Featured Elective Courses

A survey of the history and society of ancient Egypt from prehistoric times to the end of the Eighteenth Dynasty (ca. 5000-1300 BC). Readings include translations from the original documents that serve as primary sources for the reconstruction of ancient Egyptian history.

WRIT

This seminar investigates the historical bases of some of the major debates which continue to dominate contemporary discussions on the Middle East. These include debates on colonialism and its legacies; problems associated with the post-colonial Middle Eastern state (the "democracy deficit": human rights; oil; political Islam); and arguments about the causes and consequences of some of the major events in Middle Eastern history (the Israel-Palestinian conflict; the Iranian revolution; the Lebanese civil war; 9/11 and the Iraq invasion; and the Arab Spring).

DIAP | WRIT

In this seminar we examine how French colonial power deployed itself in different parts of the world both through self-legitimizing discourses and the imposition of political and economic systems of domination. We read classic and more recent scholarship on colonial wars and violence, the ideology of the French “civilizing mission”, legal and economic discrimination and how colonialism transformed local ecologies. Colonial power was constantly debated, resisted, and subverted across metropole and colonies. We pay close attention to these voices and trace the emergence of political anti-colonialism in the aftermath of the First World War. We will examine how French colonialism was fought and eventually (partially) dismantled towards the middle of the 20th century. The course will end with an examination of current debates about the legacies of French colonialism in France and in formerly colonized countries.

DIAP | WRIT

This undergraduate seminar studies Jewish women in different temporal and geographical contexts, internally within their own communities and externally with other neighboring religious groups. Visual and material sources (iconography, artefacts, architectures, film) are examined in dialogue with texts (biblical and Talmudic writings, medieval and modern commentaries, contemporary literature) to explore the binary of male authority and female agency. Case studies will encompass the Middle East and Europe from antiquity to the present. Two field trips will complement the visual and theoretical focus in class.

WRIT

A historically oriented survey of mystical philosophies and social practices associated with Sufi Islam. We will concentrate on three areas: (1) Concepts and practices going back to the earliest men and women identifiable as Sufis; (2) Prose and poetry of two medieval masters—Ibn al-ʿArabi (d. 1240) and Jalaloddin Rumi (d. 1274)—who have had long-lasting influence on Sufi thought; and (3) Sufi social practices as seen in the history and ethnography of societies in Asia and Africa. The course will pay special attention to the way Sufis have addressed aesthetic, ethical, and existential issues faced by human beings.

This course will introduce students to modern Turkey and offer a wide range of perspectives on the society and its culture. Each week, we will focus on a single theme such as: family and gender; social classes and their interaction with each other; Istanbul and its neighborhoods; Turkey’s role within Europe; ethnic identities and their recognition by Turkish society; Turkish media and entertainment; modernism and political Islam; important events in the very recent history of Turkey including the Hrant Dink assassination, terror attacks, and the 2016 coup d’état attempt; education and academic freedom; modern literature; specific cultural practices and rituals; foreigners’ perspectives on Turkish society; and modern Turkish sensory experiences including music and cuisine.