Undergraduate Module Descriptor

ARA2134: Ethnography of the Middle East

This module descriptor refers to the 2020/1 academic year.

Overview

NQF Level 5
Credits 15 ECTS Value 7.5
Term(s) and duration

This module ran during term 2 (11 weeks)

Academic staff

Dr Ross Porter (Convenor)

Pre-requisites

None

Co-requisites

None

Available via distance learning

No

Nomadic Bedouin tribes, urban rappers, Turkish villagers, Afghan musicians – all have welcomed ethnographers into their communities, shared their lives with them, and  thus have helped them understand more about culture, identity and more widely, what it is to be human.  We will be looking at the various theoretical positions and methodological approaches used by the ethnographers, and not least at the many challenges inherent in this type of study This is a Level 2 course but no special knowledge is needed (though it is helpful if you have a basic knowledge of the history and politics of the region commensurate with the Institute’s Level One courses). It will especially suit those planning an undergraduate dissertation involving fieldwork, but it is for anyone who wants to know more about the diversity of cultures, everyday lives and experiences of people in the Middle East.

Module created

01/10/2004

Last revised

22/11/2012