ARAB3071: Trends in Modern Arabic Literature and Film

• Arabic Literature (ARAB2011) OR an equivalent qualification to the satisfaction of the Chairman/Chairwoman of the Board of Studies in MLAC or his/her representative.

• Arabic Language 4 (ARAB3012)

• Arabic Literature (ARAB2011); Middle Eastern Cinema (ARAB2051)

• This module aims to:
• Identify key themes and trends in contemporary Arabic literature and film;
• Provide students with the practical and theoretical skills to critically interpret and analyse these themes and trends;
• Enable students to place these themes and trends within their larger social, cultural and political context.

• This module will identify key themes and trends in contemporary Arabic literature and film. It will focus on a selection of literary and filmic texts from the modern Arab world.
• During the year, the module will typically focus on up to four key themes and trends that are represented within, and are impacting upon, contemporary Arabic literary and filmic productions. For example, key themes and trends may include, but are not restricted to: post-colonialism, terrorism and 9/11, science fiction, illness and disability, homosexuality, and gender politics.
• Finally, the module will critically explore the ways in which contemporary Arabic literature and film both influences, and is influenced by, wider social, cultural and political questions.

Subject-specific Knowledge:

• By the end of this module:
• Students will acquire a detailed knowledge of select literary and filmic texts from the contemporary Arab world;
• Students will acquire a knowledge and understanding of key themes and trends in contemporary Arabic literature and film;
• Students will become familiar with key theoretical approaches drawn from the disciplines of literary theory and film studies;
• Students will gain a critical understanding of the relation between Arabic literature and film and its social, cultural and political context.

Subject-specific Skills:

• By the end of this module:
• Students will be able to critically analyse a range of contemporary Arabic literary and filmic texts;
• Students will be able to identify and compare key themes and trends within those texts;
• Students will be able to apply appropriate theoretical concepts and categories from literary and film studies to those texts;
• Students will be able to contextualize those texts within broader social, cultural and political discourses.

Key Skills:

• By the end of this module:
• Students will be able to critically analyse and engage with a range of contemporary Arabic literary and filmic texts;
• Students will be able to express complex critical ideas about Arabic literature and film both verbally and in writing;
• Students will be able to communicate and sustain a clear and well-supported argument in essay form.

• The module will be taught throughout the academic year in terms 1 and 2 on a 'lomg-thin' basis
• The module will be taught in the form of weekly 1-hour lectures and fortnightly one-hour seminars
• The module will be assessed via two summative essays

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