Georgetown Executive Course on Arabic Literary Analysis of Crisis is Now Open for Registration at QF

Georgetown University in Qatar (GU-Q), a QF partner institution, is offering an innovative course in Arabic that provides participants an opportunity to develop Arabic writing and critical thinking skills while exploring Arabic literature that sheds light on the social, philosophical and spiritual impact of the pandemic on human society. 

The Executive Education Certificate course is titled “Literature of Being: Possession in the Time of Corona”, and will be delivered virtually July 6 – 29, 2020, between 7:00pm – 8.15pm on Mondays and Wednesdays.

The global effort to combat the spread of the COVID-19 virus has exposed severe underlying social, political, and economic conditions. Rodolph Boughaba, Associate Dean for Executive Education, notes that these events have raised many questions about modern society, and calls for deeper introspection into fundamental morals and values. “What we want from this course is to explore the writings of thinkers and writers of literature through their life and non-materialistic approaches to some of the existential questions posed by global crises such as the pandemic.”

The course will be taught by Assistant Professor of Arabic at GU-Q, Abdul Rahman Chamseddine, who emphasized the importance of providing platforms for discussion of contemporary issues that affect the region. “Throughout this course we will explore some renowned texts in literature, philosophy, religion and psychology that deal with the human condition and its approach to life. We will be exposed to some selected texts from Arabic and international works translated into Arabic.” 

Participants will also gain critical Arabic reading and thinking skills, he said, and “learn how to extract the intended meaning from the texts by reading some of the most important works that criticize contemporary consumer lifestyle.”

The course is open to the public. Visit https://epe.qatar.georgetown.edu/executive-education to register before the course deadline, or for more information on the programs.