This course will introduce students to fiction in modern Egypt. We will read short stories and novels, and watch classics of Egyptian cinema. Students will learn about the major trends in Egypt’s twentieth century cultural and political history, including the impact of nationalism, colonialism and revolution, the changing attitudes towards women and gender, and the conflict between secularism and religion-based conceptions of society. Students will also explore the differences between literature and film as narrative genres and how they can be put to different cultural and political uses in the same social context.