Kemetic Institute Community Classes

Community Classes are designed to introduce interested Black Community members to courses in classical African Civilizations and languages.
 
Ancient Egyptian Language Course

This eight-session course provides the student with an introduction to Middle Egyptian grammar properly known as Medew Netcher (Mdw Ntr) to the ancient Kemites (Egyptians) and called Hieroglyphs by the Greeks. It will give students the basic skills needed to read, translate, and transliterate literary, religious, historical and documentary texts. Students will learn how to transliterate, translate and read simple sentences in Medew Netcher by using actual phrases and epithets that appear in Kemetic texts, tombs, and temples. After learning the various nuances of grammar and sentence structure students will have the ability to recognize, translate, and read the most commonly used phrases. This course is a must for individuals planning to visit Kemet (Egypt) or those institutions in which numerous Kemetic artifacts are housed.

Students who have completed the beginners’ course and wish to continue their study of the language can go on to take our intermediate and advanced courses.


History, Culture and Literature of Kemet (Ancient Egypt) for Beginners

This eight-session course is an essential primer in ancient Egyptian (Kemet) civilization and culture, including accurate perceptions of ancient Egypt as an African civilization as well as its legacy and impact on the African community in the modern world. Using ancient Egyptian texts and material culture as a basis, this course surveys the political and social history of ancient Egypt from the unification of Kemet in about 3100 BCE and ending with its invasion and conquest by Alexander of Macedonia in 332 BCE. Students will learn first and foremost the significance of studying Kemet and its relationship to Nubia, the Mediterranean community and Western Asia.

Topics include: anthropological origins and ethnicities, political and historical development, geography, social institutions, status of women, belief systems, and daily life activities. The class will also consider how the modern west interprets Egypt as a major contributor to the development of western civilization, viewing itself in many ways as a legitimate heir of Egyptian culture, and yet at the same time, it categorizes much of it as culturally alien and otherly. This will be achieved through slide presentations, a study of the chronology and timeline of important events and the reading of Kemetic literature. A culminating activity will be a guided tour through the “Inside Ancient Egypt” exhibit at the Field Museum.

Beginning Course in Medew Netcher (Egyptian Hieroglyphs)