Excursion Course to Cairo, Egypt
Robert Yelle, Loren Stuckenbruck, Rocio Daga Portillo
The theme is interreligious encounter and the negotiation of religious differences from classical antiquity until the present. Cairo offers an especially rich site for the exploration of these themes. Throughout history, Egypt has witnessed the rise and fall or empires; the transition from polytheism and syncretism to monotheism, as exemplified by the Exodus narrative in the Hebrew Bible, the persistence of Coptic Christianity, and the rise of Islam and Arabic culture in the region. We will visit the Giza pyramids complex and the adjacent, newly completed Grand Egyptian Museum, Islamic Cairo and Old Cairo or Coptic Cairo, as well as other sites of cultural and religious significance.
All students who participate must make an oral presentation during the seminar, and submit an essay paper later in the semester for the purpose of receiving course credit.