Ben Notis

Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations PhD Student

Ben Notis is a PhD student in the department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations. His dissertation focuses on Hebrew poetry written during an exciting time of Jewish-Muslim interaction in al-Andalus (Islamic Spain) in the eleventh and twelfth centuries. He hopes to explore lyrical complaints about physical and mental breakdowns, betrayal and abuse, separation from friends and lovers, and the vicissitudes of Time. His other interests include medieval Arabic poetry, the histories of madness and emotions, and the cultural history of the human body. 

Education

M.A. Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, University of Pennsylvania (2020)

B.A. Near Eastern and Judaic Studies, Brandeis University (2017)

Research Interests

Medieval Hebrew poetry

Arabic literature

History of emotion and madness

Courses Taught

Teaching Assistant, Introduction to the Hebrew Bible, Professor Isabel Cranz, Fall 2019

Teaching Assistant, Modern Hebrew Literature and Culture in Translation: The Holocaust in Literature and Film, Professor Nili Gold, Spring 2020

Teaching Assistant, Introduction to the Hebrew Bible, Professor Isabel Cranz, Fall 2020

Teaching Assistant, The Making of the Middle East, Professor Paul Cobb, Spring 2021

Affiliations

The Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations

Jewish Studies Program