Cultural Topics in Arabic: Cinema East & West

This course will examine the role that cinema has played in the cultural politics of both the Arab World as well as the West (Europe and America). Through a careful and critical viewing of a wide variety of cinematic texts/films from a wide variety of traditions (Hollywood, popular Egyptian, Arab “art films”, European), students enrolled in this course will explore such notions as genre, gender, the role of the audience, identification potential, popular vs. art films, dominance of Hollywood, globalization effects, among other issues. The course will review the role that such cinematic works have played in cross-cultural representation, understanding and misunderstanding, as well as reflecting issues of modernity and the modern.