Imagining Pakistan: Culture, Politics, Gender

This module aims to develop and foster a deeper understanding of Pakistan's popular culture. It will cover a wide range of themes including representations of honour killing, contexts of piety and modernity, visual cultures, sexual politics, diaspora narratives and the politics of censorship and free speech.

Objectives and learning outcomes of the module

On successful completion of this module a student will be able to:

1. A critical understanding of literary and cultural texts in their appropriate historical and cultural contexts
2. Developed an interdisciplinary humanities based understanding of popular culture in conversation with the social sciences.
3. Understanding how local, national and global debates on culture interact
4. Developed necessary oral and written skills for sophisticated communication of relevant ideas, concepts and arguments.

Workload

This module will be taught over 10 weeks with a 1 hour lecture and a 1 hour seminar per week.

Scope and syllabus

Primary texts will vary from year to year, but a typical syllabus will consist of literary (including life writing), filmic, anthropological  texts complemented by region specific contextual texts and theoretical underpinning. In addition course readings and discussions will be guided by the following major themes.

1. Sufi imaginaries
2. Sexual politics, performativity and the ‘mediasphere’
3. Faith, Fear and Blasphemy
4. Piety and Modernity
5. Shaming Women
6. Music subcultures

Method of assessment

• One 1,000 word short review style essay - 35%
• One 2,500 word essay - 45%
• One 5-10 minute coursework presentation - 10%
• Responsive mode to presentations, regular attendance and lecture - 10%

Disclaimer

Important notice regarding changes to programmes and modules