Reel Visions: The Middle East Through Its Filmmaker's Lens
FYSEMR 68E
Subject & Catalog Number
Course Information
Description
How do Middle Eastern films shape how we see the Middle East? In this First-Year Seminar, you will engage with films from the Middle East that tell intimate and personal stories in specific social and political situations. You will watch movies from the region, most of them produced in the last quarter century, and following a geographical arc from North Africa to the Eastern part of the Middle East. You will also read a short text to help you contextualize each movie, including the circumstances of the directors and actors (such as state support or censorship), and will consider these movies as a lens into Middle Eastern self-representations.
Each week, through various interactive exercises, you will play the role of movie makers, critics, or censors. You will produce your own film critiques and analyses using various formats, such as text, videos, and podcasts. Ultimately, we will reflect on what makes Middle Eastern movies distinctive and on what we can learn from them about the Middle East.
NOTE: Students are expected to have watched the assigned movie and reading in advance of each class.
Class Notes
NOTE: This seminar meets from 12:00PM - 2:00PM
First-Year Seminars are available only to first-year students. You may apply to both Fall 2026 and Spring 2027 First-Year Seminars via the FYS lottery between July 6 and August 6, 2026 at 11:59PM-midnight.
You may apply to as many seminars each term as you would like, but we recommend you apply to at least six in fall and three in spring.
As part of your application, you must provide a brief statement on why you are interested in each seminar. You will be notified of lottery results for both fall and spring seminars at 5 pm on August 11. If you are unsuccessful in the lottery, you may still join any seminar with open seats. A list of open seminars and instructions on next steps will be available on the First-Year Seminar Program website August 11 at 12 Noon.
Not Available for Cross Registration
