ARAB 245 - Revolution in Arab Cinema

Institution:

Williams College

Subject:

Arabic

Description:

This course examines the cinematic portrayal of revolution, civil war, and nationalist struggles in the Middle East. We will look at how Arab directors have interpreted liberation struggles and nationalist revolutions to include broader cinematic discourses on culture, gender, social conflict, and national identity. In addition, we will consider whether Arab films wrestling with recent history may be viewed as harbingers of the upheaval and optimism brought on by the Arab Spring. In covering such rich ground, this course seeks to provide students with a critical introduction to the language of film while presenting a social and historical context to the major conflicts in the region in the past half-century. We will cover feature film production, documentaries, short films, and digital media. While students will view films from across the region, special emphasis will be given to films pertaining to the Egyptian Revolution. Filmmakers include Yousry Nasrallah, Ibrahim El Batout (Egypt); Moufida Tlatli (Tunisia); Ziad Douerie and Nadine Labaki (Lebanon); Elia Sulieman and Michel Khaleifi (Palestine). The course will highlight many of the amateur digital videos that have been instrumental in exposing both the brutalities of the repressive regimes and the triumphs of the mass mobilizations against them. Class will be conducted in English.

Credits:

3.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.williams.edu

Phone Number:

(413) 597-3131

Regional Accreditation:

New England Association of Schools and Colleges

Calendar System:

Four-one-four plan

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