Undergraduate Module Descriptor

ARA2150: Muslims in Britain

This module descriptor refers to the 2018/9 academic year.

Module Aims

This module aims to study the Muslim presence in Britain today, within its British, European and wider Islamic contexts, in order to promote an informed debate about its significance and future. It aims to provide an understanding of the history of Muslim communities in Britain today and how Muslims define themselves, and involves an examination of the debate around integration, integration strategies, assimilation and multiculturalism. It will set these against the experience of other migrant groups for comparison.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
This module's assessment will evaluate your achievement of the ILOs listed here – you will see reference to these ILO numbers in the details of the assessment for this module.
On successfully completing the programme you will be able to:
Module-Specific Skills	1. Demonstrate a thorough knowledge of the situation of Muslim communities in Britain, and in comparison with similar groups in Europe. 2. Demonstrate an appreciation of the dynamics of social integration and factors that help or hinder it.
Discipline-Specific Skills	3. Analyse information, using a statistical, non-biased approach towards the data. 4. Apply integration theories to understanding the practical interaction between communities.
Personal and Key Skills	5. Develop time organisation; analytical writing 6. Write clear, grammatical English which is essential.

Module Content

Syllabus Plan

Lectures 1
Definition of 'British Muslims'. History and pattern of migration. Comparison with European Muslim migration.

Lecture 2
Demographic profile of British Muslim communities. Second and later generations. Specific studies.

Lecture 3
Social/linguistic/cultural/theological profile of British Muslim communities.

Lecture 4:
Historical perspective of contacts between Britain and the Islamic world.

Lecture 5:
Assimilation Integration and acculturation. The debate and factors that help or hinder the process. Muslims and the arts as examples of integration. Perceptions of Muslims in the media.

Lecture 6:
Obligations of migrant and receiving society. Comparison with practice in other countries.

Lecture 7:
Racism and islamophobia, origins and social factors in their genesis. Some examples in practice. Comparison with other types of xenophobia.

Lectures 8-9:
Terrorism and Islam. Definition, Islamic teaching on the use of military force. Suicide bombing.

Lecture 10:
The international dimension: links to the situation in Afghanistan, Iraq and Palestine.

Lecture 11:
De-integration and ghettoisation. The prospects for the future.

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	22 hours	The classes will be seminars focusing on specific translated texts, with classroom discussions and occasional background lectures.
Guided Independent Study	128 hours	A variety of independent study tasks directed by module leader

Online Resources

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