Admission requirements
None
Description
Hittite is the language of the Hitttie Kingdom that ruled over large parts of Anatolia and Syria from ca. 1650-1200 BCE. It is the oldest attested Indo-European language, and it has come down to us on thousands of clay tablets and fragments written in cuneiform script. In the first part of this course will be devoted to the learning of the Hittite language (in transliteration). In the second part, a selection of Hittite texts of various genres will be read (partly in Hittite, partly in translation), including historical, religious, literary and juridical documents. In class, the syntax and meaning of the texts will be discussed, as well as their social-historical context. Students will read source texts and articles in preparation for each class and give one presentation about a topic of their choosing at the end of the course.
Course objectives
Students will learn
to independently read, translate and analyse Hittite texts with the aid of a dictionary (independent learning, analysing);
to give a clear and well-argued oral presentation (oral communication, presenting);
to formulate a research question, to find secondary literature and to organize and structure a written text (paper) (research, written communication)
to assess and contextualize the available source material and become familiar with the methodological problems involved in their interpretation (analysing, reflecting)
Timetable
The timetables are available through My Timetable.
Mode of instruction
Seminars: 4 hours per week
Assessment method
Assessment
The final grade of this course consists of the following elements:
Midterm exam (50%). This exam will consist of two parts: (1) an unseen Hittite text that students need to translate with the help of the information from the reader; (2) short open questions on the basis of excerpts of Hittite texts that have been read in class
Assignments & class participation (10%)
Oral presentation (10%)
Term paper (30%)
Weighing
The final mark for the course is established by determining the weighted average. To pass the course, the weighted average of the partial grades must be 5.5 or higher.
Resit
The mid-term exam and the paper may be resit at the end of the semester.
Inspection and feedback
How and when an exam review will take place will be disclosed together with the publication of the exam results at the latest. If a student requests a review within 30 days after publication of the exam results, an exam review will have to be organized.
Reading list
Reader and other literature will be made available through Brightspace.
Registration
Enrolment through MyStudyMap is mandatory.
General information about course and exam enrolment is available on the website.
Contact
For substantive questions, contact the lecturer listed in the right information bar.
For questions about enrolment, admission, etc, contact the Education Administration Office: Arsenaal
Remarks
Not applicable.