Module ARA1036 for 2018/9
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
Undergraduate Module Descriptor
ARA1036: Histories of the Middle East, 600-1800 C.E.
This module descriptor refers to the 2018/9 academic year.
Module Aims
The primary aim of this module is to provide an introduction (including for those of you with no prior background) to the complex history of the Middle East utilising a variety of sources and providing relevant social and historical context. An important secondary aim (which is indispensable for fulfilling the primary aim) is to help you become aware of and begin to appreciate the multi-faceted nature of Middle Eastern polities. The module also aims to provide you with an introduction to the major themes, issues, and events in Middle Eastern history. This context will help you to appreciate how historians interpret the past and the nature of scholarly debate about different interpretations of that past, allowing you to participate with confidence in these debates, as well as providing you with a sound basis for your future studies.
| On successfully completing the programme you will be able to: | |
|---|---|
| Module-Specific Skills | 1. demonstrate your knowledge of some key themes, issues, and events in modern Middle Eastern history 2. identify and explain in your own words (orally and in writing) major themes, issues, and events in Middle Eastern history |
| Discipline-Specific Skills | 3. demonstrate understanding of how history is written and to appreciate that history is only the attempt to represent and explain the past, it is not the past itself 4. read history critically 5. discuss and debate different historical explanations of past events. 6. respect different points of view about the past |
| Personal and Key Skills | 7. think critically about issues and events. 8. examine the motives underlying human action |
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 to all of the following topics:
- Lecture Studying the Middle East and Islamic history
Seminar Historiography and periodisation
2 Lecture The pre-Islamic Middle East
Seminar Source analysis and material remains
3 Lecture The rise and expansion of Islam
Seminar Intellectual history and histories of religions
4 Lecture The Umayyad and Abbasid empires: religion and daily life
Seminar Social history
5 Lecture Al-Andalus: identity and community
Seminar Secondary sources
6 Lecture Islamic thought: philosophy, politics, science and art
Seminar Varieties of history
7 Lecture The Crusades and the history of the west in the Islamic world
Seminar Orientalism
8 Lecture The Ottoman empire: trade and economy
Seminar Economic history
9 Lecture Imperial history
Seminar Historiography of empires, nations and nationalism
10 Lecture Islam and the connected worlds of the Middle East and Asia
Seminar Transnational history
11 Lecture Gendered histories of the Middle East
Seminar Gender history
Learning and Teaching
This table provides an overview of how your hours of study for this module are allocated:
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 22 | 128 | 0 |
...and this table provides a more detailed breakdown of the hours allocated to various study activities:
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching activity | 11 | 11 x 1 hr lectures covering the topics listed in the syllabus plan |
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching activity | 11 | 11 x 1 hr class discussions of pre-assigned reading |
| Guided independent study | 38 | Reading for, and reflecting on, seminars |
| Guided independent study | 30 | Completing essay proposal based on research of the literature |
| Guided independent study | 60 | Preparing for and completing summative assignments |
Online Resources
This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).
How this Module is Assessed
In the tables below, you will see reference to 'ILO's. An ILO is an Intended Learning Outcome - see Aims and Learning Outcomes for details of the ILOs for this module.
Formative Assessment
A formative assessment is designed to give you feedback on your understanding of the module content but it will not count towards your mark for the module.
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essay proposal | 200 words | 1-7 | Oral |
Summative Assessment
A summative assessment counts towards your mark for the module. The table below tells you what percentage of your mark will come from which type of assessment.
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | 0 | 0 |
...and this table provides further details on the summative assessments for this module.
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essay 1 | 35 | 2,000 words | 1-8 | Written and oral |
| Essay 2 | 65 | 2,000 words | 1-8 | Written and oral |
| 0 | ||||
| 0 | ||||
| 0 | ||||
| 0 |
Re-assessment
Re-assessment takes place when the summative assessment has not been completed by the original deadline, and the student has been allowed to refer or defer it to a later date (this only happens following certain criteria and is always subject to exam board approval). For obvious reasons, re-assessments cannot be the same as the original assessment and so these alternatives are set. In cases where the form of assessment is the same, the content will nevertheless be different.
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essay 1 | Essay 1 (2,000 words) | 1 - 8 | January reassessment period |
| Essay 2 | Essay 2 (2,000 words) | 1 - 8 | August/September reassessment period |
