- UCAS course code
- PT55
- UCAS institution code
- M20
Bachelor of Arts (BA)
BA Film Studies and Middle Eastern Studies
- Typical A-level offer: ABB
- Typical contextual A-level offer: BBC
- Refugee/care-experienced offer: BBC
- Typical International Baccalaureate offer: 34 points overall with 6,5,5 at HL
Fees and funding
Fees
Tuition fees for home students commencing their studies in September 2025 will be £9,535 per annum (subject to Parliamentary approval). Tuition fees for international students will be £26,500 per annum. For general information please see the undergraduate finance pages.
Policy on additional costs
All students should normally be able to complete their programme of study without incurring additional study costs over and above the tuition fee for that programme. Any unavoidable additional compulsory costs totalling more than 1% of the annual home undergraduate fee per annum, regardless of whether the programme in question is undergraduate or postgraduate taught, will be made clear to you at the point of application. Further information can be found in the University's Policy on additional costs incurred by students on undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes (PDF document, 91KB).
Scholarships/sponsorships
Scholarships and bursaries are available to eligible Home/EU students, this is in addition to the government package of maintenance grants.
- Find out more from Student Finance
- International student? Check your country page
- Interested in a student internship?
Course unit details:
Contemporary Debates in Islam
Unit code | MEST30032 |
---|---|
Credit rating | 20 |
Unit level | Level 3 |
Teaching period(s) | Semester 2 |
Available as a free choice unit? | Yes |
Overview
This course explores the ways in which the notion of ‘modernity’ has been constructed and debates in relation to what is perceived as ‘tradition’ in Islamic contexts. It begins by examining how new technologies, social structures, and educational systems introduced during the colonial period stimulated the imagination of intellectual elites who were searching for ways to be good and modern Muslims. Exploring case studies from the 19th century to the present day Middle East and Europe, the course discusses textual and discursive strategies of presenting ‘proper Islam’ in contradistinction to that what is labelled as ‘non-Islamic’. The course unit is flexible and multi-disciplinary, drawing upon social and political theory, intellectual and art history, colonial and post-colonial thought, anthropology, and religious studies. Assigned reading and discussions during the lectures and seminars are geared towards examining the place of (particularly Islamic) religious traditions in the modern world.
Aims
- To become familiar with the key issues that shape the debates on ‘tradition’ in modern Islam;
- To critically investigate a wide range of theoretical approaches discussing the formation of ‘tradition’ in relation to ‘modernity’
By the end of this course students will be able to:
- Discuss the key issues that shape the debates about ‘tradition’ in modern Islam (19th-21st centuries);
- Critically investigate a wide range of theoretical approaches discussing the formation of ‘tradition’ in relation to ‘modernity’;
- Compare and contrast social and historical contexts in which the traditions of Islam have been problematised and debated since 19th century.
Learning outcomes
Knowledge and understanding
By the end of this course students will be able to:
- Understand and discuss theoretical issues related to tradition and modernity in Islam
- Compare and contrast social and historical contexts in which the traditions of Islam have been problematised and debated since 19th century.
Intellectual skills
By the end of this course students will be able to:
- Develop analytical capacity to comprehend theoretical materials
- Improve the ability to examine primary and secondary sources.
Practical skills
By the end of this course students will be able to:
- Use library and online resources
- Present ideas in a clear and orderly manner
- Write a well-structured and argued essay
Transferable skills and personal qualities
By the end of this course students will be able to:
- Critical and analytical thinking
- Presentation skills (oral and written)
- Time management and punctuality
Employability skills
- Other
- - Critical thinking and analytical skills. - Broad intellectual and cultural interests. - Understanding of historical development and cultural contexts of particular traditions, disciplines or bodies of knowledge.
Assessment methods
Assessment task | Formative or Summative | Weighting within unit (if summative) |
Short Essay (Individual essay on set topic, laying groundwork for subsequent coursework) | Formative | 0%
|
Oral Presentation (individual presentation on topic chosen by student in consultation with convenor) | Summative | 30%
|
Long Essay Project (individual essay on topic chosen by student in consultation with convenor) | Summative | 70% |
Formative Assessment: Week 7 Title of Oral Presentation and Essay Project due Week 9 Outline of Long Essay Project Due Bibliography to be submitted alongside the Oral Presentation in Weeks 9-11 |
Feedback methods
Feedback method |
Formative feedback on class discussion |
Oral Presentation: in-class feedback and written comments through feedback form |
Formative feedback on Short Essay plan |
Formative feedback on Presentation title and Essay Project title and outline |
Essays: written comments through feedback form |
Recommended reading
- Masud, Muhammad Khalid, Armando Salvatore and Martin van Bruinessen (eds), Islam and Modernity: Key Issues and Debates, Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2009.
- Gilsenan, Michael, Recognizing Islam: Religion and Society in the Modern Middle East, Revised Edition, London: IB Tauris, 2000.
- Voigt, Kari (ed.) et al., New Directions in Islamic Thought, London: IB Tauris, 2011
- Hourani, Albert, Arabic Thought in the Liberal Age, 1798-1939, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1967
Study hours
Scheduled activity hours | |
---|---|
Lectures | 20 |
Seminars | 10 |
Independent study hours | |
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Independent study | 170 |
Teaching staff
Staff member | Role |
---|---|
Tom Woerner - Powell | Unit coordinator |