Undergraduate Module Descriptor

ARA2118: Gender-Identity and Modernity in the Middle East

This module descriptor refers to the 2023/4 academic year.

Module Content

Syllabus Plan

Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover some or all of the following topics:

Studying Gender in the Middle East & North Africa

Representations: The Legacy of Orientalism & Colonialism

Islam, Patriarchy &‘Tradition’

Gendered Nationalisms & Nation-building Projects

The 'Woman Question' & the State: Citizenship, Modernization & Reform

Intimate Politics: Social Relations & Identity Constructions

Exploring Middle East Masculinities

Gender, Sexuality & Power: From ‘Honour Crimes’ to Queer Politics

War & Conflict: Gendering Violence & Peace in the Middle East

Refugees, Migration & Diaspora

Women’s Movements in the Middle East: Historical Roots & Contemporary Routes

Secular & Religious Feminisms: Different Strategies, Common Aims?

Gendering New Media & the Public Sphere in the Middle East

‘The Uprisings will be Gendered’: Political Protest, Transition & Transformation

Learning and Teaching

This table provides an overview of how your hours of study for this module are allocated:

Scheduled Learning and Teaching ActivitiesGuided independent studyPlacement / study abroad
221280

...and this table provides a more detailed breakdown of the hours allocated to various study activities:

CategoryHours of study timeDescription
Scheduled Learning and Teaching activity 2211 x 1 hour lectures; 11 x 1 hour tutorials
Guided Independent study44Weekly reading (4 hours per week)
Guided Independent study11Class/seminar prep (1 hour per week)
Guided Independent study43Project (23 hours researching/coordinating, 20 hours writing/preparing presentation)
Guided Independent study30Position paper (17 hours reading, 13 hours writing)

Online Resources

This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).

Material will be posted on the Online Learning System and discussion lists will be created. 

Other Learning Resources

Videos/films, TV programmes, online materials (news sites, websites/blogs, social media), images, music, memoirs.