Global Arc

An overview of the history of the Middle East from the rise of Islam to the present day with a focus on the "core" of the Middle East, i.e., the region defined by present-day Turkey and Egypt to the west, Iran to the east, and Arabia to the south. Issues raised include difficulties in the study of foreign cultures, religion and society, the interplay between local and global processes, identity formation, and the Middle East in the broader world. One lecture, two classes.

A survey of the literature of the modern Arab world, starting with the late 19th century and continuing up to within the last five years. Narrative (novel and short story), theater, poetry, as well as (briefly) folk literature will be treated. Works are assigned in English translation, but students who are able to read them in Arabic are welcome to do so. Two lectures, one preceptorial. Offered in alternate years.

This course introduces students to the study of Muslim fundamentalism in the Middle East (with special emphasis on the Arab World) by examining its rise, teachings, practices, metamorphoses, debates, and polemics. The approach will be historical, comparative, and explanatory. Formal lectures will be combined with discussion of selected texts. The shape of the course will be flexible in order to take student interests into account. Class discussion will be strongly encouraged.

The Arabian Nights (The Thousand and One Nights) is a masterpiece of world literature. However, its reception and popularity are fraught with challenges and problems. This course traces the origins of this authorless collection, examines its transmission in the Arabic tradition, and its entry into Europe. Students will read some of its most famous story cycles and become familiar with the major debates surrounding them. Besides reading related literary works from medieval Arabic literature, we will look at the influence of the Nights on modern authors and filmmakers. All readings will be in English.

This course in comparative feminist thought begins with a short survey of feminist thought in the West, studying first-wave liberal feminism, second-wave feminism, and Marxist feminism, before moving to feminist thought and critiques of feminism in 20th and 21st century Iran. It explores how conservative and reformist thinkers in Iran argue for reform in shari'a law as it relates to women, define the scope of political rights for women, depict the status of women in Islam, address Western feminisms, and draw connections between how women fare in the private sphere and how they fare intellectually, spiritually, socially, and politically.

The course will introduce students to the history of the Iranian world through the lens of memory. Organized by theme, students will be introduced to a wide variety of ancient, medieval, and modern sources as they investigate the history of the various elements that are frequently invoked as essential to Iranian identity. The course will attempt to interrogate the notion of "Iranian civilization" through an investigation of a variety of themes ranging from geography and ethnicity to art and humanism to kingship and revolution. Students will work closely with archival and visual material in collections in and around Princeton.

The major works of Near Eastern literature (in translation) from the earliest texts to those of the present day, with emphasis on close reading and analysis. The course will focus on individual texts and problems, such as narration, the representation of reality and mental events, the idea of character, and notions of form and unity. Readings will include: Gilgamesh, Genesis, the Qur'an, early Arabic poetry, Persian lyric poetry, short stories, and other genres by modern writers (Hedayat, Jamalzadeh, Pamuk, and Nafisi).

An introduction to modern Hebrew literature, represented by selected translations from major works of the last hundred years, in prose (Agnon, Almog, Izhar, Kahana-Carmon, Mendele, Oz, and Yehoshua) and in poetry (Alterman, Amichai, Bialik, Rabikovitch, Zach, and others). Two 90-minute classes.

This course will explore how the fundamental human issues of love and death are treated in the art of narrative in the Hebrew literary tradition, a tradition that spans three millennia. We will read closely and discuss diverse works ranging from Biblical narrative to contemporary Israeli fiction (short stories and novels), noting shifts in genre, narrative technique, and focus. The larger question the course asks is about the interplay and tension between the past and the present in this rich literary tradition.

Focusing on the ethnic cleansing of the Ottoman Muslims in Europe from the eighteenth to early twentieth centuries, this course examines the nationalization of religious identities. Special attention will be devoted to the expulsion of the Ottoman Muslims into Turkey and their gradual amalgamation into the Turkish nation. Students will develop a framework within which to evaluate some of the most significant recent and current events in former Ottoman lands: conflict in the Middle East; the Armenian catastrophe; Kurdish nationalism; the Balkan Wars; recent conflicts in Kosovo, Bosnia and Chechnya.