Prospectus

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Culture: Middle East

Course
2017-2018

Admission requirements

This course is only available for students in the BA International Studies.
Limited places are also open for exchange students.
Please note: this course takes place in The Hague. Traveling between University buildings from Leiden to The Hague takes about 45 minutes.

Description

Culture is constituted by a set of practices, such as conversation and rituals, and a set of objects, such as narratives and images, and is the primary vehicle through which people give meaning to their selves, their lives and their societies. This course introduces students to the cultural diversity of the contemporary Middle East by engaging with an eclectic selection of objects, texts and practices through the lens of a set of key concepts in cultural studies. Rather than a historical or geographical overview, this provides an orientation for the pursuit of the students’ own interests in Middle Eastern cultural practices.
The course teaches students to closely analyze cultural objects, by considering aspects of their form and content in relation to their social, political and economic context of production, circulation and reception. In addition, students are taught to take a critical stance towards their research objects as well as their own research practice. A number of important thematic, critical and methodological approaches will be offered as possible frameworks for such analyses, such as heritage studies, sociolinguistics, gender- and urban studies.
The course is divided into three main themes: Modernities, Identities and Conflict. While these are all interrelated, the themes serve to structure the material of the course and also function as core themes around which each tutorial group revolves.

Course objectives

The student:

  • has a thorough understanding of the cultural context of a particular geographical area in the world from a global perspective;

  • is familiar with cross-cultural communication aspects of international relations within the context of a specific area;

  • is able to critically reflect on the cultural developments in the chosen geographical area from a global perspective

  • has in-depth knowledge of cultural production and identity formation in a geographical area in its global context;

  • has the ability to analyse an artefact of the chosen area using the concepts and theories introduced in Cultural Studies, Communicating Power and Introduction to Area Studies;

  • has the ability to reflect on the meaning of the main concepts in cultural, sociolinguistics and intercultural communication studies as applied in different cultural contexts;

  • has the ability to use the theories discussed in the course to identify and compare communicative, narrative and visual productions from regions of their choice;

  • is able to situate a cultural artefact within the context of the cultural production and cultural policies of the region of their choice;

  • has the ability to collect and analyse specialised literature using traditional and electronic methods and techniques;

  • has the ability to formulate a well-defined research problem based on specialised literature, set up, under supervision, a study of a limited size and formulate a reasoned conclusion;

  • has the ability to explain research findings in a clear and well-argued way in the form of a short essay;

  • is able to present his findings and arguments in a coherent and clear way in the form of a short presentation and during in-class debates;

  • is able to give and receive feedback to and from peers in a constructive fashion and use reasoned criticism to revise one’s own point of view or own argumentation;

  • is able to take on board the instructions and criticism of supervisors, and take previous instructions and criticism into account in new situations.

Timetable

The timetable is available on the BA International Studies website.

Mode of instruction

Lectures

Lectures are held every week, with the exception of the midterm exam week. Weekly lectures will cover issues both inside and outside the readings.

Tutorials

Tutorials are held once every three weeks, with the exception of the midterm exam week. Attending all tutorial sessions is compulsory. If you are unable to attend a session, please inform your tutor in advance, providing a valid reason for your absence. Being absent without notification and valid reason or not being present at half or more of the tutorial sessions will mean your assignments will not be assessed, and result in a 1.0 for the tutorial (30% of the final grade).

Course Load

Total course load for this course is 5 EC (1 EC = 28 hours), this equals 140 hours, broken down by:

  • Attending lectures: 24 hours

  • Attending tutorials: 12 hours

  • Assessment hours (midterm and final exam): 4 hours

  • Study of compulsory literature: (approximately 7 pages per hour): 64 hours

  • Time for completing assignments, preparing classes and exams: 36 hours

Assessment method

Assessment

  • Midterm exam: Written examination with open questions.

  • Final exam: Written examination with open questions.

Weighing

Partial grade Weighing
Tutorials 30%
Midterm Exam 30%
Final Exam 40%

End grade

To successfully complete the course, please take note of the following:

  • The end grade of the course is established by determining the weighted average of tutorial, midterm exam and final exam.

  • The weighted average of the midterm exam and final exam needs to be 5.5 or higher.

Resit

If the end grade is insufficient (lower than a 6), or the weighted average of midterm- and final exams is lower than 5.5, there is a possibility of retaking the full 70% of the exam material, replacing both the earlier midterm and final exam grades. No resit for the tutorial is possible.
Please note that if the resit exam grade is lower than 5.5, you will not pass the course, regardless of the tutorial grade.

Retaking a passing grade

Please consult the Course and Examination Regulations 2017 – 2018.

Exam review

How and when an exam review takes place will be determined by the examiner. This review will be within 30 days after official publication of exam results.

Blackboard

Blackboard will be used for tutorial groups. Students are requested to enroll on Blackboard for this course, but only after correct enrolment in uSis.

Reading list

All readings will be provided in class.

Registration

Enrolment through uSis is mandatory.

General information about uSis can be found here.

Registration Studeren à la carte and Contractonderwijs

Not applicable.

Contact

For tutorials
Dr. J.A. Naeff Dr. K.M.J. Sanchez

When contacting lecturers or tutors, please include your full name, student number and tutorial group number.