Courses
310 courses since 2014
What we cover at CILAS matters less than what a student discovers.
12 courses
- 01
The Philosophy of Soren Kierkegaard
In this course we will read, interpret, and discuss the writings of Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard in provoking, reflective, yet relaxed sessions over tea and coffee. In a context where people all over the globalizing world are facing existential questions with regards t…
View course - 02
The “Development of Underdevelopment”
Progress and development have captured the imaginations of thinkers and world leaders for centuries. Inspired by a broad range of theories about the human condition from economic rationality to social and psychological evolution theories, the race towards progress has justifie…
View course - 03
The History of Modern Education in Egypt (1805-1970)
Everyone agrees that the state of our education is terrible, but few know precisely how it came into being. This course is an invitation to look more closely at our education system and to scrutinize it. Specifically, we analyze concepts such as nationalism, colonialism and mo…
View course - 04
Social Determinants of Health
This course will critically explore the fundamental drivers of health that arise from social conditions. Situated at the intersection of social, behavioral and life sciences, course material will interrogate the myriad ways in which culture, race/ethnicity, gender, poverty, an…
View course - 05
Portray: Women and Representation in the Middle East
In this course, we will examine the wide range of literature and media “representing” women in the Middle East and Muslim majority countries with a focus on the Arab world. We will be looking at both Western and Arab scholarship portraying “the Muslim/Arab/Middle Eastern woman…
View course - 06
- 07
Pedagogy and Sustainable Architecture
A pedagogical approach to sustainable architecture: historicizing and documenting the case of New Gourna
View course - 08
Mafish Faiydah? A Case Study on Myth and Silenced Voices
**Rationale:** Amid the independence negotiations with the British authorities, Sa'ad Zaghloul, the much praised nationalist leader of 1919 'revolution' said "mafish fayda"- no point- in reference to the complexity of the negotiation process. The story is true...at least acco…
View course - 09
Libertarian Economics and Alternative Model-Building
When one challenges the conventional wisdom —that the current economic and political system is the only possible one—the first reaction you are likely to get is a demand for a detailed blueprint of how an alternative system would work. Historically, this is ridiculous. When ha…
View course - 10
Identity, Culture and Resistance
How does culture shape, reinforce and challenge individual and collective identities? How do power and hegemony operate within and through culture? What roles do culture and creative spaces play in maintaining, and more importantly, challenging hegemonic identities and politic…
View course - 11
The food dilemma - navigating the diet jungle
Eating has become a complex matter that is full of choices. Each choice has consequences that goes beyond our plate and each diet is a statement. In this course we will examine the implications (ethical, environmental, health, economic, social and political) and promises of di…
View course - 12
The Turn of Time: “Colonising Egypt” and the Social and Cultural Changes it Imposed
In 1882, Egypt fell to British military occupation, only to regain its independence in 1954. This 72 year occupation coronated a colonization process which predated the British invasion and was not put to an end by the withdrawal of British troops. In this course we explore t…
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