion on a relevant subject;

- the ability to write a short essay on a relevant topic within the field and to take into consideration comments by the tutors.

Permanent evaluation, based on oral presentations, participation in group discussions, and on the essay. No oral exam at the end of the year.

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This seminar offers a critical analysis of scholarly research (monographs, articles) on special topics in the various literatures of the Christian Near East, mostly of the Classical period, in Coptic, Syriac, Arabic, Georgian and Armenian. Students are required to present and discuss their research assignments in the seminar and in a written essay. The course provides E-learning activities, with compulsary registration on the I-campus platform.

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Support : translated texts in printed form, in photocopies, and web-based materials. The course provides E-learning activities, with compulsary registration on the I-campus platform.