An exploration of the journey, both physical and metaphorical, in Arabic, Persian, Turkish and Urdu literature and film, and the experiences and encounters of Muslim travelers from the Middle Ages to the present. Focus on travelers' observations and reflections as expressed in their accounts of pilgrimage, foreign study, long-distance commerce, diplomacy, exploration, migration, and tourism, as well as involuntary travel and exile. Materials include poetry, pilgrimage manuals, travel narratives, letters, memoirs, novels, short stories and graffiti, as well as documentary, narrative and experimental film. Authors include Ibn Fadlan, Ibn Battuta, Evliya Çelebi, al-Tahtawi, Nawab Sikandar Begum, Atiya Fyzee, Jalal Al-e Ahmad, Malcolm X, Naguib Mahfouz; filmmakers include Ismäel Ferroukhi, Yeşim Ustaoğlu, Nuri Bilge Ceylan, Samira Makhmalbaf, Jafar Panahi.

Units: 1

Max Enrollment: 15

Crosslisted Courses:

Prerequisites: Open to juniors and seniors, students who have taken at least one unit in Middle Eastern studies, and by permission of the instructor.

Distribution Requirements: REP - Religion, Ethics, and Moral Philosophy; LL - Language and Literature

Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Not Offered

Notes: