External summary

The Department of Islamic & Middle Eastern Studies in Edinburgh’s School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures is recognised in the UK and internationally as a leading institution for research and study of Arabic, Persian, Islam, the Middle East, and other related subjects.

The MA Honours Islamic Studies degree programme at Edinburgh is designed to allow students to develop knowledge and understanding of the Islam as a religion, as well as the history, thought and culture of Muslims. In so doing, it offers society the resource of intellectually trained individuals who are capable of acting as bridges of understanding and conduits of knowledge between British culture both within Britain and in the Muslim world more broadly. This programme involves discussion of key issues, practice in applying concepts both in discussion and in writing, analysis and interpretation of material.

Educational aims of programme

The programme aims to provide students with an understanding of the religion of Islam through the study of history, thought and culture of Muslims. The programme will enable students to develop expertise in the field, with the option courses allowing those interested to expand their knowledge further. The option of spending time abroad in Istanbul provides immersion in the culture of a Muslim country.

Programme outcomes: Knowledge and understanding

Graduates from the Islamic Studies degree will acquire knowledge and understanding of:

1. Arabic, Persian or Turkish at intermediate level (written and spoken);
2. core beliefs and practices of the religion of Islam as well as the diversity of their interpretation;
3. the early religious and political history of Muslims;
4. intellectual history of the Islamic civilisation;
5. key methods and concepts of linguistic, literary and historical analysis.

Acquisition is through classes, tutorials and regular coursework in Years 1 and 2, and subsequently developed through small-group teaching in Years 3 and 4. Additional support is provided through access to a wide variety of materials and teaching techniques.
Throughout, students are encouraged to undertake independent readings to supplement and consolidate what is being taught/learnt and to broaden their individual knowledge and understanding of the subject.
Assessment
Testing of the knowledge base is through a combination of unseen written examinations, assessed coursework in the form of exercises or essays, oral and a dissertation.

Programme outcomes: Graduate attributes - Skills and abilities in research and enquiry

Islamic Studies graduates will be able to:

1. retrieve, sift, select and analyse and interpret information from texts and other media;
2. reason critically and cogently, assessing and applying critical methods, including those for historical, literary, cultural, political and religious analysis;
3. Apply linguistic, literary, political and historical concepts;
4. Demonstrate and exercise independence of mind and thought.
   

These intellectual skills are developed through the teaching and learning programme.  Each course, whatever the format of the teaching, involves discussion of key issues, practice in applying concepts both orally and in writing, analysis and interpretation of material, and feedback sessions on work produced.

Great emphasis is placed, in the various methods of assessment used, on the student’s ability to demonstrate the above skills (1-4) through the production of cogent and coherent written and oral responses to problems and tasks set. Students also submit a dissertation in their final year which is an ideal vehicle for demonstrating these skills (and especially 4), although they are constantly demonstrated also throughout their other work.

Programme outcomes: Graduate attributes - Skills and abilities in personal and intellectual autonomy

Graduates in Islamic Studies will be:

1. able to work independently and be self-reliant;
2. open to new ideas, methods and ways of thinking;
3. intellectually curious and able to sustain intellectual interest;
4. Read write and speak Arabic, Persian or Turkish to an intermediate level of proficiency
5. Retrieve, sift and select information from a variety of sources as they relate to the history of, or contemporary context of the Middle East.

In the first two years of study, students take classes and receive instruct in a Middle Eastern language which promotes familiarity and active engagement with the language and its native speakers.

Programme outcomes: Graduate attributes - Skills and abilities in communication

Graduates in Islam Studies will be able to:

1. process, structure and communicate ideas effectively and at an advanced level of proficiency, both orally and in written form;
2. communicate clearly and accurately, constructing cogent arguments;
3. participate constructively in group discussions, assessing and responding effectively to the ideas of others; and
4. communicate effectively to inform others about aspects of the Middle Eastern culture, history, politics and literature.

Programme outcomes: Graduate attributes - Skills and abilities in personal effectiveness

Graduates in Islamic Studies will be able to:

1. work autonomously, setting their own goals, self-motivating and organising their own learning;
2. manage their time and priorities and work to self-imposed and external deadlines;
3. collaborate effectively and productively with others in the process of learning and presenting conclusions;
4. confidently rely on their own intellectual capacities;
5. exercise sensitivity to ambiguity and multiplicity of meanings; and
6. confidently interact with, and think about, cultural difference.

All skills (1-6) are acquired throughout the degree programme. Skills 3-6 are particularly acquired through interactions with fellow students, tutors and lecturers. The time spent studying abroad also contributes very significantly to 1, 2 and 6.

Programme outcomes: Technical/practical skills

1. IT skills—the ability to use computers for word-processing, information storage and for retrieving information from the worldwide web; and

1. library skills—the ability to use libraries for the recovery of information, and related research skills, including the ability to discriminate between different types of information.

Likewise IT and library skills are fostered throughout the degree programme and are tested in coursework and examinations, especially the final year dissertation.

Programme structure and features

Full details of the degree programme and structure can be found at:
http://www.drps.ed.ac.uk/16-17/dpt/drps_llc.htm

Courses are taught through a combination of lectures and tutorials.

Details of courses can be found at:
http://www.drps.ed.ac.uk/16-17/dpt/cx_colhss.htm

Entrance Requirements: http://www.ed.ac.uk/studying/undergraduate/degrees

Progression Requirements: Students are normally expected to have gained 120 credits from each year of study.

Students who do not progress into Honours may graduate after three years of full-time study, or a longer prescribed period of part-time study, with a B.A. in Arts, Humanities and Social Science.

Teaching and learning methods and strategies

Teaching and Learning strategies employed at the University of Edinburgh consist of a variety of different methods appropriate to the programme aims.  The graduate attributes listed above are met through a teaching and learning framework (detailed below) which is appropriate to the level and content of the course.

Teaching and Learning Activities

In Year 1

• Lectures
• Tutorials

In Year 2

• Lectures
• Tutorials

In Year 3

• Lectures
• Independent Study
• Year Abroad Wotk

In Year 4

• Seminars
• Lectures
• Presentations
• Group Work
• Dissertation

Festival of Creative Learning
The University of Edinburgh Festival of Creative Learning is scheduled in Week 6 of Semester 2. During this week ‘normal’ teaching is suspended which provides space outwith the curriculum for staff and students to explore new learning activities

Assessment methods and strategies

Courses can be assessed by a diverse range of methods and often takes the form of formative work which provided the student with on-going feedback as well as summative assessment which is submitted for assessment.

In Year 1

• Written Examinations
• Coursework Essays
• Coursework Exercises
• Oral Examinations

In Year 2

• Written Examinations
• Coursework Essays
• Coursework Exercises
• Oral Examinations

In Year 3

• Written Examinations
• Coursework Essays
• Year Abroad Work
• Independent Study

In Year 4

• Written Examinations
• Coursework Essays
• Dissertation

Career opportunities

The Middle East is one of the UK’s major trading partners so there is a high demand for graduates who have graduated in this field. The degree programme will also prepare you for careers in the Diplomatic Service, the Civil Service or non-government organisations. Graduates also enter teaching, the media or continue with postgraduate study.

Other items

1. All students are assigned a Personal Tutor on admission to the degree programme, who oversees the course of the student’s degree programme, offers advice on academic matters and should be the student’s first point of contact for course-related worries or concerns.

2. The School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures has a student support office, where students can go for advice on degree transfers, course changes, authorised interruption of studies, confirmation letters and general support. Information can be found at: http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/literatures-languages-cultures/current-students/undergraduate-support

3. Student opinion is actively sought through participation in Staff-Student Liaison Committees, through the election of class- and tutorial-representatives, and by the wide circulation and review of detailed student questionnaires each semester.

4. More detailed information on these programmes, and the department of Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies, can be found at: http://www.imes.ed.ac.uk/