Levantine Cities: Alexandria, Istanbul, Athens

Explores the literary and filmic imagination of three Eastern Mediterranean cities, Alexandria, Istanbul, and Athens. It examines the history, culture and politics of these cities and the ways in which they emerge in literature, film, poetry and travelogues. How is the city defined in these works? How are social tensions addressed, such as those between Greeks and Turks and Arabs or between Christians, Muslims and Jews? How are thematic and historical issues resolved, such as those involving antiquity and modernity, tradition and modernization, colonialism and nationalism, religion and secularism? How are these cities defined in the works of western writers? Enrollment limited to 30.