BA in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations in Chicago United States | University of Chicago

Students majoring in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations (NELC) at the University of Chicago engage in intensive study of a region often called the birthplace of civilization, home to major religious and cultural traditions, and a key geopolitical area in today's world. The NELC program equips students with language proficiency and teaches them how scholars across disciplines—including archaeology, economics, history, linguistics, and literary studies—critically assess evidence. Through small class environments, students develop strong analytical writing, critical thinking, and research abilities that serve as foundations for diverse career paths. The department's focus spans from the Nile to Oxus and Danube to Indus regions, extending to North Africa, Islamic Spain, Central Asia, and the Balkans, covering periods from the early Bronze Age to modern revolutionary times. The curriculum offers instruction in numerous languages, from contemporary Middle Eastern and Central Asian dialects (Arabic, Armenian, modern Hebrew, Kazakh, Persian, Turkish, Uzbek) to ancient scripts (Aramaic, Babylonian, Biblical Hebrew, Coptic, Egyptian Hieroglyphics, Elamite, Geez, Hittite, Middle/Old Persian, Ottoman, Syriac, Ugaritic). As an interdisciplinary area studies department, NELC emphasizes learning through primary sources—whether material artifacts, oral traditions, or texts—while incorporating scholarly perspectives. Students can tailor their studies using various academic approaches, including stratigraphy, paleobotany, comparative literature, cultural studies, economics, numismatics, gender studies, diverse historical methodologies, human rights, public policy, and digital humanities techniques.