399 Middle East Syllabus

ANT 37901 Course number 70348 Dr. Dorothy D. Wills
Cal Poly Pomona Fall, 2007

COURSE SYLLABUS: Anthropology of the Middle East

Instructor: Dorothy D. Wills, Ph.D., Professor of Anthropology
Class meetings: TTh 8:00-9:50, 5:143
Office hours: MW 8:00 – 10:00, Tues. 11:00 – 12:00, or by appointment, located in Bldg. 5-149, 869-3582.
Email: ddwills@csupomona.edu
Web page: www.csupomona.edu/~ddwills
Final exam: Tues., Dec. 4, 7:00-9:00 a.m.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

As one of the upper division regional culture courses in anthropology, this course provides an ethnographic and ethnological survey of Middle Eastern and North African peoples and culture. It highlights the change and the resistance to change in the period since the first World War, which redrew the map to serve the needs of European nations, but it also gives an in-depth look at ‘traditional’ culture and society. Early civilizations will be examined, as well. The effect of the colonial period upon socio-cultural development is examined through a variety of literature and field notes. The general focus is on relations between humans and environment, between cultures, and within societies. Students in all majors should find topics of interest. Background in social sciences, especially anthropology, is recommended, but not required. Current events will be extensively discussed. Anthropology majors are expected to have taken at least ANT 102 before enrolling in this course.

ANT 379 is a support course for the Digital Media Minor degree program. Students enrolled in the minor who have taken CLS 201 and CLS 301 will be able to fulfill part of their requirements by taking it. They will be allowed to complete some or all of the assignments and projects for Anthropology of the Middle East through multimedia products, in consultation with the professor. These products will be assessed on the basis of their compliance with the academic objectives of the course (stated below), along with the technological standards of the DM program.

ANT 379 also fulfills the upper division synthesis course requirement for Area D (Social Sciences) – D4. If you have taken the lower division courses D1-3, you are eligible for this course.

COURSE OBJECTIVES AND STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES

1. To provide a background of understanding of the Middle East (Southwest Asia), North Africa, of their peoples and civilizations, and
2. To inspire deeper knowledge of the social and cultural changes taking place in the Middle East.
3. Students will be able to interpret news items and other information from a critical perspective.
4. Students will have a better understanding of the impact of the Middle East on American culture, and of
5. The impact of European intrusion on Middle Eastern history.
6. Students will gain insight on the roles of Islam, Arab political movements, and other contemporary forces.

Your own objectives for the class will be discussed at the first meeting.

COURSE MATERIALS

Texts to be purchased:

Guests of the Sheik, Elizabeth Warnock Fernea (Doubleday)

Global Studies: the Middle East, ed. William Spencer (MCG)

Islam in the Middle East, G. P. Makris (Blackwell)

The Qur'an Translation, ed. Rodwell (Dover)

Other readings may be handed out in class, and you will be conducting additional research in the library and on the internet.

OUTLINE

Topics of Study, Outcomes, and Reading or other Assignments

I am planning at least one field trip and other events that do not appear below. Once they are scheduled, we will make accommodations on the timing of class activities. Keep up with the reading, no matter what!

Schedule of Classes

Sept. 20 Introduction to the course. Pre-assessment exercise. American stereotypes and false images of Arabs, Muslims, Jews, and the region. Problems in studying this area and in cultural studies in general. Brainstorming objectives. General discussion.

READ: Global Studies: Middle East: Theater of Conflict
Begin Guests of the Sheik

Sept. 25 Countries and general geography of the Middle East (Southwest Asia) and North Africa (MENA). A little recent history and current events. Important basic concepts in anthropological area studies. Broad cultural parameters. Who lives here today? Where did they come from?

READ: Global Studies Art. 8

Sept. 27 Choose topics (a people and a country). The ancient MENA; archaeology and culture history as far as we know. A bit about Egypt, Sumer, Akkad, and other ancient civilizations. Origin and migration of the Afro-Asiatic, Altaic, and Indo-European speaking peoples of the area.

http://www.crystalinks.com/sumer.htmlsumer.html

READ: Global Studies "your" country.
Selections from the Koran: suras 2, 4, 19, 55, 76.

Oct. 2 Ancient peoples and migrations. Language families. Mythological foundations (Sumer and Egypt). Discuss Koran readings. Film: Suleyman the Magnificent.

READ: Makris Introduction.
Continue Guests.

Oct. 4 Further background information on the Middle East. Tricky concepts: tribe, status, civilization. Some ideas from anthropology.

READ: Global Studies Cradle of Islam.

Oct. 9 What is religion? What is ritual? What is myth? Religious traditions of the Middle East and North Africa. Film "Battle of Algiers".

READ: Selected suras from the Koran.
Makris Ch. 1.

Oct. 11 A brief history of Islam. The life of the prophet Mohammed. The "people of the Book". Islam, Christianity, Judaism, and other belief systems of the region. Animist and polytheist traditions. Zoroastrianism, ancient Egyptian beliefs, and the concept of world view. The spirit world, saints, deities, prophets, diviners, and others. Eschatology.

Oct. 16 Discussion of readings. Language and communicative behavior. Bilingualism and diglossia. Education and socialization. The origin of writing. Mythological traditions.

READ: Global Studies Art. 3.
Makris Ch. 2.

Prepare to identify ‘your’ country and people in class.

Oct. 18 Film: Dervishes of Kurdistan. discussion of readings.
READ: Finish Guests by Oct. 23.

Oct. 23 Prepare for mid-term.
READ: Makris Ch. 3.

Oct. 25 Test.

Oct. 30 Guest speaker on Egypt. Social and ethnic groups. Tribes, clans, and other organizational units. Relations between groups. Social structure and organization. Modes of production and division of labor. Patterns of movement and settlement..

Makris Ch. 4.

Nov. 1 Agriculture and village life. Urbanization. The colonial impact. 'Modernization' and globalization. Sects, maraboutism, cults, brotherhoods, and factions. Impact of Islam on indigenous cultures. Culture, identity, and communication. Basic customs (cultural practices), dress and diet, attitudes to space and time. The problem of identity as opposed to behavior.

READ: Global Studies Art. 9

NOV. 2 1:00 P.M. FIELD TRIP TO CLAREMONT MOSQUE

Nov. 6 Discussion of peoples.

READ: Makris Ch. 5.

Nov. 8 Marriage and the family. Patrilineality, patrilocality, and patriarchy. Why the family is so important. Arranged marriage, polygyny, concubinage, cousin marriage, and other traditional institutions. Wedding rituals and other life cycle rites. The controversy about female circumcision.

READ: Global Studies Art. 1

Nov. 13 Film: Some Women of Marrakech. Women’s status in various societies in the Middle East.

READ: Global Studies Art. 5
Makris Ch. 6.

Nov. 15 Traditional political organization in relation to concepts of power, authority, hierarchy. The rule of age and maleness. Pastoralism and nomadism. Cultural ecology. The desert environment and its impact on human behavior. Some information on population and demographics. Natural resources and their distribution.

READ: Global Studies Art. 6, 7

Nov. 20 Legal and juridical systems: the backbone of Judaism and Islam. The phenomenon of the charismatic dictator in this region (e.g., Qaddafi, Bourguiba, Sadat, Saddam, Rabin, Khomeini … ).

READ: Global Studies Art. 2, 11.
Makris Ch. 7, 8.

Nov. 27 Possible guest speaker from the Islamic Center of Pomona.
READ: Global Studies Art. 10 12.

Nov. 29 Final discussion. Contemporary problems and prospects. Fundamentalist and Islamist movements. War and conflict.

Papers due.

Dec. 4, 7:00-9:00 Final Exam

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

You will become an expert on two things: 1) a people, ethnic group, sociocultural system, nation or civilization native to the region (not the English or French, for instance); 2) a country or nation-state of the region. The projects you carry out on these topics will involve a class presentation and brief written or multimedia report (about 5 pages, if written). There will be mid-term and final exams. You are of course responsible for the readings. There may be occasional homework assignments or quizzes on the reading. You are invited to submit early drafts of your reports to me ahead of time for preliminary evaluation and feedback.

ASSIGNMENTS AND EVALUATION

People project ………………..20%
Country project……………….20%
Mid-term exam…………….....20%
Final exam……………………20%
Assignments and attendance… 20%

Requirements for an excellent grade:
1. Regular attendance. Participation in discussions is very desirable. If this is difficult for you due to language, shyness, or a disability, please see the instructor. If you will be unable to attend class, please inform me ahead of time (except in cases of emergency or illness). You are expected to take your own notes, unless you arrange with a classmate to borrow theirs, during an illness or other excused absence.
2. Completing all assigned work on time, including readings, projects, exercises, and test preparation.
3. Use of good communication skills in written and oral communication. If you have any English language difficulties, help is available (see me for further information). Always proofread written work.
4. Good performance on the mid-term, final exam, and other requirements.
5. Adherence to high standards of student ethics. If you are unsure of the definition of plagiarism or other violations, please ask me. We will discuss the proper form for citation of sources in class. Group study is highly recommended. However, the end product should reflect your own effort only.

Your reports should contain formal citations of literature and a complete list of works consulted. A useful book is William Kelleher Storey, Writing History: A Guide for Students, 2nd ed., Oxford UP, 2004; it addresses issues of citation of references, organization, and composition.