When I began my term as the Chair of Near Eastern Languages and Civilization in July 2021, I imagined some headlines I’d like to see in a Spring 2022 departmental newsletter:
*Return to Classrooms as COVID Subsides!
*Public Events Resume in Person with the Farhat Ziadeh Lecture and More!
* Outstanding Faculty Member Stephanie Selover Promoted to Associate Professor with Tenure!
*Enthusiasm for Newly Established Language Minors!
*NELC Students Win Accolades and Earn Distinction!
*Exciting New Support for Persian Translation Projects!
*New Faculty Hires in NELC!
Remarkably, all of those desired successes I hoped to report have now come to pass. And you can learn more about these welcome developments from this, our first electronic NELC newsletter.
Here, let me call your attention to just a few aspects of our news stories. In noting some personnel changes, I wish to acknowledge faculty and staff who have contributed so much to our past endeavors, even as I extend a warm welcome to our newcomers.
In Spring Quarter 2022, most instructors and students are in the process of returning to in-person classes. Please note that graduation ceremonies are scheduled to take place on campus this year. NELC plans to hold its Convocation -- honoring students who are completing a major, minor, or MA in our department – on Friday, June 10 at 3:00-5:00 in the afternoon. Along with our 2022 graduating class, students who finished degrees in 2020 and 2021 are invited to join us and enjoy the kind of live event that we couldn’t hold for the past two years due to pandemic restrictions. Keep in mind that the University of Washington Commencement exercises are scheduled for June 11 and June 12. Families of NELC students are encouraged to include our departmental Convocation in their June celebrations!
At Convocation we also wish to honor Professor Michael Williams and Teaching Professor Gary Martin, who both retired in 2021 and are now members of our Emeritus faculty. Michael Williams, a distinguished scholar of early Christianity and related religious movements, for many years taught Coptic and a range of other courses that contributed vitally to NELC curriculum. He served as Chair of NELC from 1997-2005. In that role he was a model of thoughtful, judicious leadership. Gary Martin completed a PhD at the University of Washington in 2007 and since then has taught many courses in our program on Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near East Studies. His classes attracted hundreds of students every year, and NELC has benefited tremendously from both his teaching and his unflagging good cheer.
Yet another personnel change in NELC has come about as the Humanities Division at UW re-organized its academic advising responsibilities. Dr. Gabe Skoog served from 2014 to 2020 as our Undergraduate Advisor, and everyone in the department remains in his debt for the wonderful work and support he provided. Thank you, Gabe; we miss you. Special thanks and grateful acknowledgment now go to Dr. Nancy Sisko, Associate Director of Humanities Academic Services, who has taken on advising roles for NELC undergraduates and has helped guide faculty and staff through curriculum development, efforts to publicize and promote our courses, outreach to students, and the mysteries of MyPlan registration and the Time Schedule.
Building toward the future of the program in Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near East Studies, NELC has hired Dr. Kathryn Medill as an Assistant Teaching Professor. Her appointment begins September 2022. Another hire in the works will add new dimensions to NELC. The appointment of an Assistant Professor in the field of Jewish Cultures, Languages, and Literatures of the Eastern Mediterranean will expand on the already strong Sephardic Studies field at the University of Washington. This position will add Ladino to the rich array of other language courses taught in our department.
We are pleased to announce that NELC has two new adjunct faculty members: Prof. Matthew Mosca of the UW History Department and Prof. Scott Radnitz of UW’s Jackson School of International Studies contribute their expertise to our program in Turkic and Central Eurasian Studies. We also recognize with appreciation the visiting scholars and instructors who have enriched activities in NELC this year: Dr. Makda Weatherspoon, who has taught multiple courses in our Arabic program; Dr. Paula Holmes-Eber who taught Introduction to Islamic Civilization; Dr. Sarah Ketchley, who is offering a Spring Quarter course on digital humanities and discovering King Tut; Dr. Brendan Goldman who is offering a Spring Quarter course called Islam in Jewish Contexts and Judaism in Muslim Contexts; Dr. Gürbey Hiz of Kadir Has University, conducting research on Reşad Ekrem Koçu’s Dictionary of Istanbul; Merve Cengizhan, a Fulbright Language Teaching Assistant in Turkish; Affiliate Assistant Professor Naghmeh Samini, who taught courses on Iranian cinema and literature; and NELC Teaching Assistants, William Bamber, Bushra Demirkol, Forrest Martin, Corinna Nichols, Ayda Apa Pomeshikov,and Maral Sahebjame, as well as Research Assistant Andrew Weymouth and Predoctoral Instructor Nida Kiali.
Watch our website for more announcements, news updates, and an archive of departmental activities. Many thanks to Stephanie Selover, Selim Kuru, Shahrzahd Shams, Rick Aguilar, Patrick Gibbs, and Mitch Olsen for their work on this newsletter.
---Prof. Naomi Sokoloff, Chair NELC