ARAB-320 Arab Film

Faculty:

Ayoub, Dima

How has Arab cinema transformed our vision of cinema as well as of history since its emergence on the scene in the early twentieth century? This course will survey Arab cinema from different periods and will consider how cinema is used to explore themes such as gender and sexuality, national identity, war, displacement, poverty, urbanization, colonialism, censorship, language and religion. The course will introduce Arab cinema as a vehicle through which themes of social significance in the Arab world and in the diaspora are reflected upon, analyzed, upheld or challenged. In addition to weekly viewings, we will also read critical material in order to analyze films critically and become familiar with the key theoretical elements of modern critical and cultural theory as they apply to film study and criticism. The films screened as part of the course will not only be analyzed from an aesthetic perspective, but also as socially produced narratives that reveal some of the central tensions and concerns of the culture from which they emerged. Students will be introduced to various genres that characterize Arab cinema such as epic, comedy, drama, documentary, musicals, and historical among others.

Credits: 3

Prerequisites: None

Other academic years
There is information about this course number in other academic years:

• 2010-2011 Fall and Spring
• 2011-2012 Fall and Spring
• 2012-2013 Fall and Spring

More information
Look for this course in the schedule of classes.

The academic department web site for this program may provide other details about this course.