Fall 2023 Courses

MES

MES 1151 Middle East in Anthropological Perspective 
Tuesday, 4:00 – 6:30 p.m.
Professor: Fulya Pinar
Barus & Holley 155

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.

MES 1968 Approaches to the Middle East 
Wednesday, 3:00 – 5:30 p.m.
Professor: Beshara Doumani
101 Thayer Street 116A

When and why did the Middle East emerge as a field of study? What are the competing approaches to framing our understanding of this pivotal region? How did these approaches change over time? This upper-level seminar explores these questions within the larger context of colonial, national, and other ongoing encounters that have shaped modern regimes of knowledge production. The class features visits by leading scholars from different disciplines who reflect on the questions they ask and how they go about answering them. Readings range from canonical works to innovative new scholarship. No pre-requisites but previous coursework on this region recommended.
WRIT

MES 1971 Senior Honors Thesis Fall
Professor: Alex Winder

The purpose of this course is to guide students through the development and construction of their senior thesis project. It will provide them with empirical, methodological, and theoretical toolkits, as well as practical writing strategies, to help students bring their respective theses to fruition. Open only to Senior students pursuing honors in Middle East Studies. Instructor permission required.

WRIT

LANGUAGES

Arabic

ARAB 0100 First-Year Arabic (Alla Hassan) 
ARAB 0300 Second-Year Arabic (Miled Faiza)
ARAB 0500 Third-Year Arabic (Elsa Belmont Flores)
ARAB 0850 Advanced Reading and Composition in Arabic: Kalila wa-Dimna (Miled Faiza)

Hebrew

HEBR 0100 Elementary Hebrew (Ruth Adler Ben Yehuda)
HEBR 0300 Intermediate Hebrew (Ruth Adler Ben Yehuda)
HEBR 0500 Writing and Speaking Hebrew (Ruth Adler Ben Yehuda)

Persian

PRSN 0100 Basic Persian (Michelle Quay)
PRSN 0300 Intermediate Persian Language and Culture (Michelle Quay)
PRSN 1100 Reading Persian for Research (Michelle Quay)

Turkish

TKSH 0100 Introduction to Turkish (Esra Özdemir)
TKSH 0300 Intermediate Turkish II (Esra Özdemir)

ELECTIVES

For courses that may count towards electives, meet with the Director of Undergraduate Studies to discuss

Archaeology 

ARCH 0152 Egyptomania: Mystery of the Sphinx and Other Secrets of Ancient Egypt (Robyn Price) FYS | WRIT
ARCH 0440 Goats, Grains, and Gilgamesh: Archaeology of the Ancient Near East (Zachary Silvia) 

Assyriology

ASYR 1600 Astronomy Before the Telescope (John Steele)
ASYR 2400 Akkadian Literary and Religious Texts (Matthew Rutz)

Center for Language Studies

LANG 0710 Protest and Dissidence in Iran (Michelle Quay) WRIT | FYS

Egyptology

EGYT 1310 Introduction to Classical Hieroglyphic Egyptian Writing and Language (Middle Egyptian I) (Christelle Alvarez)
EGYT 1330 Selections from Middle Egyptian Hieroglyphic Texts (Silvia Nigrelli)
EGYT 1430 Pyramids, Power, Propaganda: Ancient Egyptian History to 1300 BCE (Laurel Bestock) WRIT
EGYT 2200 Monumentality and Texts in Ancient Egypt (Christelle Alvarez) Graduate Seminar 

French Studies

History

HIST 1953S Costs of Resistance: History Through Film (Suvaid Yaseen)
HIST 1963Q Sex, Power, and God: A Medieval Perspective (Amy Remensnyder) WRIT

International and Public Affairs

IAPA 1201F Gender and Sexuality in the Middle East (Nadje Al-Ali)

Italian Studies

ITAL 1001 Borders, Belonging, and Memory in the Black Mediterranean (Eleanor Paynter)

Modern Culture and Media

MCM 0903B Visions of Algeria: Revolution, Visuality, and the Potentialities of History (Adel Ben Bella) WRIT | RPP (flyer)
MCM 1505Z Kiarostami: What is an Image? (Joan Copjec)

Political Science

POLS 1824S The Politics of Migration (Gemma Dipoppa)

Religious Studies

RELS 0090M Religion Violence and Media (Nancy Khalek) FYS | WRIT | RPP
RELS 0090A Women and Gender in Ancient Religions (Susan Harvey) FYS | WRIT
RELS 0615 Rumi and Friends: The World of Sufi Poetry (Shahzad Bashir) 
RELS 1325E Ecotheology in Ancient Christianity (Susan Harvey) WRIT
RELS 2400L Topics in Islamic Studies: Methods and Theories (Nancy Khalek) Graduate Seminar 

Turkish

TKSH 0720A Understanding Modern Turkey Through Film and Literature (Esra Özdemir)

RPP

RELS 0090M Religion Violence and Media (Nancy Khalek)
MCM 0903B Visions of Algeria: Revolution, Visuality, and the Potentialities of History (Adel Ben Bella)