Hebrew and Aramaic Studies (research) Leiden University

Overview

The research master in Hebrew and Aramaic Studies is delivered by internationally-acclaimed experts at Leiden University. Leiden University’s Chair of Hebrew and Aramaic actively contributes to scholarship in the field, and classes regularly reflect ongoing research. You will benefit from a broad range of relevant adjacent disciplines for the study of ancient languages and civilisations – many of them rarely taught elsewhere – as well as from Leiden’s famous up-to-date library resources.

Focus on your area of interest

The programme can be tailored towards your specific needs and is known for its close attention to individual interests. Languages and primary sources constitute the backbone; they equip you with a lasting set of tools. You may focus on the literature and culture of Ancient Israel against the backdrop of the world of the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible/Ancient Judaism, from its emergence in around 1200 B.C.E. until its disappearance as a political entity in 135 C.E.

Expanding your scope

You may also expand your scope by putting a stronger focus on cognate languages: a great variety of pre-modern forms of Aramaic, Phoenician, Ugaritic, and other small corpus idioms, and their contribution to the region's wider cultural history. Electives from other fields offer additional possibilities for specialisation (e.g., Linguistics, Ancient History, etc.).

What you will learn

The development of in-depth knowledge in the field and the ability to think critically and analytically are key goals of this programme. The Classics and Ancient Civilizations (research) programme introduces you to the concepts and academic approaches current in Classical and Ancient Near Eastern Studies, including disciplines such as: linguistics, history, religious studies or material culture studies. You will learn to use these concepts and approaches in researching and analysing source material. Your thesis gives you the opportunity to apply these methods in your own research.

Your future employers will not only be interested in your knowledge of Classics and Ancient Civilisations, but also in the skills that you have developed during your studies.You will be training the following transferrable skills:

• critical thinking (formulating questions, assessing sources and scholarship)
• analytical skills (selecting, ordering, sorting out, and solving a problem)
• oral presentation skills (speaking, listening, discussing, receiving feedback)
• writing skills (reporting, summarizing, presenting an argument)
• independence (self-discipline, initiative, motivation)
• project management (planning, discipline, meeting deadlines)
• flexibility (adapting to changes)
• creativity (curiosity, developing new ideas)
• academic integrity (acting with honesty, responsibility)
• collaboration (working together)

Career prospects

Our graduates end up working in a diverse range of positions, examples include:

• PhD candidate at Dutch and international universities
• Project assistant at a Dutch city council
• Research assistant at a university
• Curator at a museum
• Policy officer at a ministry
• Communications officer
• Programme manager
• Teacher of classical languages at a secondary school

Accreditation

Accredited by NVAO, the Accreditation Organisation of the Netherlands and Flanders.