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2024-2025 Academic Year

Fall 2024

ARBI 101 Elementary Arabic
An introduction to Modern Standard Arabic (MSA). Introduction to speaking, listening, reading and writing skills in the standard means of communication in the Arab world.

MEST 200 Arab Cinema
Cross-listed with WGSS 201-03 and FMST 210-02. This course introduces students to Arab society and culture through an exploration of Arab cinema, which has a long and rich tradition. Students will watch a representative selection of Arab films from across the Arab world that reflect the many challenges and narratives in the region. Through the films, we will explore Arab societies and cultures, especially women and sexuality, politics and revolution, and the role of religion and tradition in shaping public discourse and imagination on taboo topics including LGBTQ issues. In addition to weekly film viewings and discussions, we will read critical film and culture theory and analysis as they apply to Arab cinema. The class will be conducted in English and all films will have English subtitles.

MEST 200 Arab Feminism
Cross-listed with WGSS 201-04. This course will trace Arab feminism from its early years in Egypt and Tunisia to the present day. We will look at the work of the early pioneers fighting for equal rights for women while actively supporting nationalist, anticolonial movements in the region. We will then explore the gains that women made post-independence and the limits placed on their freedoms as voiced in their writing, filmmaking, and activism. Next, we will look at Islamic feminism in its many manifestations, its pursuit of a feminist re-interpretation of the Qu'ran, and role in shaping the dialogue on women's rights. We will focus on diverse voices from Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco, and Saudi Arabia. Throughout, we will hear women's voices directly in memoires, historical accounts, literature (poetry and short stories), essays, documentaries, and interviews.

WGSS 201 Arab Cinema
Cross-listed with MEST 200-01 and FMST 210-02. This course introduces students to Arab society and culture through an exploration of Arab cinema, which has a long and rich tradition. Students will watch a representative selection of Arab films from across the Arab world that reflect the many challenges and narratives in the region. Through the films, we will explore Arab societies and cultures, especially women and sexuality, politics and revolution, and the role of religion and tradition in shaping public discourse and imagination on taboo topics including LGBTQ issues. In addition to weekly film viewings and discussions, we will read critical film and culture theory and analysis as they apply to Arab cinema. The class will be conducted in English and all films will have English subtitles.

WGSS 201 Arab Feminism
Cross-listed with MEST 200-02. This course will trace Arab feminism from its early years in Egypt and Tunisia to the present day. We will look at the work of the early pioneers fighting for equal rights for women while actively supporting nationalist, anticolonial movements in the region. We will then explore the gains that women made post-independence and the limits placed on their freedoms as voiced in their writing, filmmaking, and activism. Next, we will look at Islamic feminism in its many manifestations, its pursuit of a feminist re-interpretation of the Qu'ran, and role in shaping the dialogue on women's rights. We will focus on diverse voices from Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco, and Saudi Arabia. Throughout, we will hear women's voices directly in memoires, historical accounts, literature (poetry and short stories), essays, documentaries, and interviews.

FMST 210 Arab Cinema
Cross-listed with MEST 200-01 and WGSS 201-03. This course introduces students to Arab society and culture through an exploration of Arab cinema, which has a long and rich tradition. Students will watch a representative selection of Arab films from across the Arab world that reflect the many challenges and narratives in the region. Through the films, we will explore Arab societies and cultures, especially women and sexuality, politics and revolution, and the role of religion and tradition in shaping public discourse and imagination on taboo topics including LGBTQ issues. In addition to weekly film viewings and discussions, we will read critical film and culture theory and analysis as they apply to Arab cinema. The class will be conducted in English and all films will have English subtitles.

Spring 2025

ARBI 102 Elementary Arabic
Continued introduction to MSA with more advanced development of speaking, listening, reading and writing skills through a greater degree of interaction in the classroom. Prerequisite: 101.

MEST 233 U.S. Pub Diplomacy Arab Wrld
Cross-listed with INST 290-01.

INST 290 U.S. Pub Diplomacy Arab Wrld
Cross-listed with MEST 233-01. This course introduces the students to the theory and practice of U.S. public diplomacy in the Arab world from a historical and a comparative perspective, looking at past challenges, successes and failures. The course examines the role of public diplomacy in the context of U.S. strategic interests in the region, U.S. efforts to promote democratic governance in the Arab world through the use of public diplomacy tools including traditional and new media, cultural exchanges, and educational programs. Students will debate whether public diplomacy should be integrated into the policy-making process, and how it could complement traditional diplomacy and advance political, military, and economic policies.