NE 332 / 532 A
Arab American Authors
Autumn 2025
Mikha’il Na’imy Memorial (University of Washington alumnus,1915) Bskinta, Lebanon
Instructor: Terri DeYoung Class Location: Denny 258
Office: 246 Denny Hall Class Time: TTh 2:30-4:20
(on the same floor as the NELC Dept. Office) Schedule Line Number: 18708(NE 332)
18718 (NE 532)
Telephone: (206) 543-6184 (direct) Modality: Hybrid
or (206)543-6033 (main office--leave message)
E-mail: tdeyoung@uw.edu
Office Hours: By appointment (email Prof. DeYoung directly)
Description of Course: There have been four significant waves of immigration by Arabic-speaking peoples to the New World. The first of these consisted (with some notable exceptions) of mostly illiterate Muslims from Africa who were enslaved between 1700 and 1830. Some of these individuals, nevertheless, were educated and were able to use their exceptional skills to record their experiences (either in Arabic or English).Their cultural endeavors, however, were consistently suppressed by their new American masters. In the past decade or so, research has brought to light an increasing number of manuscripts preserving the attempts of African slaves (perhaps as many as 30% of whom were Muslim) to keep their culture alive in the new world to which they had been brought.
Then, between 1850 and 1940, perhaps as many as 350,000 Arabs emigrated to North and South America, mostly from the Ottoman province of Syria (modern-day Syria, Lebanon and Palestine-Israel), and mostly of Christian heritage. This immigrant movement produced a group of intellectual figures whose works are still influential in both the Americas and the Arab world.
Thirdly, after World War II, the reform of immigration laws encouraged a broader spectrum of groups, from a variety of regions and countries, both Muslim and Christian, to emigrate to the United States from the Arabic-speaking world. At first these individuals worked very effectively to assimilate into their new society. Then, especially in the 1980s and 1990s, the “second generation” engaged in a determined quest to articulate a new Arab American identity that paid due attention to both past and present.
Finally, the destabilization that was introduced following the attacks on the New York Trade Center in September of 2001 and the subsequent American invasion of Iraq has injected a new element, questioning the viability of both the models of assimilation and identity assertion that had been most influential in this community.
This course will look at all four waves of Arab immigration into the Americas. It will focus, however, especially on the middle period (1850-1940), where emigrant (or Mahjar) intellectuals had a decisive influence on Arabic (even more than American) literature. We will spend time at the end of the course discussing the maturing of Arab American literature and possible future directions in the field.
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Learning Goals
At the conclusion of the course, students will understand
- what the 4 waves of Arab American emigration were and how they were affected by the changes in US Laws.
- what the canon of important Arab American writers are, and what genres of literature they specialized in.
- what the special challenges are that Arab Americans have faced in becoming part of American culture.
- the opportunities and challenges Arab Americans continue to face in participating in American public life.
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Required Texts: Prince Among Slaves (Video—Available for streaming at Unity Productions Foundation (Watch Prince Among Slaves - UPF )
The Prophet (book), by Kahlil Gibran. Roger Allers et al, The Prophet (Video,2015—available in DVD format on Amazon and on Odegaard Undergraduate Reserve);
Post-Gibran: An Anthology by Munir Akash and Khalid Mattawa (available on Amazon and on Odegaard Undergraduate Reserve).
Other required readings for the course will be available on our Canvas website as well as directly from Prof. DeYoung via e-mail attachment. If you think you cannot receive the texts either of these ways, please talk to the instructor as soon as possible, in order to make suitable arrangements so that you can get access to the texts.
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Course Requirements
Position Papers: Four short position papers (at least 2 pp. long) will be due at different dates during the course.
- The first paper will be due on Friday, 3 October 2025, answering the question: “What are my goals in taking this class?” (2 pp.).
- The prompt for the second paper will tentatively be “In what ways can it be useful to include African American authors from the time of slavery in the category of Arab American authors and why?”(2 pp.) It will be due on Friday 17 October 2025 at midnight.:
- The third paper should discuss: ”Is the film version of The Prophet superior—or not—to the original version of the story written by Kahlil Gibran and why?” (3 pp.). It will be due tentatively on Monday 3 November at midnight.
- The prompt for the fourth paper will be taken from material in the anthology Post Gibran (1999) and will ask you to decide which of the materials we will read are most relevant to contemporary Arab American experience. It will be 3 pages and will be due Monday 17 November at midnight.
These papers will count for 40% of the final course grade.
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If you have any questions about the topics or the due dates of these essays, please feel free to ask Professor DeYoung as soon as possible
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If you are dissatisfied with your grade on any of these writing assignments, you may correct the marked passages and comments on the text Prof. DeYoung returns to you, and re-submit the essay for a higher grade. Monday 1 December 2025 is the last date on which a re-submitted essay will be accepted for re-grading.
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Question Sets: You will be asked to turn in a set of three questions about the readings at the beginning of each week when we look at the work of 1) Amin al-Rihani, 2) Mikha’il Nu‘aymah and 3) Kahlil Gibran. Sample questions will be distributed for you to use as guides for this assignment.
These question sets will each count for 5% of the final course grade.
Exams: There will also be a take-home Final Exam (due at midnight Friday December 12, 2025) (the last day of Exam Week), that will be based on a set of questions distributed and discussed no later than three class sessions before the end of the regularly scheduled classes for the course. This exam will count for 35% of the final grade. The Final Exam may be submitted to a Canvas assignment drop-box, as an attachment to an e-mail (addressed to Prof. DeYoung) or as a hard copy left in Prof. DeYoung's mailbox. If you choose the latter option, you need to send an e-mail to Prof. DeYoung informing her that you have turned in the Final Exam. If this procedure is not followed, you may be penalized for turning the Exam in late.
Students will have the option to substitute (with the instructor’s permission, obtained at least two weeks in advance of the end of classes) a final paper (usually about 8 pages in length, but consult with the instructor) for the take-home final exam. This paper will be due on the same day (and the same time) as the final exam.
Other Assignments:
The remaining 10% of the grade will be based on in-class participation. This means that you will be expected to have read the “Primary Readings” before coming to class, and do whatever other reading is necessary so that you can participate actively in the class discussions. Regular attendance at the class lectures (according to University Regulations) cannot be included in this portion of the grade, so it is up to the student to participate in the class discussion, in order to receive full credit for "class participation."
Writing Credit (“W”):
If students are interested in obtaining “W” (writing) credit for the course, they should contact the instructor as soon as possible. Basically, “W” credit can be awarded for completing all the written assignments for the course (and revising them if necessary) + one 5 page extra paper due by the eighth week of the course (to allow time for revision)
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For 532 Students:
Those taking this course under the “532” number will be required to turn in a paper (of at least 10 pp.) instead of the take-home exam
In addition, those enrolled in 532 will be required to prepare 1 presentation (about 15 minutes) to be given in class outlining the background of two of the authors covered in the course, or they may write an additional research paper of at least 5 pp. Students enrolled in the 532 section of the course should consult the instructor about these presentations as soon as possible. The additional assignments will count for 20% of the final grade.
Any of these assignments—if turned in or completed late— may be subject to an automatic .3 deduction from the grade originally assigned. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that all assignments are submitted on time and in readable format to the instructor.
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Plagiarism and AI Resources
The University of Washington Student Conduct Code states: “Plagiarism occurs whenever someone uses the ideas or writings of another as their own without giving due credit. This applies to both exams and papers.”
All policies in place concerning academic honesty at the University of Washington apply to this course. It is the student’s responsibility to become fully informed about those policies. Refer to the University of Washington Student Conduct Code (WAC 478‐120), for more information on the subject, or search “Student Academic Responsibility” on the University of Washington homepage.
Since the UW does not yet have a policy in place differentiating AI and other online resources from any written sources, you may use them in writing your papers and exams, as long as you give credit to them in citations.
However you should use caution in relying on AI agents as your sole source of information. Many online sites now attach some form of the following disclaimer to guides and summaries: “This material was compiled using AI resources. AI responses may include mistakes.”
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For Students With Special Needs: If you would like to request academic accommodations due to a disability, please contact Disabled Student Services, 448 Schmitz, (206) 543-8924 (V/TTY). If you have a letter from Disabled Student Services indicating you have a disability that requires academic accommodations, please present the letter to the instructor as soon as possible so we can discuss the accommodations you might need for the class.
Classroom Courtesy: Hydration is important. Therefore it is more than acceptable to drink water (or other beverages) during class. Since the consumption of food during sessions often interferes with class participation and is distracting to others, you are requested to avoid this during class sessions.(including on Zoom), Your cooperation with these requests will be appreciated
Class Breaks. Whenever possible, there will be a break of approximately 10 minutes halfway through each class lecture. This will be an opportunity for students to conduct any personal business necessary outside of the Zoom learning environment
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Religious Accommodation starting in Autumn 2019, the University of Washington implemented the following new policy about arrangements for religious observances:
“Washington state law requires that UW develop a policy for accommodation of student absences or significant hardship due to reasons of faith or conscience, or for organized religious activities. The UW’s policy, including more information about how to request an accommodation, is available at Religious Accommodations Policy (https://registrar.washington.edu/staffandfaculty/religious-accommodations-policy/) Links to an external site.. Accommodations must be requested within the first two weeks of this course using the Religious Accommodations Request form (https://registrar.washington.edu/students/religious-accommodations-request/) Links to an external site..”
More information on the policy is available on the webpage for the Office of the University Registrar.
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Course Modality: This is listed as a Hybrid Course on the UW Time Schedule. The University defines such a course as follows:
“Hybrid - Some, but not all, required class meetings occur in a physical classroom. When not meeting in the physical classroom, students and instructors will attend class online, either through required synchronous sessions or required asynchronous activities.”
I have a disability that sometimes makes it difficult for me to walk and stand for long periods. Nevertheless, I have become more enthusiastic about a return to the classroom since the pandemic has receded from view. I am planning this quarter to have as many in-person classes as possible, while at the same time using Zoom sessions (which can be recorded) to help students manage religious accommodations and vacation breaks (like Thanksgiving) during the quarter.
Advance notice of Zoom sessions will be posted at least two days before class in the “Announcements” tab of our Canvas website.