Undergraduate Module Descriptor

ARA3197: The Arabian Nights: Perception and Reception

This module descriptor refers to the 2019/0 academic year.

Module Aims

The module aims not only to give you a familiarity with one of the most famous works of Arabic literature in the “West,” but also an awareness of issues that are essential to an understanding of all world literature. This includes  translation theory and practices, the construction of the author’s identity, the manner in which texts signal their truth value (i.e. do they present themselves as fact or fiction), and the effects of cross-genre and cross-cultural influences on literary traditions broadly speaking.

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 Skills1. Demonstrate in-depth comprehension of and familiarity with the themes and contents of the famous 1001 Nights
2. Demonstrate critical understanding of the intersection between folk literature, material culture, and spiritual and sexual practices
3. Demonstrate a critical awareness of the impact of the 1001 Nights on “Western” culture, and the many ways that it has been changed and adapted in popular culture, both in writing and in film.
Discipline-Specific Skills4. Critically analyse literary texts;
5. Demonstrate comprehensive knowledge and the ability to apply central ideas in literary theory;
6. Demonstrate specialist knowledge of critical debates surrounding world literature in general and as applied specifically to the Arabic literary tradition;
Personal and Key Skills7. Apply theory to texts and contexts by reading critically and recognizing historical trends in scholarship
8. Demonstrate critical and analytical skills by deconstructing arguments and performing close readings
9. Rank sources and structure arguments in a clearly formulated and rigorous fashion