MES4290 – Topics in Middle Eastern Literature and Culture
Schedule, syllabus and examination date
Course content
This course focuses on one or more central topics in the field of Middle Eastern literature and culture. These topics are predominantly related to past or ongoing research activities in the Department of Studies of Culture, Religion, Asia and the Middle East (IKOS) and can include wide-ranging topics such as satire, environmental literature, translation studies, and social media.??
In Spring 2026 the course will follow on the following topic:?Imagining the Future in the Middle East: Historical, Cultural and Ecological Perspectives
From dystopias to Arab Futurism—discover how authors, artists, and thinkers in the MENA region imagine tomorrow. Journeying from?the early 20th century to today, this course explores how literature, film, and art confront political, social, and ecological crises, revealing how visions of the future are imagined, contested, and redefined across the MENA region.
We are living in times in which images and words about the future proliferate across the globe, not least in the MENA region. Apocalyptic images, utopias, dystopias, abound in Arabic literature, movies, and TV series, whereas visual artists and curators have coined the term "Arab Futurism" to describe the art of formulating alternative visions for the future of this region. New mega cities such as NEOM and the New Capital in Egypt are advertised as the future of urban living, and the newly built Museum of the Future in Dubai promises its visitors the possibility to "see, touch, and shape the future". The global climate crisis is expected to have tragic consequences in the Maghreb and Mashreq, forcing us to collectively envision and meaningfully debate realistic and desirable futures. At the same time, political and economic crises, such as the ongoing war on Gaza and the 2020 port explosion in Beirut, have rendered the idea of the future difficult to imagine for a big part of the local population.
This course explores Arabic cultural production that images the ‘future’ in a variety of forms, from fiction to graphic novels, newspaper articles and movies, published between the early 20th century and the contemporary era. Texts will be provided in both original language and translation. Merging humanities and social sciences approaches we will engage with ‘the future’ not only as a temporal dimension, but also as a cultural and psychological construct that emerged in the context of progressive modernity, one that was extensively contested and negotiated by the subsequent political, social, and ecological crises that the long twentieth century has witnessed.
Possible topics of exploration include:
Which literary genres, media and platform have been mostly used to discuss or imagine the future? How do imaginations of the future change in response to changing times?? What role does class, gender, religion and socio-economic disparities play across these imaginations?? What is the relationship between a panoply of futuristic visions and the changing climate of the Arab region?
Learning outcome
The course is based on the reading, analysis and discussion of primary sources, such as short stories, excerpts of novels, movies and TV series, combined with academic sources in English. You will:
- be introduced to a variety of fictional and non-fictional texts dealing with "futures" written from Arab authors located in the region or in diaspora.
- familiarize yourself with the critical debate about terms such as ‘futurism’, ‘utopia’, ‘dystopia’, ‘climate fiction’, in both English and Arabic.
- develop stronger critical analysis skills for understanding current social and political debates concerning ‘the future’ of the MENA region.
- deepen historical, literary and sociological knowledge of MENA region.
- familiarize yourself with major texts and debates in Arabic cultural studies.
- acquire competence in the reading and interpretation of Arabic primary sources.
- receive training in the critical use of relevant secondary literature both in Arabic and in other languages.
- improving reading, writing, and oral communication skills through essay writing and class presentations
Admission to the course
Students who are admitted to study programmes at UiO must each semester register which courses and exams they wish to sign up for?in Studentweb.
If you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about?admission requirements and procedures.
This course is for students admitted to Asia and Middle East Studies (master). Students enrolled in other Master's Degree Programmes can, on application, be admitted to the course if this is cleared by their own study programme.
Teaching
The course is taught through a combination of lectures and seminars organized as 10 classes of 2 hours each throughout the semester. The course presupposes active participation, and students will be required to comment on each other’s presentations.
Students are required to prepare assigned texts and reference literature for in-class discussion.
Compulsory activity:??
- Attendance to at least 8 out of 10 lectures/seminars.?
Oral presentation: one or two oral presentations in class
Precise number and length will be determined at the beginning of the semester. The oral presentation must be accompanied by a 1-page hand-out.?
- Written assignments: submission of three drafts for the final portfolio.
All compulsory activities must be approved to qualify for the exam. It is your responsibility to verify that you have obtained approval for all compulsory activities.?
Approval of the compulsory portfolio drafts are?only valid for the current semester. If you retake the course, you must submit new drafts in the semester in which you are taking the exam.?
Approved attendance and presentations are valid for the 2 following semesters in which the course is offered. However, exceptions may arise if the course udergoes changes in its assessment format, teaching, or other significant modifications
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Absence from compulsory activities:?
It is important that you familiarize yourself with the rules regarding absence from compulsory activities, to prevent being excluded from teaching and losing your eligibility to take the exam.?
More information on compulsory activities at the University of Oslo:?
Access to teaching?
A student who has completed compulsory instruction and coursework and has had these approved, is not entitled to repeat that instruction and coursework. A student who has been admitted to a course, but who has not completed compulsory instruction and coursework or had these approved, is entitled to repeat that instruction and coursework, depending on available capacity.?
Examination
Term paper
The exam consists of a 8-10-page portfolio, composed of three short essays + introduction and conclusion, comparing three texts discussed and analyzed during course and approved by the teacher.
One standard page is approximately 2300 characters without spaces, including references. The front page and bibliography are not included in the page count.
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Detailed information regarding the exam format will be announced on Canvas.?
You must submit the exam in Inspera - see guides for digital exams.?
You are personally responsible for familiarizing yourself with the requirements and deadlines for the exam.?
All compulsory activities must be completed and approved in order to take the exam.?
You can find more information about the exam on the semester page of the course.
Language of examination
Assignment specifications are given in English. Students may write their submissions in English, Norwegian, Danish or Swedish.
Grading scale
Grades are awarded on a scale from A to F, where A is the best grade and F is a fail. Read more about?the grading system.
Resit an examination
If you are ill when submitting a home exam/term paper/portfolio exam or have another valid reason for not taking an exam, you can apply for a postponed submission deadline.?
More about examinations at UiO
- Use of sources and citations
- How to use AI as a student
- Special exam arrangements due to individual needs
- Withdrawal from an exam
- Illness at exams / postponed exams
- Explanation of grades and appeals
- Resitting an exam
- Cheating/attempted cheating
You will find further guides and resources at the web page on examinations at UiO.