Introduction To Ge’ez
Introduction to Ge’ez
2026 Dumbarton Oaks / HMML Summer School
The 2026 course has just been announced. Apply now!
Introduction to Ge’ez
In partnership with Dumbarton Oaks, HMML will host an intensive four-week course on the Ge’ez language at an introductory level in summer 2026. This course is intended for doctoral students or recent PhDs who can demonstrate a need for Ge’ez in their research. Priority is given to students who lack opportunities to study Ge’ez at their own institutions. The program welcomes international applicants but does not sponsor J visas.
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Funder
Dumbarton Oaks, Washington, DC -
Location
The 2026 course will be taught on the beautiful campus of Saint John’s University in Collegeville, Minnesota, USA. -
Course level
Introductory level to Ge’ez -
Course length
Four weeks -
Dates
July 5, 2026 to August 1, 2026 -
Course size
Up to 10 students -
Application deadline
February 23, 2026 -
Cost
All course costs are covered by Dumbarton Oaks for the 2026 course.
Participants must pay their own travel costs to and from Collegeville, Minnesota, USA. -
Accommodations
Students will be housed in dormitory apartments on the Saint John’s University campus. Each participant will have an air-conditioned, private bedroom and bathroom, with shared kitchen and laundry facilities.
A meal contract at the college Refectory will be provided.
Course overview
Sessions are held Monday–Friday in the morning and afternoon. Total instruction time equals 114 hours. In this course:
- The Dumbarton Oaks/HMML 2026 summer course “Introduction to Ge’ez” will introduce students to the fundamentals of Ge’ez grammar at the introductory level.
- The goal of the course is to give students an active command of the language through grammar instruction and reading texts.
- The textbook for the course will be Classical Ethiopic in Twenty Lessons by Aaron Butts. Other supplemental materials prepared by the instructors will also be distributed to the students.
- Once a sufficient basis of grammar has been covered, a portion of the daily work will be devoted to reading and translating Ge’ez texts, which may be chosen based on student interest and will include both published texts as well as manuscript images.
- During the course, students will also be introduced to the primary lexica, manuscript repositories, and print and online resources available to aid them in their subsequent research on Ge’ez texts.
- By the end of the course, students will be able to independently approach Ge’ez texts with a comprehensive grasp of grammar and syntax and translate from Ge’ez into English with confidence.
- Following this intensive course, students will be able to continue reading on their own or to enter reading courses at other institutions.
Prerequisites
- Students will be required to learn the Ge’ez alphabet and practice reading and pronunciation before the course begins.
- Materials will be provided to aid in mastering the alphabet and for practicing reading and pronunciation.
- Those with significant prior study of Ge’ez (e.g., a semester-long class) will not be considered.
Faculty for 2026
- Guest faculty: Dr. Robert (Bob) A. Kitchen is a retired Minister of Knox-Metropolitan United Church, Regina, Saskatchewan. He began Syriac study at Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, CA; continued at Catholic University of America in Washington DC; and concluded under Sebastian Brock at the University of Oxford UK.
Dr. George Hakte, senior lecturer at the University of Vienna’s Institut für Orientalistik, where he teaches Ancient South Arabian (Sabaic, Qatabānic, Minaic, and Ḥaḍramitic) and Gəᶜəz, in addition to Syriac, Maltese, and Ugaritic. His research focuses on the histories and cultures of Yemen and Ethiopia during antiquity.
- HMML staff: Dr. Columba Stewart, Executive Director, HMML.; Dr. Jeremy R. Brown, Cataloger of Ethiopic Manuscripts.; and Dr. Matthew Heintzelman, Curator of Western European Manuscripts & Special Collections.
Application deadline
- February 23, 2026
Application submission
- Letter of no more than two single-spaced pages describing the applicant’s academic background, including language skills, and a description of why learning Ge’ez is important for the applicant’s future research and teaching. Please address the letter to Dr. Columba Stewart, HMML Executive Director.
- Current curriculum vitae.
- A transcript of graduate school coursework for those who are currently doing graduate study. This is not required for those who have completed a PhD.
- Two letters of recommendation.
Applicants
- Send all materials as email attachments to scholarlyprograms@hmml.org.
- Include “Ge’ez 2026 Summer School” in the subject line.
Letter of recommendation authors
- Letters of recommendation should be sent directly from the author of the letter to HMML. Please send the letter as email attachment to scholarlyprograms@hmml.org.
- Include “Ge’ez 2026 Summer School” and the applicant’s name in the subject line.
Selection criteria
- Applicants will be evaluated on the basis of previous academic achievement, demonstrated need for intensive study of Ge’ez, and research promise.
Notification of acceptance
- All awards will be announced by March 16, 2026.
- Students accepting a place in the course will need to notify HMML by March 30, 2026.
- Alternates, if space becomes available, will be announced April 1, 2026.
Questions
- Contact: Dr. Audrey Thorstad, Director of Programming, athorstad001@hmml.org.
About Dumbarton Oaks: Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection is an institute in Washington, D.C., administered by the Trustees for Harvard University. It supports research and learning internationally in Byzantine, Garden and Landscape, and Pre-Columbian studies through fellowships and internships, meetings, and exhibitions. Located in residential Georgetown, Dumbarton Oaks welcomes researchers at all career stages who come to study its books, objects, images, and documents.