211-216 are advanced seminars, mainly for juniors and seniors in the Benjamin Franklin Scholars Program. All other students need permission from the instructor to enroll in these courses.
HIST 216 Filming the Middle East
Taught as schedule allows (consult the Course Directory)
Permit May Be Required: See above | SEM
This course will explore the major historical conflicts and issues of the modern Middle East, as they have been seen in the eyes of Middle Eastern film-makers. The rapid change of national boundaries after World War I, the experience of life under the European mandates, the creation of Israel, the Lebanese civil war—these are some of the events that form the basis for many of the films we will study. We will also explore how Middle Eastern directors and writers portray the consequences of these harsh experiences, as well as other more intimate issues like marriage, divorce and the experience of poverty.
These films come from all over the Middle East and North Africa: Egypt, Tunisia, Lebanon, Israel, Iran, Algeria and Syria. The course will also be the foundation for a Syrian film retrospective, and therefore a unique chance to see films from a country with little film distribution in the West.
