ENGH 412: Topics in Folklore Studies

ENGH 412-001: Middle East/Central Asia Folklore
(Fall 2017)

04:30 PM to 07:10 PM M

Section Information for Fall 2017

This course surveys folklore and expressive culture across the greater Middle East and Central Asia, from Egypt and Palestine to Iran, Afghanistan, and the former Soviet Central Asian republics.  We'll explore a range of expressive forms by reading ethnographic case studies about oral poetry and epic, graffiti, dream interpretation, popular theater, storytelling, foodways, wedding customs, popular religious life, and more.

Through course readings, lectures, discussions, and written assignments, we'll pay special attention to the politics of folklore and investigate how expressive culture is central to negotiations of power, strategies of resistance, and constructions of identity.  You'll gain an understanding of folklore's foundational importance both reflecting and shaping how individuals and states across the Middle East and Central Asia imagine the self and nation.

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Course Information from the University Catalog

Credits: 3

Exploration of various aspects of folklore and folklife such as folklore and literature, folk arts, folk song, and material culture. Notes: May be repeated when topic is different with permission of department. May be repeated within the term.
Specialized Designation: Topic Varies
Recommended Prerequisite: Satisfaction of University requirements in 100-level English and in Mason Core literature.
Schedule Type: Lec/Sem #1, Lec/Sem #2, Lec/Sem #3, Lec/Sem #4, Lec/Sem #5, Lec/Sem #6, Lec/Sem #7, Lec/Sem #8, Lec/Sem #9, Lecture, Sem/Lec #10, Sem/Lec #11, Sem/Lec #12, Sem/Lec #13, Sem/Lec #14, Sem/Lec #15, Sem/Lec #16, Sem/Lec #17, Sem/Lec #18
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.

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