Spring 2025 – Middle Eastern Studies and Arabic Studies at Queens College

Instructor: Dr. Athar Almadanat
Day and Time: M/W 1:40-3:30pm
Course Code: 54055
Satisfies: College Option – QC Language
Description: A beginner’s course in the Arabic language, designed to give elementary control over the spoken and the written word; practice in reading elementary texts and in oral expression. For students new to Arabic or who would like to start from the beginning.
Mode: Online, Synchronous
Credits: 4

Instructor: Dr. Asmaa Benbaba
Day and Time: T/Th 2:15-4:05pm
Course Code: 43724
Satisfies: College Option – QC Language
Description: A continuation of ARAB 101. For students who have a basic foundation in the Arabic alphabet. Students build on their speaking, listening, and reading skills and study various aspects of Arab and Islamic culture.
Mode: Online, Synchronous
Credits: 4

Instructor: Prof. Hajara Masood
Course Code: 45320
Satisfies: College Option – QC Language
Description: A continuation of ARAB 203. This course is open to students who have successfully completed three semesters of Arabic through Intermediate Arabic I or who have equivalent proficiency in Modern Standard Arabic. Students will continue to develop their skills in reading, writing, speaking and understanding MSA.
Mode: Online, Asynchronous
Credits: 3

Instructor: Dr. Hala Abdelghany
Day and Time: Online, Asynchronous
Course Code: 45318
Satisfies: College Option – QC Language
Description: Continue building on your Arabic language skills with Prof. Hala this Spring through study of Quranic Arabic! Quranic Arabic refers to the language of the Quran, which has some unique features. In this class, students will develop their Arabic vocabulary and grammar, as they read verses from the Quran and look at examples of Quranic interpretation (tafsīr).
Topics Covered: The Language of the Quran, The Quran as Oral Recitation, The Formal & Thematic Structure and of the Quran, Rhetoric and Stylistic features of the Quran, Morphology of the Quran, Vocabulary of the Quran, Syntax/Semantics of the Quran
Mode: Online, Asynchronous ( with expected attendance of bi-weekly workshops)
Credits: 3

Instructor: Kirsten Beck
Day and Time: Online, Asynchronous
Course Code: 45230
Satisfies: College Option – QC Literature
Description: A survey of the rich cultural and literary legacy of Islamic civilization from the 7th to 12th centuries CE, a time of intense literary activity and intellectual inquiry in the Middle East, through close readings of scripture, literary texts, and scholarly works. Topics to be covered include the revelation of the Quran and development of Islamic religious sciences, ethnic and religious identity in the medieval Middle East, court culture and literature under the Abbasid caliphs, Persian identity and literature, theories of historiography, and what we mean we call something “Islamic.”
Mode: Online, Asynchronous
Credits: 3

Instructor: Kirsten Beck
Day and Time: Online, Asynchronous
Course Code: 45228
Satisfies: College Option – QC Literature
Description: A survey of the rich cultural and literary legacy of Islamic civilization from the 7th to 12th centuries CE, a time of intense literary activity and intellectual inquiry in the Middle East, through close readings of scripture, literary texts, and scholarly works. Topics to be covered include the revelation of the Quran and development of Islamic religious sciences, ethnic and religious identity in the medieval Middle East, court culture and literature under the Abbasid caliphs, Persian identity and literature, theories of historiography, and what we mean we call something “Islamic.”
Credits: 3

Instructor: Mohammed Mohamed
Day and Time: Online, Asynchronous
Course Code: 45227
Satisfies: Flexible Core – World Cultures & Global Issues
Description: An introduction to the scriptures, tenets, practice and historical development of the religion of Islam and the principal genres of scholarly and religious expression in Islamic societies. Throughout the course, a chronological account will be paired with theme discussions on law, science, philosophy, mysticism and daily life. The status of Islamic religion in the culture and its influence on the formation and development of various institutions in society will be investigated. In addition, the origins and development of sectarianism and the main religious sects in Islamic societies will be discussed. The changing nature of the relationship between religious tradition, political structures, economy and society from the rise of Islam in the seventh century until the post-colonial period in the twentieth century will be highlighted.
Credits: 3

Instructor: Mohammed Mohamed
Day and Time: Online, Asynchronous
Course Code: 45224
Satisfies: Flexible Core – World Cultures & Global Issues
Description: An introduction to the scriptures, tenets, practice and historical development of the religion of Islam and the principal genres of scholarly and religious expression in Islamic societies. Throughout the course, a chronological account will be paired with theme discussions on law, science, philosophy, mysticism and daily life. The status of Islamic religion in the culture and its influence on the formation and development of various institutions in society will be investigated. In addition, the origins and development of sectarianism and the main religious sects in Islamic societies will be discussed. The changing nature of the relationship between religious tradition, political structures, economy and society from the rise of Islam in the seventh century until the post-colonial period in the twentieth century will be highlighted.
Credits: 3

Instructor: Dr. Robin Hizme
Day and Time: TuTh 3:10PM – 4:25PM
Mode: In Person
Location: Queens Hall 270F
Course Code: 45225
Satisfies: College Option – QC Literature
Description: A study of the origins, history, tales, and influences of The 1001 Nights (Alf Layla wa Layla) in both their medieval Arab-Islamic milieu and modern adaptations in world literature and film. Major goals of the course include understanding the original frame story and embedded tales in the literary and political context of the Abbasid era, analyzing the key themes of justice, mercy, fate, and faith as well as gender roles in the text, tracing major European translations of the text and their relationship to Orientalism, and investigating how modern authors and filmmakers have adapted The 1001 Nights to comment on varying historical, political, and social issues. All readings will be in English translation.
Credits: 3

Instructor: Dr. Kirsten Beck
Day and Time: MoWe 10:45AM – 12:00PM
Mode: Online, Synchronous
Course Code: 45223
Satisfies: Flexible Core – Individual and Society; College Option – QC Literature
Description: This course is a study of a wide range of literary genres and themes from the region usually defined as the Islamic world. The texts we will be engaging with are part of the Arabo-Islamic tradition, but are limited to neither the Arabic language nor the Muslim religion. We will be reading, in English translation, texts originally written Arabic, Hebrew, Persian, and other languages. One of the main goals of the course is to understand the wide array of influences making up the remarkably rich and diverse cultures of the Middle East. The course will cover the time period beginning with the pre-Islamic period (6th century CE) to the 18th century.
Credits: 3