Middle East Studies Minor Courses Offered in Spring 2015
* Please note that other courses may be counted, such as new courses or "topics" courses not yet listed in the online course catalog. Please speak to one of the MES Minor advisors, Mike Wuthrich, mwuthrich@ku.edu or Laura Leonard lalaeonar@ku.edu to petition for course approval.
Core Courses
GIST 624/POLS 669/SOC 600Social Movements in the Middle East ( 3 / S ) Spring 2015 |
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| Using the major theories and approaches comparatively applied to social movements around the world, this course critically analyzes historical and existing cases of social movements and "nonmovements" in the Middle East. We cover examples of Islamist (and post-Islamist), women's, nationalist, democratic, youth and labor movements and their impact on the region. Contextual factors like technology and social networking, regime type, institutions, and socioeconomic structures are also considered for their role in supporting or inhibiting collective action. Prerequisite: GIST 301 or POLS 150. Can be substituted for one of the HIST 328 or POLS 661 overview courses. Satisfies: S Social Sciences (S) |
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Social Science Emphasis
ANTH/AAAS 372Religion, Power & Sexuality in Arab Societies ( 3 / S / NW ) Spring 2015 |
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| This course examines theories of religion, discourse, power, gender and sexuality in their application to Arab societies. The course introduces different aspects of Arab cultures. Through canonical works, we study political domination, tribal social organization, honor, tribe, shame, social loyalty, ritual initiations and discuss how these issues speak generally to anthropological inquiry. Regionally specific works are then framed by an additional set of readings drawn from anthropological, linguistics, and social theories. Satisfies: S Social Sciences (S) , NW Non-Western Culture (NW) |
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GIST 503/POLS 669Politics in the Non-Arab Middle East ( 3 ) Spring 2015 |
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GIST 624/POLS 669/SOC 600Social Movements in the Middle East ( 3 / S ) Spring 2015 |
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| Using the major theories and approaches comparatively applied to social movements around the world, this course critically analyzes historical and existing cases of social movements and "nonmovements" in the Middle East. We cover examples of Islamist (and post-Islamist), women's, nationalist, democratic, youth and labor movements and their impact on the region. Contextual factors like technology and social networking, regime type, institutions, and socioeconomic structures are also considered for their role in supporting or inhibiting collective action. Prerequisite: GIST 301 or POLS 150. Satisfies: S Social Sciences (S) |
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JWSH 300Topics in Jewish Studies:Citizenship & Urban Protest ( 3 / H ) Spring 2015 |
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Examination of special topics in Jewish Studies. May be repeated if topic varies.
Satisfies: H Humanities (H) |
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POLS 689Topics in International Relations: Terrorism ( 3 ) Spring 2015 |
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A study of selected problems in international relations. Course is repeatable for different topics. Prerequisite: POLS 170.
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Humanities Emphasis
AAAS 320African Studies In: Slavery in the Lands of Islam ( 3 / AE42 / H / W ) Spring 2015 |
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Lecture and discussion course in African area of current interest. May be repeated for credit toward the major. Prerequisite: AAAS 103 or AAAS 105 or consent of instructor.
Satisfies: Advanced Education Goal 4 Outcome 2 (AE42), H Humanities (H) , World Civilization (W) |
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AAAS 320African Studies In: History of the Islamic City ( 3 / AE42 / H / W ) Spring 2015 |
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Lecture and discussion course in African area of current interest. May be repeated for credit toward the major. Prerequisite: AAAS 103 or AAAS 105 or consent of instructor.
Satisfies: Advanced Education Goal 4 Outcome 2 (AE42), H Humanities (H) , World Civilization (W) |
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AAAS 433Islamic Literature ( 3 / H / W / NW ) Spring 2015 |
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This course focuses on literature that reflects Islamic culture from its inception to contemporary times. Beginning with attention to the importance of the spoken word in the establishment of Islam, course readings and lectures follow the place of literary works in confirming Islamic perspectives. Readings include selections from the Qur'an, classical works of poetry and narrative, and contemporary autobiography. Authors are from Africa and the region of the Golden Age of Islam, including the best known: al-Ghazali (d.1111 C.E.), Attar (d. circa 1193-1235), Ibn Arabi (d. 1240 C.E,), Rumi (d. 1273), Saadi (d.1291), Hafiz (d. 1389 C.E.), and Shah (contemporary), as well as readings by and about less well known Muslim women scholars and Sufis in all historical periods. Readings are all in English translations.
Satisfies: H Humanities (H) , World Civilization (W), Non-Western Culture (NW) |
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AAAS 435Muslim Women’s Autobiography ( 3 / N / W / NW ) Spring 2015 |
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This course examines the realities of Muslim women's experiences as conveyed in their own voices. Works are drawn from all over the world, from Africa and the Middle East to Europe and the U.S. and cover the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
Satisfies: Natural Science (N) , World Civilization (W), Non-Western Culture (NW) |
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AAAS 543Language and Culture in Arabic-Speaking Communities ( 3 / AE42 / GE3S / H / NW ) Spring 2015 |
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The course examines the links between language structure, patterns of use, language choice, and language attitudes in the diglossic and bi-lingual Arabic-speaking communities. It also explores language as a reflector and creator of Arab culture (e.g. linguistic encoding of politeness, the Quranic text as the spoken and written word, the role of tropes in Arabic rhetoric). The topics for discussion range from the micro-level language choice to the macro-level issues of national language policies and planning within the domain of government and education across the Arab world. (Same as LING 543.)
Satisfies: Advanced Education Goal 4 Outcome 2 (AE42), General Education Goal 3 Social Sciences (GE3S), Humanities (H) , Non-Western Culture (NW) |
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GIST 203/503Topics in Middle Eastern Studies: History of the Islamic City ( 3 ) Spring 2015 |
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An interdisciplinary study of topics related to the Middle East. Designed especially for freshmen and sophomores. May be repeated for credit if content varies.
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HIST 481From Harem to the Streets: Gender in the Middle East, 1900 - Present ( 3 / H ) Spring 2015 |
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This reading-intensive seminar examines shifts in gender roles and expectations in the Middle East during the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. The course begins with the importance of harem within Middle Eastern society, and traces Middle Eastern women's increasingly public presence in national movements, feminist activism, and peace protests as well as the impact of Western standards of marriage, child-rearing, beauty, and sexuality on gender roles. The course uses primary and secondary sources to analyze how gender identity is informed by religion and culture and grounded in specific historical moments.
Satisfies: Humanities (H) |
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HIST 696Middle East and the World ( 3 / AE61 / H ) Spring 2015 |
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A seminar designed to introduce students to the theory and practice of historical inquiry. A research paper will be required. May not be repeated for credit. Prerequisite: Twelve hours of upper-class courses in history and completion of HIST 301 or consent of instructor.
Satisfies: Advanced Education Goal 6 Outcome 1 (AE61), Humanities (H) |
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JWSH 300Topics in Jewish Studies: Enemies of Ancient Israel ( 3 / H ) Spring 2015 |
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Bad Guys of the Bible. An exploration of the social world of the Bible through its antagonists and their cultures. We will examine the so-called bad guys of the Bible using the lenses of history, archaeology, geography, and religion to better understand their cultures and how they are portrayed in the biblical text.
Satisfies: Humanities (H) |
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JWSH 300Topics in Jewish Studies: Everyday Life in Modern Israel ( 3 / H ) Spring 2015 |
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JWSH 311Narratives of Jewish Life ( 3 / AE42 / H ) Spring 2015 |
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The course focuses on the narratives through which Jews made sense of their lives under the impact of the forces of modernity, beginning in the "old world," and moving through the 19th century and into the 20th. The goal is to analyze how the imagination of Jewish writers was captured by the changes in social structures such as new educational, residential and occupational opportunities, leading to increased interactions with the gentile society. Students read and discuss literary works based in the shtetl in revolutionary Russia, and in America. We will also look at memoirs and letters written by ordinary Jews. All assigned texts will be in English.
Satisfies: Advanced Education Goal 4 Outcome 2, Humanities (H) |
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REL 404Undergraduate Seminar in Religion: Islamic Law - Between Tradition and Modernity ( 3 / H ) Spring 2015 |
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Topic, instructor, prerequisite and hours of credit to be announced in Schedule of Classes. Particular subject matter any given semester responding to student interest and taking advantage of special faculty competence. Class discussion, readings, and individual projects.
Satisfies: Humanities (H) |
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REL 557Modern Islamic Reform Movements ( 3 / H ) Spring 2015 |
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This course examines movements of renewal and reform in the Islamic world today. Also studies the conditions that gave rise to calls for reform throughout the Muslim majority world, as well as the impact reform movements have had on the practices and beliefs of Muslims today.
Satisfies: Humanities (H) |
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Student Spotlight
Meet Zoya Khan, who graduated with the Middle East Studies minor along with a double major in Global & International Studies and Political Science. Watch the video below and read more about Zoya here.
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