Academic Challenges: Teaching the Middle East

Teaching with Arabic Literature in Translation: ‘Women’s Writing in the Arab World’
By M. Lynx Qualey (ArabLit)

As part of ArabLit’s new series on Arabic Literature in Translation, Lynx Qualey talks with Assistant Professor Emily Drumsta about how and why certain texts she included certain texts in the syllabus. Drumstra goes on to explain how her pedagogical approach influenced the decision to introduce texts outside of their chronological order; she also reflects on changes to the class that she hopes to make prior to teaching it again.

Pedagogies and Content in the Classroom: New Trends in Middle Eastern Studies
By Sumeyra Aydemir (Maydan)

Through a survey distributed to Middle Eastern studies academics across disciplines and experience levels, Maydan gathered data surrounding student knowledge prior to taking a course on the Middle East, course content shifts over time, and barriers to teaching the Middle East in the classroom.
 

Teaching the Middle East: Pedagogy in a Charged Classroom
By Shanna A. Kirschner (Political Science and Politics)

Considering the biases and preconceived understandings of the Middle East that students enter the classroom with, Kirschner sets forth several strategies that can mitigate situations preventing critical engagement with the course materials

The Challenge of Bridging IR and Area Studies in Middle East International Relations Teaching
By May Darwich (LSE Middle East Centre Blog)

The practice, Darwich posits, of teaching the Middle East as the exception to traditional political science and international relations theories is apparent when looking at the structure and content of standard textbooks used in IR and Middle Eastern studies courses. In using these materials, instructors often then replicate the same issue of presenting the Middle East as the aberration in their teaching.