Arab Film

Catalog description

This course examines Arab cinema in terms of its historical evolution, socio-cultural manifestations, and political transformations. Key themes explored include gender boundaries, cultural identity, representation, social class struggle, and modernity. The course begins by investigating critical historical junctures and socio-political changes shaping contemporary Arab cultural identity since the end of the First World War through short movies, film segments, and essays. European colonialism, Arab nationalism, and the significant role of Islam in Arab life are central themes covered in the first half of the semester. The second half of the course is dedicated to watching and discussing selected feature films representing different countries and periods in the evolution of Arab cinema, with an emphasis on Egyptian, Syrian, Palestinian, Tunisian, Lebanese, and Jordanian films. The course is taught in English, and the films will be in Arabic with English subtitles. There are no prerequisites for this course.