Undergraduate Module Descriptor

ANT3021: Anthropology of the Middle East

This module descriptor refers to the 2021/2 academic year.

Module Aims

To provide you with an overview of past and current anthropological approaches to Middle Eastern societies
To draw from ethnographic analyses of particular Middle Eastern countries and cultures to identify common historical social, economic and political experiences
To raise critical awareness of the “Middle East” as an idea, tracing some of the politics implicit in representations of its places and people

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. display an in-depth understanding of the diverse cultures societies, histories and institutions of the Middle East and their shared histories; 2. develop complex arguments regarding the methodological and substantive issues associated with the anthropological study of the Middle East;
Discipline-Specific Skills	3. critically evaluate contemporary anthropological and related texts 4. display an in-depth understanding of the discipline's relation to, and difference from, other approaches and explanations offered in the social sciences; 5. appreciate key issues relevant to the contemporary world, and develop critical, comparative and cross-cultural insight;
Personal and Key Skills	6. demonstrate transferable skills in formulating, researching and addressing focused questions; 7. prepare focused and comprehensive written presentations; 8. work independently and in collaboration with others; 9. demonstrate cross-cultural understanding, translation and comparison, which will be of advantage in many professional settings; 10. prepare and deliver considered oral arguments.

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:

Ethnography of the Middle East, Politics of Representation
Orientalism and Ethnography
Kinship and Social Organization
Anthropology of Religion
Gender and Feminism
Arts, Aesthetics, and Heritage
Nations, Ethnicities, and the State
Cultural Production
Youth and Popular Culture
Mass Displacements, Movement and Mobility
Emerging Trends

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
26	124	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 & Teaching	22	Twelve 2-hour seminars
Scheduled Learning & Teaching	4	Film and documentary screenings
Guided independent study	20	Preparing seminar-presentation
Guided independent study	74	Reading and research
Guided independent study	30	Web-based activities

Online Resources

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

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.

The key text for this module will be: Altorki, Soraya, ed. A Companion to the Anthropology of the Middle East . 1 edition. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, 2015.

Silverstein, Paul, Susan Slyomovics, and Ted Swedenburg, eds. Anthropology of the Middle East and North Africa: Into the New Millennium . Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2013.

Bowen, Donna Lee, Evelyn A. Early, and Becky Schulthies, eds. Everyday Life in the Muslim Middle East . 3 ^rdedition. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2014.