Arabian Nights and Days: The World of the 1001 Nights

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;
critically examine the presentation of Middle Eastern society in medieval sources and modern writing;
determine the importance or otherwise of key developments in thinking about the nature of medieval Middle Eastern society.

Knowledge and Understanding

Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

the potential and problems of material, historical and literary sources;
the historical construction of identities.
scholarly models of medieval Middle Eastern society;

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;
sustain an argument and explain your ideas in written work;
show an increasing level of confidence in discussion and debate;
evaluate the contribution of different kinds of data to a single topic.

Learning and Teaching

Teaching and learning methods

Teaching methods include • Lectures • Classes/Seminars Learning activities include • Lectures • Classes/Seminars • Independent study

Study time
Type	Hours
Seminar	12
Follow-up work	24
Lecture	12
Preparation for scheduled sessions	24
Completion of assessment task	40
Wider reading or practice	38
Total study time	150

Resources & Reading list

Textbooks

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).

Petry, C.F. (ed.) (1998). The Cambridge History of Egypt 1: Islamic Egypt, 640-1517. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

(2008). The Arabian Nights, trans. by Husain Haddawy from the edition by Muhsin Mahdi. London/New York: W.W. Norton & Co..

Kennedy, H.N. (2004). The Court of the Caliphs: The Rise and Fall of Islam’s Greatest Dynasty. London: Weidenfeld & Nicholson.

Irwin, R. (2009). The Arabian Nights: A Companion. London: Taurisparke Paperbacks (e-book via Webcat).

Bennison, A.K. (2009). The Great Caliphs: the golden age of the ‘Abbasid empire. London/New York: Yale University Press.

Irwin, R. (2010). Mamluks and Crusaders: Men of the Sword and Men of the Pen. Surrey and Burlington VT: Ashgate Variorum.

Warner, N.J. (2005). The Monuments of Historic Cairo. Cairo: American University in Cairo Press.

Milwright, M. (2010). Introduction to Islamic Archaeology. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.

Assessment

Formative

This is how we’ll give you feedback as you are learning. It is not a formal test or exam.

Essay

Assessment Type: Formative
Feedback: Written and/or verbal feedback.
Final Assessment: No
Group Work: No

Source commentaries

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.

Breakdown
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.

Breakdown
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.

Breakdown
Method	Percentage contribution
Essay	50%
Source commentaries	50%

Repeat Information

Repeat type: Internal & External