Please note that not all courses are offered every semester. These course descriptions are intended to give students a general sense of the scope and focus of the program.

Litteratures Francophones du Maghreb (French 411; 3 credits; taught in French)

 Ce séminaire s’adresse aux étudiants qui souhaitent découvrir une nouvelle forme d’écriture romanesque francophone du Maghreb, améliorer leur prise de parole en français et aborder la littérature comme vecteur permettant d’interroger une société et à travers elle, un mode de pensée et de culture artistique, religieuse, spirituelle et mythique. Ce séminaire vise trois objectifs: 1. Présenter l’historique des littératures francophones du Maghreb (histoire de la colonisation française, mouvements politiques qui ont déterminé l’engagement en littérature, le genre autobiographique comme modèle de société, esthétiques de la langue française comme guerilla linguistique, etc.). 2. Permettre une analyse prudente et progressive des textes au programme en privilégiant l’aspect découverte d’un mode d’écriture et insister sur l’universalité de l’approche de la lecture méthodique qui se construit au contact de références littéraires et théoriques quelle qu’en soit l’origine (intertextualité, thématiques de l’exil, de la lecture, du choix de la langue d’écriture de l’écrivain, des religions, des mythes, de la quête de l’identité. 3. favoriser une ambiance de confiance et de sérénité capable d’encourager les étudiants à s’exprimer librement en utilisant la langue française comme unique moyen de communication en classe pour les conduire progressivement à débattre et écrire dans cette langue qu’ils cherchent à maîtriser. Les oeuvres au programme sont:

• Rachid MIMOUNI, Une peine à vivre (1991)
• Souad BAHECHAR. Ni fleurs, ni couronnes (2000)
• Assia DJEBAR, La Disparition de la langue française (2003).
• Abdelkébir KHATIBI. Pèlerinage d’un artiste amoureux (2003).
• Colette FELLOUS, Aujourd’hui (2005)
• Mohamed LEFTAH, Au bonheur des limbes (2006).
• Abdelfattah KILITO. Le Cheval de Nietzsche (2007)

GENERALLY OFFERED ALL SEMESTERS.

Contemporary History of Morocco and North Africa (History 310; 3 credits)

This course focuses on the evolution of modern Morocco, specifically Morocco's integration into the world system during the last two centuries and its influence on traditional society and state growth. Major topics include the traditional Moroccan society and state, Moroccan reactions to Western expansion, Morocco under colonial rule, the emergence of nationalism, politics and society after independence, and the Islamist revival. GENERALLY OFFERED FALL SEMESTERS.

The Islamic World and the West (History 320; 3 credits)

In this course students will examine the historical background of relations between Islam and Europe from the 7th century to the present in order for them to understand better the present debate over the Clash of Civilizations thesis. The initial Islamic expansion, the Crusades and the confrontation between the Ottoman Empire and the Habsburgs took place during an extended period that was also marked by major cultural exchanges in art, architecture, philosophy and other fields. Later, imperialism and colonization added new dimensions to the interaction and new forms of Islamic reform and extremism developed in response to growing materialism, the spread of European mores and values, and the imbalance of power between East and West from the 19th century on. The rise of al-Qaeda and the September 11, 2001 attacks once again hardened relations between the Islamic world and the West. GENERALLY OFFERED ALL SEMESTERS.

Contemporary Moroccan Culture (MENA Studies 310; 3 credits)

This course introduces visiting US-American students to the different facets of contemporary Moroccan culture. Being caught between the North and the South, the East and the West, Moroccan culture has embraced a wide diversity of cultural variants and has integrated them into a homegrown cultural hybrid. Pre-Islamic, African, Berber, European, and modern technological cultures have intermingled to create contemporary Moroccan society. This hybridizing process has resulted in a number of fascinating mixes and paradoxes (linguistic, cultural, religious, ethnic, and political). Among the topics covered in this course are Moroccan traditional culture in the cyber age; current popular culture: religious rituals; youth culture; media culture of newspapers, T.V., and radio stations; the impact of modernization on Moroccan social practices; perceptions of time, space and the body; changes in the culture of womanhood; recent reforms in Morocco (education, women, human rights, labor laws); culture of dress, fashion, and traditional clothing; arts, music, and painting; intellectual production in different areas; the language question (Arabic, Amazigh, French, English…); and facing globalization: the Moroccans' conception of the past, the present, and the future (religious, cultural, philosophical, and political implications). GENERALLY OFFERED ALL SEMESTERS.

Amazigh History and Culture (MENA Studies 311; 3 credits)

This course outlines the history of the Imazighen (or Berbers, North Africa’s indigenous people) since ancient times. It covers how early Berbers founded the scattered Libyan kingdoms of classical antiquity, later interacting with outsiders (Phoenician, Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Vandal, Byzantine) until the decisive Arab conquest. It then traces their adaptation to Arab culture and Islam, highlighted by the prestigious medieval Berber empires that made a bilingual Arabo-Berber Morocco a force to be reckoned with in the Mediterranean world, and the all-pervading growth of Sufism, before an inward-looking sultanate in decline (XVIIth-XIXth centuries) paved the way for colonial domination. The remainder of the course is devoted to the linguistic erosion suffered by the Berber tongue, the anti-colonial resistance period (1908-1934), not to mention the Amazigh renaissance of the post-1980s and today’s identity crisis. Although not a language course, some rudiments of Tamazight (Berber) will be imparted, together with its oral poetry. The course will basically consist of lectures, with assigned readings and preparation for oral presentations by students, plus oral question-and-answer sessions, relevant power-point projections, and scope for one or two field-trips into the Middle Atlas. It is also imperative that time be allotted for instructor to meet students and provide advice with research papers. GENERALLY OFFERED SPRING SEMESTERS.

Community-Based Learning in the MENA Region (MENA Studies 390; 3 credits)

This course offers students first-hand, experiential learning about the role of non-governmental, private voluntary and media organizations in an Arab society through community-based learning. The course enables students to examine social issues from multiple perspectives, read relevant texts, participate in projects related to the fields of education, human development, human and civil rights, journalism or social services, engage in direct service with partner agencies, and reflect academically on their experience. Guided and facilitated by the course instructor, students are expected to spend approximately six hours at their community placement work-site each week and submit weekly journal entries reflecting on their experiences, in addition to designing and delivering a final service learning project to be shared with a larger audience. This course is open to students whose French is at the intermediate high level and above on the ACTFL scale and may be subject to placement testing on arrival in Morocco.  It is intended to deepen and broaden the students’ interactions with Morocco as well as to provide a solid analytical framework to enhance the study abroad program in Morocco. GENERALLY OFFERED ALL SEMESTERS.

Political Systems of the Maghrib (Political Science 310; 3 credits)

This course is an overview of Maghribi politics with a focus on the political dynamics and system of post-independence Morocco.  It begins with the historical background of the region (Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia)) focusing on the 20th century. Then it moves on to an outline of the general conditions that shape the formation of modern Maghribi states : colonial and international interests, regional geopolitics, anti-colonialism and the impact of Arab nationalism, cultural factors including Berberism, the conflict over the western Sahara and the rise of Islamism. Case studies of Maghribi political systems will create a comparative perspective with other states in the Arab.  Following this introductory and comparative look, the course will focus on the Moroccan political system from the 1950s to the present. In a historical perspective, this part will investigate the evolution of the kingdom from the authoritarianism of the “years of lead” to a relative democracy at the turn of the century. This course will examine also the interplay of the monarchy, the political parties, civil society organizations and the Islamist movements. GENERALLY OFFERED SPRING SEMESTERS.

The Arab Spring:  Revolution and Reform in the Arab World (Political Science 312; 3 credits)

Beginning in December 2010, movements for political reform in the Arab world engulfed the region in a sea of change. This outpouring led to unprecedented outcomes across the region from the January 2011 Jasmine Revolution that forced Tunisia’s President Zine Eddine Ben Ali to flee to the Egyptian Revolution that toppled President Hosni Mubarak after 18 days of demonstrations centered in Cairo’s Tahrir Square. Protest movements seeking greater democracy and accountability arose in virtually every corner of the Arab world. The demands for change have led to both peaceful and violent demonstrations of varying intensity in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Yemen. This course is team-taught by instructors from AMIDEAST programs in Egypt, Jordan and Morocco. Students will examine the conditions that led to the Arab Spring uprisings through a series of case studies including Tunisia, Egypt, Jordan, Libya, Syria, Yemen and Bahrain. Topics covered include conditions that preceded the uprisings, regime reactions, the role of external players, and prospects for the future. GENERALLY OFFERED ALL SEMESTERS.

U.S. Relations with the Arab/Muslim World (Political Science 335; 3 credits)

This course will introduce students to United States relations with the Muslim world with a focus on the Maghreb. The Maghreb countries—Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Mauritania—have unique histories, politics, and cultures where contestation, change, and dynamic political culture affect domestic, regional, and international politics in misunderstood and underappreciated ways. Topics and approaches to these topics will include the politics and international relations of democratization in the Arab world, the history of Islam and Empire; the legacies of colonialism, nationalism, and postcolonialism (including subaltern studies); Islamism; women’s issues; the politics of identity; demographics and youth issues; U.S. perceptions of and relations with the Muslim world in the context of the war on terror; regional views of U.S. foreign policy; international political economy; and efforts at regional (re)integration. Core and primary source material will feature Maghrebi perspectives and debates and local political and cultural production.

Islamic Reform and Islamism (Religion 340; 3 credits)

Since the 19th century, Islamic reformism has emerged as a response to the challenges of modern times in the Islamic world.  Muslim intellectuals presented a number of theories to explain the relative decline of Islamic civilization vis a vis the West.  As a result, reforming Islam and improving the living standards of contemporary Muslims have become fundamental issues in Islamic thought.  This course examines the different responses and attitudes expressed by eminent Islamic modernist thinkers and the religious movements that have emerged over the past two centuries – conservative, fundamentalist, Salafist, Islamist, and radical to name a few – and their approaches to the reformation of Islamic thought and action. GENERALLY OFFERED FALL SEMESTERS.

The Maghrib: North African Societies in Transition (Sociology 310; 3 credits)

Students will examine the major social issues impacting contemporary Morocco. The class focuses on such topics as gender and family, modernization in the political and economic arenas, urbanization versus rural development, and socioeconomic inequalities. Students will also examine Moroccan society in the context of its Arab-Islamic origins and the impact of Arab cultural identity on Moroccan national development.

State and Society in Morocco (Sociology 350; 3 credits)

Morocco is an example of an Arab country in transition from a traditional socio-political system to a modern one, with clearly evident problems of adaptation, conversion and conflict. This course focuses on an analysis of the evolving Moroccan social and political structures, with emphasis on the processes that have induced change in the society, economy and political system. The role of new political actors (PJD Islamic party, youth movement) in the transition to a constitutional monarchy is examined in detail. GENERALLY OFFERED FALL SEMESTERS.

Gender, Islam, and Society (Women’s Studies 311; 3 credits)

This course will take a multidisciplinary look at gender within the context of Muslim majority countries with a particular focus on Morocco. A major part of the course will be fieldwork oriented. Some of the class sessions will be visits to women’s associations, both secular and Islamic.  Discussion will focus on the processes of empowerment and disempowerment that are engendered by Islamic and secular women’s activism in Morocco. The overall objective is to introduce students to contemporary scholarship on women’s issues, feminist activism in both a secular and Islamic context and the nature of women’s engagement with power in the Islamic world.  In addition to fieldwork visits to some Moroccan women’s associations, students will read texts written by academic and activist feminists. GENERALLY OFFERED ALL SEMESTERS.