Topics in Arabic Language and Culture: Texts from Arabic Prison Literature

Course explores accounts of Arab intellectuals, political activists and journalists who were imprisoned for political views. Drawn from a diverse group, these authors include men and women; secularists and religious thinkers; and are drawn from a variety of Arab countries. Read and discuss narratives entirely in Arabic; student will offer weekly responses to the texts and produce essays for the midterm and final. Explore a variety of responses to the experience of incarceration in the Arab world to improve comprehension and linguistic skills, and understand difficult and less commonly discussed aspects of the region's politics.