Themes in Arabic Literature and language Pedagogy

This course will provide an overview of a wide range of literary genres from the Arabic literary canon, and will include texts drawn from both the Arabo-Islamic tradition (al-turaath or “cultural heritage” texts), as well as from the modern period. The starting point for discussion will include some recurrent themes found in the Arabic literary tradition (such as “loss,” “memory,” and “desire”), and will include additional discussion on ways of integrating literary works into language pedagogy at various levels. Through a careful reading of a wide variety of texts, students in this course will develop both an appreciation of some canonical works in the Arabic tradition, as well as an understanding of how they might be used to impart cultural and aesthetic awareness in the L2 classroom.