ARAB 453: Film, Nation, and Identity in the Arab World

This course will introduce students to the rich and varied history of Arab cinema from the 1940’s to the present.  We will begin by situating Arab film within both Third cinema and world cinema, and by examining disparate models for national cinema in the Arab world. We will then study recent and contemporary movements in Arab cinema including new film movements and diasporic and art cinema.  We will engage in close analysis of selected films as well as the ways in which both local and transnational forces affect who makes films and why. This course has no prerequisites and no knowledge of Arabic is required.  However, students are expected to be interested in the culture and politics of the modern Arab world. VP, BN.