2023 Beth Mardutho Summer Language Courses, Beth Mardutho Campus, Piscataway, NJ, and Zoom, June 19–July 7, 2023
Beth Mardutho's summer intensive classes return on June 19-July 7. Beginning Syriac and Intermediate-Advanced Syriac will be offered as usual. Both classes are hybrid: held at Beth Mardutho’s campus in Piscataway, NJ and also offering a synchronous online option for distance learners. We highly recommend students attend in person, since previous students have progressed more quickly with the language and have enjoyed the collegial atmosphere of working on homework together.
Classes are supplemented by lectures from Syriac Studies scholars and field trips. The NJ/NY area is a hub for many different churches from the Syriac traditions. We usually organize a trip to a local Syriac Orthodox monastery, and students can choose to attend Syriac liturgy in order to interact with Syriac heritage communities, see their living traditions, and hear Syriac spoken and sung aloud.
Syriac I: Introduction to Syriac. Instructors: George A. Kiraz and Hannah Stork
June 19 - July 7, 2023; 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM EST
Students with no prior experience in Syriac will learn introductory reading, writing, and grammar using The New Syriac Primer, 2nd Edition and should be able to translate introductory texts by the end of the course using a dictionary.
Syriac culture will also be introduced using modern recitations of liturgical and secular songs, and students can meet members of the Syriac community on a field trip to a local monastery.
Classes will be held Monday–Friday, 3 hours per day. Students are expected to spend the rest of the day doing homework and preparing for the next day’s lesson.
Syriac II: Intermediate-Advanced Syriac. Instructors: George A. Kiraz and Hannah Stork
June 19 - July 7, 2023; 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM EST
This course is geared towards students who have already learned Syriac and would like to dig deeper into the grammar and nuances of the language. Each day we read texts, work through the grammar of Coakley-Robinson, and translate between Syriac and English.
The Syriac texts that we translate differ from year to year. The instructor sets them for the first week, but for the rest of the course, students pick texts of interest to the group. Previous readings have included extracts from the Peshitta, Acts of Addai, Kalilah and Dimnah, and poems by Ephrem, Isaac of Nineveh, and Michael the Great. Students will also be exposed to West Syriac, East Syriac, and Estrangelo manuscripts.
The Beth Mardutho library, one of the largest private libraries in the world on Syriac material, is at the disposal of the class.
Classes will be held Monday–Friday, 3 hours per day. Students are expected to spend the rest of the day doing homework and preparing for the next day’s lesson.
Tuition and Housing
Class fees for the 2023 year are $875 per student per course. This includes tuition, use of the research library, and snacks. Textbooks and accommodation are not included.
Students are responsible for arranging their accommodation in or around New Brunswick. On occasion Beth Mardutho can connect students to community partners with available rooms; other students have found housing through AirBnB. We offer daily pick-up and drop-off from the New Brunswick Train Station for individuals who do not have personal modes of transportation.