MELC 486 A: Methodologies in Middle Eastern Studies

Experts inspecting the Rosetta Stone during the Second International Congress of Orientalists, 1874

METHODOLOGIES IN MIDDLE EASTERN STUDIES

TENTATIVE SYLLABUS

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This five-credit seminar invites graduate and senior students to explore the diverse and dynamic approaches used in contemporary scholarship on the Near and Middle East. Through an interdisciplinary lens, the course examines how the region has been imagined, studied, and represented across different communities, cultures, and historical periods.

What You’ll Gain:

• Deep Knowledge: Understand the major methodological frameworks in Near and Middle Eastern Studies, from historical and religious perspectives to critiques of modern nation-state narratives.

• Practical Skills: Develop essential academic skills, including formulating research questions, writing scholarly reviews, delivering presentations, and providing constructive peer feedback.

• Interdisciplinary Insight: Engage with cutting-edge scholarship from fields like sociology, political science, and art history, and discover how true interdisciplinarity enriches the humanities.

Course Structure:
The first three weeks combine lectures, discussions, and group work to build a strong foundation. Afterward, you’ll dive into an individual project, applying your learning to write reviews, present your findings, and collaborate with peers. This hands-on approach sharpens your critical thinking, communication, and teamwork skills, preparing you for advanced academic and professional challenges.

What to Expect:
This course will introduce you to a wide range of texts—some may seem challenging, while others may appear more accessible. These materials cover the study of the Middle and Near East across disciplines like social sciences, humanities, and literature, as well as the practice of writing about the region. Don’t worry if some readings feel difficult at first; we’ll work through them together, fostering a collaborative environment where everyone can grow and contribute.

Who Should Join?
This course is ideal for students from diverse disciplines who want to deepen their understanding of the Near and Middle East while refining their academic toolkit. Whether you’re passionate about history, culture, or contemporary issues, this seminar offers a rich and engaging space to grow as a scholar.

Explore the region’s complexities through diverse scholarly perspectives, strengthen your writing, reading, and presentation skills, and contribute meaningfully to academic conversations about the Near and Middle East.

READING MATERIAL

(Except for number 10 all are available online through the UW Library Catalog, all articles are available through links on this page on the syllabus)

1. Timothy Mitchell, “The Middle East in past and future of social science,” http://escholarship.org/uc/item/3618c31x
2. John Toews, “Intellectual History after the Linguistic Turn,” American Historical Review 92:4 (1987): 879-907.
3. Joan Scott, “Evidence of Experience,” Critical Inquiry, 17 (1991), 773-797.
4. Lila Abu-Lughod, “Writing against culture,” in Ellen Lewin (ed.), Feminist Anthropology: A Reader (Malden, MA: Blackwell 2006), 153-169.
5. Zachary Lockman, Contending Visions of the Middle East. (2^nd Edition)
6. Richard Bulliet, The Camel and the Wheel.
7. Timothy Mitchell, Rule of Experts.
8. Rifa’at Abou-Haj, “Historiography in West Asian and North African Studies since Said’s Orientalism,” History after the Three Worlds: Post-Eurocentric Historiographies ed. by Arif Dirlik et al (NY: Rowman & Little Field 2000):
9. Middle East Studies for the New Millennium: Infrastructures of Knowledge, ed. by Lisa Anderson (NY: NYU Press 2016).
10. Tayeb Salih, Season of Migration to the North.
11. Selections from students: Each student will also select a book that is related to her/his interests (and which may have been assigned for another class) to work on latest by the third week of classes. Students visit the instructor during his office hours to discuss their choice of reading material until the end of the third week of classes. 

DISCUSSION POINTS

Guidelines for Reading and Evaluating Texts

Each selection should be read and evaluated with the following questions in mind. These questions will also guide your book review assignment:

1. Geographical Scope:

   • What are the geographical boundaries of the topics discussed by the author(s)?

   • Are these boundaries clearly defined in the work?

2. Author Background:

   • Who is the author, and what other works have they produced? (Check online resources for additional context.)

3. Methodology and Theoretical Approach:

   • Does the text discuss a specific methodology or theoretical approach? If so, what references, data, works, hypotheses, or personal experiences does the author draw on?

   • What scholarly tradition does the author connect their work to?

   • (Hint: These details are often found in the introduction or conclusion.)

4. Implicit Methodologies:

   • If the text does not explicitly discuss methodology, can you identify underlying approaches through careful analysis?

   • What tools can you use to uncover implicit methodologies or theoretical concerns?

5. Critical Analysis:

   • Go beyond the surface-level information in the text.

   • Identify the author’s underlying premises, hypotheses, discursive constructions, and theoretical frameworks.

By engaging deeply with these questions, you’ll develop a nuanced understanding of the texts and strengthen your critical analysis skills. We will work together to uncover the layers of meaning in each work!

REQUIREMENTS

Each student will prepare:

(1) 1000/1500-word book review; (2) 20-minute long presentation, and questions; (3) 15-20 page final paper; (4) Short assignments throughout the quarter.

SUMMARY OF REQUIREMENTS

These assignments will follow a natural progression from the beginning to the end of the course.  First, the book review will prepare the student for the presentation, meanwhile allowing him/her practice writing a book review.  The book presentation will give the student a chance to work on her/his paper presentation skills with particular stress on time consideration, development of the argument, clarity of presentation and the ability to lead the discussion during a question and answer session; all of these will be considered toward the presentation grade.  Finally, the final paper will be the culmination of this process of thinking, outlining, argument development and discussion through writing.

1) Book Review: Each student writes a book review on the book the student selects for her/his presentation. Students have to schedule a meeting with the instructor and have the title they are willing to choose approved by him. The review will include a bibliography of previously published reviews of the work. Students will gather photocopies and/or PDFs of the book reviews which will be presented along with their book review online. The book reviews will be 1000-1500 words in length. While preparing for this assignment, students must follow certain guidelines for writing a professional book review. Students must consult review articles published in The Bulletin of Middle Eastern Studies Association and The International Journal of Middle Eastern Studies as models. Book reviews will be submitted on TBD on canvas site.  Late submissions take out the 10% of the participation grade (See grades section below). It is strongly recommended to have a title to work on the second session of the second week of classes in order to have time to study the book and the reviews on it to be able to write a decent book review.

Book reviews will be peer reviewed anonymously as follows:  Instructor will assign a book review to each student and the student will work and comment on the work anonymously and send their comments on their classmate’s review back to the instructor.

2) Presentation:  Each student will deliver a presentation on their project proposal, connecting it to their research question, methodology, and engagement with course materials especially the book they choose to review. One week before the presentation, students will circulate a written summary of their project and book review to the class. The penultimate project proposals will also be made available with a selected reading relevant for their prospectus or proposal, ideally creating a challenge. Students must read their peers’ summaries, skim the additional reading material, and prepare at least two questions per presenter (up to 10 per week). Each class will feature at least 2 presentations, and every student must ask at least one well-formed question during class while submitting all prepared questions to the instructor afterward. These will be compiled and submitted with the final project at the end of the quarter as part of the participation grade. Presentations will be no longer than 20 minutes, allowing at least 10 minutes for discussion. The focus must be on the project (dissertation or research project).

3) Final Paper:  Students will submit a project proposal/dissertation prospectus, real or imaginary, outlining a research question, methodology, and engagement with course materials. The proposal will go through two drafts (Week 5 and Week 7), two peer reviews (Week 4: rough draft, and Week 8: penultimate draft), and a final submission during finals week (Week 11). Each proposal must engage with prevalent approaches in Middle and Near Eastern studies and be contextualized within the first four weeks’ readings and peer selections. Length:Undergraduates: 10–15 pages; Graduate Students: 15–20 pages (double-spaced, Times New Roman, 12 pt, default borders). Final deadline: TBD.

4) Short assignments: There will be outlining, question forming and short response assignments. Information about these will be supplied through study guides and/or in class ahead of time.

5) Participation: Your participation to this class is very important for instructor's evaluation, since the class targets skill development. Also practice pieces that are handed in are evaluated towards students' participation grades.

GRADING

Final Paper                  30%

Presentation                15%

Book Review              15%

Participation               20%

Short Assignments      20%

How to Succeed in This Class

To make the most of this course and ensure your success, please follow these guidelines:

1. Stay on Top of Readings:

   • Complete all assigned readings each week ahead of time. Start by skimming to get an overview, then read in detail.

   • Expect to read approximately 80 pages per week. Skimming is a useful tool for managing dense texts, but use it thoughtfully. (For more on skimming, check out this article from The Guardian: [link].)

   • Annotate your readings and summarize the main points. This will help you engage deeply with the material and prepare for short assignments.

2. Be an Active Participant:

   • This class relies on student participation, so come prepared to share your unique insights and perspectives. Everyone’s voice is valued and encouraged!

   • Pay attention to your classmates’ contributions. Engaging with others’ arguments will enhance your critical thinking skills and enrich class discussions.

3. Take Notes and Stay Organized:

   • Take detailed notes during lectures. Recordings are not allowed unless you have special permission due to disability accommodations.

   • If you must miss a class, inform the instructor ahead of time and provide proof of your absence. Attendance is crucial for your success.

4. Approach Writing Thoughtfully:

   • Give yourself time to revise your written work. After completing a first draft, evaluate your text sentence by sentence and paragraph by paragraph.

   • Identify and mark problematic sections, and make changes where needed. If you’re unsure how to resolve certain issues, note them for discussion. I’m here to support your writing process!

5. Communicate with the Instructor:

   • If you feel you’re falling behind with the material or assignments, contact me immediately. Don’t wait—I’m here to help you stay on track.

By following these steps, you’ll be well-prepared to engage with the course material, contribute meaningfully to class discussions, and develop your critical thinking and writing skills. Let’s work together to make this a rewarding and productive experience!

Schedule

WEEK I

April 1

Introductions, presentation date assignments, and review of the syllabus.

April 3

Lockman, Contending Visions…, 1-37; 

Abou El-Haj, “Historiography after Said’s Orientalism”

WEEK II

April 8

Lockman, Contending Visions…, 274-278; 66-148, 155-159. (Read to identify compositional building blocks).

April 10

Mitchell, “The Middle East in Past…”  (Read to identify main argument and supporting two arguments about area studies and social sciences)

BOOK CHOICES BY STUDENTS.

WEEK III

April 15

Lockman, Contending Visions…, 149-273 (Read to identify the links between world events and theoretical approaches in comparison with Mitchell on area studies)

April 17

Toews, “Linguistic Turn”  (Skim through to identify each argument regarding the each book discussed. Compare to Abou ElHajj)

SUBMIT FIRST DRAFTS OF BOOK REVIEWS

WEEK IV

April 22

Toews, “The Linguistic Turn…”

April 24

Review Mitchell article and Lockman selections.

[Oscar Aguirre Mandujano readings]

Third Walter G. Andrews Lecture: Attend to write a short review. 

SUBMIT PEER REVIEWS 

WEEK V

April 29

Joan Scott, “The Evidence of Experience” Read carefully focusing on pp.780-790. Also read this recent interview with Scott

Mandujano Lecture Reviews to be submitted. 

May 1

 Abu Lughod, “Writing…”

Scott, “Interview”

SUBMIT BOOK REVIEWS

WEEK VI

May 6

General review: Review the class material and prepare ten questions on all material covered in relation with the book choice of yours.

May 8

Mitchell, Rules of Experts… Read Introduction and First section

WEEK VII

May 13

Mitchell, Rules of Experts… Read Second and Third Sections

May 15:

CLASSWORK: Mitchell, Rules of Experts… Section: What does Mitchell do? How does he do it?

SUBMIT AN EVALUATION OF MITCHELL

WEEK VIII

May 20

Tayeb Salih, Season of Migration to the North (Identify reading material relevant for an analysis of this novel) 

May 22

Selim Kuru, "Sex in 16th century Istanbul"

Selim Kuru, "Gazel as Genre"

Literature in society: Power of narration.

WEEK IX: Student Presentations

May 27

May 29

WEEK X: Student Presentations and Conclusion

May  3

May 5