EGL 252 - The Islamic World and Global Literary Culture

Course Units: 1

The Islamic World and Global Literary culture course asks how two designations of the global - world literature and the Islamic world - think through the concepts of globalization and community. Using insights drawn from recent literary, sociological, and theological research we will consider the important and dynamic role of religion, specifically Islam, in contributing to cultural identity on a global scale.

Students will engage with literary and theoretical texts that have been produced within, by, and about these communities to explore how authors reckoned with the world community envisioned by Islam and how Islamic authors, both practicing and non-religious, have been received into the global literary sphere. In addition to reading canonical novels, topics covered will include critical and cultural theories related to world literary study such as orientalism, the role of translation, literary prize culture, non-Western feminisms, and minority studies. Students will read a challenging and engaging range of texts, including novels, essays, short stories and travelogues produced by artists engaging with diverse geographic and cultural backgrounds drawn from the Arab World, Turkey, the Indian subcontinent, as well as from diaspora communities in Europe and America. Prerequisite(s): One 100-level English course or a score of 5 on the AP English Language or Literature and Composition test. CC: HUL, HUM, LCC, WAC, GLIT, GCHF, GSPE ISP: AIS