This class is designed as a two-semester sequence covering historical Hebrew grammar (proto-Northwest Semitic), Ugaritic grammar, and a selection of Ugaritic literature.
In the first semester: The first half of the class will introduce the major concepts of historical Hebrew grammar, with a particular focus on phonology and morphology. The second half of the course will introduce students to the Ugaritic language. Building on their understanding of historical Hebrew grammar and exposure to other Semitic languages, students will begin reading Ugaritic texts almost immediately. A broad overview of Ugaritic grammar and style will be provided, but the focus of the second half of this course is on learning by doing, and exposure to different genres of Ugaritic texts.
Ugaritic I: Historical Hebrew and Ugaritic Grammar Syllabus
In the second semester: The focus of this semester will be the reading of Ugaritic literature. The choice of texts will be made collaboratively between the students and professor to ensure that students have the opportunity to read the texts that are most interesting and relevant to them.