Arab-Americans have been a presence in the United States for more than a century.  An active, diffuse, and heterogeneous group, Arab Americans have maintained a low profile even as their cultures of origins have received a great deal of negative media coverage for decades. Shaped by Middle East politics as well as American foreign and domestic policies, Arab American history and culture are still in the process of documentation and analysis.  Scholars have suggested that Arab Americans have moved from exilic, to assimilationist, to ethnically conscious forms of identity, with these forms sometimes operating concurrently.  These experiences of identity formation are best articulated in  the  small, and growing, body of Arab American literature that has grown in variety and esthetic range in the past few decades. The course will begin with earliest Arab American writings at the beginning of the 20th century and conclude with works published only a few years ago. Authors to be studied include Kahlil Gibran, Alix Naff, Mikhail Naimy, Ameen Raihany, Salom Rizk, Sam Hazo, Naomi Shihab Nye, Hayan Charara, Mohja Kahf, Randa Jarrar, Hayan Charara, Suheir Hammad, Steven Salaita, Safia Elhelou.

This course satisfies the following English major/minor requirements: American Literature + Identity Difference