Egyptology and Literature Study Abroad Program

Program Courses

All students studying on the Egyptology and Literature program at Ain Shams University take the following manditory program courses:

Arabic Language
IFSA-Butler and Ain Shams University designed this program course specifically for non-native Arabic speakers. Modern Standard Arabic with exposure to the Egyptian Arabic dialect will be the focus of this course.

Egyptology: Art and Architecture of Ancient Egypt
The program course, taught in English will cover the history, monuments and civilization of Pharonic Egypt, from the beginning of the dynastic period (3100 BC) to the end of the medieval state (1781 BC).

Students who study abroad for the fall semester will study the art and architecture from the Predynastic Period to the end of the Middle Kingdom. The course begins with predynastic art, and covers locations and works such as the development of the royal tombs of the Old Kingdom, the step pyramid at Saqqara, the funerary complex of King Cheops at Giza and the Temple of Mentuhotep at Deir el Bahari from the Middle Kingdom. Additionally, students will learn about religious concepts of art and architecture in ancient Egypt, as well as learning how to date Egyptian art. Field trips will be to locations such as Giza, Saqqara and El Minia.

Students who study abroad for the spring semester will study the art and architecture from the New Kingdom to the Late Period. Examples of art and architecture in locations, such as the New Kingdom temples of Karnak and Luxor, the Valley of the Kings, the tomb of Tutankhamun, the Bayariya Oases and el-Armarna, will be examined. Students will learn to understand the religious concepts of art and architecture during these periods, as well as how to date Egyptian art. Field trips will be to locations such as Luxor, El Bahareya and the Cairo Museum.

Elective Courses

In addition to the mandatory program courses, students will be required to take at least three electives. All students must complete the course preference form (located under the Forms tab) and list the electives in order of preference. We cannot guarantee that all the electives will be offered every semester; availability depends on the enrollment of program participants in the courses.

Below is a list of the elective courses taught in English and the description of each course.

• Classical Arabic Poetry Arabic poetry is traditionally divided into eras representing different historical phases in the life of the Arabs. These include the pre-Islamic (Jahilite), Islamic, Ummayad, Abbasid, Memaluke, Ottoman and modern eras. Particular emphasis will be on the first four eras, which span more than half a millennium and include the names of the most famous and influential classical Arab poets. Students will become familiar with the basic traditions and forms of Arabic poetry. This course will relate Arabic poetry to the culture that gave rise to it. Recurrent terms in the course include the traditions of chivalry, hospitality, ghazal (courtly love), the image of the woman, panegyric and satire, which represent some of the major themes of Arabic poetry. Poets to be studied include Muru' Al-Qays, Al-Mutannabi and others.

• Modern Arabic Poetry During the last 150 years, Modern Arabic poetry has witnessed a development similar to that which took place in Europe from the early 18th century, starting with a revival of great classical traditions and an attempt to emulate the work of the great masters of classical Arabic poetry. It developed, under Western influence, into a Romantic movement that swept the major metropolises of the Arab world, especially in Egypt, Lebanon and Syria. The movement continued to evolve into a free-verse movement that corresponded roughly to the Modernist development of poetry in the Anglo-American world at the hands of T. S. Eliot and Ezra Pound, and progressed into a more postmodern reality. The course will trace that development and explore the ways in which the modern Arabic poem differs from the classical poem, how it relates to the questions of imperialism, political conflict in the Middle East, and the controversy between the traditionalist intellectual trends and modernist secular ones.

• Aspects of Islamic Culture: Concepts and Texts This course seeks to introduce students to aspects of Islamic culture from an Islamic perspective. The course will provide an overview of some major aspects of Islamic culture. Particular importance will be given to Islam as it was traditionally understood before the late 18th and 19th century encounters between Islam and the West. The course will help students understand how contemporary Islam, as perceived by the Western world, differs from the traditional Islam that the West first encountered with the rise of colonization. The course will focus on the Islamic faith, Sharia (Islamic law), its traditional division into four schools, Islam's brand of pluralism and Sufism as the embodiment of Islamic spirituality. The course will also shed light on the role of Wahhabism in the creations of the contemporary picture of Islam, especially in the Western mind. Areas of interest will also include major Islamic contributions to science and the humanities, with a focus on the questions of authorship, plagiarism and the transmission of knowledge in written form.

• Nation and Narration This course will focus on examples of Contemporary Arabic fiction that aim at narrating the nation, especially in times of national turmoil that threaten the very existence of the people. The course is based on the premise that a distinction should be made between stable and unstable societies, rather than between First and Third Worlds. Literature, being a product of its society, is compelled to take on a political dimension that is inseparable from the daily life of conflict and strife that the individual has to undergo and simultaneously becomes a tool of resistance against the threats facing the nation. Students should have prior familiarity of the novel as a genre and understand the methods of a close reading of text.

Exams

Because of the differences in the academic systems, you will not know your exam schedule until after you arrive at your host university. Your host university's policies do not permit you to reschedule any exams, request alternate assessments or arrange to have your exams proctored in the United States. If this occurs, IFSA-Butler cannot assist you in conducting an academic record query for the course in which you made this arrangement. You will need to complete and submit all academic work prior to departing the program.

Credits

• Arabic Language = 4 U.S. semester credit hours
• Egyptology: Art and Architecture of Ancient Egypt = 5 U.S. semester credit hours
• Classical Arabic Poetry = 2 U.S. semester credit hours
• Modern Arabic Poetry = 2 U.S. semester credit hours
• Aspects of Islamic Culture: Concepts and Texts = 2 U.S. semester credit hours
• Nation and Narration = 2 U.S. semester credit hours

Registration

You will be provisionally registered for your elective courses based on your first three preferences indicated on the couse preference form. You must take a full course load as determined by IFSA-Butler. Credit will be awarded on a Butler University transcript based on a typical U.S. full course load. All courses are graded on an A-F scale, and there is no provision for pass/fail or auditing. The program courses and credits you take must equal a total of 15 to 17 U.S. semester credit hours. The number of classes a student takes depends on the number of U.S. semester credit hours each class is worth.

You should also be aware that you may be charged additional fees by your home institution or host university to take or process additional credits. Taking less than a full course load may jeopardize your student status and result in personal academic repercussions and/or loss of financial aid.

Transcripts

After you have returned to the U.S., your home university will receive a Butler University transcript with the credit and grades you earned on the Egyptology and Literature program at Ain Shams University. The Butler University transcript will report the equivalent U.S. semester credit hours and letter grades. We also will send an official transcript to your permanent address.

Academic Statement

Think of your statement as a college admissions essay. Your academic statement should be about 500 words and outline the reasons why you want to study on the Arabic Language, Arts and Culture program at Ain Shams University. A statement can be especially useful for providing additional information which is not immediately apparent from your transcript, but relevant to your application. You should discuss your reasons for wanting to study in Egypt and why the program at Ain Shams University appeals to you.

Your statement should also describe how and why a study abroad semester at Ain Shams University will assist you in achieving your academic, personal and professional goals. You should send your statement with the other Egyptology and Literature forms found under the Forms tab. Your application will not be complete until your statement has been received.