Middle East

Frankincense and myrrh, the Queen of Sheba, Lawrence of Arabia: these elements figure prominently in Western perceptions of Arabia.  Recent discoveries in the region, however, have exposed a richer history of Arabian art and culture.  In conjunction with the exhibition Roads of Arabia at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History (CMNH), this course surveys the visual traditions of the Arabian Peninsula from its most ancient settlements to its modern Islamic cultures and critically examines their collection and display in museums in the Middle East and abroad.

Muslims in a Global Context is a semi-annual workshop/mini-course series that brings together faculty experts and practitioners with members of the business and cultural community, teachers, and university students for one weekend each fall and spring term. The workshops consist of presentations on topics of critical importance to the understanding of countries with significant Muslim populations. Each workshop focuses on a single cluster of countries.

This course traces the history of the ottoman empire from its origins as an obscure band of frontier warriors, to the highpoint of its geopolitical power in the sixteenth century, and on to its further evolution as an increasingly complex and peaceful society, down to the opening of the period of European imperialism and nation building. It will address not only the ottomans' political power, but also those economic, social, and cultural factors that helped explain that power and gave the empire such a distinctive place in the history of Western Europe, Balkans and the Middle East.

The Renaissance was a decisive movement in world history. It developed as a cultural and intellectual movement in the global context. Between the fifteenth and seventeenth centuries, Europe and Muslim world engaged in intense exchange of ideas, objects, and skills shaped the Renaissance in Europe and in the Muslim World. This course will begin with a critical history of the evolution of the term.

No description is available at this time

This course will examine armed struggle, resistance, insurgency, terrorism and actions by non-state actors in the Middle East. We will consider the politics and actions of different groups, as well as the way people live during situations of conflict involving such non-state actors. We will explore meanings of violence, the logic of armed groups, and the implications of killing in warfare. We will also analyze the role of the state vis-a-vis these actors and the part the state plays in violent confrontation.

This course will examine armed struggle, resistance, insurgency, terrorism and actions by non-state actors in the Middle East. We will consider the politics and actions of different groups, as well as the way people live during situations of conflict involving such non-state actors. We will explore meanings of violence, the logis of armed groups, and the implications of killing in warfare. We will also analyze the role of the state vis-a-vis these actors and the part the state plays in violent confrontation.

This course aims to present a survey of contemporary Arab society, culture and politics. It draws on a mix of recent materials (including media, development reports, modern social histories, essays and criticism) to contribute to an understanding of modern Arab history and society, and the place of the Arabs in the contemporary world. The course will cover the field through student reports on cultural and social debates permeating Arab newspapers, magazines, films, literature, and public intellectual debate

This is a one-credit Arabic Language trailer to PS 1384/ANTH 1737 that will provide an opportunity to develop vocabulary in the Anthropology and Political Science disciplines. The trailer will expand course content through articles, chapters and other media in Arabic.

This course will examine the various debates circulating in and around the Arab world related to the culture and politics of Arab societies. We will explore questions of representation in the region, whether that is Arab representations of themselves, Arab representations by the other, or minority struggles for representation. We will look at the relationship between individual, society and the state, and think critically about each of these concepts as they reproduce themselves and social relations.