HUM 160 - Middle Eastern Humanities

3 Contact Hours, 3 Credits
3 lecture periods 0 lab periods

Introduction to the values, traditions, and development of Southwest Asian and North African culture and civilization. Includes principal achievements in art, architecture, and literature of the “Middle East,” as well as contemporary art, music, film, cuisine, and popular culture of the region. Also 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. Also includes the geopolitical significance of the region as a pillar of the Global South, as well as its implications for the 20^th and 21^st century United States and the “Western” World, including transnational cultural exchange; Diaspora communities and culture; media representation, and the Muslim-American experience.

Prerequisite(s): WRT 101, WRT 101HC, WRT 101S, or WRT 101SE

Course Learning Outcomes

Identify the basic geography of Southwest Asia and North Africa.
Describe the cultural heritage (history, literature, art, and architecture) of Southwest Asia and North Africa, as it emerged with the introduction of Islam as a world religion.
Explain cultural patterns of the modern “Middle East” and relate them to current events in the world and the United States.
Critically examine and distinguish between the culture and humanities tradition of Arabs, Persians, Turks, and Kurds.
Explain the socio-cultural, economic, and political significance of the region within the global context, as well as its implication for the United States.
Effectively communicate and mobilize information about the experience of Middle Eastern and Muslim Americans and explain issues faced by various diasporic communities.
Understand and evaluate cultural differences between the United States and Southwest Asia & North Africa

Outline:

Preliminaries
1. “Middle East” vs. Southwest Asia & North Africa (SWANA)
2. Stereotypes & Western Representation
3. Orientalism

Geography (Diversity & Environment)
1. Resources & Access
  1. People
  2. Religion
  3. Lifestyle
2. Aridity & Water
  1. Fertile Crescent
  2. Nile River Valley
  3. Oases
3. Borders & Boundaries
4. Cityscapes

Food
1. Agriculture & Civilization
2. Gardens of Paradise
3. Flatbread Trail
4. Legumes
5. Wine & Beer
6. Transnational Connections
  1. Al-Andalus (Spain)
  2. Morocco
  3. Mexico
7. Natural Remedies
8. Hospitality
9. Land & Animals
  1. Nomadic Tribes
  2. Camels & Sheep
  3. Meat & Rituals

Islam
1. Messenger & Message
  1. Prophet Muhammad
  2. Quran
2. Islamic Practice
  1. Five Pillars
    1. Faith (shahada)
    2. Prayer (salat)
    3. Alms Giving (zakat)
    4. Fasting (sawm)
    5. Pilgrimage (hajj)
  2. Articles of Faith
    1. Oneness of God (Tawhid)
    2. Angels & Jinn
    3. Revelations (Books)
    4. Prophets & Messengers
    5. Judgement Day
      1. Heaven
      2. Hell
    6. Fate (Qadar)
    7. Resurrection
  3. Umma (the community/collective)
  4. Honor (Sharaf)
3. Islamic Fault Lines
  1. 4 Righteous Caliphs (Rashidun)
  2. Sunnism & Shi’ism
  3. Ismailis
  4. Sufism
  5. Dynasties
    1. Umayyads
    2. Abbasids
    3. Seljuks
    4. Ottomans
    5. Fatamids
    6. Safavids
    7. Qajars
  6. Imperial capitals
    1. Damascus
    2. Baghdad
    3. Constantinople
    4. Esfahan
4. Women & Family
  1. Gender, Sex & Sexuality
  2. Harem Life
  3. Weddings
  4. Temporary Marriage
Private & Public (Cultural Expressions)
1. Hijab
2. The City
3. Kabyle House
4. Cafés
5. Mashrabiya
6. Hamam
7. Dome of the Rock

Islamic Intellectual Life & Culture
1. Science, Space & Surface
2. Astronomy
3. Math
4. Medicine
  1. Muslim Roots of European Medicine
    1. Avicenna (Ibn Sina)
5. Golden Age of Islam (Harun al-Rashid)
6. Paper
7. Islamic Art & Architecture
  1. Mosques
  2. Domes
  3. Muqarnas
  4. Minarets
  5. Calligraphy

Oral Tradition vs. Written Word
1. Qasida
2. Quranic Recitation
  1. Sunna
3. Writing & Islam
  1. Sunna
  2. Hadith
  3. Isnad
4. Hakawati (Storytellers)
5. 1001 Nights
6. The Book of Kings
7. Writing & Modernity
  1. Al-Nahda
  2. The Novel
    1. Naquib Mahfouz
    2. Mahmoud Dowlatabadi
    3. Simin Daneshvar
    4. Sadegh Hedayat
    5. Orhan Pamuk
    6. Elif Shafak
  3. Modern Poetry
    1. Nima Yushij
    2. Sohrab Sepehri
    3. Forough Farrokhzad
    4. Akhavan Sales
    5. Nizar Qabbani
    6. Mahmoud Darwish

Making the Modern Middle East
1. World War I
2. The Nation-State
  1. Arab Israeli Conflict
  2. Palestine
3. Revolution
  1. Iran
  2. Intifada I & II
4. Children of War
  1. Iraq
  2. Afghanistan
5. Resistance
  1. Green Movement
  2. Arab Spring

Contemporary Culture & Current Hybrids
1. Graphic Novels
2. Film
3. Art
4. Music & Dance
  1. Spirituality & Sexuality
  2. Sufis
  3. Maqamat (modes/modalities)
  4. Instruments
  5. Classic Music
    1. Um Kulthum
    2. Moluk Zarabi
    3. Fairuz
    4. Abdel Halim Hafez
    5. Farid al-Atrache
    6. Mohammad Reza Shajarian
  6. Pop music
  7. Dance
    1. Raqs Sharqi (Belly Dance)
    2. Debkah
5. Fashion
6. Muslim Americans & Diaspora Communities