12/21/2024 5:08:57 PM	HUMAN 21 Course Outline as of Fall 2007	New Course (First Version)
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, theater 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, theater 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 caste, 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 of the humanities including

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

   religion and philosophy.

Topics and Scope

1.  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.

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

   geographically, by region or thematically.

3.  The course will include major forms of expression including use

   of representative primary sources and texts in areas such as

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

   religion and philosophy such as:

   a.  Examples within 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.  Examples within 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 (Morrocco), 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.

4.  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.

5.  The historical role of women in Islam. Modern feminist discourse and

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

   of Islamic law (Sharia') on family structure.

6.  The course may touch minority communities such as the Kurds and

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

   Jewish communities in the Arab countries. Course may also cover

   traditional practices of caravan culture, (Bedouin) nomadic cultural

   production, oasis life.

Assignments:

Assignments will include:

1.  Reading and analysis of assigned primary texts and supplemental

   readings to establish cultural context.

2.  Examinations, which may include quizzes, midterm exams, final exam,

   and/or take-home exams.

3.  Written essays requiring students to analyze representative works of

   Middle Eastern literature, visual art, music, theater, dance,

   philosophical and religious thought.

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

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

4.  Participation in cultural activities, museum and field trips

   (optional).

5.  Participation in group projects such as panel discussions,

   presentations or creative projects related to Middle Eastern arts

   and ideas (optional).

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 - 95%
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 5 - 45%
Multiple choice, True/false, Matching items, Completion, Essay 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:

Classic:

GILGAMESH:  A NEW ENGLISH VERSION, Stephen Mitchell, 2006, Free Press.

THE EGYPTIAN BOOK OF THE DEAD by E.A. Wallis Budge, 2005, Kessinger

  Publishing.

THE HEBREW BIBLE AND NEW TESTAMENT

THE QUA'RAN (KORAN), Anonymous and N.J. Dawood 2004, Penguin Classics.

THE MUQADDIMAH:  AN INTRODUCTION TO HISTORY, by Ibn Khaldun, trans:

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

NIGHT & HORSES & THE DESERT:  AN ANTHOLOGY OF CLASSICAL ARABIC LITERATURE:

  Robert Irwin (Ed) Anchor.

THE ARABIAN NIGHTS:  TALES FROM A THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS by A.S. Byatt

  (Introduction), Richard Burton, Modern Library.

THE RUBAIYAT OF OMAR KHAYYAM, trans. by Edward Henry Whinfield (HTML at

  Fordham).

ESSENTIAL RUMI (Paperback) by Coleman Barks Harper, San Francisco.

THE EXPLOITS OF THE INCOMPARABLE MULLA NASRUDIN/THE SUBTLETIES OF THE

  INIMITABLE MULLA NASRUDIN, Idries Shah; Paperback Octagon Press.

Aesthetics:

BEAUTY IN ARABIC CULTURE, Doris Behrens-Abouseif, Marcus Weiner (July

  1999).

ISLAMIC ART AND ARCHITECTURE (THE WORLD OF ART) by Robert Hillenbrand,

  1998, Thames & Hudson.

ARCHITECTURE OF THE ISLAMIC WORLD:  ITS HISTORY AND SOCIAL MEANING,

  George Mitchell, ed, 1995, Thames & Hudson.

Criticism:

ORIENTALISM:  Edward Said, 1979, Random House.

CULTURE AND IMPERIALISM:  Edward Said, 1994, Vintage International.

Anthologies:

AN INTRODUCTION TO ARABIC LITERATURE, Roger Allen, Cambridge University.

MODERN ARABIC FICTION:  Salma Khadra Jayusi, 2005, Columbia University

  Press.

A MANSION IN THE SKY AND OTHER SHORT STORIES, Goli Taraghi, Faridoun

  Farrokh, U Texas at Austin.

MODERN ARABIC POETRY, Salma Khadra Jayusi, 1987, Columbia University

  Press.

ISLAM AND THE WEST, Bernard Lewis.

Novels/ fiction/travel narratives:

CITIES OF SALT:  Abdelrahman Munif, Vintage International, 1987.

THE TRENCH:  Abdelrahman Munif, Vintage International, 1993.

VARIATIONS ON NIGHT AND DAY, Abdelrahman Munif, 1994, Vintage

  International.

BALTHASAR'S ODYSSEY, Amin Malouf, 2000, Arcade Books.

FOUNTAIN AND TOMB:  Naguib Mahfouz, 1998, Lynne Rienner Publications.

SHADOWS OF THE POMEGRANAtE TREE, Tariq Ali, 1993, Verso Press.

THE BOOK OF SALADIN, Tariq Ali, 1998, Verso Press.

THE BOOKSELLER OF KABUL, Asne Seierstad, 2002, Back Bay Press.

THE STORYTELLER'S DAUGHTER, Saira Shah, 2003, Anchor Books.

Women's Studies

MEMOIRS OF A WOMAN DOCTOR, Nawal Al Sa'a'dawi, City Lights, 1989,

  ISBN 0-87286-223-2.

MEMOIRS FROM THE WOMEN'S PRISON, Nawal Al Sa'a'dawi, UC Press, 1994.

THE HIDDEN FACE OF EVE, WOMEN IN THE ARAB WORLD, Nawal Al Sa'a'dawi,

  1980. Zed Books.

DREAMS OF TRESPASS, TALES OF A HAREM CHILDHOOD, Fatima Mernissi, 1994,

  Perseus Books.

THE FORGOTTEN QUEENS OF ISLAM, Fatima Mernissi and Mary Jo Lakeland,

  1997, Univeristy of Minnesota Press.

THE SEWING CIRCLES OF HERAT, Christina Lamb, 2002, Harper Collins

  Perennial.

WRITING WOMAN'S WORLDS:  BEDOUIN STORIES, Lila AbuiLughod, 1993, UC

  Berkely Press.

A WALNUT SAPLING ON MASIH'S GRAVE AND OTHER STORIES BY IRANIAN WOMEN,

  J Green and F Yazdabfar, eds. 1993, Heinemann Press.

Print PDF