Representing Egypt: Tradition, Modernity, and Globalization

DATES: January 3-18th, 2010

COST: $3982 which covers 3 credits tuition, 2 meals per day, all overnight stays in hotels, 4-day cruise from Luxor to Aswan, farewell dinner, travel guidebook, and pre-departure orientation. Airfare is NOT included.

CREDITS: English 349 or 665, History 387, Womens Studies 490 or 640.

TYPE OF HOUSING: Hotels

EXCURSIONS: Nile River cruise, Cairo, Alexandria.

CONTACT: Sarah Mournighan
(703) 993-2106

Because understanding the modern Arab world involves, first and foremost, an understanding of Egypt, this exiting new program offers students access to contemporary Egyptian culture and investigates Egypt and as a contested site of competing claims and interpretations!

Egypt is where many important modernist developments that have shaped the region as a whole originated and thrived, including the Arab Renaissance (Al Nahda), anti-colonialism, nationalism, the Arab feminist movement, and the Islamist movement. Through visits to historical and cultural sites, meetings with cultural producers and activists, and class discussions and readings, this course will examine Egypt as a central place in both the geopolitical and cultural map of the Middle East. Egypt's strategic location, rich history, and diverse population have allowed it to always maintain a significant role in the politics and culture of the region.

Here are some questions we'll ask while abroad: Who represents Egypt today? What role does tradition play in Egyptian modernity? How do competing groups use history to understand the present? How does globalization manifest itself in Egyptian culture and what are its consequences on gender and class identities? What role does Islam play in this cultural contestation?

*CGE reserves the right to make changes to a program in light of currency fluctuations, changing security and safety conditions, or any other unforeseen circumstances.