SISU-481 Women, Gender, and Change in the Middle East and North Africa (3)

This course focuses on how the concepts of women and gender have entered historically into the formation of the modern state in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), and how debates over the status of women in religious and national communities have figured centrally in the current political events and struggles. The course examines how specific popular issues (such as the wearing of the veil) fit into the broader relationship among gender, power, and politics, and explores the relationship between elements of globalization (such as the new information technology) and the struggle for human rights and equality. The analysis is based on a variety of sources, including political and literary writings, religious texts and commentaries, fiction writing and films, and blogs and Twitter. Grading: A-F only.