HUM 102 — The Arab, The Muslim, and The West
This course will examine how the West views Arab and Islamic cultures through visual and cultural texts. Since colonization, the West has often mischaracterized and vilified Arab nations, their people, and Islam. Vastly different in political, social and religious affiliations, the Arab population has been presented as a monolithic tribe. Post 9/11, some conservatives and liberals alike in the West have demonized those who associate and identify themselves with Islam. Problematic narratives from colonialism to decolonization to the present day contribute to these biases and conflate the Arab and the Muslim. Students will analyze these cultural and theoretical texts, as well as counternarratives and various forms of resistance.