Featured Elective Courses

ANTH 1150 Middle East in Anthropological Perspective
Thursday, 4:00 – 6:30 p.m.
Professor: Nadje Al-Ali

A seminar focusing on anthropological methods of analyzing and interpreting Middle Eastern cultures and societies. Emphasizes the study of kinship, tribal structure, social organization and gender relations, ethnic groups relations, and urban-rural distinctions. Draws upon insights from these topics as a basis for understanding contemporary social, economic, and political dynamics in the region.

COLT 0510K The 1001 Nights
Monday, Wednesday, Friday, 10:00 – 10:50 a.m.
Professor: Elias Muhanna

Explores the origins, performance, reception, adaptation, and translation of the 1001 Nights, one of the most beloved and influential story collections in world literature. We will spend the semester in the company of genies, princes, liars, slaves, mass murderers, orientalists, and Walt Disney, and will consider the Nights in the context of its various literary, artistic, and cinematic afterlives.

WRIT

HIST 1960S North African History: 1800 to Present
Friday, 3:00 – 5:30 p.m.
Professor: Jennifer Johnson

This course focuses on the francophone Maghrib (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia) and offers an introduction to major themes in the history of Africa and the Arab world in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Students will gain the tools to analyze and historicize the dynamic history of this region. We will examine a range of topics, including the transformations of pre-colonial social, economic and cultural patterns, conquest and resistance, comparative histories of colonialism, nationalism, decolonization, and revolution, the consolidation of postcolonial states, regional cooperation, the rise of Islamism and civil conflicts, and the Arab Spring.

JUDS 0608 The Parting of the Ways?: Questioning Jewish/Christian Difference
Monday, Wednesday, Friday, 2:00 – 2:50 p.m.
Professor: Jae Hee Han

How did a small apocalyptic Jewish movement from the backwaters of the Roman Empire turn into something that “we” might call Christianity? In other words, how and when did Judaism and Christianity “part ways?” While such questions might present themselves as straight-forward investigations into a historical event, they are not, in fact, as innocent as they might first appear. In this course, we will not seek to answer the question of the “Parting of the Ways” as much as we will critique it. Our aim is to reframe this crucial question by reflecting on the categories of religion, conversion, origins, narrative, and history, among others. We will read through a wide variety of ancient literature (including canonical and non-canonical Christian texts, rabbinic literature, Jewish poetry) and broach modern forms of “Jewish Christianity.”

WRIT

MES 1199 Anti-Semitism, Racism, Anti-Zionism: Debates, Contexts, Stakes
Thursday, 4:00 – 6:30 p.m.
Professor: Adi Ophir

Over the last two decades, negative perceptions, conceptions, and treatment of Jews, and the effort to preempt and suppress them have been marked by fierce debates about “antisemitism.” Everything about the term – what it designates, its historical, theological, and scientific origins, its current targets, how to trace and fight it, and its relation to racism, colonialism and anti-colonial struggles, anti-Zionism, and Islamophobia – is disputed among scholars, educators, and political actors, creating odd alliances and dividing old communities. The seminar offers a study of contemporary antisemitism in the context of these debates and their historical background, theoretical presuppositions, and political stakes.

RPP | WRIT

MES 1301 Interventions and Activism in the Contemporary Middle East
Wednesday, 3:00 – 5:30 p.m.
Professor: Fulya Pinar

It is not uncommon to hear simplifying perspectives when it comes to analyses of politics and the everyday lives of people in the Middle East. Instead of reducing lived experiences into binary categorizations (success or failure, authoritarian or democratic), this course examines the intricate relations between top-down political decisions, interventions and bottom-up resistance movements. It raises questions about the connections among economy, crises, democracy, and humanitarianism, and introduces diverse stories and perspectives. Using comparative historical and social scientific analysis, we will discuss topics ranging from struggles against colonial containment to the role of urban movements in social change; from the impacts of Global North-induced crises on Islamic mobilization to the use of humanitarianism as a governance tool; from LGBTQ+ movements to artistic and digital unrest; and from “Arab” Spring to the intersectionality of struggles across identities.

WRIT

MES 1501 The Palestinian Revolution, 1948-1982
Tuesday, 4:00 – 6:30 p.m.
Professor: Abdel Razzaq Takriti

The phenomenon generally referred to in Arabic as the Palestinian Revolution (al-Thawra al-Filastiniya) was momentous by any standard. Unfolding over several decades between 1948 and 1982, it had profound implications for the history of Palestine, the Middle East, and global anti-colonialism. Traditionally, it is studied using top-down state, diplomatic and military themes in history and politics. In contrast, this course focuses on the grassroots level, approaching Palestinian revolutionaries as subjects, rather than objects, of politics and history. While taking account of the role of external historical forces, the focus here is on Palestinian popular structures, movements, cadres, philosophies, feminist initiatives, songs, poetry, art, tactics, and strategies. As such, the course explores the development of collective agency, political production, and active engagement with history. It also addresses transnational connections that bound the Palestinian revolution with other anti-colonial struggles and solidarity movements worldwide.

RPP | WRIT

PRSN 0720 Modern Iran: Literature, Media & Pop Culture
Tuesday, Thursday, 1:00 – 2:20 p.m.
Professor: Michelle Quay

From the world-famous novels of Shahrnoush Parsipour to the subversive rap lyrics of Hichkas; from the Oscar-winning films of Asghar Farhadi to state-sponsored TV propaganda of the Islamic Republic – this course takes a wide-ranging approach to understanding contemporary Iranian culture and society. Through a broad selection of sources translated into English, students will familiarize themselves with recent historical events in Iran and become more acquainted with various aspects of Iranian culture. The chronological focus will be from the 1979 Iranian Revolution to the present and will be organized around a number of social and political themes, including corruption, authoritarianism, multiculturalism, race, social class, religion and gender relations. No proficiency in Persian (Farsi) is required to enroll; however, a separate discussion will be offered for students with Persian proficiency. No prior knowledge of the Middle East needed to enroll.

RELS 1530B Heresy and Orthodoxy in Islamic Thought
Monday, 3:00 – 5:30 p.m.
Professor: Nancy Khalek

Orthodoxy is defined as "right belief" while Heresy is just the opposite, but those definitions have always been in tension with society and culture. This course will interrogate theory and history to ask "What are Islamic Orthodoxy and Heresy?" From Islamic Law to who is or is not a "heretic" we will uncover interpretations of religious law, practice, and culture to learn how scholars apply orthodoxy or heresy to disrupt and unsettle notions of what "Islam" was at different moments, and how their interpretations force us to think of new ways to envision the formation of communities.

TKSH 0720A Understanding Modern Turkey Through Film and Literature
Monday, Wednesday, Friday, 1:00 — 1:50 p.m.
Professor: Esra Ozdemir

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.

Academics