Undergraduate Course: Gendering the Middle East (IMES10100)
Course Outline
| School | School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 4 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | Gender in the Middle East is a highly topical, yet often sensationalised, issue in contemporary media and political discourse. Countering such reductionist and prejudiced readings, this course facilitates critical engagement with key issues related to gender in the Middle East, enabling students to apply a gendered lens to the political, cultural, and social landscapes of the region. |
| Course description |
This is an interdisciplinary course that covers key themes related to gender in the Middle East. It provides a gendered understanding of prevailing discourses, ideologies, structures, social practices, and trends in the region by tapping into a variety of sources ranging from sociology, history, anthropology, political science, media studies, and gender studies.
A selection of key texts will be read by students ahead of class, and they will be required to write short reaction papers critically engaging with these texts. Where appropriate, students may also be required to watch specific media (films, videos, etc.) directly relevant to the topic at hand. Classes will promote critical reflection and will focus on discussions of the readings and the media (where applicable) and student participation in class discussions will be assessed.
Students will be allowed to write up to six reaction papers on weekly themes, with the best four papers selected as part of their assessment. For the final assessment, students will be asked to prepare a multimedia essay incorporating their independent research on a relevant topic (of no more than 2000 words) and their choice of multimedia materials to support and illustrate their arguments. This is intended to encourage creative research and thinking, and to allow students to think outside the box in terms of the topics they can address.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | Before enrolling students on this course, you are asked to contact the IMES Secretary to ensure that a place is available (Tel: 504182, e-mail imes@ed.ac.uk). |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | Visiting students should have at least 3 courses in a suitable subject area at grade B or above (or be predicted to obtain this). We will only consider University/College level courses. |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Analyse social, cultural, and political phenomena in the Middle East through the prism of gender
- Critically evaluate a variety of books, journals, and other sources of information relevant to the topics studied on the course
- Identify, define, and apply a range of methodologies and theoretical frameworks employed in the study of gender in the Middle East
- Apply a range of skills, including digital skills and written presentation and research skills, to communicate complex and nuanced analyses and positions on gender in the Middle East
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Reading List
Indicative reading list:
- Ahmed, Leila (1992) Women and Gender in Islam. Historical Roots of a Modern Debate. Yale University Press.
- Al-Hassan Colley, Nawar (2003) Reading Arab Womens Autobiographies. Austin: University of Texas Press.
- Al Ali, N. (2000) Secularism, Gender and the State in the Middle East. The Egyptian Womens Movements, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
- Jad, Islah (2005) Between Religion and Secularism: Islamist Women of Hamas, in Fereshteh Nouraie-Simone (ed.) On Shifting Ground: Muslim Women in the Global Era New York: Feminist Press.
- Ilkkaracan, Pinar (2000) Women and Sexuality in Muslim Societies. New York: Palgrave.
- Joseph, Suad (ed.) (2000) Gender and Citizenship in the Middle East. Syracuse: Syracuse University Press.
- Kandiyoti, Deniz (1996) Gendering the Middle East: Emerging Perspectives. I.B. Tauris.
- Kandyioti, Deniz (1998) Bargaining with Patriarchy, in Gender and Society vol. 2, no.3. pp.282-89.
- Mernissi, Fatima (1982) Virginity and Patriarchy in: Womens Studies International Forum, Vol.5, no.2:183-193.
- Moghadam, Valentine (2002a) Patriarchy, The Taleban and Politics of Public Space in Afghanistan, in Womens Studies International Forum, Vol 25, no. 1 pp.19-31.
- Moghadam, Valentine (2002b) Islamic Feminism and Its Discontents: Toward a Resolution of the Debate in Signs, Vol. 27, No. 4, pp. 1135-1171
- Moghissi, Haideh (1999) Feminism and Islamic Fundamentalism. The Limits of Post-modern Analysis. London and New York: Zed Books, 1999
- Taraki, Lisa (ed.) (2006) Living Palestine. Family Survival, Resistance, and Mobility under Occupation. Syracuse: Syracuse University Press.
- Yeenolu, Meyda.(1998) Colonial Fantasies : Towards a Feminist Reading of Orientalism Cambridge : Cambridge University Press. |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Research and enquiry:
- Problem solving and knowledge integration
- Handling and synthesising complex information from multiple sources
- Digital literacy including basic ICT skills
Personal and Intellectual Autonomy:
- Independent and reflexive learning
- Adaptability and decision making
- Critical self-awareness
Personal Effectiveness:
- Time management and meeting deadlines
- Effective oral and written communication
- Collaboration and contribution to the class community |
| Keywords | gender,women,sexuality,Middle East |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Ebtihal Mahadeen
Tel: (0131 6)50 4463
Email: Ebtihal.Mahadeen@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Ms Monique Brough
Tel: (0131 6)50 3618
Email: Monique.Brough@ed.ac.uk |
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