Admission requirements
Admission to the MA Middle Eastern Studies (research) or another relevant Research MA. Students from other (regular MA) programmes are kindly referred to the course description of the regular MA course.
Students with little or no knowledge on the modern history of the Middle East, should read James L. Gelvin, The Modern Middle East. A History fourth edition Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2016, BEFORE the start of the course.
Description
“There is perhaps no better anthropological or aesthetic artefact with which to read social change, to gauge resistance and to trace the scars of history and ideology on local populations than the novel”. Erdağ Göknar sees the novel in Turkey as a “vehicle of modernisation that reveals Ottoman and Turkish experience as human experience” (“The novel in Turkish: narrative tradition to Nobel prize,” The Cambridge History of Turkey, Reşat Kasaba ed, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2008, pp. 472-503). What holds true for Turkey might be extrapolated to the Middle East (Turkey, Iran, the Arab world and Israel) at large. Where the novel was a ‘vehicle of modernisation’ during the first half of the 20th century in the Middle East, this role passed on to film during the second half of the twentieth century and to television drama more recently. This course wants to explore precisely this shift in focus toward visual media in the context of Middle Eastern culture and its meaning for contemporary Middle Eastern societies (from 1900 (1850) onwards).
To achieve this, Middle Eastern cultural products will be positioned within their societal context and how they relate to society will be examined. This means studying primary source materials such as novels, poetry, films, and television series, that matter: those books, films and television series that show us political developments in Middle Eastern societies and/or constitute symbols for societal change. In addition, secondary source material on political, societal and historical developments in the contemporary Middle East will be used. If possible, this depends on the fields of interest of the students participating, a comparison between Middle Eastern societal and narrative culture and other cultures could be incorporated. This seminar will start with discussing topical issues related to the Middle East by reading recent texts on socio-political history. This will be followed by introductory lectures about methodology and examples of Middle Eastern cultural production that matter. Subsequently, students will read/view primary and secondary source material, present this to each other and prepare a publishable blog or vlog on it. Finally, all students choose a topic for themselves. give a presentation and write their final paper.
Course objectives
The objectives of this course are:
To deepen knowledge and understanding of Middle Eastern history and culture and establish insight into the transformation of cultural media that represented and changed societies throughout the 20th century.
Improve writing skills by practicing with different textual media, blogs/vlogs, and academic output.
To improve presentational skills
To improve collaboration skills.
Timetable
The timetables are available through My Timetable.
The deadline in MyTimetable is set for administrative purposes only. The actual date(s) will be communicated by the lecturer(s) in Brightspace.
Mode of instruction
- Seminar
Attendance and participation are obligatory for seminars. Students are required to attend all sessions. The convenors need to be informed without delay of any classes missed for a good reason (i.e. due to unforeseen circumstances such as illness, family issues, problems with residence permits, the Dutch railways in winter, etc.). In these cases it is up to the discretion of the convener(s) of the course whether or not the missed class will have to be made up with an extra assignment. The maximum of such absences during a semester is two. Being absent without notification can result in a lower grade or exclusion from the term end exams and a failing grade for the course.
Assessment method
Academic integrity
Students should familiarize themselves with the notion of academic integrity and the ways in which this plays out in their own work. A good place to start is this page. Plagiarism will not be tolerated. Students may not substantially reuse texts they have previously submitted in this or other courses. Minor overlap with previous work is allowed as long as it is duly noted in citation.
Students must submit their assignment(s) to Brightspace through Turnitin, so they can be checked for plagiarism. Submission via email is not accepted.
ChatGPT: What is possible and what is allowed? Dos and Don'ts.
Assessment and weighing
| Partial Assessment | Weighing |
|---|---|
| Assignments related to classes | 5% |
| Presentation on primary and secondary source material | 5% |
| Presentation of own research | 5% |
| Midterm: blog/vlog | 30% |
| Final paper | 55% |
The final mark for this course is formed by the weighted average.
Students must complete the assignment(s) on time Late submissions will result in a deduction of marks for the assignment as follows: 1-24 hs late = -0.5; 24-48 hs late = -1.0; 48-72 hs late = -1.5; 72-96 hs late = -2.0. Submissions more than 96 hs late, including weekends, will receive a failing grade of 1,0 for the assignment.
In order to pass the course, students must obtain an overall mark of 5.50 (=6) or higher.
The course is an integrated whole. All assessment parts must be completed in the same academic year. No partial marks can be carried over into following years.
Resit
A resit is offered for both an insufficient Midterm blog/vlog (30%) or an insufficient final paper (55%), provided that the total weighted average is insufficient (5.49 or lower). In that case the convener of the course may decide to assign a (new) topic. The deadline for this version will be determined in consultation. Missing a presentation or late submissions of the assignments result in a 0 for the respective parts of the assessment. Resits for insufficient presentations nor for assignments are possible.
Inspection and feedback
Feedback will be supplied primarily through Brightspace. If a student requests a review within 30 days after publication of the assessment results, a review will be organized.
Reading list
Information on the primary and secondary sources used in the course will be supplied through Bright Space.
Those with a gap in their knowledge on the modern history of Turkey, should read before the start of the course: James L. Gelvin, The Modern Middle East. A History, fourth edition Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2016.
For the Research MA students additional readings will be determined by the convener at a later stage taking into account the students’ fields of interest. Extra sessions will be used to discuss the additional literature.
Registration
Enrolment through MyStudyMap is mandatory.
Contact
For substantive questions, contact the convener listed in the information bar on the right.
For questions about enrolment, admission, etc, contact the Education Administration Office Herta Mohr