Event—Adult Education

The Syrian Bride: Traversing Borders and Gender through Film

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Gain a broader understanding of life in the Middle East through viewing and analyzing The Syrian Bride.

The Women at the Well, Raphael Tuck & Sons postcard. Source: The Newberry Library, Midwest MS Lauder LL 9822.

Class Description

This 2004 film by director Eran Riklis follows the family drama surrounding the wedding celebrations of a young Druze woman in a Syrian village in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. Highly relevant to current events, the film deals with politics of checkpoints and borders. We will discuss the political changes, ongoing violence and stalemates occurring in the region today. Students will come away with a broader understanding of politics in the Middle East and the complicated intersection of bureaucracy, ethnicity and gender in this region.

All virtual classes are recorded and made available to participants registered in the class. These recordings are password-protected and available for up to two weeks after the class ends.

Ms. Laurel Harig-Khan graduated from the Divinity School at the University of Chicago in 2019 and from Bard College in 2008. She also studied at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London and at the American University of Beirut. She teaches Arabic and courses on the history, culture and politics of the Middle East and North Africa.

What to Expect

Format: Virtual

Class Capacity: 18

Class Style: Mix of lecture and discussion; participation encouraged

Materials List

Required

  • The Syrian Bride (2004). Directed by Eran Riklis. Available to stream on YouTube, Prime, or Kanopy. Please watch the film between the first and second session.

Cost and Registration

2 Sessions, $100 ($90 for Newberry members, seniors, and students). Learn about becoming a member.

We offer our classes at three different price options: Regular ($100), Community Supported ($95), and Sponsor ($105). Following the models of other institutions, we want to ensure that our classes are accessible to a wider audience while continuing to support our instructors. You may choose the price that best fits your situation when registering through Learning Stream.

To register multiple people for this class, please go through the course calendar in Learning Stream, our registration platform. When you select the course and register, you’ll be prompted to add another registrant.

Having trouble signing up? Take a look at our step-by-step guide to registration by clicking here.

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The views and opinions expressed in this class and/or by the instructor are not necessarily representative of the Newberry. We aim to ensure that in our classes, participants can have respectful disagreement to foster critical thinking. This is a space to challenge and expand our own worldviews to work towards better understanding and appreciating humanity.

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