The aim of the course is to investigate the difficult relationship between Britain (metonymically also Europe and the West) and Islam, starting from the first encounters in the Middle Ages, through the centuries, to the present troubled by a clash of fundamentalisms, Among the topics touched upon, in an effort to determine how each of the two cultures has represented the other and which ideas circulated in this intercultural space, stereotyping of Muslims, the relationship between Islam and the ideologies of Modernity, the woman question, Islamic radicalism and islamophobia stand out.

1 - First encounters, Crusades, Arabs, Turks and Tartars. 

2 - Images of the Muslim in the Middle Ages.

3 - Al-Andalus and the contribution of Islam to Europe.

4 - Elizabethan politics and representations.

5 - Islamic empires.

6 - The British Empire nd the Islamic world

7 – Georgian and Victorian politics, ideologies and representations.

8 - Islamic radicalism: origins and evolution.

9 - Britain through Muslim eyes up to 1945.

10 - Islamic diaspora in the UK, 1945-1979.

11 - The Eighties and the Rushdie affair.

12 - Contemporary representations 1: Hanif Kureishi’s The Black Album and My Son           the Fanatic.

13 - Islamophobia

14 - Multiculturalism and the Muslim question: facts and fictions 

15 - Contemporary representations 2: Leila Aboulela's TheTranslator

Understanding and comprehension: The student will have a solid understanding of historical contexts and cultural products, gained through the use of critically, historiographically and methodologically current advanced level texts.
Ability to apply understanding and comprehension: The student will be able to use the necessary tools and will know how to apply methodologies learned to analyse literary texts as well as non-literary texts and documents.
Autonomous evaluation: The student will possess the linguistic, critical and interpretive skills necessary to create autonomous analyses and judgements on broad cultural themes connected to the literary and linguistic areas treated in the course.
Communications abilities: The student will be able to communicate in Italian and in English on general informational topics and on specific topics related to their specific area of study that requires the use of complex syntactic structures. 
Learning skills: The student will develop those learning abilities necessary to update and consolidate their knowledge. 

The teaching material prepared by the lecturer in addition to recommended textbooks (such as for instance slides, lecture notes, exercises, bibliography) and communications from the lecturer specific to the course can be found inside the Moodle platform › blended.uniurb.it

Audiovisual material.

Teaching

The aim of the course is to investigate the difficult relationship between Britain (metonymically also Europe and the West) and Islam, starting from the first encounters in the Middle Ages, through the centuries, to the present troubled by a clash of fundamentalisms, Among the topics touched upon, in an effort to ascertain how each of the two cultures has represented the other and which ideas circulated in this intercultural space, stereotyping of Muslims, the relationship between Islam and the ideologies of Modernity, the woman question, Islamic radicalism and islamophobia stand out.

Attendance

To be considered 'attending', students are expected to have a class attendance of at least 70%. 

Course books

Tahir Abbas (2011), Islamic Radicalism and Multicultural Politics. The British Experience, London, Routledge (also available as an e-book). Students are supposed to study, concentrating on the main points, chapters 1 / 3 / 5 / 6 / 7.

Sergio Guerra (2014),  Figli della diaspora: romanzo e multiculturalità nella Gran Bretagna contemporanea (1950-2014), Fano, Aras Edizioni (also available as an e-book).  Students are supposed to read chapters 1 / 2 / 3  (paying particular attention to the parts concerning Islam), and to study the entries on authors discussed in class (Rushdie, Kureishi, Aboulela), the theme of religion (p. 149), and the fifth essay in the second part of the book titled “LA RAPPRESENTAZIONE DEI MUSULMANI NELLA LETTERATURA DIASPORICO-BRITANNICA CONTEMPORANEA”.

Hanif Kureishi (1995 and 1994), The Black Album with My Son the Fanatic: a Novel and a Short Story, Scribner, 2009.

Leila Aboulela (1999), The Translator, Polygon, 2008.

Assessment

Oral exam.

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.

Attendance

To be considered 'attending', students are expected to have a class attendance of at least 70%. 

Course books

Tahir Abbas (2011), Islamic Radicalism and Multicultural Politics. The British Experience, London, Routledge (also available as an e-book). Students are supposed to study, concentrating on the main points, chapters 1 / 3 / 5 / 6 / 7.

Sergio Guerra (2014),  Figli della diaspora: romanzo e multiculturalità nella Gran Bretagna contemporanea (1950-2014), Fano, Aras Edizioni (also available as an e-book).  Students are supposed to read chapters 1 / 2 / 3  (paying particular attention to the parts concerning Islam), and to study the entries on authors discussed in class (Rushdie, Kureishi, Aboulela), the theme of religion (p. 149), and the fifth essay in the second part of the book titled “LA RAPPRESENTAZIONE DEI MUSULMANI NELLA LETTERATURA DIASPORICO-BRITANNICA CONTEMPORANEA”.

Hanif Kureishi (1995 and 1994), The Black Album with My Son the Fanatic: a Novel and a Short Story, Scribner, 2009.

Leila Aboulela (1999), The Translator, Polygon, 2008.

Assessment

Oral exam.

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.

The course will be taught in Italian and English.