Middle Eastern Studies 297A - ST-DesertGazelleMoon:ArabicLit

From the absorbing tales of the One Thousand and One Nights and the haunting melancholy of pre-Islamic poetry to the inimitable beauty of the Quran, Medieval Arabic literature is fascinating and inexhaustible. Via English translations, this course introduces students to a rich diversity of Arabic literary texts written from the sixth century to the dawn of the modern period, stretching from the cosmopolitan cities of Muslim Spain to the empires of Central Asia and beyond. Students evaluate significant texts in order to develop capacities for aesthetic and historical response and judgment; interpretation and evaluation; and critical listening, reading, seeing, thinking, and writing. Students understand the pluralistic nature of institutions, society, and culture across the world in order to become educated, productive, and principled citizens.