Cultures in Contact: The Arab Near East and the West (FNDS 3901)

Relations between the Arab Near East and the West were not always frayed or confrontational.

This course looks beyond colonialist legacies and sensationalized headlines to uncover the lasting and often beneficial effects of sustained cultural contact between these parts of the world.  You may already know a bit about the crusades and conflicts, but this is your opportunity to learn about the rich cultural, academic, and technological exchange between Arabs/Muslims and Europeans and Americans from late antiquity until modern times.

This course covers topics in the disciplines of History, Arab American Studies, Islam, World Civilizations.
 

Who should take this course?

Students interested in exploring relationships between cultures and their lasting effects.

More about this course

Course number: FNDS 3901

Number of Credits: 3

Search UM-Dearborn Class Schedule to find out more.

Dearborn Discovery Core requirements met: Upper-Level Writing Intensive

Meet your faculty member: Hani Bawardi, Associate Professor of History

One of the benefits of taking a Foundations course is gaining a faculty mentor that can support you throughout your college career. Get to know Hani Bawardi, faculty member for Cultures in Contact: The Arab Near East and the West.

I came to the US to study metals and alloys, ended up becoming a student of peoples and their histories across borders. Arabic language fluency and extensive travels made accessible to me unique material that really narrowed the distance between the Near East and Western societies.

Having taught on Islam, Middle East, immigration, including from the Levant, and U.S. social history, understanding the world seems much easier to me than following Beef Wellington recipe.

Have questions about this course? Email Dr. Bawardi at [email protected].​