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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.

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.