Provides an introduction to key topics related to the study of the Arabic-speaking world, including features of Arab identity in the Middle East & North Africa as well as in the diaspora. Addresses religious, racial, and ethnic diversity, the history of language and culture, political economy, and migration. Students will learn about the diverse cultures and societies that have formed the changing conceptions of the Arab world through history and across different geographies. A fundamental premise is that the "Arab world" is not a monolithic, unchanging, bounded region "over there," but has long been deeply intertwined with other societies, including our own. Taught in English.