Introduction to the languages and cultures of Byzantium and the medieval Near East

Teacher(s)

Van Elverdinghe Emmanuel;

Language

French
> English-friendly

Prerequisites

None.

Main themes

Introduction to the Byzantine studies and to the study of the medieval Middle East, focusing on the linguistic and cultural diversity. For the domains concerned by the course, the following topics are presented :

• introduction to the history and geography;
• introduction to the linguistic systems of the most important languages of the area;
• sketch of representative works on the literatures written in these languages;
• notions on other cultural productions.

Learning outcomes

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :
1	have a general view of the concerned fields of studies;
2	identify the main characteristics of the languages and writing systems of the languages of the area;
3	recognize the main characteristics of major cultural productions;
4	have recourse to basic bibliographical tools and digital resources.

Content

The course offers an overview of Byzantine civilization and of the medieval Near East (4th-15th century) and provides the necessary tools for a more in-depth study of the different domains considered. Particular attention is paid to the diversity of languages and literatures in the areas in question. In addition to Byzantium, the course will tackle aspects of the Syriac and Arabic cultures, Armenia, Georgia, Coptic Egypt, Ethiopia, and the Slavic world. As this is an introductory course, the presentation will focus on fundamental concepts, such as

• basic linguistic notions;
• writing systems in use;
• key historical, geographical and confessional milestones;
• a selection of major literary and artistic works or movements.

Teaching methods

The lecture takes place, as a rule, in-person. In addition, students are required to submit a short writing assignment, according to the instructions given at the beginning of the term.

Evaluation methods

• Oral examination on the contents of the course (60%).
• Personal research assignment (40%).

Online resources

Course materials (instructions, bibliography, documentation, etc.) will be made available gradually on the Moodle course page.

Bibliography

Une bibliographie d’orientation est disponible sur Moodle. / A bibliography is available on Moodle.

Faculty or entity

EHAC