This course will examine the history and culture of North Africa through its cinemas from the period of colonization to the present. It will also include the North African Diaspora in France, which has developed a vibrant body of films confronting issues of migration and exile. North African film directors, both on the continent and in the Diaspora, have tackled the complexity of North African societies from the wars for independence to contemporary issues of the post-colonial state, such as identity, language and gender as well as Islamic extremism. The films provide a rich source for examining these and other significant issues in the region’s history. The course will consist of film screenings, lectures on both the films and history, discussion, and student presentations