Admission requirements
Admission to the MA Middle Eastern Studies (research) or another relevant Research MA. Students from other programmes are kindly referred to the course description of the regular MA course.
If you are interested in this course, but not a student of the above-mentioned MA programme, please contact the Student advisor, Dr. Nicole van Os prior to registration.
(Note that the entry requirements have changed (30-8-2021): no longer is knowledge of Arabic required)
Description
This course will examine the daily life experience of medieval Muslims through literary, documentary and archaeological sources. This year, the focus of the course will be on the economic history of the eastern Mediterranean in the first centuries of Islamic history. The course has on two regional foci: Egypt and ‘Greater Mesopotamia’ between ca. 640 and 1000 CE. Engaging with original documents, contemporary literature and archaeology, we will treat such topics as the impact of state formation on the Near East’s economies, the social and legal organisation of trade, and the development of interregional commercial networks. The course has two connected goals: to deepen the student’s knowledge and experience of the social and economic history of medieval Islam and to familiarise him/her with the written sources of this period. These two academic goals are joined in the work with primary sources, such as coins, documents, manuscripts and inscriptions, which is central to this course.
Course objectives
The objectives of this course are:
for students to become thoroughly acquainted with the historical debate on the social history of medieval Islam;
to allow students to develop a strong and detailed understanding of the pertinent primary and secondary sources;
to familiarise students with theoretical approaches to the theme and to become acquainted with the tools needed to understand the primary sources (coins, documents, manuscripts) relevant to the study of this period;
to help students develop the ability to critically assess prevailing approaches to the subjects covered;
for students to carry out a small research project on a well-defined topic, based on primary source texts;
for students to report on research findings orally (by reading a paper) and in writing, in accordance with the basic standards of historical scholarship.
Timetable
The timetables are available through My Timetable.
Mode of instruction
- Seminar
Attendance is compulsory for all sessions. Students must prepare well and contribute to in-class discussion. If a student cannot attend because of illness or misadventure, they should promptly inform the convener. Extra assignments may be set to make up for missed class time, at the convener’s discretion. Absence without notification may result in lower grades or exclusion from assessment components 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 assignments on Brightspace; assignments will be checked for plagiarism. Submission via email is not accepted.
Assessment and weighing
| Partial Assessment | Weighing |
|---|---|
| Oral presentation | 15% |
| Participation and assignments | 15% |
| Paper theme 1 (written; ca. 2,500 words) | 35% |
| Paper theme 2 (written; ca. 2,500 words) | 35% |
Papers
The papers are assessed on the basis of the following criteria:
Demonstration of knowledge and the use of primary and secondary literature;
Presentation and consistency of arguments;
Communication: number of words, language, lay-out.
The papers are written in two stages: a first version which will be commented on and a final version. Students who do not meet the deadline for the first version will lose the right to get comments and will only be graded based on their final version. The deadlines for submission of the first and final versions of the papers will be communicated by the convenor of the course through Brightspace.
Late submissions of the final version will result in a deduction of paper grades as follows: 1-24 hrs late = -0.5; 24-48 hrs late = -1.0; 48-72 hrs late = -1.5; 72-96 hrs late = -2.0. Late papers will not be accepted more than four days after the deadline, including weekends and will be graded with 1.0.
The weighted average forms the final mark for this course. 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
Only if the total weighted average is insufficient (5.49 or lower) and the insufficient grade is the result of one or two insufficient papers, students are allowed to rewrite one or two papers (70%) in consultation with the convenor of the course. In that case the convener of the course will give a new deadline. A resit of the other partial assessments is not possible.
Feedback and inspection
If a student requests in writing a review of his/her examination answer script within 30 days after publication of the exam results, an exam review will be organized.
Reading list
Students should sign up before the first class on Brightspace for this course where the reading and assignment for the first class can be found. Students should bring their completed assignment to class.
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. The extra sessions will be used to discuss the additional literature.
Registration
Enrolment through uSis is mandatory.
General information about uSis is available on the website.
Contact
For substantive questions, contact the lecturer listed in the right information bar.
For questions about enrolment, admission, etc, contact the Education Administration Office de Vrieshof.