Middle Eastern Humanities

Catalog description

Introduction to the values, traditions and development of Southwest Asian and North African culture and civilization.  Includes principle achievements in art, architecture and literature of the “Middle East,” as well as contemporary art, music, film, cuisine and popular culture of the region.  Examines Islamic civilization and the socio-cultural history of the modern Middle East, with an emphasis on the Arabic, Persian, Turkish/Ottoman and Kurdish humanities tradition through a de-colonized lens.  Explores the geopolitical significance of the region as a pillar of the Global South, as well as its implications for the 20th and 21st century United States and the “Western” World, including transnational cultural exchange, Diaspora communities and culture, media representation and the Muslim-American experience.