Arabic Culture Syllabi
I’d like to provide here several draft syllabi for those of you interested in teaching and research of the following topics. I support an open-source approach to knowledge, and am happy to follow up on these resources in conversation if you have any comments or questions.
Time Periods & Parameters of Arabic Literature
In the field of Arabic literature, courses are usually designed as either “Modern” or “Classical.” The former refers to roughly the 19th century and later, with works considered “early modern” until around the time of the Second World War. “Modern” signifies a time when Arabic literature was in contact with colonial nations, and it is used to refer to literature until the present day. Pre-Modern or “Classical” Arabic literature begins with the (oral) poetry of 7th century Arabia, and continues into the global Middle Ages or medieval period, ending with roughly the nineteenth century and the colonial and industrial ages. The “golden age” of “Classical” Arabic literature ends around the 14th century, with the 15th to 18th centuries being a bit of a gray area. They are “Pre-Modern,” and fall under “Classical” for the purposes of teaching, but the literature in these centuries has been denigrated historically in both Arab and non-Arab scholarship for several reasons, including the increasing appearance of spoken language varieties in written sources. One problem with this structuring of the field is the preference of written sources over oral sources. In my work, I seek to provide a more balanced view of literature as inclusive of language arts across a culture, from poetry and plays to stories and songs, as well as novels and films. This vision is reflected in the syllabi below.
Being an Arab Woman: Feminist Projects in Contemporary Arabic Culture
This course explores issues and texts from the contemporary era, representing the Arab region and beyond (in diasporas). This syllabus was drafted in 2014 for The University of Rhode Island.
Pre-Modern Arabic Literature: An Annotated Syllabus
This course was designed in 2010 at The University of Texas at Austin. It includes plenty of critiques, and some suggested activities.
Performing Arts in Folk Traditions and Popular Culture in the Arab World: An Annotated Syllabus
This course was designed in 2009 at The University of Texas at Austin. It also includes critiques and suggestions for teaching these texts in a university classroom.
The essence of teaching literature: sitting down together to learn how to read, and learning from one another