Module ARA3197 for 2021/2
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
Undergraduate Module Descriptor
ARA3197: The Arabian Nights: Perception and Reception
This module descriptor refers to the 2021/2 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.
| On successfully completing the programme you will be able to: | |
|---|---|
| Module-Specific Skills | 1. 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 Skills | 4. 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 Skills | 7. 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 |
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:
Weeks 1-3 will introduce the Arabian Nights as well as some of the most important themes in the field of folk literature, with particular focus on questions of gender and magical thinking.
Weeks 4-6 will discuss the material cultural background of some of the stories in the 1001 Nights, as well as many of the magical practices that it describes, especially with regards to genies.
Weeks 7-10 will describe the adaptation and translation of the Arabian Nights in the “West,” both in films and books, with special focus on the obscene sexual content of some of its stories and the effect of that perceived obscenity on its reception.
Week 11 Presentations and Review
In addition to reading various translations from the 1001 Nights, the course will include a film screening of Pier Pasolini’s Il Fiore delle Mille e Una Note (1974) as well as The Thief of Baghdad (1978).
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 | 11 x 2 hour classes. You will need to complete all readings prior to class and be ready to participate. On some occasions you may be asked to participate. |
| Guided independent study | 68 | 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).
vle.exeter.ac.uk
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 plans, one for the essay and one for the presentation (300 words each) | 600 words | 1, 2, 3, 6 | Written and verbal feedback |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 60 | 0 | 40 |
...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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thematic analysis of a text/s | 60 | 2,500 words | 1-9 | Written (supplemented with oral as required) |
| One solo 15 minute presentation | 40 | 15 minutes | 1-9 | Written and/ or verbal feedback |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thematic analysis of texts | Thematic analysis of texts (2500 words) 60% of credit | 1-9 | August / September reassessment period |
| Presentation | Solo 15-minute presentation 40% of credit | 1-9 | August/ September reassessment 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.
The Arabian Nights: Tales of 1,001 Nights. 3 vols. Translated by Malcolm and Ursula Lyons (2008).
The Arabian Nights Encyclopedia. 2 vols. Edited by Ulrich Marzolph (2004).
Borges, J. L, “The Translators of the 1001 Nights” (1936).
Burton, R. “Terminal Essay,” from his translation of The Book of a Thousand Nights and a Night (1885).
Gerhardt, M. The Art of Story Telling (1963).
Hejaiej, M. (1996) Behind Closed Doors: Women’s Oral Narratives in Tunis, London: Quartet
Irwin, R. The Arabian Nights: A Companion (1994).
Muhawi, I. Speak Bird, Speak Again: Palestinian Folk Tales (1989).
Piero Pasolini, Il fiore delle mille e una notte (1974).
Warner, M. Stranger Magic: Charmed States and the Arabian Nights (2011).
