TRAD 101: MIDDLE EASTERN HUMANITIES-syllabus, Fall 2005

Middle Eastern Humanities introduces students to the values, traditions, and development of Middle Eastern (largely Islamic) culture and civilization. This course is designed to familiarize students with the principal achievements in art, architecture and literature of Islamic civilization, to help students understand these achievements in their social and cultural contexts, and to consider the historical evolution of our knowledge and understanding of these achievements. Students exiting this course should have gained a sound understanding of the geographical extent and variety, historic significance, literary and scientific contributions, and ongoing importance of this region of the world.

Books Required for this course: (5)

1. Maimon, Elaine & Janice Peritz. Writing Intensive Essentials for College Writers. NY: McGraw Hill, 2007.

2. Global Studies: The Middle East. NY: McGraw Hill, 2006.

3. Barnstone, Tony and Willis. Literatures of the Middle East. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2003.

4. Hammond Inc., Atlas of the Middle East. Blacklick, OH: McGraw-Hill Inc., 2006.

5. Mahfouz, Naguib. The Day the Leader was Killed. NY: Random House,[1985] 1997. ISBN: 9780385499224

PHILOSOPHY OF LEARNING AND TEACHING

The purpose of this class is for you to learn. Research shows that students learn best when they are actively engaged with the material. Students in this class are expected to be active learners. The class is structured to encourage you to be involved in all learning situations, from homework preparation to in-class experiences. As an instructor, I feel it is my responsibility to organize the class to help you engage with the material, be an active learner, and be an active partner in assessing and improving your own learning. As a student, it is your responsibility to engage with the material and learn. I will provide numerous feedback opportunities throughout the course designed for both of usinstructor and studentto check in on how your learning is going. Students are encouraged to make at least one appointment with me during the semester to talk about how your learning is going and what we can both do to increase it.

THIS CLASS HAS A D2L COMPONENT.

You are responsible for checking this area at least 2-4 times a week. This is where you will find many of the readings, handouts, and study guides among other things. Student activity on D2L is monitored by the professor, and those not entering and accessing D2L material often enough may be reminded to do so or lose participation points.

*ATTENDANCE IS MANDATORY*: Students are required to attend all weekly sections and to attend all lectures as well because material presented in lecture is often not provided otherwise in the course (not in readings or films for instance) but will appear on the tests. Because things do happen and people do get sick now and then, each student is allowed (granted) two absences during the entire semester. You should tell your TA as soon as possible (preferably before the fact) that you will be absent, and failing to do that must return with a doctors note, funeral program, etc. to explain your absence. Absences beyond these two will result in the deduction of .5 (one-half) of a point for each additional absence from your attendance points (5) in the course. Reserve your two absences for personal holidays, illness, family events, etc. TAs will not reiterate entire lecture contents just because you missed lecture. Discussion section is to go over what you have learned and heard in lecture and in the readings. If you choose to not attend lecture, you will have to devise your own way of figuring out what information has been presented in lecture.

Assignment Policy

All assignments are due on the day indicated. Late assignments will not be accepted unless arrangements have been made with your TA BEFORE the due date; no approvals will be given for late assignments unless the student attends class the day the assignment is due; approval for late assignments is given only for major circumstances outside the students control.

Extra Credit: This course has NONE. If you miss a quiz, test, or other assignment or lose points to improper attendance, these cannot be made up at a later time by some other contrived assignment.

*TRAD 101 Zero Tolerance Policy*: All students will be asked to use a MLA guidebook required for purchase for the class for the purpose of properly citing resources consulted for this courses papers. Failing to properly cite material you borrow from sources outside your own mind (i.e. plagiarism) will result in failure of that assignment and possibly expulsion from the course. The material you hand in for this course is to be solely of your own creation. Purchased or recycled papers will also receive failing grades and jeopardize your continuing in this class. Finally, it is imperative that all students at all times are quiet, direct their attention towards the instructor, and are present for the entire lecture period in order to be marked as present. Teaching Assistants do monitor the auditorium and have the same authority of the instructor: i.e. TAs can ask you to leave if you do not behave properly in class. Again, read the university policy on the obligations of the student as regards class attendance and classroom behavior (binding on all U of A students) at: http://studpubs.web.arizona.edu/policies/studcofc.htm

**I am serious about this: in past semesters I have failed several papers and failed 18 students out of the class entirely with just three weeks left to go in the semester. Do your own work!**

Thursday / Friday the first week: ATTEND YOUR SECTION THIS WEEK on time OR YOUR PLACE WILL BE FILLED BY SOMEONE WISHING TO ADD THE COURSE!!!!!

***FAILING TO ATTEND--on time--THE FIRST SECTION WILL RESULT IN YOUR BEING DROPPED, THERE ARE MANY STUDENTS WAIT-LISTED FOR THIS COURSE WHO WILL ATTEND and are seeking to get themselves added to the course.***

Week One

Mon. Aug. 20 Introduction, ground rules and drop/add process explained

Wed. Aug. 22 Breaking Down Stereotypes

[D2L readings, plus: Barnstone pp. 1-6 (intros)]

Week Two

Mon. Aug. 27 Geography of the Ancient Middle East

[D2L reading, plus: Barnstone: pp. 7-13]

Wed. Aug. 29 Pre-Islamic Life and Classical Literature

[Barnstone: pp. 7-21, 37-44 up to Doomed Prince, and 227-236 up to Ode to Imru al-Qays]

Week Three

Mon. Sept. 3 NO CLASSES: LABOR DAY

Wed. Sept. 5 Muhammad as a man and Prophet and the Five Pillars

[D2L reading, plus: website: http://www.islamicity.com/mosque/pillars.shtml]

[[ QUIZ I in section this week, includes a map section! ]]

Week Four

Mon. Sept. 10 The Quran and The Bases of Belief

[Barnstone: 238-252, plus explore website: http://www.islamicity.com/multimedia/radio/ch100/]

Wed. Sept. 12 Caliphs and Imams

[D2L readings, plus: Global Studies: History of Iraq entry, pp. 71-72 up to British Mandate]

**Sept. 14 is last day to drop classes with deletion of course enrollment from your record

[[ FIRST PAPER due in section this week ]]

Week Five

Mon. Sept. 17 Mysticism/Sufism

[D2L reading & Barnstone: Rabia 265-267 and Rumi 336-341]

Wed. Sept. 19 The 1001 Arabian Nights and other folk literature

[D2L reading and Barnstone: 268-295]

Week Six

Mon. Sept. 24 Art and Architecture in the Middle East (begin Ramadan)

[reading TBA]

Wed. Sept. 26 Science in the Arab World

[D2L reading also online at Saudi Aramco World at: http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/200703/rediscovering.arabic.science.htm ]

[[Quiz II on-line sometime this week]]

Week Seven

Mon. Oct. 1 Napoleon, al-Nahda, and Modern M. E. Literature & Culture

[D2L readings]

Wed. Oct. 3 Geography of the Modern Middle East

[D2L reading, plus: Global Studies, The Dying of the Dead Sea pp. 213-217; plus: Explore your Hammond Atlas of the Middle East]

Week Eight

Mon. Oct. 8 MID-TERM EXAM --[[IN CLASS]] (no make-ups)

Wed. Oct. 10 Orientalism

**Oct. 12 is last day to drop with a W on your record: must have a passing grade to do so.

Week Nine

Mon. Oct. 15 Modern Political Poetry

[D2L readings, plus: Barnstone: N. Hikmet 385-387, N. Qabbani 416-419, M. Darwish 471-473]

Wed. Oct. 17 Modern Short Stories

[D2L reading, plus: Barnstone: S. Y. Agnon 367-385, Yashar Kemal, 400-416, Mohamed el-Bisatie 450-454]

[[ Quiz III in section this week ]]

Week Ten

Mon. Oct. 22 Film regarding novels setting and context

[D2L reading, plus: Global Studies: Egypt 42-52]

Wed. Oct. 24 Begin, (novel: The Day the Leader was Killed) [novel pages 1-47]

(end Ramadan) [[poetry exercise due in section this week, hand in to your TA]]

Week Eleven

Mon. Oct. 29 End, (novel: The Day the Leader was Killed) [novel pages 48-End]

Wed. Oct. 31 The Middle Eastern City

[D2L reading] [[Quiz IV on-line sometime this week]]

Week Twelve

Mon. Nov. 5 Theater

[D2L reading]

Wed. Nov. 7 Cinema

[D2L reading]

Week Thirteen

Mon. Nov. 12 NO CLASSES: VETERANS DAY

Wed. Nov. 14 Gender and Social Issues in the Middle East (guest)

[D2L reading] [[ Paper II due Wed. in lecture late papers not accepted ]]

Week Fourteen

Mon. Nov. 19 Modern Media, Censorship, and the Internet

[D2L reading]

Wed. Nov. 21 Film re: Comedy in the Middle East

[D2L reading] [[No sections meet this week]]

THANKSGIVING BREAK: Nov. 22-25

Week Fifteen

Mon. Nov. 26 Music and Dance

[D2L reading]

Wed. Nov. 28 Middle Eastern Graphic Novels [[Events final deadline]]

[D2L readings] [[Last discussion section meets this week]]

[[ Quiz V in section this week ]]

Week Sixteen

Mon. Dec. 3 Modern Interpretations of Islam

[D2L reading, Plus Global Studies pages 196-198 and pages 223-228]

Wed. Dec. 5 Last Day of Classes: Review Session in Lecture

[[No sections meet this week]]

Final Exam: (Wednesday Dec. 12, 2:00 4:00pm, in Harvill 150)

GRADING:

ATTENDANCE 5 PTS.

PARTICIPATION 5 PTS.

QUIZZES (5 x 5 pts.) 25 PTS.

1 POEM EXERCISE 5 PTS.

MID-TERM EXAM 10 PTS.

EVENT RESONSES (2 x 5pts.) 10 PTS.

FINAL EXAM 15 PTS.

PAPER ONE 10 PTS.

PAPER TWO 15 PTS.

=100 pts.

Note: We will award grades on a + / - scale throughout the course, but we must submit a final grade on the university whole grade system. At the very end of the class, assignment grades will be summed and rounded up or down at the half point break: that is... an 89.44 will be a B in this class: If you skate that close to the line, we shall not help you over it (into the A range).

YOU CANNOT DO EXTRA CREDIT TO MAKE UP FOR MISSED QUIZZES OR TESTS.SO TAKE THEM WHEN THEY ARE SCHEDULED.