Module overview
The disparate body of literature collected together under the title 1001 Nights, more popularly known as the Arabian Nights, is set primarily in the cities of the medieval Middle East, including Baghdad and Basra in Iraq, Cairo in Egypt and Damascus in Syria. The narratives include characters from all levels of society, from caliphs, princes, princesses and viziers, to poor men and women, as well as magical beings of various sorts. They recount great adventures and supernatural happenings; but among the more marvellous events appear many details of daily life, social activity and urban landscape. This module uses the 1001 Nights as a starting point for a thematic investigation of medieval Arab (largely urban) society.
Aims and Objectives
Learning Outcomes
Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- analyse conflicting views;
- determine the importance or otherwise of key developments in thinking about the nature of medieval Middle Eastern society.
- critically examine the presentation of Middle Eastern society in medieval sources and modern writing;
Transferable and Generic Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- handle a range of primary and secondary sources with an appropriate degree of sophistication;
- evaluate the contribution of different kinds of data to a single topic.
- show an increasing level of confidence in discussion and debate;
- sustain an argument and explain your ideas in written work;
Knowledge and Understanding
Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:
- scholarly models of medieval Middle Eastern society;
- the historical construction of identities.
- the potential and problems of material, historical and literary sources;
Syllabus
The module is organised thematically. Each week, we will consider a particular narrative or story taken from the 1001 Nights, within which a particular theme will be identified. This topic will be introduced during the lecture, with specific sources relating to the subject to be discussed in detail during the subsequent seminars. Themes may include: court/palace culture; social stratification and mobility; urban landscape and setting; trade and economic activity; gender; hospitality, social life, food/drink and dining; professions and professional activities; recent reception, Orientalism and cultural politics; and more.
Learning and Teaching
Teaching and learning methods
Teaching methods include
- Lectures
- Classes/Seminars
Learning activities include
- Lectures
- Classes/Seminars
- Independent study
| Type | Hours |
|---|---|
| Preparation for scheduled sessions | 24 |
| Lecture | 12 |
| Seminar | 12 |
| Follow-up work | 24 |
| Completion of assessment task | 40 |
| Wider reading or practice | 38 |
| Total study time | 150 |
Resources & Reading list
Textbooks
Bennison, A.K. (2009). The Great Caliphs: the golden age of the ‘Abbasid empire. London/New York: Yale University Press.
Petry, C.F. (ed.) (1998). The Cambridge History of Egypt 1: Islamic Egypt, 640-1517. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Kennedy, H.N. (2004). The Court of the Caliphs: The Rise and Fall of Islam’s Greatest Dynasty. London: Weidenfeld & Nicholson.
Irwin, R. (2010). Mamluks and Crusaders: Men of the Sword and Men of the Pen. Surrey and Burlington VT: Ashgate Variorum.
(2008). The Arabian Nights, trans. by Husain Haddawy from the edition by Muhsin Mahdi. London/New York: W.W. Norton & Co..
Warner, N.J. (2005). The Monuments of Historic Cairo. Cairo: American University in Cairo Press.
Northedge, A. & D. (2015). The Archaeological Atlas of Samarra: Samarra Studies II. London: British Institute for the Study of Iraq (available at www.bisi.ac.uk).
Milwright, M. (2010). Introduction to Islamic Archaeology. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
Irwin, R. (2009). The Arabian Nights: A Companion. London: Taurisparke Paperbacks (e-book via Webcat).
Assessment
Formative
This is how we’ll give you feedback as you are learning. It is not a formal test or exam.
Source commentaries
- Assessment Type: Formative
- Feedback: Written and/or verbal feedback
- Final Assessment: No
- Group Work: No
Essay
- Assessment Type: Formative
- Feedback: Written and/or verbal feedback.
- Final Assessment: No
- Group Work: No
Summative
This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Essay | 50% |
| Source commentaries | 50% |
Referral
This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Coursework | 100% |
Repeat
An internal repeat is where you take all of your modules again, including any you passed. An external repeat is where you only re-take the modules you failed.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Essay | 50% |
| Source commentaries | 50% |
Repeat Information
Repeat type: Internal & External