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DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2019/2020

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DRPS : Course Catalogue : School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures : Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies

Undergraduate Course: Islamic History A: The Formation of the Islamic World (IMES08033)

Course Outline
SchoolSchool of Literatures, Languages and Cultures CollegeCollege of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 8 (Year 1 Undergraduate) AvailabilityAvailable to all students
SCQF Credits20 ECTS Credits10
SummaryThis course is an introduction to the history of the Islamic world from 550 to 1050 CE. It covers the pre-Islamic background to Islam, the life of the Prophet Muhammad, the Arab conquests, the formation of the first Muslim world empire (the Caliphate), the emergence of the 'orthodox' Islamic traditions of Sunni and Shi'i Islam, and the fragmentation of the Caliphate into a 'commonwealth' of successor states.
Course description Not entered
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements None
Information for Visiting Students
Pre-requisitesNone
High Demand Course? Yes
Course Delivery Information
Academic year 2019/20, Available to all students (SV1) Quota:  100
Course Start Semester 1
Timetable Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) Total Hours: 200 ( Lecture Hours 21, Seminar/Tutorial Hours 6, Formative Assessment Hours 1, Summative Assessment Hours 2, Revision Session Hours 2, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 166 )
Assessment (Further Info) Written Exam 45 %, Coursework 55 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Additional Information (Assessment) Examination: one 2-hour exam (45%)
Coursework: (55%) with one 2000-words essay (40%) and participation to seminar (15%).

Feedback Not entered
Exam Information
Exam Diet Paper Name Hours & Minutes
Main Exam Diet S1 (December)Islamic History A: The Formation of the Islamic World2:00
Resit Exam Diet (August)2:00
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  1. outline the key events in the history of the Middle East and Islam c. 550-c. 1050 CE
  2. explain the various dimensions (e.g. social, religious, cultural, political, economic) of historical changes in the Middle East in the formative period of Islam, including: the emergence of Islam, the Islamic conquests and the formation of a Muslim Empire, the decline of that empire and the emergence of Muslim 'successor states', and the development of Sunni and Shi'i forms of Islam
  3. critique the relative usefulness of the sources available for the historical reconstruction of the life of the Prophet Muhammad
  4. critique primary and secondary sources and integrate these sources into their argumentation in an effective manner
  5. present arguments in a variety of written and oral formats as well as the ability to participate in informed debate on the above topics
Reading List
Bennison, A., The Great Caliphs: The Golden Age of the ¿Abbasid Empire, London, 2009.

Berkey, J. P., The Formation of Islam: Religion and Society in the Near East, 600¿1800, Cambridge, 2003.

Hawting, G., The First Dynasty of Islam, London, 2000 (1st ed., 1986).

Kennedy, H., The Prophet and the Age of the Caliphates, London, 2004 (1st ed., 1986)

Lapidus, I.M., Islamic Societies to the Nineteenth Century: A Global History, Cambridge, 2012.
Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills Not entered
Additional Class Delivery Information Plus tutorials
KeywordsIMES IH A
Contacts
Course organiserDr Marie Legendre
Tel: (01316)51 7112
Email: Marie.Legendre@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMrs Anne Budo
Tel: (0131 6)50 4161
Email: a.budo@ed.ac.uk
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