Course Details in 2022/23 Session

Module Title	LH Muslim Women's Popular Fiction
School	Eng, Drama, & Creative Studies
Department	English Literature
Module Code	09 31944
Module Lead	Amy Burge
Level	Honours Level
Credits	20
Semester	Semester 2
Pre-requisites
Co-requisites
Restrictions	None
Contact Hours	Lecture-8 hours Seminar-20 hours Project supervision-2 hours Guided independent study-170 hours Total: 200 hours
Exclusions
Description	This module examines the global turn in popular fiction through a focus on popular and genre writing by Muslim women from the Arab world and beyond. Focusing on writing by women deemed ‘popular’ rather than ‘literary’, the module engages with critical readings in gender, religion, race, and genre alongside a range of genre fiction by Muslim women authors (including romance, chick lit, detective fiction, Young Adult, fantasy, autobiography, memoir, and science fiction). The module has four key themes: The global – How is popular fiction marketed, produced, and consumed as a global product? Genre – How culturally-specific are literary genres? How do we think about these works in the context of existing genre theory? We will address issues of taste, reception, and readership. Women’s writing and its development – How does popular writing fit into the tradition of women’s writing? How might we rethink the ‘tradition’? Gender and sexuality – We will conduct guided intersectional readings of texts, drawing on theoretical and critical works. Authors and texts studied on this module may include: Leila Aboulela Fadia Faqir Nawal El Saadawi G. Willow Wilson, Alif the Unseen (2012) Randa Abdel-Fattah, Does My Head Look Big in This? (2005) Marjane Satrapi, Persepolis (2000-2003/2007) Mohja Kahf, The Girl in the Tangerine Scarf (2006) Rajaa Alsanea, Girls of Riyadh (2007) Ayisha Malik, Sofia Khan is Not Obliged (2015) Karuna Riazi, The Gauntlet (2017) Ausma Zehanat Khan, The Unquiet Dead (2015) Shelina Zahra Janmohamed, Love in a Headscarf (2009)
Learning Outcomes	By the end of the module students should be able to: Read, closely and critically, a range of literary texts and approaches to Muslim women’s popular fiction Synthesise theoretical and critical work on genre, race, gender, and religion with literary analysis of texts Demonstrate knowledge of how culture affects the way texts are produced and received, in different contexts, by different readers Articulate your own and other people’s ideas concisely, accurately, and persuasively
Assessment	31944-04 : 1,000 Word Blog : Coursework (30%) 31944-06 : 1,500 word Review : Coursework (30%) 31944-07 : Group Presentation and a 500 Inv reflection : Presentation (40%)
Assessment Methods & Exceptions	Assessment: 1) Assignment, 1,000 words, 30% 2) Literature review, 1,500 words, 30% 3) Group presentation + 500 word individual reflection, 40% Reassessment: If students miss the assessed task owing to extenuating circumstances, the failed task would be rescheduled at a later date. In the case of the group presentation and individual reflection students will be required to submit a 1,500 word essay.
Other
Reading List