4/23/2024 2:14:13 PM	HUMAN 21 Course Outline as of Fall 2010	Changed Course
CATALOG INFORMATION
Discipline and Nbr:  HUMAN 21	Title:  HUMANITIES IN MID. EAST
Full Title:  The Humanities in the Middle East
Last Reviewed:3/14/2016

Units		Course Hours per Week			Nbr of Weeks	Course Hours Total
Maximum	3.00	Lecture Scheduled	3.00		17.5 max.	Lecture Scheduled	52.50
Minimum	3.00	Lab Scheduled	0		17.5 min.	Lab Scheduled	0
		Contact DHR	0			Contact DHR	0
		Contact Total	3.00			Contact Total	52.50
		Non-contact DHR	0			Non-contact DHR Total	0

Total Out of Class Hours:  105.00

Total Student Learning Hours: 157.50

Title 5 Category:  AA Degree Applicable
Grading:  Grade or P/NP
Repeatability:  00 - Two Repeats if Grade was D, F, NC, or NP
Also Listed As: 
Formerly: 

Catalog Description:

An interdisciplinary exploration of the arts, ideas and values among the cultures of the Middle East (aka Near East), with focus upon works of literature, film, visual art, music, theatre and dance. Class will focus on philosophy and religion as pertaining to the various disciplines of the humanities in the Middle East.

Prerequisites/Corequisites:

Recommended Preparation:
Eligibility for ENGL 1A or equivalent

Limits on Enrollment:

Schedule of Classes Information
Description:

An interdisciplinary exploration of the arts, ideas, and values among the cultures of the Middle East (aka Near East) with focus upon works of literature, film, visual art, music, theatre and dance. Class will focus on philosophy and religion as pertaining to the various disciplines of the humanities in the Middle East.

(Grade or P/NP)
Prerequisites:
Recommended:Eligibility for ENGL 1A or equivalent
Limits on Enrollment:
Transfer Credit:CSU;UC.
Repeatability:00 - Two Repeats if Grade was D, F, NC, or NP

ARTICULATION, MAJOR, and CERTIFICATION INFORMATION

Associate Degree:		Effective:	Fall 2007	Inactive:
Area:	E	Humanities
CSU GE:	Transfer Area			Effective:	Inactive:
	C2	Humanities		Fall 2007
IGETC:	Transfer Area			Effective:	Inactive:
	3B	Humanities		Fall 2007
CSU Transfer:	Transferable	Effective:	Fall 2007	Inactive:	Fall 2023
UC Transfer:	Transferable	Effective:	Fall 2007	Inactive:	Fall 2023
C-ID:

Certificate/Major Applicable: Major Applicable Course

COURSE CONTENT

Outcomes and Objectives:
At the conclusion of this course, the student should be able to:

Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:

1.  Analyze representative works from specific Middle Eastern cultures and

   describe their distinguishing characteristics within cultural

   contexts.

2.  Discuss the ideas, beliefs, and values communicated in artistic

   expressions of at least three Middle Eastern cultures.

3.  Compare, contrast and evaluate specific Middle Eastern ideas, beliefs

   and values with specific Western ideas, beliefs and values and with

   their own ideas, beliefs and values.

4.  Analyze class, gender and other sociopolitical concerns as

   reflected in literature and the arts.

5.  Demonstrate an ability to compare, contrast, and link cultural

   expressions of the various disciplines in the humanities including

   mythology, literature, visual arts, film, theatre, music, dance,

   religion and philosophy.

Topics and Scope

I.  The course must cover at least three distinct geo-cultural areas such

   as Afghanistan, Algeria, Bahrain, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Iran,

   Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco,

   Oman, Palestinian  Authority, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria,

   Tunisia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Western Sahara and/or Yemen.

II.  The course may be arranged chronologically, by period,

   geographically, by region or thematically.

III.  The course may include major forms of expression including use

   of representative primary sources and texts in areas such as

   mythology, literature, visual arts, film, theatre, music, dance,

   religion and philosophy such as:

   A.  Visual arts: The effect of Islam on cultural

       production.  Principal achievements in Islamic architecture

       680-1600 AD/CE.  Mosque architecture, decorative arts, mosaic

       and calligraphy.  Pre-Islamic and Islamic architecture design and

       decoration.  Persian miniatures as well as Muslim and Sufi

       illuminated manuscripts.  Byzantine art and architecture.

   B.  Primary philosophical/religious texts:  Hebrew

       Bible, New Testament, The Q'uran, The Egyptian Book of the Dead,

       origin and development of Sufism.

   C.  Pre-historical and pre-Islamic literature and

       philosophy from such civilizations as Mesopotamia (Babylonian

       creation story, Epic of Gilgamesh, Code of Hammurabi),

       Sumer/Mesopotamia, Assyria, Egypt (Book of the Dead),  Graeco/Roman

       and Judeo/Christian influences in the Near East.

   D.  Film:  Cairo, Egypt as a center of cinema.  Middle Eastern film

       history such as Youssef Chahine's Cairo Station (1968) and

       Saladin (1963), Bourlem Guerdjou's Living in Paradise

       (1998, Algeria) and Silences of the Palace by Moufida Tlatli.

   E.  Music:  Arab culture in World Music.  Storytelling and

       chant.  Egyptian epic poetry as the basis of the Arab musical

       tradition.  Classic vocalists such as Umm Kulthum, or

       instrumentalists such as Abdesadek Chekara.  Popular music:  Cheb

       Mami, Assi Al-Hilani, or Hakim.

   F.  Dance:  Folk dance from Morocco, origins of belly dance.

   G.  Literary arts:  Poets such as Mohamed Bennis (Morocco), Nizar

       Qabbani (Syria), Salma Khadra Jayyusi and Mahmoud Darwish

       (Palestine).  Dramatists such as Sa'dallah Wannus.  Prose fiction

       by writers such as Abdelrahman Munif, Tariq Ali, Naguib Mahfouz,

       Amin Malouf, Nawal Al Sa'adawi, Fatima Mernisi, Ibn Khaldun,

       Ibn Batutta, Mohammed-Ali Jamalzadeh, Sadeq Hedayat, Sadeq Chubak,

        Simin Daneshvar, Bozorg Alavi, Ebrahim Golestan, Bahman Sholevar,

        Zoya Pirzad, Orhan Pamuk, Sait Faik Abasiyanik, Beyaz Kale, Nihal Atsiz,

        Orkun Ucar, Burak Turna, or Ihsan Oktay.

IV.  The course will cover cultural interactions between the Middle East

   and the West such as the effect of the Silk Road, the Crusades,

   cultural developments in el Andalus (Muslim Spain) and North Africa,

   Byzantium, the Ottoman Empire as well as the colonial period and

   the discourse of Orientalism. Travel writings from and about the

   Middle East. Post-colonial and modern topics may also be included.

V.  The historical role of women in the Middle East. Modern feminist discourse and

   cultural contributions of women in post-colonial Middle East.  Effect

   of religious law on family structure.

VI  The course may examine minority communities such as the Kurds and

   Berbers, religious minorities who are Arab but not Muslim, and

   Jewish communities in the Arab countries. Course may also cover

   traditional practices of caravan culture, (Bedouin) nomadic cultural

   production, oasis life.

VII.  Class relations in the Middle East

Assignments:

Assignments will include:

1.  Reading and analysis of 20-50 pages of assigned primary texts and supplemental

   readings to establish cultural context.

2.  Two to ten examinations or projects, which include quizzes, midterm exams

   and/or take-home exams.  A final is required.

3.  Two to four written essays (1 to 5 pages) requiring students to analyze representative works of

   Middle Eastern literature, visual art, music, theater, dance, philosophical and religious thought.

   Students may be asked to examine, compare and contrast  ideas, values

   and beliefs, and integrate materials from more than one discipline.

4.  Optional assignments may include participation in cultural activities, museum, field trips and panel discussions.

Methods of Evaluation/Basis of Grade.

Writing: Assessment tools that demonstrate writing skill and/or require students to select, organize and explain ideas in writing.		Writing 50 - 85%
Essays
Problem solving: Assessment tools, other than exams, that demonstrate competence in computational or non-computational problem solving skills.		Problem Solving 0 - 0%
None
Skill Demonstrations: All skill-based and physical demonstrations used for assessment purposes including skill performance exams.		Skill Demonstrations 0 - 0%
None
Exams: All forms of formal testing, other than skill performance exams.		Exams 15 - 50%
Quizzes, midterms and final exams
Other: Includes any assessment tools that do not logically fit into the above categories.		Other Category 0 - 30%
Activities, field trips, creative projects (optional)

Representative Textbooks and Materials:

Samples include:

 

Classic:

The Arabian Nights:  Tales From A Thousand And One Nights by Byatt, A.S.

   (Introduction). Burton, Richard.   Modern Library:  2004

The Egyptian Book Of The Dead.  Wallis, E.A Budge.  Kessinger

  Publishing:   2005

Essential Rumi (Paperback).   Barks, Coleman.  Harper  San Francisco: 1997

The Exploits Of The Incomparable Mulla Nasrudin/The Subtleties Of The

  Inimitable Mulla Nasrudin,  Shah, Idries. Paperback Octagon Press:  1989

Gilgamesh:  A New English Version.  Mitchell, Stephen.  Free Press:  2006

The Hebrew Bible And New Testament

The Muqaddimah:  An Introduction To History.  Khaldun, Ibn and Trans:

  Dawood, Lawrence, and Rosenthal. Princeton University Press:  2004

Night & Horses & The Desert:  An Anthology Of Classical Arabic Literature:

   Irwin, Robert (Ed) Anchor.  2002

The Qua'ran (Koran), Anonymous and Dawood, N.J. Penguin Classics:  2004

The Rubaiyat Of Omar Khayyam, Trans. by  Whinfield, Edward Henry (HTML at

  Fordham).  2008

 

Aesthetics:

Architecture of The Islamic World:  Its History And Social Meaning.  

   Mitchell, George Ed. Thames & Hudson:  1995

Beauty In Arabic Culture.  Behrens-Abouseif, Doris and  Weiner, Marcus:  1999

Islamic Art And Architecture (The World of Art).  Hillenbrand, Robert

    Thames & Hudson:  1998

 

Criticism:

Culture and Imperialism.  Said, Edward.  Vintage International: 1994

Orientalism.  Said, Edward.  Random House:  1979

 

Anthologies:

A Mansion In The Sky and Other Short Stories. Taraghi, Goli.  Faridoun

  Farrokh, U Texas at Austin:  2003

An Introduction to Arabic Literature.  Allen, Roger.  Cambridge University:  2000

Islam And The West.  Lewis, Bernard.  Oxford U Press:  1994

Modern Arabic Fiction:  Jayusi, Salma Khadra.  Columbia University

  Press:  2005

Modern Arabic Poetry.  Jayusi.  Salma Khadra.  Columbia University

  Press:  1987

 

Novels/ Fiction/Travel Narratives:

Balthasar's Odyssey.  Malouf, Amin.   Arcade Books:  2000

The Book of Saladin.  Ali, Tariq.   Verso Press:  1998

The Bookseller of Kabul.   Seierstad, Asne.  Back Bay Press:  2002

Cities of Salt:   Munif, Abdelrahman.  Vintage International: 1987

Fountain and Tomb.   Mahfouz, Naguib.  Lynne Rienner Publications:  1998

Shadows of The Pomegranate Tree. Tariq, Ali.   Verso Press:  1993.

The Storyteller's Daughter.  Shah, Saira.  Anchor Books:  2003

The Trench.  Munif, Abdelrahman.  Vintage International: 1993

Variations on Night and Day.   Munif, Abdelrahman. Vintage International:  1994

 

 

Women's Studies

A Walnut Sapling On Masih's Grave and Other Stories by Iranian Women.

   Green, J. and  Yazdabfar, F.  Eds. Heinemann Press:  1993

Dreams Of Trespass, Tales of a Harem Childhood.  Mernissi, Fatima.  Perseus

   Books:  1994

The Forgotten Queens of Islam.  Mernissi, Fatima  and  Lakeland,Mary Jo

   Univeristy of Minnesota Press:  1997

The Hidden Face of Eve, Women In The Arab World.  Sa'a'dawi, Nawal Al.

   Zed Books:  1980

Memoirs from the Women's Prison.  Al Sa'a'dawi, Nawal.  UC Press: 1994

Memoirs of A Woman Doctor.  Sa'a'dawi, Nawal.  AlCity Lights: 1989

The Sewing Circles Of Herat.  Lamb, Christina .  Harper Collins Perennial:  2002.

Writing Woman's Worlds:  Bedouin Stories.  Abuilughod, Lila.  UC

  Berkeley Press:  1993

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