Module ANTH3321: ANTHROPOLOGY OF THE MIDDLE EAST

Department: ANTHROPOLOGY

ANTH3321: ANTHROPOLOGY OF THE MIDDLE EAST

Prerequisites

• Sociocultural Anthropology I (ANTH2051) OR Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies Year Abroad OR Political Ideology in the Middle East (MEIS2151).

Corequisites

• None

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None.

Aims

• To provide an overview of the diversity of cultures, every-day lives and experiences of people in the Middle East.
• while fostering an appreciation of social and cultural diversity in the Middle East, the module aims to develop as sound basic knowledge and a critical understanding of the academic discipline of Social Anthropology.
• we will examine a variety of approaches to different topics and by focussing on a number of ethnographies in the area, we will attempt to demonstrate the importance of different anthropological methodological approaches and theoretical frameworks.
• That is, introduce students to the comparative study of societies and cultures in the Middle East.
• the module pays special attention to the micro-level analyses addressing specific settings, social conditions, activities and life experiences within the general context of macro processes of social change, i.e. modernization and globalization.
• familiarize them with a variety of relevant anthropological concepts, concerns and debates.
• help them develop specialist conceptual and analytical skills.
• prepare students for further study in the anthropology of the Middle East.
• encourage them to engage reflectively with the values of their own culture and appreciate the importance of different cultural contexts.
• contribute in an important way to a critical and informed understanding of the contemporary Middle East.

Content

• Michaelmas Term: 1.
• Introduction to the Middle East as a culture area 2.
• Religious background: Islam and anthropology 3.
• Religious background: Judaism, Christianity and other religious movements 4.
• Ethnic boundaries 5.
• Economic symbiosis 6.
• Interaction with the West: Orientalism and traveller's perspectives 7.
• Interaction with the West: colonialism 8.
• Position of women: gender and sexuality 9.
• Anthropology of wars: fundamentalism versus peace process.
• Epiphany Term: 1.
• The economics of nomadism 2.
• Kinship patterns 3.
• Political organisation 4.
• Social stratification 5.
• Urban studies 6.
• Labour migration 7.Sufism and Saints 8.
• Position of Women: the veil and the zar 9.
• Semantics: metaphor and craftsmen 10.
• Palestinian symbolism in peace and war.
• Easter term: 1.Orientalism reconsidered 2.
• Summary 3.
• Revision session.

Learning Outcomes

• Apply relevant anthropological concepts to specific regional material related to the Middle East (including material from region that stretches from the Atlantic coast into Central Asia, Sudan and North Africa;
• Have required an overview of a wide range of societies, cultural influences and historical processes within the Middle East;
• Gained a critical knowledge of a selection of ethnographic monographs in relation to relevant anthropological theory.

• Knowledge of the Middles Eastern region;
• Gain an anthropological perspective and understanding of some of the many important issues which effect the Middle East;
• Retrieve, sift and select information from a nuanced reading of regional literature on the Middle East;
• Plan, undertake and report a bibliographically-based regionally focussed assignments on the Middle East;
• Apply key anthropological theories and concepts to the analysis of cultures in the Middle East.

• Structure and communicate ideas effectively from oral, visual and written sources;
• Plan work schedules and management of time;
• Participate constructively in group discussions;
• Work independently and be self-reliant;
• Find information by using bibliographical, visual and electronic sources;
• Assess the relevance and importance of the ideas of others.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• The course consists of lectures, tutorial discussions and student presentations.
• Each tutorial will commence with a class discussion on the topic and reading for the week.
• At the tutorial, subjects for discussion the following week will be outlined.
• Accordingly, students will be expected to have prepared before each tutorial discussion.
• Individual student presentations are followed by discussions.
• In addition there are occasional video sessions.
• In addition, a lecture on the topic will be given in the same teaching and readings for the following week.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University