Nadia Yaqub is professor of Arab culture in the Department of Asian Studies and adjunct professor in the department of English and Comparative literature. She received her Ph.D. in Near Eastern Studies from the University of California, Berkeley. Her research has treated Arab cultural texts ranging from medieval literature and contemporary oral poetry to modern prose fiction and visual culture. Her recent publications include Bad Girls of the Arab World (University of Texas Press 2017), a volume of essays co-edited with Rula Quwas, Palestinian Cinema in the Days of Revolution (University of Texas Press, 2018), a monograph about Palestinian cinema of the long 1970s, and Gaza on Screen (Duke University Press, 2023, an edited volume about film and media from and about the Gaza Strip. She teaches courses related to literature, film, and visual culture from the Arab world.
Program Highlights
Program Dates
Fall 2027
Faculty Director
Nadia Yaqub, UNC Department of Asian Studies
Highlights
UNC’s Honors Semester in Cape Town enables students to learn about the achievements, complexities, and challenges of post-apartheid South Africa through a range of academic and experiential learning opportunities.
While living and learning in one of the most beautiful and diverse cities in the world, you will not only learn about the country’s rich and complex history. You will also immerse yourself in the living history of South Africa by interning with institutions that are helping to create a democratic civil society.
You will have the opportunity to visit significant South African historical and cultural sites such as Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela and other anti-Apartheid leaders were imprisoned, and the historic District 6 in the city’s center. Educational excursions to these and other sites are embedded in the academic courses, all of which are designed to help you contextualize your experiences.
You will also have the opportunity to get to know the country’s historical and cultural richness during week-long excursions to other parts of the country, including one or more of its unmatchable wildlife reserves.
All participants remain enrolled at UNC, earning graded Honors Carolina course credit for a full semester’s work. Courses count toward fulfillment of general education as well as major requirements.
