Language Courses
Language courses have become a hallmark of Beth Mardutho: teaching classical Syriac to scholars, priests, and laity. In 2014, the institute began offering summer intensive courses in Beginning and Intermediate-Advanced Syriac, and, on occasion, Classical Arabic. Asynchronous online courses in Beginning Syriac were later started to meet the needs of a broader variety of learners. Almost 200 students have enrolled in our language classes in the past decade.
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Summer Language Intensives
Three-week intensive courses in Beginning Syriac and Intermediate-Advanced Syriac, taught by George A. Kiraz and Hannah Stork. Hybrid: on campus in Piscataway, NJ, with a synchronous Zoom option for distance learners.
Dates: June 1 – 18, 2026
Tuition: $875 per student per course -
SyriacOnline: Introduction to Syriac Online
A self-paced, asynchronous online course for students with no prior experience in Syriac: introductory reading, writing, and grammar using The New Syriac Primer, with recorded lectures and close instructor support.
Dates: Fall 2026: September 14 – December 31 (Spring 2027: February 8 – May 31)
Tuition: $750 -
Syriac Combo: Spring Online + Summer Intensive
Enroll in BOTH the spring Introduction to Syriac Online course and the summer Intermediate-Advanced Syriac course and receive a 25% discount on your registration cost.
Dates: Spring online: February 9 – May 31, 2026; Summer intensive: June 1 – 18, 2026
Tuition: 25% off combined registration -
Syro-Arabic Garshuni Intensive Course
An introduction to Syro-Arabic Garshuni through readings from various literary genres, taught by George A. Kiraz on Zoom. No Syriac needed, but at least two years of university-level Arabic (MSA or Classical) is required.
Dates: TBD (last offered January 11 – 22, 2021, Monday–Friday, 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM EST)
Tuition: $875 -
Digital Humanities Crash Courses
Two one-week crash courses — Digital Humanities with Hands-on Experience, and Programming for the Humanist — taught by George A. Kiraz and aimed at graduate students and faculty in the humanities. Knowledge of Syriac is not required.
Dates: TBD (last offered January 6 – 10 and January 13 – 17, 2020)
Tuition: $1500 per course -
Malayalam Garshuni
Fonts extending Beth Mardutho's Meltho fonts with support for 11 Malayalam Garshuni glyphs — a mixture of Syriac, Dravidian, and Southern Sanskrit (Grantha) alphabets — designed upon the scholarly advice of István Perczel as part of the ERC-funded JewsEast project.
These fonts are part of the Meltho fonts family.
Dates and pricing are kept up to date on this page. Questions about our courses? Contact us.