CRITICAL THEORY: A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE
The purpose of this foundational course is to introduce Columbia undergraduate students, in the context of their Global Core curriculum, to the seminal field of critical theory. The historical domain of this course is within the last century and its geographical spectrum is global. European critical thinkers are included in this course but not privileged. Thinkers from Asia, Africa, Europe, North, South, and Latin America, are examined here in chronological order and in equal democratic footing with each other. This course as a result is decidedly cross-cultural, one step forward towards de-alienating critical thinkers from around the globe and the issues they address without pigeonholing them as something “other” or “different.” The course is designed and offered in the true spirit of the “Global Core.” The purpose of the course is to reach for the common denominator of serious critical thinking about the fate of our humanity and the health of our social relations in an increasingly fragile world—where the false binaries of “the West” and “the Rest” no longer hold. The roster of critical thinkers we will examine is by no means exhaustive but representative. Any number of other critical thinkers can be added to this roster but none of those we will examine can be excluded from them. The course is divided into thirteen successive weeks and for each week a number of seminal, original, and groundbreaking texts are identified. Each week we will examine selected passages from these texts. The course is designed as a lecture course, and my lectures are based on the totality of these texts but students will be assigned specific shorter passages to read.
- TR 10:10 a.m.-11:25 a.m.
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Instructor:
Nadia Sariahmed
Info - 4 points
CRITICAL THEORY:G.P.-DISC
Corequisites: MDES UN1001. Discussion sections (TWO) to accompany the course MDES UN1001, Critical Theory: A Global Perspective.
- R 2:10 p.m.-3 p.m.
- R 3:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
- W 4:10 p.m.-5 p.m.
- W 5:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
- M 5:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
- M 6:10 p.m.-7 p.m.
- 0 points
ELEMENTARY SWAHILI II
Essentials of grammar, basic vocabulary, practice in speaking and reading Swahili the most widely used indigenous language of East Africa. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.
- MTWR 9:10 a.m.-10 a.m.
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Instructor:
Abdul Nanji
CULPA: 1 Info - 4 points
ELEMENTARY WOLOF II
Introduction to the basic grammatical structures of Wolof, a major language of West Africa spoken in Senegal and Gambia. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.
- MTWR 12:10 p.m.-1 p.m.
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Instructor:
Mariame S Sy
Info - 4 points
FIRST YEAR ARABIC I
An introduction to the language of classical and modern Arabic literature. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.
- MTWR 10:10 a.m.-11:15 a.m.
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Instructor:
Zeina Sayegh
Info - 5 points
FIRST YEAR ARABIC II
Prerequisites: First Year Arabic I or instructor permission. An introduction to the language of classical and modern Arabic literature. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.
- MTWR 10:10 a.m.-11:15 a.m.
- MTWR 8:50 a.m.-9:55 a.m.
- MTWR 1:10 p.m.-2:15 p.m.
- MTWR 10:10 a.m.-11:15 a.m.
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Instructor:
Youssef Nouhi
CULPA: 7
Info
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Instructor:
Zeina Sayegh
Info -
Instructor:
Reem Faraj
CULPA: 4
Info
- 5 points
ELEMENTARY ARMENIAN II
In Elementary Armenian II, students learn the Armenian script and the basic grammar that will enable them to communicate about topics relating to themselves and their immediate surroundings: family, school, daily occupations, describing people, expressing likes and dislikes, requesting and giving information about themselves and others, proper forms of greetings, etc. They also begin to read signs, advertisements, and develop the skills to read texts like short stories and Armenian fables. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.
- MTWR 5:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
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Instructor:
Charry Karamanoukian
Info - 4 points
COLLOQUIUM ON MAJOR TEXTS
Readings in translation and discussion of texts of Middle Eastern and Indian origin. Readings may include the Quran, Islamic philosophy, Sufi poetry, the Upanishads, Buddhist sutras, the Bhagavad Gita, Indian epics and drama, and Gandhis Autobiography.
- R 2:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
- T 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
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Instructor:
Christine H Marrewa Karwoski
Info -
Instructor:
Sarah Bin Tyeer
CULPA: 1 h-index: 1 Info - 4 points
ELEMENTARY SANSKRIT II
An introduction to classical Sanskrit. Grammar, and reading of texts. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.
- MTWR 9:10 a.m.-10 a.m.
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Instructor:
Shiv Subramaniam
Info - 4 points
1ST YR MOD HEBREW:ELEM II
Prerequisites: MDES UN1501, or the equivalent, based on performance on the placement test. Continued introduction to Hebrew, with equal emphasis on all languages skills. (See MDES UN1501.) No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.
- MTWR 10:10 a.m.-11:15 a.m.
- MTWR 11:40 a.m.-12:45 p.m.
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Instructor:
Illan Gonen
CULPA: 3 Info - 5 points
ELEMENTARY HINDI-URDU II
An introduction to the most widely spoken language of South Asia. Along with an understanding of the grammar, the course offers practice in listening and speaking. The Hindi (Devanagari) script is used for reading and writing. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.
- MTWR 4:10 p.m.-5:15 p.m.
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Instructor:
Rakesh Ranjan
CULPA: 6
Info
- 5 points
HINDI FOR HERITAGE SPEAKERS II
This is an accelerated course for students of South Asian origin who already possess a knowledge of basic vocabulary and limited speaking and listening skills in Hindi. They may not have sufficient skills in reading and writing but are able to converse on familiar topics such as: self, family, likes, dislikes and immediate surroundings. This course will focus on developing knowledge of the basic grammar of Hindi and vocabulary enrichment by exposing students to a variety of cultural and social topics related to aspects of daily life; and formal and informal registers. Students will be able to read and discuss simple texts and write about a variety of everyday topics by the end of the semester. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.
- MTWR 2:40 p.m.-3:45 p.m.
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Instructor:
Rakesh Ranjan
CULPA: 6
Info
- 5 points
URDU FOR HERITAGE SPEAKERS II
Prerequisite
: one semester of prior coursework in Urdu for Heritage Speakers I (UN1615) in the Fall semester, or the instructor’s permission. This is an accelerated
course for students of South Asian origin who already possess a knowledge of basic vocabulary and limited speaking, listening, reading and writing skills in Urdu. For instance, they should be able to converse, comprehend, read and write on familiar topics in Urdu such as: self, family, likes, dislikes and immediate surroundings. This course will focus on developing knowledge of the basic grammar of Urdu and vocabulary enrichment by exposing students to a variety of cultural and social topics related to aspects of daily life; and formal and informal registers. Students will be able to read and discuss simple Urdu texts and write about a variety of everyday topics by the end of the semester. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.
- MTWR 2:40 p.m.-3:45 p.m.
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Instructor:
Aftab Ahmad
CULPA: 12
Info
- 5 points
ELEMENTARY PERSIAN II
An introduction to the spoken and written language of contemporary Iran. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.
- MTWR 3:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
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Instructor:
Saeed Honarmand
Info - 4 points
ELEMENTARY MODERN TURKISH II
Prerequisites: MDES UN1901 An introduction to the written and spoken language of Turkey. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.
- MW 2:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
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Instructor:
Zuleyha Colak
CULPA: 2 h-index: 0 Info - 4 points
What is Islam?
One in four people in the world is a Muslim. Yet, here in the Western hemisphere, we mostly know next to nothing about Islam and its followers.
Whatever is spread around as knowledge of this culture and religion is the work of a media that is highly politicized and biased, often perpetuating negative and even racist images of Muslims and their ways of life. This picture becomes even more complicated and complex in academia, in the West in particular but in Islamic countries as well. The story of “What is Islam?” begins in the 19th century, when the bulk of the Muslim world fell under European control, be it direct colonialism or (remote-control) coloniality. Almost everywhere, so-called reform was undertaken, with the view of modernizing institutions and subjectivities along Western lines. With secularization and unprecedented forms of politics and political organization, Islamic cultures all over the world began to undergo epistemic transformations, leading to a wholesale revaluation of the Islamic traditions themselves, and their meaning in late modernity. Various groups would attempt to redefine Islam in fundamentalist terms – in unconscious emulation of American Fundamentalist movements – while others took it in different directions, not excluding Marxism, socialism, and nationalism. But the hegemonic and almost “natural” force driving the Islamic world over the last half century has been liberalism, a powerful way of seeing and evaluating the world that deeply affected even the Islamist movements. Islam for modern Muslims has become many disparate things, often if not always incompatible with each other.
- TR 11:40 a.m.-12:55 p.m.
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Instructor:
Wael Hallaq
CULPA: 9
Wikipedia
Info
- 4 points
What is Islam? Discussion Section
What is Islam? Disc Secti
Discussion section to accompany the course, MDES UN2006 What is Islam?.
- M 9:10 a.m.-10 a.m.
- M 5:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
- W 9:10 a.m.-10 a.m.
- M 10 a.m.-10:50 a.m.
- M 6:10 p.m.-7 p.m.
- F 1:10 p.m.-2 p.m.
- 0 points
CONTEMP ISLAMIC CIVILIZATION
Lecture and recitation. No previous study of Islam is required. The early modern, colonial, and post-colonial Islamic world studied through historical case studies, translated texts, and recent anthropological research. Topics include Sufism and society, political ideologies, colonialism, religious transformations, poetry, literature, gender, and sexuality.
- TR 1:10 p.m.-2:25 p.m.
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Instructor:
Matthew L Keegan
CULPA: 8 Info - 4 points
INTERMEDIATE TAMIL II
Prerequisites: MDES W1101-W1102 or the instructor's permission. Further develops students' written and oral proficiency in order to allow them to function adequately in a Tamil-speaking environment. Of particular interest to students planning to conduct scholarly research or fieldwork in a Tamil-speaking context. Develops the students' appreciation for the rich culture of the Indian subcontinent where Tamil is spoken. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.
- MW 10:10 a.m.-noon
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Instructor:
Shiv Subramaniam
Info - 4 points
INTERMEDIATE SWAHILI II
Prerequisites: SWHL W1101-W1102 or the instructors permission. A review of the essentials of Swahili grammar; detailed analysis of Swahili texts; practice in conversation. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.
- MTWR 10:10 a.m.-11 a.m.
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Instructor:
Abdul Nanji
CULPA: 1 Info - 4 points
INTERMEDIATE WOLOF II
Prerequisites: WLOF W1101-W1102 or the instructors permission. Further develops a students knowledge of Wolof, a major language of West Africa spoken primarily in Senegal and Gambia. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.
- MW 2:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
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Instructor:
Mariame S Sy
Info - 4 points
CONTMP ISLAMIC CIVILIZATN-DISC
Required discussion section for ASCM UN2008: Contemporary Islamic Civilization
- W 10:10 a.m.-11 a.m.
- R 4:10 p.m.-5 p.m.
- W 4:10 p.m.-5 p.m.
- 0 points
SECOND YEAR ARABIC I
Prerequisites: MDES W1210-W1211 or the equivalent. A continuation of the study of the language of contemporary writing. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.
- MTWR 8:50 a.m.-9:55 a.m.
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Instructor:
Ouijdane Absi
CULPA: 6
Info
- 5 points
SECOND YEAR ARABIC II
Prerequisites: MDES W1210-W1211 or the equivalent. A continuation of the study of the language of contemporary writing. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.
- MTWR 8:50 a.m.-9:55 a.m.
- MTWR 10:10 a.m.-11:15 a.m.
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Instructor:
Taoufik Ben-Amor
CULPA: 11
Info
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Instructor:
Ouijdane Absi
CULPA: 6
Info
- 5 points
ARABIC HERITAGE SPEAKERS II
Prerequisites: Instructor permission. This is an intensive course that combines the curriculum of both First and Second Year Arabic in two semesters instead of four, and focuses on the productive skills (speaking and writing) in Modern Standard Arabic (Fusha). Students are exposed intensively to grammar and vocabulary of a high register. After successful completion of this course, students will be able to move on to Third Year Arabic. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.
- MTWR 8:50 a.m.-9:55 a.m.
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Instructor:
Youssef Nouhi
CULPA: 7
Info
- 5 points
INTERMEDIATE ARMENIAN II
Prerequisites: MDES W1310-W1311 or the equivalent. A continuation of the study of reading, writing and speaking of Armenian. In Intermediate Armenian II, students learn to communicate about a wide range of topics. Such topics include biographical narration, cooking and recipes, health and well-being, holidays and celebrations, travel and geography, etc. At this level, students continue to develop their skills in reading, writing, speaking, and listening while perfecting the grammatical concepts to which they were introduced in the first year. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.
- MTWR 3:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
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Instructor:
Charry Karamanoukian
Info - 4 points
INTERMEDIATE SANSKRIT II
Reading and grammatical analysis of a literary text, chosen from the dramatic and narrative tradition. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.
- TR 10:10 a.m.-noon
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Instructor:
Shiv Subramaniam
Info - 4 points
2ND YR MODERN HEBREW II
Prerequisites: Second Year Hebrew: Intermediate I or instructor permission. Equal emphasis is given to all language skills. Irregular categories of the Hebrew verb, prepositions and syntax are taught systematically. Vocabulary building. Daily homework includes grammar exercises, short answers, reading, or writing short compositions. Frequent vocabulary and grammar quizzes. (Students completing this course fulfill Columbia College and Barnard language requirement.) No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.
- MTWR 11:40 a.m.-12:45 p.m.
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Instructor:
Danielle Katz-Shenhar
Info - 5 points
HEBREW FOR HERITAGE SPEAKERS
Prerequisites: Hebrew for Heritage Speakers I Hebrew for Heritage Speakers II forms the second part of a year-long sequence with Hebrew for Heritage Speakers I. The course is intended for those who have developed basic speaking and listening skills through exposure to Hebrew at home or in day-school programs but do not use Hebrew as their dominant language and have not reached the level required for exemption from the Columbia language requirement. Heritage speakers differ in the degree of their fluency, but their vocabulary is often limited to topics in daily life and many lack skills in reading and writing to match their ability to converse. The course focuses on grammar and vocabulary enrichment, exposing students to a variety of cultural and social topics in daily life and beyond. By the end of the semester students are able to read and discuss simple texts and write about a variety of topics. Successful completion of the year-long sequence prepares students to enroll in third-year modern Hebrew. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.
- MWR 10:10 a.m.-11:15 a.m.
- MWR 1:10 p.m.-2:15 p.m.
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Instructor:
Danielle Katz-Shenhar
Info - 4 points
INTERMEDIATE HINDI-URDU II
One year of prior coursework in Elementary Hindi-Urdu I&II or the instructor’s permission. The course aims to continue consolidating and building upon the existing listening, speaking, reading, writing and cultural skills and will help students acquire higher level proficiency in Hindi language. Students will be introduced to new grammatical structures and a broad range of vocabulary through exposure to a variety of authentic materials including Hindi literature, newspapers, folk tales, films, songs, and other kinds of written and audio-visual materials and through these materials. Students will expand their knowledge base of the society and culture of the target languages in this course. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.
- MTWR 1:10 p.m.-2:15 p.m.
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Instructor:
Timsal Masud
Info - 5 points
INTERMEDIATE PERSIAN II
Prerequisites: MDES W1701-MDES W1702 or the equivalent. A general review of the essentials of grammar; practice in spoken and written Persian; Arabic elements in Persian; selected readings emphasizing Iranian life and culture; materials from Tajikistan and Afghanistan, Indari. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.
- MW 10:10 a.m.-noon
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Instructor:
Saeed Honarmand
Info - 4 points
INTERMEDIATE MODERN TURKISH II
A continuation of the study of the written and spoken language of Turkey, with readings of literary, historical, and other texts. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.
- MW 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
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Instructor:
Betul Tarhan
Info - 4 points
PALESTINIAN-ISRAELI POLIT/SOC
The History of the Jewish Enlightenment (Haskala) in 19th century Europe and the development of Zionism through the current peace process between the state of Israel and the Arab states and the Palestinian national movement. Provides a historical overview of the Zionist-Palestinian conflict to familiarize undergraduates with the background of the current situation. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.
- TR 2:40 p.m.-3:55 p.m.
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Instructor:
Joseph A Massad
CULPA: 23 Wikipedia Info - 4 points
PALESTINIAN-ISRAELI POL/SOC DS
Required discussion section for MDES UN3042: Palestinian and Israeli Politics and Society
- M 5:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
- R 6:10 p.m.-7 p.m.
- 0 points
ARABIC LITERATURE AS WORLD LITERATURE
This seminar focuses on Arabic literature in the world, as World Literature. The focus will be on pre-modern and modern Arabic literary works that traveled and circulated and were adapted to and acquired individual meanings in different cultures. We will look at literary works that achieved ‘worldliness’ through either writing back to the center or through
international literary prizes. We will consider how literary works travel and circulate through their fusion with regional concepts, or even take on new meanings at different times and places. Admittedly, also, we will look into the strengths, weaknesses, and criticism surrounding World Literature.
- M 2:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
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Instructor:
Sarah Bin Tyeer
CULPA: 1 h-index: 1 Info - 4 points
RETHINKING MIDDLE EAST POLITCS
This course examines a set of questions that have shaped the study of the politics of the modern Middle East. It looks at the main ways those questions have been answered, exploring debates both in Western academic scholarship and among scholars and intellectuals in the region itself. For each question, the course offers new ways of thinking about the issue or ways of framing it in different terms. The topics covered in the course include: the kinds of modern state that emerged in the Middle East and the ways its forms of power and authority were shaped; the birth of economic development as a way of describing the function and measuring the success of the state, and the changing metrics of this success; the influence of oil on the politics of the region; the nature and role of Islamic political movements; the transformation of the countryside and the city and the role of rural populations and of urban protest in modern politics; and the politics of armed force and political violence in the region, and the ways in which this has been understood. The focus of the course will be on the politics of the twentieth century, but many topics will be traced back into developments that occurred in earlier periods, and several will be explored up to the present. The course is divided into four parts, each ending with a paper or exam in which participants are asked to analyze the material covered. Each part of the course has a geographical focus on a country or group of countries and a thematic focus on a particular set of questions of historical and political analysis.
- MW 11:40 a.m.-12:55 p.m.
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Instructor:
Timothy Mitchell
Wikipedia h-index: 34 Info - 4 points
RETHINKING MIDDLE EAST POL-DIS
Required discussion section for MDES UN3260 Rethinking Middle East Politics
- W 5:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
- R 7:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
- R noon-12:50 p.m.
- W 6:10 p.m.-7 p.m.
- R 11 a.m.-11:50 a.m.
- R 12:10 p.m.-1 p.m.
- W 3:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
- W 4:10 p.m.-5 p.m.
- 0 points
Decolonizing the Arabian Nights
Decolonizing Arabian Nigh
In a unique revival of interest, the
Arabian Nights
has made its way to the academy as the handiest and most approachable cultural commodity. Courses are given on its history, translation, media reproduction, Walt Disney’s appropriation, and, occasionally, narratology. By the end of the 19th century, it was available in translation or abridgement in every written language. This course resituates its advent and vogue in specific cultural contexts that closely relate to the rise of the bourgeoisie and the colonial enterprise. It also explores popular and intellectual or critical responses in terms of the rise of literary theory and modes of literary production. Its massive presence gives way in time to pantomime, parody, and pastiche, before engaging again the attention of prominent writers and theorists of ‘prose poetics’ and the fantastic. Its referential popular presence undergoes fluctuations to fit media stereotypes and hegemonic regimes of thought. This course attempts to dislodge originals from adaptations, highlight the nature of entry in terms of a commoditizing enterprise that reproduces the
Arabian Nights
as a ‘western text’, a point that in turn incites a counter search for manuscripts, and ‘authentication’ processes. Originals and translations will be compared and cinematic or theater productions will be studied, along with paintings, covers, and tourist guides that present the
Nights
as a commodity in a post-industrial society.
- TR 2:40 p.m.-3:55 p.m.
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Instructor:
Muhsin Al-Musawi
CULPA: 8
Info
- 4 points
Decolonizing Arabian Nights-Discussion
Declnizing Arabian Nights
In a unique revival of interest, the
Arabian Nights
has made its way to the academy as the handiest and most approachable cultural commodity. Courses are given on its history, translation, media reproduction, Walt Disney’s appropriation, and, occasionally, narratology. By the end of the 19th century, it was available in translation or abridgement in every written language. This course resituates its advent and vogue in specific cultural contexts that closely relate to the rise of the bourgeoisie and the colonial enterprise. It also explores popular and intellectual or critical responses in terms of the rise of literary theory and modes of literary production. Its massive presence gives way in time to pantomime, parody, and pastiche, before engaging again the attention of prominent writers and theorists of ‘prose poetics’ and the fantastic. Its referential popular presence undergoes fluctuations to fit media stereotypes and hegemonic regimes of thought. This course attempts to dislodge originals from adaptations, highlight the nature of entry in terms of a commoditizing enterprise that reproduces the
Arabian Nights
as a ‘western text’, a point that in turn incites a counter search for manuscripts, and ‘authentication’ processes. Originals and translations will be compared and cinematic or theater productions will be studied, along with paintings, covers, and tourist guides that present the
Nights
as a commodity in a post-industrial society.
- M 5:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
- W 5:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
- 0 points
ADVANCED SWAHILI II
Prerequisites: Advanced Swahili I or the instructor's permission. An introduction to the advanced syntactical, morphological, and grammatical structures of Swahili grammar; detailed analysis of Swahili texts; practice in conversation. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.
- W 12:10 p.m.-2 p.m.
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Instructor:
Abdul Nanji
CULPA: 1 Info - 4 points
ADVANCED WOLOF II
Prerequisites: Advanced Wolof I or instructor permission. This course will further your awareness and understanding of the Wolof language and culture, as well as improve your mastery of grammar, writing skills, and oral expression. Course materials will incorporate various types of text including tales, poetry, literature as well as multimedia such as films, and videos, television and radio programs.
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Instructor:
Mariame S Sy
Info - 4 points
URBAN SPACE & CONFLICT IN MIDDLE EAST
URBAN SPACE&CONFLICT MID EAST
This course explores how civil war, revolution, militarization, mass violence, refugee crises, and terrorism impact urban spaces, and how city dwellers engage in urban resilience, negotiate and attempt to reclaim their right to the city. Through case studies of Beirut (1975-present), Baghdad (2003-present), Cairo (2011-present), Diyarbakir (1914-present), Aleppo (1914-present), and Jerusalem (1914-present), this course traces how urban life adjusted to destruction (and post-conflict reconstruction), violence, and anarchy; how neighborhoods were reshaped; and how local ethnic, religious, and political dynamics played out in these cities and metropolises. Relying on multi-disciplinary and post-disciplinary scholarship, and employing a wealth of audiovisual material, literary works, and interviews conducted by the instructor, the course scrutinizes how conflicts have impacted urban life in the Middle East, and how civilians react to, confront, and resist militarization in urban spaces.
- M 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
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Instructor:
Khatchig Mouradian
Wikipedia Info - 3 points
Infrastructures of Power: Development, E
Is infrastructure political? Can infrastructure colonise, dispossess, and cause environmental ruin? We tend to think of infrastructure as useful objects, but can we think of them as built ideologies? Historically, infrastructural projects have been regarded as necessary preconditions of modern and efficient states. So much so that malfunctioning sewers and perennial power cuts have come to invoke images of starved and underdeveloped countries. However, the question of whether infrastructure itself fuels human and environmental underdevelopment is rarely asked. This course proposes a new way of thinking about infrastructure. By studying the histories of various infrastructural projects in the Middle East, we will critically assess their role as sites of political contestation rather than as “neutral technologies”. Infrastructure has been used by colonial states to exploit the natural resources of colonised territories and to control the populations they ruled. At the same time, infrastructure is crucial in the formation of radical political identities and rich cultures and traditions of political struggle. Yet, not all infrastructure is the same. By paying attention to the material qualities and specific cultural and ideological history of each form of infrastructure we study, we will be able to understand how different forms of infrastructure create and foreclose different political possibilities.
- W 10:10 a.m.-noon
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Instructor:
Rana Baker
Info - 3 points
Iraq: War, Love, and Exile
Iraq: War, Love and, Exil
This course studies and explores a number of Iraqi narratives that have appeared since 2003 and that have a distinctive stylistic and thematic richness with great bearing on social, economic, cultural, and political life in Iraq. Seen against a history of the country and the region, and in conversation with some Afro-Asian and Latin American narratives of war and displacement, these writings assume global significance in our reading of such thematic issues like war, love, exile, and loss. While always using the past as a background, a source and repository of recollections, the challenge of the 2003 Anglo-America invasion and its institutionalization of segregation and rupture to keep Iraq in perpetual chaos, is present in the texts. Every narrative sheds light on a number of issues, especially war, horror, loss, trauma, passion and dislocation. This richness in detail is brought up through a number of stylistic innovations that put this writing at the forefront of world cultures and human concerns. An introductory lecture builds up a genealogy for trauma since the Epic of Gilgamesh (2700 BC.) and the lamentations of Astarte.
- W 2:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
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Instructor:
Muhsin Al-Musawi
CULPA: 8
Info
- 3 points
Honors Thesis Seminar Part 2
Honors Thesis Sem Pt. 2
The MESAAS honors seminar offers the opportunity to undertake a sustained research project working closely with an individual faculty adviser. It also enables you, as part of a small group of MESAAS students working with the seminar instructor, to develop the skills of academic research and writing and learn how to collaborate with peers and create an engaged intellectual community. This 3-point seminar continues the work begun in the Fall semester of the senior year in MDES 3960 Honors Thesis Seminar Part 1.
- M 10:10 a.m.-noon
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Instructor:
Hamid Dabashi
CULPA: 30 Wikipedia Info - 3 points
Climate and Empire
Climate change destabilizes the ontic certainty of this world, time, and history. This course in MESAAS will introduce students to the literature on climate change and its relationship to ontology, religion, violence, politics, and gender. We will explore the resilience and limitations of various theoretical approaches as they relate to empirical cases. Students will become familiarized with important arguments that have been advanced to explain climate change in its more recent incarnations in the Middle East and Asia. How have different trajectories of understanding climate change led to different kinds of political cultures and governing institutions? Have some qualities of the “environment” or “climate” remained the same throughout history and across the globe? What is the role of colonialism in modern understandings of climate change? The core of this course will seek to develop a mode of conceptualizing the present by rendering relevant geological time in addition to historical time, earth’s history in addition to world’s history. The course begins with the question of how the “climate” has been historically and ethnographically conceptualized in various intellectual trajectories of human sciences. We consider how religion is connected to environmental change, how the “human” and “non human” are conceptualized in various ontologies, and how religious norms and ethics enact environmental practices. We interrogate the everyday sociality of climate adaption and how climate conflict informs social, political, and environmental citizenship. The course concludes by contemplating the creative ways of being in this new world. We study the innovative forms of cosmopolitan neo-humanism (post- humanism) that emerge from the specter of environmental change.
- F 10:10 a.m.-noon
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Instructor:
Sonia Ahsan
CULPA: 4
Info
- 4 points
Histories of Urban Africa: Work, Leisure
This course has multiple aims: to introduce students to the broad historiographical trends in the study of urban Africa, to acquaint students with some of the key issues and problems that have dominated studies of African cities, to examine key fulcrums of generational struggle in 20th century Africa, and to inspire deep thought and appreciation for the ways in which both theoretic questions and empirical methods impact our understanding of the past. This is a research seminar. Students will produce a research paper, focused in an African city, based on their original analysis of primary sources. We will explore the processes by which urban communities were built, and the various ways states and common people shaped the physical, material, social and cultural life of African cities. Gender and generation will be central foci in our analysis. Our readings will include both ‘classic texts’ and more recent scholarship on urban Africa. Our aims are to understand how the questions and concerns dominating urban studies have changed over time, as well as how scholars from various disciplines have utilized primary sources to approach the study of Africa’s urban past.
- T 2:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
-
Instructor:
Laura Fair
h-index: 15 Info - 4 points
THIRD YEAR ARABIC II
Students in the regular third-year Arabic track improve reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills through close reading, compositions, class discussions, and presentations in Arabic on topics such as cultures of the Arab world, classical and modern Arabic literature, and contemporary Arabic media. Review of grammatical and syntactic rules as needed. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.
- MTWR 11:40 a.m.-12:45 p.m.
-
Instructor:
Reem Faraj
CULPA: 4
Info
- 5 points
FOURTH YEAR MODERN ARABIC II
Prerequisites: MDES W4212. Through reading articles and essays by Arab thinkers and intellectuals of the Twentieth century, starting from the period called Nahda (Renaissance), such as Taha Hussein, Qasim Amin, Abdallah Laroui, Abed Al-Jabiri, Tahar Haddad, Fatima Mernissi and others, students will be able to increase their fluency and accuracy in Arabic while working on reading text and being exposed to the main
themes in Arab thought. The course works with all four skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing). Arabic is the language of instruction. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.
- MW 10:10 a.m.-noon
-
Instructor:
Taoufik Ben-Amor
CULPA: 11
Info
- 4 points
ADVANCED ARABIC GRAMMAR REVIEW
Through reading and writing, students will review Arabic Grammar concepts within the context of linguistic functions such as narration, description, comparison, etc. For example, within the function of narration, students will focus on verb tenses, word order, and adverbials. Based on error analysis in the past twelve years that the Arabic Program has been using Al-Kitaab, emphasis will be placed on common and frequent grammatical errors. Within these linguistic functions and based on error analysis, the course will review the following main concepts: Types of sentence and sentence/clause structure. The Verb system, pattern meanings and verb complementation. Quadriliteral verb patterns and derivations. Weak Verbs derivations, conjugation, tense frames and negation. Case endings. Types of noun and participle: Noun of time, place, instance, stance, instrument, active and passive participles. Types of construct phrase: al-iDafa. Types of Adverbials and verb complements: Hal, Tamyiz, Maf’ul mutlaq, Maf’ul li’ajlihi, adverbs of time, frequency, place and manner. The number system and countable nouns. Types of maa.Diptotes, al-mamnu’ min-aSSarf. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.
- MW 1:10 p.m.-2:25 p.m.
-
Instructor:
Taoufik Ben-Amor
CULPA: 11
Info
- 3 points
Arabic Literature & the Long 19th Centur
Arabic Lit & Long 19th Ce
What came before the Arabic novel? How did authors writing in Arabic in the 19th century conceive of and debate the terms of modernity and literature? The purpose of this graduate seminar is first to engage with recent trends in scholarship on the Nahda ("Renaissance") and second to read the entirety of three significant works of Arabic literature in translation: al-Shidyaq's
Leg Over Leg
(1855), Khalil al-Khouri's
Oh No! I am Not European!
(1859-61), and Jurji Zaydan's
Tree of Pearls, Queen of Egypt
(1914). Knowledge of Arabic is not required, but an optional Arabic reading group will run concurrently with the class.
- M 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
-
Instructor:
Matthew L Keegan
CULPA: 8 Info - 4 points
ADVANCED MODERN ARMENIAN II
- MR 4:10 p.m.-5 p.m.
-
Instructor:
Charry Karamanoukian
Info - 3 points
The Resilience of Memory: Armenian Genoc
Genocide has indelibly marked the last century. Survivors of these crimes have sought justice and reparations, while also struggling to keep alive the memory of all that was lost. Words and images are employed in this struggle. The literary, performing, and visual arts play key roles in resisting the destruction of memory. Genocide is a crime whose aim is not just the annihilation of biological individuals but of social groups and their cultural heritage. Words (in the form of poetry, memoir, drama, fiction) and images (in the form of photography, film, painting) are used to combat the forgetting, the denial, and the distorting of genocidal crimes. This course will explore the ways these forms of memory resilience work in the case of the Armenian Genocide. While often under-appreciated, Armenians began a process of reflection upon and resistance against their cultural loss in the decades after 1915. Yet it took another generation for artists and writers to foreground this resistance in their creative output. In parallel to the Jewish response to the Holocaust, the 1960’s and 70’s saw the awakening of a greater Armenian public response to the genocide. Along with memorialization and demands for justice, a heightened critical reflection on the meaning of loss took place. Historical studies of the genocide multiplied adding to our understanding of the nature and causes of the violence. Alongside such scholarship the broader discipline of memory studies has immeasurable added to our understanding of 1915. The literature and critical study of the Holocaust and other genocides will help us understand the Armenian resilience of memory. The art and literature we explore will be supplemented by dialogue (in-person or virtually) with writers and artists whose works of resistance continue to be created today.
- M 12:10 p.m.-2 p.m.
-
Instructor:
Armen Marsoobian
Info - 4 points
READINGS IN HEBREW TEXTS II
Prerequisites: MDES W4501 or the instructors permission. Students must have a good familiarity with the Hebrew verb system, and the ability to read a text without vowels. This course focuses on central identities shaping Israeli society and is designed to give students extensive experience in reading Hebrew. Through selected readings of contemporary literary works and media texts, students will increase their proficiency in Hebrew and enhance their understanding of Israeli culture and society. All readings, written assignments, and class discussions are in Hebrew. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.
- MW 12:10 p.m.-2 p.m.
-
Instructor:
Naama Harel
CULPA: 1 Info - 4 points
3RD YR MODERN HEBREW II
Prerequisites: Third Year Modern Hebrew I or Hebrew for Heritage Speakers II Focus on transition from basic language towards authentic Hebrew, through reading of un-adapted literary and journalistic texts without vowels. Vocabulary building. Grammar is reviewed in context. A weekly hour is devoted to practice in conversation. Daily homework includes reading, short answers, short compositions, listening to web-casts, or giving short oral presentations via voice e-mail. Frequent vocabulary quizzes. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.
- MW 2:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
-
Instructor:
Naama Harel
CULPA: 1 Info - 4 points
ADVANCED HINDI II
ADVANCED HINDI-URDU II
Advanced Hindi I and II are third year courses in the Hindi-Urdu program that aim to continue building upon the existing four language skills (speaking, listening, reading and writing) along with grammar and vocabulary in a communicative approach. The objective of these courses is to strengthen students’ language skills and to go beyond them to understand and describe situations and the speech community, understand and discuss Hindi literature and films, news items, T.V. shows and current events. Students will also be given opportunities to work on their areas of interest such as popular culture, professional and research goals in the target language. Students will be expected to expand their vocabulary, enhance grammatical accuracy and develop cultural appropriateness through an enthusiastic participation in classroom activities and immersing themselves in the speech community outside. This course will be taught in the target language. All kinds of conversations such as daily life, on social/public interests’ topics as well as on academic interests, will occur in the target language. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.
- MW 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
-
Instructor:
Rakesh Ranjan
CULPA: 6
Info
- 5 points
Significant Others
What is the relationship between homoeroticism and homosociality? How does this relationship form conceptions of gender and sexuality in ways that might be historically unfamiliar and culturally or regionally specific? We pursue these questions through the lens of friendship and its relationship to ideas and expressions of desire, love, and loyalty in pre-modern times. We begin by considering the intellectual basis of the modern idea of friendship as a private, personal relationship, and trace it back to earlier times when it was often a public relationship of social and political significance. Some of these relationships were between social equals, while many were unequal forms (like patronage) that could bridge social, political or parochial differences. Thinking through the relationships and possible distinctions between erotic love, romantic love and amity (love between friends), we will draw on scholarly works from a variety of disciplinary perspectives, particularly philosophy, sociology, political theory, literature, history, and art history. We will attend to friendship’s work in constituting, maintaining and challenging various social and political orders in a variety of Asian contexts (West, Central, South and East Asian), with comparative reference to scholarship on European and East Asian contexts. Primary source materials will include philosophy, religious manuals, autobiographies, popular love stories, heroic epics, mystical poetry, mirror for princes, paintings, material objects of exchange, and architectural monuments, largely from Islamic and Asian contexts.
- F 12:10 p.m.-2 p.m.
-
Instructor:
Mana Kia
CULPA: 2 h-index: 11 Info - 4 points
Sound and Listening Cultures of the Indi
Sound Listening Cult Indi
This course will explore major themes in the growing field of Sound Studies with a focus on the rich history of sound and varied cultures of sound and listening in the Indian subcontinent. The main questions that we will address include: how have political, commercial, and cultural movements shaped
what
the diverse populations of South Asia listen to and
how
they listen? How have different forms of media shaped/ informed listening experiences in South Asia? How do listening practices and cultures from the subcontinent differ from those in other regions? In this class we will listen to the human voice, rumor/gossip, gramophone, loud speakers, radio, film, and mp3. We will discuss the role political speeches, film songs, and devotional songs in shaping South Asian politics and culture in the twentieth-century as the subcontinent transitioned from colonial rule to nation-states. Drawing on the interdisciplinary nature of Sound Studies, we will read works from across the disciplines—anthropology, ethnomusicology, Religious Studies, Media Studies, and history. Organized thematically, this course will focus on the twentieth century, but the readings will address earlier time periods. This is an upper-level undergraduate and graduate (MA) seminar. Students are expected to have some background in South Asian studies/history or media/sounds studies. The class will meet once a week for discussion of readings. In addition to readings there will be a several required film screenings or listening activities.
- W 2:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
-
Instructor:
Isabel Huacuja Alonso
Info - 4 points
READINGS IN URDU LIT
READINGS IN URDU LIT II
Two semesters of prior coursework in Urdu for Heritage Speakers (Urdu for Heritage Speakers I and II) or one semester of Advanced Urdu or the instructor’s permission. This course is a literary course, with in-depth exposure to some of the finest works of classical and modern Urdu poetry i.e. genres of
ghazal
and
nazm
. This course is open for both undergraduates and graduates. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.
- TR 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
-
Instructor:
Aftab Ahmad
CULPA: 12
Info
- 4 points
ADVANCED PERSIAN II
While helping students advance their levels of oral and written expression, this course focuses on literature of the modern and medieval periods, with particular emphasis on the development of the modern novella and traditional and new forms of poetry. In addition to literature, students are introduced to a wide variety of genres from political and cultural essays and blogs to newspaper translations of the early 20th century. They will be further exposed to ta?rof in reference to a wide variety of socio-cultural contexts and be expected to use ta?rof in class conversations. Students will be exposed to popular artists and their works and satirical websites for insight into contemporary Iranian culture and politics. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.
- MW 12:10 p.m.-2 p.m.
-
Instructor:
Saeed Honarmand
Info - 3 points
ADVANCED SANSKRIT II
Prerequisites: Two years of Sanskrit or the instructors permission. Prerequisites: Two years of Sanskrit or the instructors permission. The two levels of advanced Sanskrit are given in alternate years. In 2017-2018 court literature (fall) and literary criticism (spring) will be offered; in 2018-2019, philosophy. Close reading of major works, exploring both philological and literary-theoretical aspects of the texts. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.
- MW 3:10 p.m.-5 p.m.
-
Instructor:
Tyler M Richard
Info - 4 points
Gender and Religion in Post-Colonial Sou
Gender/Relig Post-Col S.
This course will examine various roles that a religion can play in shaping its believers’ socio-cultural and political identities on the basis of their natural/social differences i.e. sex and gender. An attempt will be made to search for historical explanations of gendered identities and social anxieties in the context of various religious beliefs of communities living in the South Asian region. Following a series of historical events combined with theoretical approaches which had emerged after the departure of the colonial rulers, this course will explore the following themes; (a) role of religion in construction of post colonial state and question of gender; (b) formation of state policies and challenges of existing realities; (c) representation or absence of women in post colonial political institutions. The central argument of the course is that, for historical understanding of a set of beliefs and practices regarding gender relations and women’s status in any religious group, one needs to examine the historical context and socio-economic basis of that particular religion. By using the notion of gender, class and historical feminist discourses as tools of analysis, this course intends to understand and explain existing perceptions, misperceptions, myths and realities regarding gender relations and South Asian women’s situations in the colonial past which has shaped their post colonial present. It is crucial to understand Intersectionality of institutions of authority such as, patriarchal state and controlling religious beliefs that have shaped and continue to reshape “womanhood” in South Asia. In this context, it is necessary to examine how women have challenged, questioned and resisted their subservient status through confrontation, reinterpretation and negotiation in the world of academia and media. This course revolves around a few major questions;
How have the texts and re-interpretations constructed Hindu, Muslim and Budhist femininity and masculinity?
How have post colonial states and communities applied religious texts to control women’s body and sexuality?
How have the institutions of authority kept alive customs and traditions of veiling, segregation, family honor, sexual “purity” etc.?
How have the colonial and post colonial politics affected women’s mobility and space in public and private?
How can historical re-reading of the religious texts challenge the role of patriarchy and misogyny in the
- M 2:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
-
Instructor:
Nimmi Gowrinathan
Info - 4 points
ADVANCED TURKISH II
Advanced Turkish II is designed to use authentic Turkish materials around projects that are chosen by the student in a research seminar format where students conduct their own research and share it in class in a friendly atmosphere. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.
- TR 2:40 p.m.-3:55 p.m.
-
Instructor:
Zuleyha Colak
CULPA: 2 h-index: 0 Info - 3 points
READINGS IN OTTOMAN TEXTS II
Prerequisites: Elementary Ottoman Turkish. This course deals with authentic Ottoman texts from the early 18th and 19th centuries. The class uses Turkish as the primary language for instruction, and students are expected to translate assigned texts into Turkish or English. A reading packet will include various authentic archival materials in rika, talik and divani styles. Whenever possible, students will be given texts that are related to their areas of interest. Various writing styles will be dealt with on Ottoman literature, history, and archival documents. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.
- TR 4:10 p.m.-5:25 p.m.
-
Instructor:
Dilek Oztoprak
Info - 3 points
THEORY AND METHODS II
The main purpose of this course is to acquaint students with different theories and methodological approaches to reading and interpretation of texts. This course may not be taken as Pass/D/Fail.
- R 10:10 a.m.-noon
-
Instructor:
Sudipta Kaviraj
Wikipedia Info - 4 points
Islamic Thought in an Age of Print
Islamic Thought-Age of Pr
This course studies the development of Islamic thought in an age of print. It documents the rise of different religious movements in the Islamic world, ranging from Cairo, Morocco, and Istanbul to India through an analysis of writings and ideas produced by religious figures, bureaucrats, editors, muftis, and polemicists. Particular attention is paid to the relationship between technology (print) and intellectual history between the 18th and 20th centuries. Students will be taught to read and analyze materials from different disciplinary perspectives. Religious treatises, memoirs, chronicles, legal opinions, and works on urban topography are all deployed in this course to introduce students to interpreting a wide set of materials when examining modern Islamic thought. Furthermore, Islamic thought is defined beyond the borders of the Middle East, prompting students to think of the transnational and interconnected nature of ideas and networks.
- T 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
-
Instructor:
Ahmad Khan
Info - 4 points
MESAAS RESEARCH COLLOQUIUM
This course provides a structured setting for stand-alone M.A. students in their final year and Ph.D. students in their second and third years to develop their research trajectories in a way that complements normal coursework. The seminar meets approximately biweekly and focuses on topics such as research methodology; project design; literature review, including bibliographies and citation practices; grant writing. Required for MESAAS graduate students in their second and third year.
- R 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
-
Instructor:
Sudipta Kaviraj
Wikipedia Info - 2 points
COLONIALISM
The seminar on Colonialism examines questions of political economy and
politics through the study of colonial regimes of power and knowledge. It has
a particular focus on the genealogy of the business corporation, a colonial
form of power that became central to the modern world but often escapes the
attention of critical political theory. The readings cover the Middle East,
South Asia, and Africa, across the period from the seventeenth to the early
twentieth century. The seminar is intended primarily for Ph.D. students
interested in interdisciplinary approaches to the study of politics,
political economy, and colonial history. For course requirements and other
information, see CourseWorks.
- T 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
-
Instructor:
Timothy Mitchell
Wikipedia h-index: 34 Info - 4 points
Readings in Sufi Texts
This seminar is based entirely on the primary sources of Ṣūfism, including the writings of Qushayrī, Nūrī, Muḥāsibī, Sarrāj, Ghazālī, Hujwīrī, Ibn ʿArabī, Suhrawardī, Shaʿrānī, and al-Ḥakīm al-Tirmidhī. We will explore how the leading Ṣūfīs saw themselves and the ways in which they articulated their identity. This is also articulated in the ways they organized their works and constructed the biographies of their ethical exemplars. We will study their major concepts and descriptions of their own experiences, and then theorize their subjective formations as “hermeneutics of the subject.” Inasmuch as this seminar is about how we study and view Ṣūfism, it is also as much about the various ways this conception of the world can inform a basis of a set of critiques of modernity and its epistemologies and practices.
- W 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
-
Instructor:
Wael Hallaq
CULPA: 9
Wikipedia
Info
- 4 points
DISSERTATION COLLOQUIUM
The dissertation colloquium is a non-credit course open to MESAAS doctoral students who have completed the M.Phil. degree. It provides a forum in which the entire community of dissertation writers meets, bridging the departments different fields and regions of research. It complements workshops outside the department focused on one area or theme. Through an encounter with the diversity of research underway in MESAAS, participants learn to engage with work anchored in different regions and disciplines and discover or develop what is common in the departments post-disciplinary methods of inquiry. Since the community is relatively small, it is expected that all post-M.Phil. students in residence will join the colloquium. Post M.Phil. students from other departments may request permission to join the colloquium, but places for non-MESAAS students will be limited. The colloquium convenes every semester, meeting once every two weeks. Each meeting is devoted to the discussion of one or two pre-circulated pieces of work (a draft prospectus or dissertation chapter). Every participant contributes at least one piece of work each year.
- M 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
-
Instructor:
Gil Hochberg
CULPA: 1 Wikipedia h-index: 14 Info - 0 points
PSYCHOANALYSIS, IDENTITY, CULT
PSYCHOANALYSIS IDENTITY CULT
This graduate seminar aims to introduce students to Freud and Freudian Psychoanalysis and the integration of both in critical theory. The main question the seminar aims to study is the formation of identity in psychoanalysis and how it relates to civilization and culture more generally, whether in its gender, sexual, or national configurations. The influence of Social Darwinism and Developmentalism more generally on Freudian psychoanalysis will be discussed as well as the importance of related temporal concepts deployed in psychoanalysis' insistence on the divide between primitivism and culture. We will discuss a number of major scholarly works engaging Freud's theories on all these questions and their relevance to social and cultural analysis.
- T 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
-
Instructor:
Joseph A Massad
CULPA: 23 Wikipedia Info - 4 points