Global Arc

A broad approach to language that places psychological reality at the top of the list of theoretical desiderata. In this course we will investigate the nature of linguistic semantic categories and the implications for theories of grammar. In the domain of semantic categories, students will study the issues and controversies surrounding frame semantics, decompositional semantics, conceptual metaphor, and exemplar/prototype/connectionist models. Turning its attention to grammar, the seminar will focus on both regularities and irregularities, within and across languages, attempting to explain why languages are the way they are.

Advanced issues in linguistic semantics. Topics will include quantification, vagueness, presupposition, implicature, genericity, information structure, and event structure.

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.