Durham University
Programme and Module Handbook

Undergraduate Programme and Module Handbook 2008-2009 (archived)

Module ARAB3071: TRENDS IN MODERN ARABIC LITERATURE 1950-2000

Department: Modern Language and Cultures (Arabic)

ARAB3071: TRENDS IN MODERN ARABIC LITERATURE 1950-2000

Type Open Level 3 Credits 20 Availability Available in 2008/09 Module Cap None. Location Durham

Prerequisites

  • Arabic Language 2B (ARAB2002 or ARAB2032 ) or an equivalent qualification to the satisfaction of the Chairman/Chairwoman of the Board of Studies in MLAC or his/her representative.

Corequisites

  • Arabic Language 4B (ARAB3012).

Excluded Combination of Modules

  • Introduction to Arabic Literature (ARAB2011).

Aims

  • This course aims to introduce students to the study of modern Arabic literature from c.1950 to the present through readings and discussion of key texts in prose and poetry.
  • It aims to introduce students to the different types of literary techniques, languages and themes relevant to the genres being studied.
  • It also aims to provide an introduction to the different types of interaction between the various genres in Arabic literature and their European counterparts.

Content

  • The following areas will be discussed in the course of the module, in conjunction with the reading of relevant texts:
  • 'Modernism' in Arabic literature: poetry and prose.
  • European literary influences on Arabic literature in the post-WWII period.
  • The political context and its influence on the development of Aabic literature.
  • Major literary groupings, in particular the 'Generation of the Sixties'.

Learning Outcomes

Subject-specific Knowledge:
  • Students will be familiar with the main lines of development of Arabic literature during the period c.1950 to the present, and with the main Western influences relevant to that development.
  • Students will have acquired a detailed knowledge of a selected number of representative texts covering the main themes, trends and techniques of the period being studied.
Subject-specific Skills:
  • Students will acquire the ability:
  • to read and analyse late 20th-century Arabic literary texts.
  • to attempt critical evaluations of Arabic poetry and prose fiction from the period studied.
  • to discuss the main genres and themes relevant to the literature of this period.
Key Skills:
  • The effective use of primary and secondary resources relevant to the field of comtemporary Arabic literature.

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

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Activity Number Frequency Duration Total/Hours
Lectures 21 Weekly 1 hr 21
Seminars 5 2 per term 1 hr 5
Preparation and Reading 174
Total 200

Summative Assessment

Component: Written Examination Component Weighting: 40%
Element Length / duration Element Weighting Resit Opportunity
Written Examination 2 hours 100%
Component: Essay 1 Component Weighting: 20%
Element Length / duration Element Weighting Resit Opportunity
Essay 1 1000 words 100%
Component: Essay 2 Component Weighting: 40%
Element Length / duration Element Weighting Resit Opportunity
Essay 2 2000 words 100%

Formative Assessment:

None.


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