WomenGender in Arab World

3 Credits · Level: Graduate, Undergraduate

Possibly no issue related to the Arab world has garnered more attention than the status of women. This course will situate current preoccupations with women in the Arab world in historical and comparative perspective, and within broader theoretical debates about gender and sexuality. Drawing on a variety of disciplines, we will consider the ways in which class, ethnicity, geography, religion, and culture shape the status, experiences, and desires of women in the region. Moving beyond a focus on women, we will also consider how conceptions of femininity and masculinity are constructed over time, and how in turn these concepts shape ideas about love, family, politics, and appropriate gender relations. Finally, the course will also situate the fields of women and gender studies in the Arab world in the larger debates and shifts within feminist theory, examining the ways in which scholarship in and about the region has emerged in conversation with broader feminist theories and projects. This course is a graduate level seminar, which assumes some prior coursework related to the history, society, and/or culture of the region. Advanced level undergraduates will also be considered for enrollment in the course. Specific goals for students in the course are to: 1. Develop familiarity with key concepts and theories of gender, sexuality and gender relations. 2. Understand the ways in which historical, political and socio-economic contexts shape the experiences (opportunities and limits) of differently situated women. Students will develop these skills through careful reading of rich and varied sources from a range of disciplines, class discussions, and analytical writing. 3. Develop the analytical skills needed to identify basic assumptions that undergird discussions about gender in the Arab world. Students will develop these skills through close and careful reading, historical and comparative analysis, class discussions, and analytical writing. 4. Apply tools of gendered analysis to a range of social, political and cultural experiences. 5. Analyze and interpret a variety of “cultural products” for the ways in which they represent gender differences, transformations and conflicts. 6. Develop a more nuanced understanding of the ways in which the experience of males in the region are gendered and how their gendered experiences are intertwined with those of women. 7. Through research, writing, and presentations, develop specific knowledge and expertise about a particular group or community, and/or the gendered dimensions of a specific issue of interest to the student.