CAST 265 - Arab and Muslim American Studies

FC ARHU CD

4 credits
This course provides an introductory survey of the evolving fields of Arab American studies and Muslim American studies, paying particular attention to their unique yet intersecting histories and genealogies within and beyond the United States. This course examines how these fields have developed in tandem with each other paying particular attention to matters of migration, geography, religion, diaspora, citizenship, comparative racialization, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, cultural authenticity, politics of recognition, racialized exclusion, political activism, and coalition building. The course interrogates various forms of orientalism, highlights the repercussions of ongoing U.S. imperialism, and challenges pervasive stereotypes of Arabs and Muslims in U.S. television and media landscapes that continue to preoccupy the American public’s imagination. At its core, this course asks, “What is it like to be Arab and/or Muslim in America?” We attempt to answer this question by being attentive to the burgeoning, interdisciplinary, critical works of Arab and Muslim American studies scholars, critics, artists, writers, poets, folklorists, and activists.

This course is appropriate for new students.