M?NA1300 – History of Literature in The Modern Middle East
Course content
The course provides an introduction to modern Middle Eastern literature and cultural conditions in a historical comparative perspective. A selection of Arabic, Hebrew, Persian and Turkish literature will be studied in relation to their historical, cultural and socio-political context. The students will discuss language relations and the relationships between classical and modern literature, as well as the role of literature in the process of nation-building. The course will also focus on the ability of literature to comment on relevant societal issues such as the relationship between East and West, political systems and the role of women in society. All texts are available in English (some also in Norwegian) translations.
Learning outcome
During this course you will:
- Be presented to a selection of authors and short stories dealing with key topics in Middle Eastern literature and society from the mid-19th century to the present day.
- Become familiar with some basic analytical tools and techniques of?interpretation.
- Learn to understand literature as a symbolic expression and gain insights into important literary traditions.
- Be trained to see literary texts against their historical background and in a comparative as well as a wider cultural perspective.
- Learn to discuss your analysis and interpretation hypotheses in a workgroup and to present these orally in front of the class and in writing in the form of a wiki entry.
Admission to the course
Students who are admitted to study programmes at UiO must each semester register which courses and exams they wish to sign up for?in Studentweb.
If you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about?admission requirements and procedures.
Teaching
Total of 14 lectures/seminar.
Compulsory activities:
Prepare one oral presentation on at least two of the curriculum texts and lead the discussion in the corresponding seminar.This is typically done as a group activity.
The presentations should give a brief summary of the content, describe the structural characteristics of the text, and develop and present some ideas about the interpretation of the text.
Presentations should last no longer than 20 minutes (with students of a working group contributing on equal terms).
Presentations must be accompanied by a hand-out and/or PowerPoint presentation outlining the main points of the analysis and suggesting questions for discussion to the rest of the class.
Students are strongly encouraged to meet with the teacher a week before the presentation to go through plans, questions, and thoughts regarding the presentation.
Submit at least one wiki entry for the same short stories/novels on which you have presented.
The wiki entry must be handed to the teacher within one week after the oral presentation.
It must be resubmitted after integrating the teacher's comments and suggestions.
More information about the mandatory work?and deadlines will be given during class and in Canvas. You must submit the mandatory work within the given deadlines, and you are responsible for familiarizing yourself with the requirements for the compulsory activities.
All compulsory activities must be approved to qualify for the exam. It is your responsibility to verify that you have obtained approval for all compulsory activities.?
Approval of the compulsory?activities are only valid for the current semester.?
?
Absence from compulsory activities:?
It is important that you familiarize yourself with the rules regarding absence from compulsory activities, to prevent being excluded from teaching and losing your eligibility to take the exam.?
?
More information on compulsory activities at the University of Oslo:?
?
Access to teaching:
A student who has completed compulsory instruction and coursework and has had these approved, is not entitled to repeat that instruction and coursework. A student who has been admitted to a course, but who has not completed compulsory instruction and coursework or had these approved, is entitled to repeat that instruction and coursework, depending on available capacity.?
Examination
Home examination over three days.
A?three days long home examination culminating in the submission of a paper of approx. 5 pages - in total approx. 1500 words. References do not count towards this total. (Font: Times New Roman, 12 point, 1,5 line spacing and margins of approx. 2.5 cm.)
You will receive more details about the choice of topic etc. from the teacher in due time.
The paper will consist of two parts:
- In part A of this assignment, the students will answer 2-3 general questions on the basis of the lectures they have heard during the term period and the?overview articles in the syllabus that they have read.
- Part B will then be an?essay in which the student compares 2 texts (one that the student has presented in class) and any other text from the textbook anthology.
You must submit the exam in Inspera - see guides for digital exams.?
You are personally responsible for familiarizing yourself with the requirements and deadlines for the exam.?
All compulsory activities must be completed and approved in order to take the exam.?
You can find more information about the exam on the semester page of the course.?
Language of examination
You may submit your response in Norwegian, Swedish, Danish or English.?
Grading scale
Grades are awarded on a scale from A to F, where A is the best grade and F?is a fail. Read more about?the grading system.
Resit an examination
If you are ill during the submission of the home exam or have another valid reason, you can apply for an extended submission deadline.
More about examinations at UiO
- Use of sources and citations
- How to use AI as a student
- Special exam arrangements due to individual needs
- Withdrawal from an exam
- Illness at exams / postponed exams
- Explanation of grades and appeals
- Resitting an exam
- Cheating/attempted cheating
You will find further guides and resources at the web page on examinations at UiO.