Courses

A general survey and examination of the socio-cultural structure of the modern Arab world.  Taught in English. This course explores the intersecting political, artistic, and intellectual currents and practices that have shaped contemporary Arab cultures. It is organized as a survey of different cultural phenomena in Arab societies and diasporas including: the Arabic language and its varieties, music, poetry, law, television & cinema, and more. We will critically examine various meanings of the term “culture,” such as social norms, popular culture, and the arts, asking: what is “Arab culture” and how should we study it? In the class, we will engage in self-reflective practices where we examine our experiences and shifting understandings of culture and put these in dialogue with scholarly sources. We will read essays from The Cambridge Companion to Modern Arab Culture (Ed. Dwight F. Reynolds) and engage with literary narrative, poetry, film, music, theater, and architecture from Arab regions. This course takes an active learning approach; we will cultivate a learning community that supports the intellectual development of each member and the whole. Students will play an active role in curating course content. GE Foundation: Historical and Cultural Studies, GE Foundation: Race, Ethnicity, and Gender Diversity

An examination of the social, legal, and religious position of women as they appear in the Hebrew Bible and the ways in which the have been represented and interpreted in later textual, visual, and audio sources.  Prereq: English 1110 (110). Not open to students with credit for 374. GE lit and diversity global studies course.  Cross-listed in Jewish Studies.  This course examines the cultural images and legal status of women during biblical times and late antiquity. Although its focus will be on the period of ancient Israel, students will also examine how biblical narrative and law have continued to have an impact on Jewish, Christian and secular culture. By looking at the images of women in biblical texts, students will be asked how contemporary feminist readers of the Bible have found new meanings in a literature that has been the subject of so much re-reading and re-writing over the centuries. The course will begin with a general review of biblical literature and a historical survey of the status of women in some ancient societies. Throughout, its approach will be interdisciplinary, inviting students to pursue interests in historical, literary critical, feminist, and religious studies approaches.

A study of how modern Jews appear in film compared with historical reality. Prereq or concur: English 1110.xx, or permission of instructor. Not open to students with credit for History 2455 (332). GE historical study course. Cross-listed in History.

An exploration of the nature and function of art in ancient Judaism from the standpoints of history, cultural history, and material culture. Prereq: English 1110 (110). GE VPA course.

An examination of the social, legal, and religious position of women as they appear in the Hebrew Bible and the ways in which they have been represented and interpreted in later textual, visual, and audio sources. Prereq: English 1110. Not open to students with credit for 2704, Hebrew 2704, or 3704. GE lit and diversity global studies. Cross-listed in Hebrew.

This course will read and analyze a variety of short stories to illuminate different cultures of the Middle East and South Asia. The goal of the course is to introduce students to diverse cultures through literature. Students will be become familiar with a variety of literary representations, social structures and religious, ethnic and racial diversity after the completion of this course. GE Foundation: Race, Ethnicity, and Gender Diversity

This course presents students with a multidisciplinary analysis of diversity and change in the modern Middle East. The ultimate goal of the course is to provide students with an enlarged perspective of the political, economic, social and theological issues in the Middle East and its diaspora, with close attention to diverse social categories such as race, religion, gender and ethnicity. Prereq: Not open to students with credit for IntStds 2200. GE soc sci orgs and polities and diversity global studies course. GE foundation social and behavioral sci and race, ethnicity and gender div course. Cross-listed in IntStds.

Introduction to the culture of the Middle East as lived in its villages, towns, and cities. Prereq: Not open to students with credit for 241 or Anthrop 2241 (241). Cross-listed in Anthrop. GE Foundation: Race, Ethnicity, and Gender Diversity. GE Foundation: Historical and Cultural Studies.

The course shows how everyday life in South Asia where caste is a category of oppression compares to everyday life in the United States where race is a category of oppression. Everyday life will also introduce students to how race and caste as categories of oppression interact with gender and ethnicity in the United States and South Asia. GE Foundation: Race, Ethnicity and Gender Diversity