The Politics of Women and Gender in the Middle East and North Africa

MEST20352 The Politics of Women and Gender in the Middle East and North Africa 20 Semester 2 Undergraduate Level 2 Ruth Abou Rached Unit coordinator Arabic and Middle Eastern Studies 1 FHEQ level (Framework for Higher Education Qualifications) ' Middle part of Bachelors ' European Credit Transfer & Accumulation System Rating : 10.0 As well as challenging prevailing stereotypes about the women of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) as passive victims of their cultures and religions, this course will give students the opportunity to gain in depth understanding of women and gender in MENA. The course covers the history of MENA women in the context of Islam, Eastern Christianity and Judaism.  It examines gender inequalities, polygamy, veiling, adultery, the patriarchal family, property rights and violence against women.  It also studies the emergence of Middle Eastern and North African feminisms and the interplay between socio-economic forces, nationalist processes of modernity and women's political ambitions. It also investigates the discourse of Islamic Feminism; whether it is an oxymoron or a possible alternative to secular feminism. Following post-2011 events in the region the course investigates the permutations of gendered activism in the aftermath of 2011 uprisings and the prospects of change for women and men in MENA societies.  As well as challenging prevailing stereotypes about the women of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) as passive victims of their cultures and religions, this course will give students the opportunity to gain in depth understanding of women and gender in MENA. The course covers the history of MENA women in the context of Islam, Eastern Christianity and Judaism.  It examines gender inequalities, polygamy, veiling, adultery, the patriarchal family, property rights and violence against women.  It also studies the emergence of Middle Eastern and North African feminisms and the interplay between socio-economic forces, nationalist processes of modernity and women's political ambitions. It also investigates the discourse of Islamic Feminism; whether it is an oxymoron or a possible alternative to secular feminism. In the light of the recent uprisings in the region the course investigates women in the aftermath of the so-called ‘Arab springs’ and the prospects of change for women in MENA societies. It is the aim of this course to: <ul> <li>Enable students to develop an awareness of key historical and contemporary issues pertinent to the interdisciplinary study of Women and Gender in the Middle Eastern and North African contexts with the element of Diversity as a guiding concept. </li> <li>Debunk existing stereotypes about women and gender in MENA and equip students with a deep understanding of this study area by covering a wide spectrum of regions and subject matter.</li> <li>Enable students to become familiar with a wide range of modernist and post-modernist approaches to the study of Women and Gender in MENA, learning to appreciate cultural representations and practices as part of power relations and gender inequalities.</li> <li>Gain a comprehensive understanding of Women and Gender in MENA from a multi and interdisciplinary perspective.</li></ul>By the end of this course students will be able to:<ul> <li>Relate their learning experiences to the social, cultural, and other dimensions which go to define gender in the global context in general and the MENA context in particular,</li> <li>Have a good grasp of the theme of Women and Gender in MENA and appreciate the specificity of this region and its people,</li> <li>Understand the element of diversity which underpins the study of Women and  Gender in MENA,</li> <li>Overcome prevailing stereotypes about Muslim/MENA societies especially concerning Gender relations.</li> <li>Demonstrate familiarity with the core texts and gender-related theories on Women and Gender in MENA</li> <li>Have appropriate command of key concepts and terminologies related to the multi and interdisciplinary study of Women and Gender in MENA.</li></ul>  By the end of this course students will be able to:<ul><li>Relate their learning experiences to the social, cultural, political, and other dimensions which characterise Gender Studies in the context of the Middle East and North Africa.</li><li>Gain a good understanding about MENA women’s struggle, resistance and resilience in the face of religious and patriarchal laws </li><li>Gain a good understanding of the workings of patriarchy and how it shapes gender relations </li><li>Build awareness about the diversity which distinguishes MENA societies, their cultures, religions and populations and how this is reflected in gender relations.</li><li>Gain access to the study of a range of specialist areas within the discipline</li></ul> By the end of this course students will be able to:<ul><li>Develop their analytical and critical thinking</li><li>Gain skills in synthesis and analysis of data and information</li><li>Develop advanced skills of written and verbal communication</li><li>Improve their abilities of organisation and expression of ideas</li></ul> By the end of this course students will be able to:<ul> <li>Increase their discussion and debating ethics</li> <li>Use library, electronic and online resources</li> <li>Improve their reporting skills</li> <li>Develop their group ethos</li> <li>Engage in self and peer review/evaluation</li></ul> By the end of this course students will be able to:<ul> <li>Gain skills in independent learning.</li> <li>Develop their abilities in co-operative learning and team work.</li> <li>Develop their time management and punctuality skills</li> <li>Gain skills in debating and presentation </li> <li>Apply Subject Knowledge </li> <li>Understand group dynamics and intercultural backgrounds in the use of negotiating skills to reach objectives.</li></ul> Other Time Management and punctuality; Presentation skills; Critical thinking and analytical skills; Discussion and debating ethics; Organisation and expression of ideas Lectures:  Week 1: General Introduction to the course and assessment                What is Feminism?Week 2: Representations of MENA Women: Passive victims or active agents?  Week 3: Women's Movements and the Rise of FeminismWeek 4: Reconstructing Gender                                                Week 5: Family Laws as Feminist Platforms  Week 6: Reading WeekWeek 7: Middle Eastern Women and PatriarchyWeek 8: Veiling, Unveiling and Re-veilingWeek 9: Islamic FeminismWeek 10: Gender and Violence in MENAWeek 11: Women & Revolutions/Arab Springs: the Prospects of Change in MENA SocietiesWeek 12 (semester 2) Studying the politics of gender in MENA: a decade on from the 2011 uprisings  Tutorials:  Students will be assigned to small groups for weekly tutorials. These will be based on the weekly set readings which will be allocated to students at the start of the semester.Each student will deliver a seminar presentation, which assesses both content (deconstruction of the text), and presentation skills.    0 Other 100% <figure class="table"><table aria-rowcount="3" border="1" data-tablelook="480" data-tablestyle="MsoNormalTable"><tbody><tr aria-rowindex="1" role="row"><td style="border:0.3px solid hsl(0, 0%, 60%);" data-celllook="4369" role="rowheader">Assessment task  </td><td style="border:0.3px solid hsl(0, 0%, 60%);" data-celllook="4369" role="columnheader">Formative or Summative </td><td style="border:0.3px solid hsl(0, 0%, 60%);" data-celllook="4369" role="columnheader">Weighting within unit (if summative) </td></tr><tr aria-rowindex="2" role="row"><td style="border:0.3px solid hsl(0, 0%, 60%);" data-celllook="4369" role="rowheader">Essay </td><td style="border:0.3px solid hsl(0, 0%, 60%);" data-celllook="4369">Summative </td><td style="border:0.3px solid hsl(0, 0%, 60%);" data-celllook="4369">40% </td></tr><tr aria-rowindex="3" role="row"><td style="border:0.3px solid hsl(0, 0%, 60%);" data-celllook="4369" role="rowheader">Seminar presentation  </td><td style="border:0.3px solid hsl(0, 0%, 60%);" data-celllook="4369">Summative </td><td style="border:0.3px solid hsl(0, 0%, 60%);" data-celllook="4369">15% </td></tr><tr><td style="border:0.3px solid hsl(0, 0%, 60%);">Written Exam (48hr Turnitin)</td><td style="border:0.3px solid hsl(0, 0%, 60%);">Summative</td><td style="border:0.3px solid hsl(0, 0%, 60%);">45%</td></tr></tbody></table></figure>Resit Assessment<figure class="table"><table aria-rowcount="2" border="1" data-tablelook="480" data-tablestyle="MsoNormalTable"><tbody><tr aria-rowindex="1" role="row"><td style="border:0.3px solid hsl(0, 0%, 60%);" data-celllook="4369" role="rowheader">Assessment task  </td></tr><tr aria-rowindex="2" role="row"><td style="border:0.3px solid hsl(0, 0%, 60%);" data-celllook="4369" role="rowheader">Written examination  </td></tr></tbody></table></figure> <figure class="table" style="width:661px;"><table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="0"><tbody><tr><td style="width:559px;">Feedback method</td></tr><tr><td style="width:559px;">Written and oral feedback on seminar presentations</td></tr><tr><td style="width:559px;">Written feedback on assessed essay</td></tr><tr><td style="height:7px;width:559px;">Additional one-to-one feedback: Lecturer’s 2 weekly office hours are the chief venue for feedback. This is a walk-in, i.e., no prior appointment is required</td></tr></tbody></table></figure>  Y <ol><li>Ahmed, Leila, Women and Gender in Islam:  Historical roots of a modern debate, Yale University Press, 1993 </li><li>Lazreg, Marnia, Questioning the Veil: Open letters to Muslim Women, Princeton University Press, 2011</li><li>Mernissi, Fatima, Women in Islam: An Historical and Theological Enquiry, Blackwell Publishers, 1991 </li><li>Salhi, Z. S., Gender and Diversity in the Middle East and North Africa. Routledge, 2010.</li><li>Salhi, Z S., Gender and Violence in Islamic Societies: Patriarchy, Islamism and Politics in the Middle East and North Africa, London: IB Tauris, 2013</li></ol>  Lectures 20 Project supervision 20 Seminars 10 0 150 Lectures  The opening Lecture will introduce students to the module components in terms of content, assessment, weekly reading and tutorials. Subsequent lectures will be devoted to covering the detailed syllabus. Lectures will introduce the topic of the weekly reading which will then be discussed in the weekly tutorials. Readings will be distributed ahead of the lectures/tutorials, and uploaded to Canvas.Students will be expected to come to their lectures and tutorials well-prepared and to participate vigorously in class discussions. It is essential that they complete all the required readings before the lecture/tutorial. Students will be expected to take notes on the lectures which will constitute additional materials to be used for revision for their written exam.  Tutorials  Lectures will introduce the topic of the weekly reading, which is then discussed in the tutorial of the subsequent week.  Students are expected to prepare the reading so that they can better engage with the lecture and contribute critically to the discussion of the compulsory reading in the tutorial group. The weekly reading assignments require regular work outside classes and in advance of the tutorials, including close study of assigned texts, note taking, summarising or excerpting, as well as the creation of texts in note form. Readings will be contextualised and discussed during classes.