Undergraduate Module Descriptor

ARA2118: Gender-Identity and Modernity in the Middle East

This module descriptor refers to the 2022/3 academic year.

Module Aims

This module aims to provide you with an in-depth survey of the social, political, economic and cultural issues that affect gender relations in the contemporary Middle East and North Africa.  We will investigate how gender is socially constructed and experienced, while at the same time exploring how states and regimes invoke gender on the level of politics.  Weekly lectures, discussions and presentations will enable you to analyse how gender, identity and modernity shape – and are shaped by – diverse Middle Eastern and North African contexts.  The course promotes politically active learning, primarily through discussion of current events and project-based assessment.

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. identify and assess the changing social, cultural, economic and political contexts that shape gender roles and relations.
2. evaluate different theoretical and methodological approaches employed in the study of gender in the Middle East
Discipline-Specific Skills3. analyse and assess academic texts and prevailing cultural notions critically
4. distinguish between a range of methodological approaches as well as variety of genres, i.e. anthropological and sociological texts, (auto)biographical writings and fiction
5. demonstrate an awareness and be sensitised to the various processes by which gender, i.e. femaleness and maleness, are socially and culturally constructed
Personal and Key Skills6. engage in independent study and group work, including the presentation of material for group discussion
7. digest, select and organise material to produce, to a deadline, a coherent and cogent argument, developed through the mode of assessment
8. examine and review existing literature.

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 assessmentSize of the assessment (eg length / duration)ILOs assessedFeedback method
Vlog (pre-recorded)5 Minutes1-8Verbal feedback
Project proposal700 words1-8Written 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.

CourseworkWritten examsPractical exams
10000

...and this table provides further details on the summative assessments for this module.

Form of assessment% of creditSize of the assessment (eg length / duration)ILOs assessedFeedback method
Position/reflection paper401,500 words1-8Written feedback Verbal feedback (if required)
Summative project (group or individual)60Written submission of 2000 words OR 15 minute pre-recorded presentation. Submissions will be in a DIGITAL format [e.g., film review, exhibition review, op-ed article, short film, podcast, video or photo essay, poetry, play script, Instagram page, blog, etc.]. This list is not exhaustive. 1-8Written feedback Verbal feedback (if required)
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 assessmentForm of re-assessmentILOs re-assessedTimescale for re-assessment
Position/reflection paperPosition/reflection paper (1500 words)1-8August/September re-assessment period
ProjectWritten submission of 2000 words OR 15-minute pre-recorded presentation. 1-8August/September re-assessment period