REFLECTIVE SEMINAR in Fall 2020 (RS0001FB7B)

The cultures of the Middle East and North Africa are plural. Though marked by monotheism, this region, running from the Atlantic Ocean in the West to the Arabian Gulf in the East, is home to multiple languages, lifestyles, and forms of architecture. This First Bridge offers an introduction to cities as diverse as Cairo and Istanbul, Fès, Tunis and Diyarbakir, along with the expanding capsular metropolises of the Gulf emirates. Discovering the region’s societies through literature, film, and social media, students will be introduced to theories drawn from cultural geography and urban planning. With Paris home to numerous Middle Eastern diaspora groups, visits to museums and other sites in the city are planned.