ARAB3111: Popular Culture in the Modern Arab World

• Arabic Language 2 (ARAB2002) or an equivalent qualification to the satisfaction of the Chairman/Chairwoman of the Board of Studies in MLAC or his/her representative.

• Modern Languages & Cultures, Combined Honours/Liberal Arts and Joint Honours programmes: Arabic Language 4 (ARAB3012). Other: see Chairman/Chairwoman of the Board of Studies in MLAC or his/her representative.

• None

• This module will introduce students to the varieties of cultural production aimed at popular audiences in the modern Arab World. It will focus especially on how these things helped address major social and political issues of the colonial and post-colonial periods.

• This module explores the ways in which modern Arabic popular culture engaged with some of the most pressing debates of the time: race, gender, sexuality, religion, nationalism, anti-colonialism. This module will introduce students to a wide range of primary sources including singing, music, drama, television, film, cartoons, comics, and more. It will also introduce them to some of the elite critiques of these products of popular culture. Students will be introduced (at manageable levels) to different dialects of the Arabic speaking world as well as texts in Modern Standard Arabic. These primary sources will be complemented by English-language secondary sources.

Subject-specific Knowledge:

• By the end of this module, students will understand how Arabic popular culture engaged with social and political issues of the modern era. They will understand and be able to analyse the differentiation drawn between high and low culture in the modern Arab world. They will also know the parameters of specific genres and forms of Arabic popular culture and how these relate to different national and regional contexts.

Subject-specific Skills:

• By the end of this module, students will understand the possibilities and limitations of writing social history and cultural analysis on the basis of Arabic popular culture. They will also enhance their skills in reading modern Arabic texts critically and be introduced to techniques for analysis non textual sources such as songs and performances. They will develop their knowledge of different Arabic dialects.

Key Skills:

• By the end of this module, students are expected to have developed their ability to use primary and secondary resources effectively; undertake independent research; and construct critical arguments using rigorous analysis.

• The module is taught in the form of weekly lectures and fortnightly seminars, which will allow for in-class presentations and student-led discussion. The module is assessed by means of one summative essay, one in-class presentation, and one written examination.

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