Starting in Fall 2019, the Program in Humanistic Studies will offer the first course, HUM 247/NES 247 “Near Eastern Humanities I: From Antiquity to Islam,” of a two-semester sequence. The course, which will be taught by Professor of Classics Johannes Haubold and Assistant Professor of Near Eastern Studies Daniel J. Sheffield, will focus “on the Near East from antiquity to the early centuries of Islam, introducing the most important works of literature, politics, ethics, aesthetics, religion, and science from the region. We ask how, why, and to what ends the Near East sustained such a long period of high humanistic achievement, from Pharaonic Egypt to Islamic Iran, which in turn formed the basis of the high culture of the following millennium.” The sample reading list includes: W. K. Simpson, The Literature of Ancient Egypt: An Anthology of Stories, B. R. Foster, Before the Muses: An Anthology of Akkadian Literature, M. D. Coogan, The New Oxford Annotated Bible, Prods Oktor Skjaervø, The Spirit of Zoroastrianism, and M. A. S. Abdel Haleem, The Qur'an: A New Translation. The course will fulfill a requirement for the Humanistic Studies certificate.