Dr. John Hayes received his Ph.D. from the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures at UCLA in 1984. Since then he has taught at Cal, with occasional visiting stints elsewhere. His principal interests are Semitic linguistics; the history of Arabic and the grammatical study of Arabic; Sumerian; the contemporary Middle East. Dr. Hayes is a recepient of an Honorary Membership in the Golden Key International Honour Society; Honorary Members are professors, campus advisors, and community service leaders who have proven themselves exceptional in their careers in education and helping others.
For many years, John Hayes taught the department's large, introductory lecture course, NES 10. Most recently, he has taught Biblical Hebrew in MELC.
Semitic linguistics, Arabic, Akkadian, Sumerian