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writing seminar, commentary on session #1: introduction

Have you ever found yourself at the crossroads of curiosity and academia, yearning for a space that marries both? A space where the hues of the Middle East’s complex history intermingle with the sharp, analytical tools of contemporary cultural studies? Welcome to our seminar’s digital alcove, where we set out for a trip that transcends the traditional boundaries of the classroom, spilling over into the bustling cafés of intellectual discourse.

organizational musings

Our seminar, “From Campus to Cafés: Writing the Middle East for Your Daily Read,” is not just another course. It’s a space of exploration, a canvas upon which we paint our understanding of the Middle East. Our Mondays, from 2:15 PM to 3:45 PM, are reserved for this intellectual dance. But what, you might ask, are the steps to this dance?

Our course is structured to break down the barriers of academia, allowing us to write for a broader audience. We aim to translate our academic insights into narratives that resonate, using ethical research practices and persuasive writing techniques. And as we journey together, we’ll engage in peer reviews and collaborative learning, refining our perspectives and honing our craft.

But what is a journey without milestones? Our course is punctuated with assignments that challenge and inspire. From identifying potential topics for our final papers to framing motivating problems, our tasks are designed to keep us on our toes. And for those who thrive on deadlines, fret not! Our tasks come with their own set of deadlines, ensuring we stay on track.

a note on tolerance

In this space, we champion open-mindedness and embrace the ambiguities that come with diverse perspectives. However, let me be clear: we have zero tolerance for any form of discrimination. Respect and inclusivity are the pillars upon which our learning community stands.

mapping our knowledge

In our first session (see the presentation here), we embarked on a task of personal and peer knowledge mapping. Each student delved deep, introspecting on their expertise, writing experiences, and aspirations. We then came together, forming a network of knowledge and interests. From the anthropology of MENA to the nuances of computational linguistics, our map was a testament to the diverse expertise and interests that each one of us brings to the table.

the blog: our digital alcove

Our seminar’s blog, Keine Disziplin – No Discipline, is not just a platform. It’s a living, breathing entity that captures our reflections, our learnings, and our aspirations. It’s where we engage in discussions, share our insights, and strive for continuous learning.

As we navigate the vast expanse of the Middle East’s history and culture, I invite you to join us. Engage with us, challenge us. After all, in the words of a modern Westerosi philosopher, “The things we do for knowledge.”

P.S. Remember, as we traverse this academic landscape, our guiding principle remains: always question, always explore, and always stay curious.

writing seminar – learning outcomes

By the end of this course, students will be able to:

  • Identify compelling and accessible writings on the Middle East targeted at general audiences.
  • Recognize effective rhetorical techniques for establishing value and relevance for readers.
  • Craft engaging narratives that challenge assumptions and shift perspectives on the Middle East.
  • Employ ethical research practices when writing on complex regional issues.
  • Provide constructive feedback to peers to improve clarity, organization, and flow of writing.
  • Revise their own writing to strengthen reader-centered focus and persuasive impact.
  • Translate academic insights into compelling stories and arguments for broader audiences.
  • Develop dissemination strategies to share their work with target readers.
  • Articulate goals for reaching wider publics beyond academic circles.
  • Reflect on their growth as public scholars able to make regional knowledge accessible.

writing seminar – syllabus

1 – mo 16.10.2023 2–4 PM – course introduction

We will go over the syllabus, learning objectives, assignments, and expectations.

Task #1: Find a scholarly paper on a Middle East topic that you find effectively written for its intended readers by Thursday 19.10.2023 6 PM.

2 – mo 23.10.2023 2–4 PM – analyzing effective writing

We will examine examples of impactful scholarly writing and analyze what makes them compelling for readers.

Task #2: Identify a potential topic for your final paper by Thursday 26.10.2023 6 PM.

3 – mo 30.10.2023 2–4 PM – self-study: identifying readers and topics

Students will identify target readers and potential topics to write about for their final papers. We will discuss appealing topics and target audiences.

Tasks #2 and #3: Identify a potential topic and target readers for your final paper by Thursday 2.11.2023 6 PM.

4 – mo 06.11.2023 2–4 PM – constructing the problem

We will examine how to frame a motivating problem that shows readers why your work is valuable. Students will draft their core problem.

Task #4: Draft 1–2 paragraphs presenting the central problem your paper will address, using language of instability, costs, and benefits by Thursday 9.11.2023 6 PM. Do not submit this draft; the deadline is intended to keep you on track.

5 – mo 13.11.2023 2–4 PM – challenging assumptions

We will explore methods for politely challenging assumptions and showing readers complications in existing knowledge.

Task #5: Revise your introduction to subtly challenge assumptions and create generative instability for readers by Thursday 16.11.2023 6 PM.

6 – mo 20.11.2023 2–4 PM – peer review session

Students will exchange revised introductions for peer review, focusing feedback on establishing value for readers.

Task #6: Provide written feedback on a peer’s draft introduction by Thursday 23.11.2023 6 PM, focusing on strengths/weaknesses in establishing value.

7 – mo 27.11.2023 2–4 PM – enriching the problem

We will examine methods for continually enriching the core problem throughout papers to demonstrate ongoing value.

Officially issue of final paper topics. Students confirm their selected topic by Tuesday, 28.11.2023, 6 PM. Writing time begins.

Task #7: Revise a key passage to strengthen its capacity to change how readers think about the topic by Thursday 30.11.2023 6 PM.

8 – mo 4.12.2023 2–4 PM – writing to change minds

We will explore techniques for using vivid examples, compelling arguments, and rhetoric to fundamentally shift how readers think.

Task #8: Revise a key passage to strengthen its capacity to change how readers think about the topic by Thursday 30.11.2023 6 PM.

9 – mo 11.12.2023 2–4 PM – peer review session

Students will exchange draft papers, providing feedback on value, persuasive impact, flow, organization, and coherence.

Task #9:Assess a peer’s draft paper and provide constructive written feedback by Thursday 7.12.2023 6 PM.

10 – mo 18.12.2023 2–4 PM – revising for readers

We will discuss methods for revising papers to best fulfill the function of helping readers understand something valuable.

Task #10: Finalize your first draft. Revise the paper’s framing and structure to demonstrate value to readers. Rewrite your introduction to strengthen the reader-centered focus on establishing value. All by Thursday 4.1.2024 6 PM.

11 – mo 8.1.2024 2–4 PM – finalizing first drafts

Students will finalize first drafts of their final papers for submission.

Task #11: Find an example of an academic article or other scholarly work that also engages broader audiences through supplementary writings, translations, presentations, etc. Come prepared to discuss how it extends the research impact. Look at your own paper topic and think of 2–3 ways the core findings or ideas could be reframed and translated for non-academic audiences. All by Thursday 11.1.2024 6 PM.

12 – mo 15.1.2024 2–4 PM – writing for broader impacts

We will explore popular science writing aimed at general readers, maybe practice translating research findings into compelling narratives for non-experts, and talk about effective public scholarship through blogs, social media, opinion pieces

Task #12: Prepare brief remarks on your goals for reaching readers most interested in your paper’s contribution by Thursday 18.1.2024 6 PM.

13 – mo 22.1.2024 2–4 PM – dissemination strategies

We will discuss effective strategies for disseminating finished papers to target scholarly audiences.

Task #13: Submit your final polished 15–18 page paper. First deadline: 5.2.2024 6 PM; second deadline: 12.2.2024 6 PM.

14 – mo 29.01.2024 2–4 PM – course wrap-up

We will reflect on the overall course experience, share final insights, and discuss future applications of the skills developed.

Task #14: By 19.2.2024 6 PM, post your end-of-course reflection on key learnings, growth as a writer, and future applications of skills developed on the blog.

biopolitics seminar – learning outcomes

By the end of this course, students will be able to:

  • Explain Puar’s concept of ‘debility’ and how it relates to disability and capacity in the context of biopolitics.
  • Analyze how states and institutions use disability, debility, and capacity to control and manage populations, drawing on examples from the Israel-Palestine conflict.
  • Identify and critique problematic representations of disability, injury, and victimhood in media and discourse related to the Middle East.
  • Connect Puar’s concepts to other scholarly works on necropolitics, precarity, and biopower in the region.
  • Discuss strategies used by disability activists and advocacy groups to counter dominant narratives and promote social justice.
  • Apply Puar’s analytical framework to examine other regional case studies beyond Israel-Palestine.
  • Communicate perspectives on these issues clearly through discussions, brief oral presentations, and a final blog post.
  • Provide constructive feedback to fellow students to enrich collective understanding.
  • Demonstrate critical thinking skills in evaluating arguments and evidence on topics related to the course.

biopolitics seminar – syllabus

1 – 16.10.2023 10–12 – reading time // self-study

Read Puar, Jasbir K. 2017. The Right to Maim. Durham. Duke University Press. Preface and introduction. ix–32.

NOTE: Use this day/week to read the information here on the course, assigments, participation, etc. and the first part of Puar’s text. There will be no introductory session; we will jump right in on Monday 23!

2 – 23.10.2023 10–12 discussion – preface & introduction

3 – 30.10.2023 10–12 reading time // self-study

Read Puar, Jasbir K. 2017. The Right to Maim. Durham. Duke University Press. Chapter 1 “Bodies with New Organs: Becoming Trans, Becoming Disabled”. 33–62.

4 – 6.11.2023 10–12 discussion – trans & disability

5 – 13.11.2023 10–12 reading time // self-study

Read Puar, Jasbir K. 2017. The Right to Maim. Durham. Duke University Press. Chapter 2 “Crip Nationalism: From Narrative Prosthesis to Disaster Capitalism”. 63–94.

6 – 20.11.2023 10–12 discussion – disability politics

7– 27.11.2023 10–12 reading time // self-study

Read Puar, Jasbir K. 2017. The Right to Maim. Durham. Duke University Press. Chapter 3 “Disabled Diaspora, Rehabilitating State: The Queer Politics of Reproduction in Palestine/Israel”. 95–126.

8– 4.12.2023 10–12 discussion – queer politics Israel/Palestine

Task in preparation of 11.12.: Listen to the podcast episode on “The Right to Maim”with Bassam Sidiki on https://newbooksnetwork.com/the-right-to-maim and comment on it in the blog.

9 – 11.12.2023 10–12 discussion – references to the right to maim

10 – 18.12.2023 10–12 reading time // self-study

Read Puar, Jasbir K. 2017. The Right to Maim. Durham. Duke University Press. Chapter 4 “”Will Not Let Die”: Debilitation and Inhuman Biopolitics in Palestine”. 127–154.

11 – 8.1.2024 10–12 discussion – biopolitics in Palestine

12 – 15.1.2024 10–12 reading time // self-study

Read Mbembe, Achille. 2019. Necropolitics. Durham. Duke University Press. Chapter to be announced.

13 – 22.1.2024 10–12 discussion – necropolitics

Task in preperation of 5.2.: Read Puar, Jasbir K. 2017. The Right to Maim. Durham. Duke University Press. Postscript. 155-162.

14 – 5.2.2024 10–12 – course wrap-up

15 – 12.2.2024 10–12 – individual follow-up

Task: Publish your final blog comment until 19.2.2024 6 PM.

From Campus to Cafés: Writing the Middle East for Your Daily Read

In our dynamic seminar, we will shift away from the traditionally dense academic prose and venture into writing engaging, accessible narratives about the Middle East that resonate with a wider audience. This course is designed for those eager to break down the barriers of academia and bring their scholarship into everyday discourse. We will kickstart our exploration by reflecting on writings that have effectively brought the Middle East to public attention, and then move towards identifying captivating topics that hold broad public interest. As we navigate through the complexities of the region, our emphasis will be on ethical research practices, crafting persuasive arguments, and employing impactful rhetorical strategies to challenge pre-existing narratives. Beyond the writing process, we will engage in lively peer review sessions to foster collaborative learning and improve our writing skills. By co-writing sections of our papers, we will learn to ensure coherence and clarity even when multiple minds are at work. The goal is not only to improve our individual writing skills but also to enhance our ability to contextualize complex topics for those unfamiliar with the subject matter. By the end of the course, students will have developed a compelling piece of writing that is ready to be shared with the public, effectively translating academic insights into engaging stories that could be part of your daily read.
~ commentary from the course catalogue

Biopolitics and Disability: Navigating Jasbir K. Puar’s “The Right to Maim” in the Middle East

In our seminar, we will delve into Jasbir K. Puar's groundbreaking work, "The Right to Maim," interrogating how power structures in the Middle East employ biopolitics to manage populations. We will scrutinize Puar's innovative concept of 'debility' and its interaction with disability and capacity. Beyond the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, our exploration will extend to other regional scenarios, such as the impact of Syria's civil conflict and the predicaments of migrant laborers in the Gulf States. By analyzing these contexts through Puar's 'right to maim' thesis, we aim to stir a lively discourse on the intersections of power, bodily harm, and social exclusion within the Middle Eastern milieu.
~ commentary from the course catalogue