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Summer School of Kurdish Studies
May 25, 2018 @ 8:00 am - May 29, 2018 @ 5:00 pm
Sponsored by Zahra Institute
May 25-29, 2018
Venue: University of Chicago, Cobb Lecture Hall, 5811 S. Ellis Ave., Chicago, IL
Students and professionals interested in Kurdish language and culture are invited to participate in a four-day, intensive Summer School of Kurdish Studies. Each day’s program will consist of three sessions on Kurdish language and history followed by an evening film screening or cultural presentation.
Course I: Kurdish Language and Linguistics
Instructors: Mustafa Durmaz, Indiana University; Umit Atlamaz, Rutgers University
This course examines the Kurdish language, its dialects according to their geographical distribution, and its genetic affiliation with other languages and presents some core structural properties of Kurdish. By the end of this class, students will be familiar with the typology and general linguistic properties of the Kurdish language and also with the Kurdish alphabet, writing system and sound system.
Course II: Ottoman-Era Kurds
Instructor: Bahadin Hawar, Binghamton University
This course covers selected themes in the history of Kurds of the Ottoman Empire, from the sixteenth to the early twentieth centuries. After a general introduction, sessions will focus on the Kurds’ reaction to Ottoman centralization policies and on Kurdish educational and publishing activities.
Course III: Kurdish Intellectual Profiles
Instructor: Mucahit Bilici, City University of New York
This course introduces several key intellectual figures from Kurdish history, including Ehmedê Xanî, Saidi Nursî, and Cigerxwîn. The overall framework of the course combines intellectual history and sociology of knowledge. Each figure will be discussed in terms both of their ideas and their historical context.