Seminar : Arabic Literature

Teacher(s)

De Callatay Godefroid;

Language

English

Prerequisites

A course in Arabic literature (Islamic or Christian) and at least one year of classical or modern Arabic.

Main themes

This course concentrates on the critical analysis of recent studies (monographs, articles), with special attention to training in the necessary skills for such scholarly activity. It is in this light that original texts will be considered. The seminar highlights studies on Arabic literature, mostly of the Classical period. Texts to be studied derive from Muslim, Christian, Jewish and confessionally neutral environments. The great variety of genres will be taken into account: travel literature, historiography, scientific and religious texts, poetry, texts for entertainment, etc. Studies on such texts and their historical, religious and cultural settings will be analyzed according to topics to be defined in consultation with the students. Students are required to orally present their findings and to write a research paper. This process of presenting and writing will be enhanced by group discussions. Please note: the texts in question may (partly) coincide with texts studied in other courses, notably Classical Arabic II (GLOR 2661-2662) and Middle Arabic (GLOR 2721-2722).

Aims

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :
1	At the end of the course, the student should have acquired : - thorough familiarity with Arabic literature, particularly of the Classical period, and its historical, religious and cultural settings; - basic knowledge of modern scholarly approaches to various aspects of Arabic literature; - the heuristic skill of using the main instruments for the study of Arabic literature: dictionaries, encyclopaedias, bibliographies, monographs and articles, web-based resources; - the know-how to carry out individual research within the field of Arabic literature; - the communication skills required to orally present the findings of a small-scale research project on a relevant Arabic literary text; - the communication required to actively contribute to a discussion on a relevant topic; - the ability to write a short paper on an aspect of Arabic literature and to process feedback given by the tutor and by fellow students.

Content

This seminar deals with the critical analysis of recent studies (monographs, articles) on Arabic literature, mostly of the Classical period, and deriving from Muslim, Christian, Jewish and confessionally neutral environments. Topics are to be defined in consultation with the students and will reflect the variety of genres, such as travel literature, historiography, scientific and religious texts, poetry, and texts for entertainment, etc.. Students are required to present their research assignments on particular texts in discussions and in a research paper. The course provides E-learning activities, with compulsory registration on the Moodle platform.

Teaching methods

Due to the COVID-19 crisis, the information in this section is particularly likely to change.

This seminar comes in the format of occasional sessions sustained by the Moodle virtual teaching environment, and the own input of the students.

Evaluation methods

Due to the COVID-19 crisis, the information in this section is particularly likely to change.

Evaluation of a paper, to be submitted in writing and to be presented orally.

Other information

Please note:
While English is the language of instruction, other contact languages (Arabic, French, German) may be used occasionally as well, in the case of contributions by visiting lecturers from abroad.

Online resources

https://moodleucl.uclouvain.be/enrol/index.php?id=12138

Bibliography

• Portefeuille de lectures/textes

• Printed texts, photocopies, documents presented in digital format, sound recordings.
• compulsory registration on the Moodle platform.

Teaching materials

• Portefeuille de lectures/textes

Faculty or entity

GLOR