Examination of the evidence for the social roles of women in the ancient Near East as well as the gender constructions of ancient Near Eastern religious institutions and traditions. Analyzes written and archeological material from (1) ancient Sumerian, Babylonian, and Assyrian cultures from ancient Mesopotamia, and (2) Ugaritic, ancient Israelite, and other “Canaanite” cultures from the Levant. “Ancient Israelite” literature mostly consists of what is in the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, so a part of the course explores the expressed social roles of women and the construction of gender in biblical texts. Prerequisite: REL 111 or permission of instructor.