What is the Middle East?

1. Middle Ground Exploring Selected Literature from and about the Middle Eastby Sheryl L Finkle & Tamara J. LilyPresented by:Meghan Arnold, Casey Duvall, and Ted Ramey

2. What is the Middle East?

3. Misunderstood and Misrepresented • A generalized understanding of the Middle East is complicated by diversity in culture, religion, ethnicity, and language. • Western students often think of ancient Egypt when referring to the Middle East. • Some students have trouble articulating their opinions about the Middle East. • There exists an “us and them” mentality. • There is a lack of understanding between cultures, especially with regard to religion .

4. Diversity

5. Multiethnic

6. Multireligious

7. Multicultural

8. Multilingual

9. Shared Values among Middle Eastern Culture (especially Arab culture)

10. What is Middle Eastern Literature?

11. Texts from the Middle East • Middle Eastern tales (i.e. Arabian Nights), folklore, rihla, drama, novels, short stories, and proverbs may also be incorporated into a larger genre unit. Religious • Hebrew scriptures and New Testament parables highlight the impact of Judeo-Christian values. • The Koran helps students explore the Islam’s moral and religious foundations. • The Koran demonstrates the typical Arabic style of expression, which is characterized by deliberate and meaningful repetition, rhythm, and complex rhyme. • The biographies of the prophet Muhammad and Saladin present an alternative view of Middle Eastern history. Poetry • Students may explore older Middle Eastern poems and compare the innovation of eastern and western poetry. • The maqamat, which are collections of rhymed prose (closest to western short stories) may be used to teach students how creative writing adapts to culture • Students may study modern poetry (i.e. Gibran) to understand the influence of European romanticism.

12. Themes often present in Middle Eastern Literature

13. Resources for selecting Middle Eastern Texts • Middle East Studies Association http://mesa.arizona.edu • The Middle East Center http://mec.sas.upenn.edu/resources/teachinglibrary.html • Modern Middle East Literature in Translation Series http://menic.utexas.edu/cmes/pub/melt.htm • Middle East Outreach Council and Middle East Book Award http://meoc.us/ • Middle East and Islamic Studies Collection (Arabic, Persian, Turkish), Cornell University Library http://www.library.cornell.edu/collldev/mideast/home.htm • Middle East and Islamic Studies Collection (Hebrew Literature), Columbia University Library http://www.colubia.edu/cu/lweb/indiv/mideast/cuvlm/hebrew_lit.html • The Institute for the Translation of Hebrew Literature http://www.ithl.org.il/authors.html • Banipal: Magazine of Modern Arab Literature http://www.banipal.co.uk/home/index.php

14. Why should we teach Middle Eastern Literature in Secondary English?

15. Principles for Teaching Middle Eastern Literature Develop an understanding of Middle Eastern families and characters’ within social contexts using cultural modeling and comparisons. Provide a geographic and/or historical reference point to introduce the topic.

16. Promote a healthy and respectful dialog of human rights, cultural diversity, and alternative value systems.

17. Teaching Habibiby Naomi Shihab Nye Develop an understanding of Middle Eastern families and characters’ within social contexts using cultural modeling and comparisons. • Cultural Context • St. Louis → Jerusalem comparisons • Intercultural explorations • (American, Arabic, Armenian, Jewish)

18. Teaching Habibiby Naomi Shihab Nye Provide a geographic and/or historical reference point to introduce the topic. • Historical Context • Liyana’s father as guide • Jerusalem as setting

19. Teaching Habibiby Naomi Shihab Nye • Contemporary Context • Before: American education • After: Liyana’s friends and family experience the conflicts first-hand

20. Teaching Habibiby Naomi Shihab Nye • Addressing Intolerance • Her friends share misconceptions • Romeo and Juliet story

21. Teaching Habibiby Naomi Shihab Nye Promote a healthy and respectful dialog of human rights, cultural diversity, and alternative value systems. • Cultural Awareness • Theme of cultural relativism • Doesn’t shirk difficult subjects

22. Teaching Habibiby Naomi Shihab Nye • Authenticity • Every group is represented w/ duality • Liyana’s arc is universal

23. Middle Groundon Teaching Habibi • Rationale • Relatable • Personal • Informative • Lesson Ideas • Map Liyana’s Journey • Anger Fishbowl • “Big God” Jigsaw

24. Creating Classroom Connections

25. Advancing to a “Middle Ground”

26. Beginning Instruction:Exposure • Create an opinionaire addressing multicultural themes and international issues found inside the text. (43)

27. Beginning Instruction:Exposure Webquest or research assignments that expand their prior knowledge of any current or historical conflicts in the text. (50)

28. Personalizing Instruction:Empathy Organize projects outside the classroom or events inside the classroom that connect Middle Eastern and American traditions and lifestyle. (48)

29. Personalizing Instruction:Empathy

30. Personalizing Instruction:Empathy Have students create a photo-journal that compares their life in America, and how their life might be different in the Middle East.

31. Globalizing Instruction:Expansion