ANTH 308: Peoples and Cultures of the Middle East

ANTH 308-001: Peoples/Culture of Middle East
(Fall 2018)

03:00 PM to 04:15 PM TR

Section Information for Fall 2018

The Middle East and North Africa has long attracted travelers, journalists, scholars, students, development organizations, and industry. This fascination has produced a great deal of academic and popular literature on the region and its cultures, politics, economics, and religions. Most often, attention to the Middle East and North Africa is on national and international conflicts and negative stereotypes. Much less often are we introduced to the complexities of life at the individual and community levels. In this course we will explore some of the key themes that have emerged in much of the work on the region, including: history, gender, politics, health, religion, conflict, migration, and displacement. By reading anthropological writing we will focus on how people’s experiences are connected with broader national and global processes. In light of recent events, we will pay attention to how the region has been represented in Western accounts and highlight some of the scholarly concepts and paradigms that have developed in conjunction with anthropological research in the Middle East and North Africa. This course is open to undergraduate students in all academic disciplines and programs and may be of particular interest to those in anthropology, sociology, Global Affairs, Women and Gender Studies, communication, history, religious studies, MEIS, and SPGIA. Satisfies Global Understanding for Mason Core and CHSS Non-Western Requirement.

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Course Information from the University Catalog

Credits: 3

Examines the anthropological literature on peoples and cultures of the Middle East, with particular attention to political and social change over the course of the 20th century. Limited to three attempts.
Mason Core: Global Understanding
Specialized Designation: Non-Western Culture
Schedule Type: Lecture
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.

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