Module ARA2014 for 2019/0
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
Undergraduate Module Descriptor
ARA2014: Regions and Empires in Islamic Archaeology
This module descriptor refers to the 2019/0 academic year.
Module Aims
Students will develop critical skills in understanding Islamic archaeology as it contributes to reconstructing the history of large parts of the globe. They will gain an appreciation of regional differences and similarities in Islamic archaeology and an enriched understanding of Islamic heritage and monuments.
Through analysis completed in the Islamic galleries of major UK museums (e.g. the British Museum and Victoria and Albert Museum) students will be introduced to critical appreciation of public heritage narratives and displays, and pertinent debates in museology associated with representing Islam.
Individual short presentations on agreed Islamic archaeological topics will permit students to engage in-depth in researching a specific site or body of material. This can help in developing other dissertations, and projects, and enhances research skills transferable across course units in power point presentation, library and web based research, and group based discussion.
| On successfully completing the programme you will be able to: | |
|---|---|
| Module-Specific Skills | 1. Understand the key different empires and regions that have been significant in Islamic history from an archaeological perspective 2. Analyse Islamic archaeology and material culture museum displays from a critical perspective |
| Discipline-Specific Skills | 3. Evaluate the value of different categories of archaeological evidence in reconstructing past societies 4. Demonstrate understanding of regional differences in approaches within archaeology |
| Personal and Key Skills | 5. Develop enhanced confidence in completing independent research 6. Prepare and present a succinct power point presentation 7. Critically evaluate different categories of textual, visual, and material culture evidence |
Module Content
Syllabus Plan
The module will be based on lectures (9 x 2 hours), a full day Museum visit and gallery analysis in the Victoria and Albert and British Museums in London, and seminars centred on individual student presentations on agreed topics (1 x 2 hours). Lectures will be occasionally followed by students’ individual discussions of reading assignments. Where relevant, Islamic archaeological handling artifacts and material culture will be used in lectures and seminars, and short films on Islamic material culture and heritage shown and discussed. The following themes may be covered.
- The time of the Prophet Muhammad and the Umayyads
- The Abbasids
- The Fatimids and Mamluks
- Ottomans
- Merchants and sailors of the Red Sea and Indian Ocean
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- North Africa and the Iberian Peninsula
- South, Central, and Southeast Asia
- Museum fieldtrip and Gallery analysis (British Museum and Victoria and Albert Museums)
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 28 | 122 | 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 | 18 | 9x2 hour classes You will need to complete all readings prior to class and be ready to participate. On some occasions you will be asked to present material you have prepared yourself. |
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activity | 4 | 2x2 hour seminars. You will need to complete all readings prior to class and be ready to participate. On some occasions you will be asked to present material you have prepared yourself. |
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activity | 6 | Islamic museum visit This study event will be held in the Islamic gallery of a major UK museum (e.g. British Museum, V&A). |
| Guided Independent Study | 62 | Reading and research. |
| Guided Independent Study | 30 | Completing assignments. |
| Guided Independent Study | 30 | Preparing for assessments. |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Discussions in lecture and seminars | During scheduled hours | 1-5, 7 | Oral, in class feedback |
| Optional submission of essay plans | 400 words | 1-5, 7 | Oral, in office hours |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 80 | 0 | 20 |
...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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Written assignment (essay) | 40 | 2,000 words | 1-5, 7 | Mark and written comments; oral feedback on request |
| Written assignment (essay) | 40 | 2,000 words | 1-5, 7 | Mark and written comments; oral feedback on request |
| Individual presentation with slides and handouts (recorded) | 20 | 10 Minutes (1,000 words) | 1-7 | Mark, oral and written comments |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Written assignment | 2,000-word written assignment | 1-5, 7 | August/September re-assessment period |
| Written assignment | 2,000-word written assignment | 1-5, 7 | August/September re-assessment period |
| Individual written presentation with slides and handouts | 1,000-word written presentation to accompany, with copies of slides and handouts | 1-7 | August/September re-assessment period |
Indicative Reading List
This reading list is indicative - i.e. it provides an idea of texts that may be useful to you on this module, but it is not considered to be a confirmed or compulsory reading list for this module.
Agius, D.A.. 2008. Classic ships of Islam: from Mesopotamia to the Indian Ocean. Leiden: Brill.
Bennison, A.K. 2009. The Great Caliphs: The Golden Age of the 'Abbasid Empire. New Haven: Yale University Press.
Brett, M, 2017. The Fatimid Empire. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
Donner, F. M. 2010. Muhammad and the Believers. Cambridge, Massachusetts: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press.
Cooper, J.P. 2014. The Medieval Nile: Route, Landscape and Navigation in Islamic Egypt. Cairo: American University in Cairo Press.
Crone, P. 1987. Meccan Trade and the Rise of Islam. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Glassé, C. 2001. The Concise Encyclopaedia of Islam. London: Stacey International.
Hourani, A. H. 1991. A history of the Arab peoples. Imprint London : Faber.
Insoll, T. 1999. The Archaeology of Islam. Oxford: Blackwell.
Insoll, T. 2003. The Archaeology of Islam in Sub-Saharan Africa. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Kennedy, H. 2007. The great Arab conquests: how the spread of Islam changed the world we live in. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson.
Lev, Y. 1991. State and Society in Fatimid Egypt. Leiden: Brill.
Milwright, M. 2010. An Introduction to Islamic Archaeology. New Edinburgh Islamic Surveys.
Power, T, 2012. The Red Sea from Byzantium to the Caliphate. Cairo: American University of Cairo Press.
Ruthven, M. with Nanji, A. 2004. Historical Atlas of the Islamic World. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Woodhead, C. 2013. The Ottoman World: London: Routledge.
