Advanced Topics in Middle East & North African Studies (390-6-1)

Topic

The Maghreb and the Middle East

Instructors

Nasrin Qader
847/491-8263
1860 S. Campus Drive, Crowe Hall #2-129
Office Hours: Thursdays 1:30-3:30 or by appointment

Meeting Info

Kresge Centennial Hall 2-415: Tues, Thurs 2:00PM - 3:20PM

Overview of class

The Maghreb and the Middle East

This course offers the students the opportunity to discover the influential work of the renowned Moroccan thinker and writer, Abdelkebir Khatibi. An innovative writer, philosopher, essayist, and poet, the significance of Khatibi's thought on contemporary decolonial thought across disciplines, notably sociology, anthropology, political, literary and aesthetics cannot be overestimated. While much of his theoretical insights are based in the history and aesthetic cultures of Morocco, his concepts and methodologies have given new and nuanced breath to how scholars think, write, and study non-Western histories and cultures. His novel Amour bilingue as well as his collections of essays collected in Maghreb Pluriel and La blessure du nom propre are today necessary references for all serious students and scholars of postcolonial and decolonial thought. In this course, we will begin by first historicizing the Maghreb (Francophone North Africa) as a geographical, historical, and political configuration in order to understand the background of some of Khatibi's thinking. We will then read several essays and two novels, and autobiography by Khatibi and will consult some helpful critical readings on his key notions. The aim of the course is to familiarize students with one of the leading voices in contemporary debates in postcolonial and decolonial studies.

Learning Objectives

● Observe the forms, genres, and styles of literary expression through practices of close reading and analysis; ● Gain awareness of the philosophical, cultural, and historical factors in shaping thought;
● Enhance spoken and written skills in literary and theoretical interpretation, analysis, and commentary;
● Sharpen powers of interpretation, critique, and aesthetic perception;
● Enlarge conceptual vocabulary to understand and express abstract notions.

Teaching Method

Lecture: Only when needed to contextualize
Seminar: Class taught in seminar style
Readings: Combination of theoretical, sociological, and literary readings
Online work: Canvas posting
Group work
Class participation
Writing assignments
Presentations
Discussion

Evaluation Method

Presentations: 20% (10% and 10%)
Attendance: 5%
Class participation: 5%
Online work: 10% Canvas posting
Peer assessment: 10%
Project, final: 25%
Quizzes: 5%
Writing assignments: 20%

Class Materials (Required)

Tentative Reading: (materials will be made available on Canvas) Talbayev "Khatibi Mediterranean » (article) Alison Rice « Etranger Professionnel" (article) Matt Reeck « Tattoo—Writing with Dots" (article) Abdelmajid Hannoum The Invention of the Maghreb (selections) (pdf) Abdelkebir Khatibi Amour bilingue (novel) (out of print) pdf ------. « L'exote » (pdf) ------. La blessure du nom propre (essays ; selections) (pdf) ------. Langue de l'autre (essays ; selections) (pdf) ------. Maghreb Pluriel (essays ; selections) (pdf) ------. Le Scribe et son ombre (autobiography—out of print) (pdf) ------. Un été à Stokholm (novel) (out of print) (pdf)

Class Notes

Prerequisite: FRENCH 271-0, FRENCH 272-0, or FRENCH 273-0, or consent of instructor.

• Please no eating during class. Drink is fine. • Please turn off your phones before walking in the classroom. No texting, surfing the internet, social media, checking email during class. • You are expected to be in class for the duration of the quarter (this means from the first day of the quarter to the last day of classes and for any meetings during reading week. Since your final paper will be submitted by email, you are free to send it after your departure from campus if you are done with exams before the end of exam week). • No make up or late work will be accepted unless pre-arranged and pre-approved. Please familiarize yourself with university guidelines for missing classes. • Accessibility requests must be made in advance. AI Policy: Assignments for this course must be entirely student work, even if there are imperfections. Self-correction is the best tool for learning and sharpening one's thinking. Assignments will be scrutinized for AI content and if work is found not to have been done by the student, it will be deemed equivalent to cheating.

Class Attributes

Advanced Expression
Literature and Arts Foundational Discipline
Global Perspectives on Power, Justice, and Equity
SoC Humanities and Fine Arts Distro