Outline

Overview

This unit focuses on the interplay between gender culture and politics in the Arab world. Representations of gender and sexuality and their politicization will be studied through feminist literary and historiographical criticism, permitting a deep historical understanding of current debates.

Unit details and rules

Unit code	ARBC2681
Academic unit	Arabic Languages and Cultures
Credit points	6
Prohibitions ?	None
Prerequisites ?	12 Junior credit points in any of Arabic and Islamic Studies European Studies English Government History Political Economy Sociology Media and Communication Gender Studies or Cultural Studies
Corequisites ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Lucia Sorbera, lucia.sorbera@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Presentation	Class presentation	20%	Multiple weeks Due date: 05 Nov 2021 at 21:29 Closing date: 30 Dec 2021	Equivalent 500 words
Outcomes assessed:
Participation	Class participation	10%	Ongoing	n/a
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Essay 1 Developing one of the assigned topics	35%	Week 08 Due date: 30 Sep 2021 at 21:31 Closing date: 30 Dec 2021	2000 words
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Essay 2 Develop one of the assigned topics	35%	Week 13 Due date: 05 Nov 2021 at 21:33 Closing date: 30 Dec 2021	2000 words
Outcomes assessed:
= hurdle task ?

Assessment summary

Class participation: Students are expected to attend all the lectures and the tutorials. Participation means that they need to come to class prepared, having done the weekly readings, and they need to actively participate in the class and tutorial discussions.
Class presentation (during tutorials): Class presentations will focus on the weekly readings and each week two to three students will be invited to present. There are twelve presentation topics suggested for this Unit. Choice of presentation topics will be confirmed by Week 2 at the latest. The presentation needs to show in depth understanding and critical engagement with the reading. It is expected to to generate class discussion. For the presentation, you have to prepare a handout (1000 words) and visual aids such as a powerpoint presentation (about 5 slides, equivalent 500 words) to help others follow your argument more easily. You should provide some discussion points for the class. The power point and/or handout needs to be submitted before the class presentation
Short essay: In the short essay you need to provide an overview of the readings you have done from week 1 to week 8. What do they have in common? What are the key issues they address? How are they useful to a better understanding of the topics of this Unit of study? You also need to indicate what was/were your favourite reading/s and explain why.
Final essay: Choose and develop one of the essay questions provided on Canvas. It is essential to use the weekly readings. Lectures will help you to develop your arguments but should not be quoted.
Cultural portfolio: Write a review of a cultural event you have attended on Campus or Off Campus. it can be a book lauch, a conference, a public talk a film festival or a community event. It needs to be related to Arabic, Islamic and/or Middle East Studies. Think of yourself as a reporter for a newspaper and focus on the Five W of journalism (who what when where why). Be succint and entertaining!

Detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a high distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name	Mark range	Description
High distinction	85 - 100	Work meets exceptional standards, accordings to the criteria described on the Canvas website
Distinction	75 - 84	Work meets very high standards, according to the criteria described on the Canvas website
Credit	65 - 74	Work meets good standards, according to the criteria described on the Canvas website
Pass	50 - 64	Work meets acceptable standards, according to the criteria described on the Canvas website
Fail	0 - 49	When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

For more information see sydney.edu.au/students/guide-to-grades.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

You may only use artificial intelligence and writing assistance tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator, and if you do use them, you must also acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section.

Studiosity is permitted for postgraduate units unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	Introduction to the unit and its basic concepts and themes	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 02	Gender, a useful category for Arab and Middle East studies. Part 1	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 03	Gender, a useful category for Arab and Middle East studies. Part 2	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 04	Postcolonial feminist scholarship and Middle East studies	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 05	Women and Gender in Islamic History Part 1	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 06	Women and Gender in Islamic History. Part 2	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 07	Women, gender, history, and new hermeneutics of Islam 1	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 08	Women, gender, history, and new hermeneutics of Islam 2	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 09	Modern women’s writing and politics in the Arab world	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 10	Women, Nation, Nationalism and Feminism	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 11	Women, gender and the Arab uprisings (2011-2019)	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 12	Women, gender and conflicts in the Middle East and North Africa	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 13	Do Muslim women need saving?	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

Attendance: According to Faculty Board Resolutions, students in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences are expected to attend 90% of their classes. If you attend less than 50% of classes, regardless of the reasons, you may be referred to the Examiner’s Board. The Examiner’s Board will decide whether you should pass or fail the unit of study if your attendance falls below this threshold.
Lecture recording: Most lectures (in recording-equipped venues) will be recorded and may be made available to students on the LMS. However, you should not rely on lecture recording to substitute your classroom learning experience.
Preparation: Students should commit to spend approximately three hours’ preparation time (reading, studying, homework, essays, etc.) for every hour of scheduled instruction.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. demonstrate an understanding of the centrality of gender to modern and contemporary politics in the region
LO2. analyze and interpret selected works of Arabic literature in translation and visual arts in terms of gender identity
LO3. discuss the relationship between cultural productions and the socio-historical environments in which they emerged
LO4. identify and define the main scholarly terms used in the discussion of gender in the region
LO5. demonstrate familiarity with the main feminist scholarship from and about the region.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

No changes have been made since this unit was last offered

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect

Current students

ARBC2681: Gender and Politics in the Arab World

Semester 2, 2021 [Normal day] - Remote

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect