In Jack Shaheen’s book, Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Vilifies a People (originally published 2001), he painstakingly analyzes the history of Hollywood films’ depictions of Arabs and Muslims. He noted the persistent conflation of Muslims and Arabs (despite the fact that only about 20% of the world’s Muslims are Arab), and depiction of these individuals as lascivious sheikhs, terrorists, seductive belly dancing harem girls, and oppressed people in need of a savior. This course does not seek to find redemption in Hollywood (as Evelyn Alsultany has noted in the introduction to her book Arabs and Muslims in the Media: Race and Representation After 9/11 the representation problem in Hollywood has persisted since the publication of Shaheen’s book), but rather turns to the Islamic World itself to find alternative self-representation in its contemporary cinema. This course will look at contemporary films from throughout the Islamic World including the Arab World, Iran, Turkey, and South and Southeast Asia, as well as those that address the Muslim experience in America. We will examine not only how these films challenge those conceptions of Muslims portrayed by Hollywood and mass media, but also how they respond to their particular socio-cultural contexts. We will also investigate how elements like cinematography, editing, and music work together to create and articulate meaning in these various films. No prior knowledge of the Islamic World or Film Studies required.