Fall 2014

Middle East Studies Seminar Mandatory for all MES concentrators

This seminar introduces students to the interdisciplinary field of Middle East Studies in the broader context of the history of area studies in the humanities and social sciences. Why and when did the Middle East become an area of study? What are the approaches and topics that have shaped the development of this field? And what are the political implications of contending visions for its future? The readings sample canonical and alternative works and the classes feature visits by leading scholars who research and write on this region. M

Foundational Courses

In this course, the historical origins and development of Islam will be studied in light of the sources and communities that shaped it. Themes to be explored include the central doctrines of Islam as derived from the Qur’an and traditions (sunna), the development of Islamic law (shari’ah) the Shi’i alternative, the growth of Muslim theology, philosophy, and mysticism (Sufism), and controversial issues among contemporary Muslims. WRIT DPLL LILE

In our exploration of Middle Eastern social movements, this course addresses the role of culture and art in social change; the relationship between faith and politics; as well as the impact of national, regional, and transnational discourses on identity, ethics, and citizenship. The study of social movements in the region will address the impact of technology, media, women’s rights and LGBT movements, as well as economic liberalization, entrepreneurship, and the politics of oil. Finally, we will trace the emergence and consequences of the “Arab Spring.”

MES Faculty Courses

This is an introductory course to the question of Israel/Palestine. The course uses a series of alphabetically ordered and carefully selected concepts as a way to cut through the dense history of the region and the conflicting forces that shape its present. From “Colonialism” to “Zionism”, each concept will be surveyed with respect to its history, the pattern of its present usages, the discursive formations to which it belongs, and its political impact, taking into account the inevitable, conflicting ideological biases and discursive constraints of the many kinds of knowledge about Israel/Palestine.

Are anti-colonial struggles human rights struggles? Is emancipation the objective of these struggles? Where and when do anti-colonial and human rights discourses converge and diverge? What is the role of violence in the moral, political and discursive trajectories of anti-colonialism and human rights? This course takes up these questions, starting with the reconstruction of the historical relationship between colonialism, anti-colonial struggles and the post-World War II formation of the international human rights regime. We then turn to discuss different authors who developed their anti-colonial thought and dealt with, appropriated or ignored human rights in their different conceptions of anti-colonial justice.

Social science studies the marginalized while ignoring elites and their role. This is especially the case with “Arab” Elites. Yet, to understand the conditions of the poor and marginalized, one must study elites. Elites are a lens to historically understand class formation in the Arab World, and influences beyond. We will consider how and why we study elites, different theories and methodologies of studying elites, and focus on elites in Arab societies. The course will deal with elites in the mandate period and early independence. The last part of the course will focus on elites in contemporary Arab society.

MES XLIST: Courses of Interest to Students Concentrating in Middle East Studies

The following related courses, offered in other departments, may be of interest to students concentrating in Middle East Studies. Please see the course listing of the sponsoring department for times and locations.

Anthropology
ANTH 1151 Ethnographies of the Muslim Middle East

Arabic
ARAB 0100 First-Year Arabic
ARAB 0110 Egyptian Arabic
ARAB 0300 Second-Year Arabic
ARAB 0500 Third-Year Arabic
ARAB 0700 Advanced Arabic: Tales of the City

Archaeology and the Ancient World
ARCH 0150 Introduction to Egyptian Archaeology and Art
ARCH 1475 Petra: Ancient Wonder, Modern Challenge

Assyriology
AWAS 0800 Introduction to the Ancient Near East

Comparative Literature
COLT 1310E A Classical Islamic Education: Readings in Arabic Literature
COLT 1811T Levantine Cities: Alexandria, Istanbul, Athens

Egyptology
EGYT 1310 Introduction to Classical Hieroglyphic Egyptian Writing and Language (Middle Egyptian I)
EGYT 1330 Selections from Middle Egyptian Hieroglyphic Texts
EGYT 1410 Ancient Egyptian Literature

History
HIST 0971N Warriors, Lovers, and Saints: The Middle Eastern Story-Cycle in Historical Context
HIST 0980I The Jewish Problem
HIST1453-S02 Civilization, Empire, Nation: Competing Histories of the Middle East
HIST 1461 Afghanistan: Crossroads of Empires to America’s Longest War
HIST 1970N Christian Muslim Relations in the Middle Ages
HIST1970Q Approaches to the Middle East
HIST1970A Students and Scholars in the Modern Middle East

International Relations
INTL 1802Q-S02 Iran and the Islamic Revolution

Judaic Studies
JUDS 0100 Elementary Hebrew
JUDS 0300 Intermediate Hebrew
JUDS 0500 Writing and Speaking Hebrew
JUDS 0671 Sex and Gender in Ancient Israel
JUDS 1670 Ancient Synagogues, Churches, and Mosques in Palestine
JUDS 1711 History of the State of Israel: 1948 to the Present
JUDS 1717 American Jews and Israel: From AIPAC to J Street
JUDS 1723 Jews and Muslims

Persian
PRSN 0100 Basic Persian
PRSN 0300 Intermediate Persian Language and Culture
PRSN 0500 Advanced Persian Language and Culture I

Religious Studies
RELS 0150 Islam Unveiled
RELS 0400 New Testament and the Beginnings of Christianity

Turkish
TKSH 0100 Introduction to Turkish Language and Culture I