Have you ever wondered how the borders that you see on maps or cross in your own life came to be? Have you ever considered how those lines correspond with the lived experiences of communities and how those who cross borders, such as refugees, experience them? Have you ever wondered how boundaries and borders become a locus of conflict or sites of resistance? This semester we will tackle these and other questions by considering the concept of the border from different disciplinary perspectives and focusing our case studies on locations in the Mediterranean, Middle East and North Africa. We will consider ancient theories of borders and the body and the role of borders and boundaries in cultural formation and identity. We will explore different technologies used to govern borders and boundaries and how they affect migration, mobility, and security. Much of our work together will involve the examination of creative responses to the border and will take us from ancient Athens and Egypt to Palestine and Turkey/European Union.