Course Description: 
The ancient Near East produced the oldest written texts in the world, along with much art and other artifacts. They provide a window into the ways of life, rituals, beliefs, hopes and fears of people living 2,500 to 5,000 years ago and illustrate the interplay between religion and human culture in all its various forms. This course will explore the interaction of culture and religion by examining the social contexts of ancient religious ideas and practices through close readings of texts from ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, Syria, Palestine and Israel. 

The goals of this course are to have students : 

1. use the context of ancient Near Eastern cultures to think both critically and imaginatively about the nature of religion as a basic response to and expression of the human condition;
2. recognize and appreciate the difficulties and possibilities inherent in undertaking a coherent, disciplined study of ancient religion, and to become aware of the diversity of perspectives within that study;
3. come to a distinct yet corrigible conception of "religion," and to be able to recognize its appearance not only within ancient religious institutions of diverse cultures, but also in other social/cultural forms; 
4. develop an understanding of ancient Near Eastern cultures as key instances in the diversity of human religious phenomena, and achieve a fluency in interpreting and describing them.

Course Requirements:
The course consists of class discussions, lectures, student projects, and, most of all, readings. This course is a reading course, and students' completion of all reading assignments is essential for their success. Assignments, discussions, lectures and tests all presuppose that students have read carefully and on schedule the assigned readings. 

Attendance and participation in discussions is expected of all students and will influence evaluation of their work (10%), which will also be based on their performance on daily quizzes (10% total), and four research papers (20% each). 

This course may be petitioned to meet the Writing Intensive requirement of the Liberal Arts Core.

Academic Integrity:
The Syracuse University Academic Integrity Policy holds students accountable for the integrity of the work they submit. Students should be familiar with the Policy and know that it is their responsibility to learn about instructor and general academic expectations with regard to proper citation of sources in written work. The policy also governs the integrity of work submitted in exams and assignments as well as the veracity of signatures on attendance sheets and other verifications of participation in class activities. Serious sanctions can result from academic dishonesty of any sort. In this course, students found cheating on a test or assignment will receive zero (0) credit for that test or assignment. For more information and the complete policy, see http://academicintegrity.syr.edu.

Class-room Behavior: A successful learning experience depends on students' behavior in class, as much as on the quality of their work and on the teacher's presentations.

• We encourage energetic discussion of relevant topics and expect different opinions among class members, but always express your ideas with respect for those who might disagree with you.
• Arrive on time. If you must be late, enter quietly. Do not leave during class except for medical emergency.
• Turn off cell phones, laptops, and tablets. If you wish to use an electronic device for class work (notes, assignments), you must sit in the front row of the class. Texting, e-mailing or web browsing during class are grounds for being dismissed from that day’s class.

Disability-Related Accommodations:
Students who are in need of disability-related academic accommodations must register with the Office of Disability Services (ODS), 804 University Avenue, Room 309, 315-443-4498. Students with authorized disability-related accommodations should provide a current Accommodation Authorization Letter from ODS to the instructor and review those accommodations with the instructor. Accommodations, such as exam administration, are not provided retroactively; therefore, planning for accommodations as early as possible is necessary. For further information, see the ODS website, Office of Disability Services http://disabilityservices.syr.edu/.

Textbooks (available at the campus bookstore in Schine Student Center): 

• Coogan, Michael D. Stories from Ancient Canaan. 1st or 2nd ed. Westminster, 1978, 2012. (=SFAC)
• Foster, Benjamin R. From Distant Days: Myths, Tales, and Poetry of Ancient Mesopotamia. Bethesda: CDL, 1995 (=FDD)
• Foster, John L. Ancient Egyptian Literature: An Anthology. Austin: U. of Texas, 2001. (=AEL)
• Holland, Glenn. Gods in the Desert. Rowman & Littlefield, 2009. (= Gods)

• The Jewish Study Bible: Tanakh (New Jewish Publication Society Version)
• or New Oxford Annotated Bible (New Revised Standard Version)

Gods 26-36, 122-129; 212-218; “Shipwrecked Sailor” AEL 8-16; “Hymns to Re & Amun” AEL 118-21; “Hymn to Shamash” FDD 254-61; Bible: Genesis 1-3; Psalm 8