Module ARA3049 for 2021/2
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
Undergraduate Module Descriptor
ARA3049: Media, Culture and Politics in the Middle East
This module descriptor refers to the 2021/2 academic year.
Module Aims
The module is designed to cover a broad range of topics including the history and development of the Arab press, the role played by radio and television in the national building process, the relationship between cinema and literature, the rise of satellite television and the Al-Jazeera phenomenon and the advent of digital media. Media will be analysed in relation to the rise of specific genres (soap operas, reality shows, auto fictional blogs, YouTube comedies) and specific historical moments which shook the region (e.g. the coup of 1952 in Egypt, the Iranian revolution of 1979, the Arab Spring).
By employing media research drawn from interdisciplinary sources, the course examines a range of cultural, theoretical and comparative research undertaken in the field. The purpose of the module is to engage students in critical thinking and analyses beyond the academic environment, understand global phenomena and work with others in shared projects.
The class format (mini-lectures, class discussions, presentations, group work, screenings and interactions with guest speakers) combined to the interdisciplinary nature of the module and the variety of materials (books, articles, think tank publications, documentaries, films, social media outlets, news outlets) aim to widen your understanding of the region and equip you with new tools of analysis which can support you as academics, independent researchers and practitioners.
| On successfully completing the programme you will be able to: | |
|---|---|
| Module-Specific Skills | 1. Demonstrate factual and theoretical understanding of important media issues and trends in the Middle East 2. Demonstrate detailed knowledge of the role media plays in Middle Eastern culture and politics |
| Discipline-Specific Skills | 3. Employ and analyse a growing and diverse body of literature and scholarship and a variety of approaches to studying Arab media 4. Demonstrate how to link theory to practice and apply concepts learnt in a global perspective |
| Personal and Key Skills | 5. Conduct critical and thorough analyses of the subject topics in written work and oral presentation 6. Demonstrate high degree of autonomy and effective collaboration when conducting research 7. Demonstrate high quality of research, evaluation and synthesis from a wide range of sources |
