The on-campus course will cover the history of art in Egypt, including ancient sphinxes, Coptic textiles, medieval Islamic mosques, modern urban developments, and the contemporary graffiti of the Arab Spring. We will focus on how art and cultural heritage have been preserved and presented in museums. Students will visit the Newark Museum of Art and the Metropolitan Museum of Art to view how Egyptian art is categorized and displayed in the United States.

In January 2026, we will travel to Egypt for two weeks, staying in Cairo and then Luxor. Students will visit world famous ancient sites like the Pyramids of Giza and the King Tut treasures at the Egyptian Museum, as well as other heritage sites with diverse religious backgrounds like the Ben Ezra Synagogue, the Coptic Hanging Church, and Ibn Tulun Mosque. We will also visit modern art museums and meet with contemporary working artists. This experiential aspect of the course will expose students to Egyptian culture, the Arabic language, and the diverse ways in which museums are crafted and maintained outside the United States.