The Yezidis

Postgraduate course

Course description

Objectives and Content

The Yezidis (also known as Yazidis) are a religious minority from the Middle East. In 2014, they became victims of genocide. This course will provide an introduction to their history and social organization, their beliefs and poetry, their practices and places, the challenges of living in diasporas and the genocide and its traumatic aftermath.

Learning Outcomes

The student shall by the end of the course have gained the following learning outcome defined in knowledge, skills, and general competence:

Knowledge:

The student

  • can give an outline of the history of the Yezidis from their origins to the present
  • can describe the basic Yezidi religious beliefs and traditions of oral poetry
  • can describe the most important Yezidi religious practices and places

Skills:

The student

  • can critically reflect sensitive issues in the history of a religious minority
  • can critically engage with the challenges of a religious minority in different societal, cultural, and legal contexts
  • can analyze oral poetry as a medium of religious discourse and transmission

General competence:

  • can critically deal with representations of a minority religion between exoticism, Orientalism, and stereotypes of all sorts

ECTS Credits

5 ECTS

Level of Study

Master

Semester of Instruction

Autumn and spring, but not regularly

Place of Instruction

Online course, and therefore not restricted to Bergen.
Required Previous Knowledge
None
Recommended Previous Knowledge
The course literature is in English. Students should therefore have a sound knowledge of English.
Credit Reduction due to Course Overlap
None
Access to the Course
Admission to the Master's Programme Religious Minorities or other Master's Programmes at the UiB.
Teaching and learning methods

The teaching and student activities in this course will entirely take place online.

Examples

  • short introductory videos
  • assigned reading and quizzes related to the reading
  • researching background information
  • individual feedback on submitted materials from the instructor
  • participation in online discussions
Compulsory Assignments and Attendance

In this course the following compulsory requirements have to be approved in order to sit for the examination:

  1. Two writing assignments on given topics
  2. Two peer review comments on assignments delivered by other students

Compulsory requirements are evaluated with "approved/not approved."

Forms of Assessment
3-day home exam comprising of multiple-choice questions and some mini-essay questions.
Grading Scale
A graded marking scale (A to F) is used. A is the top grade and F means Failed.
Assessment Semester
The course is normally assessed in the teaching semester only.
Reading List

The reading list consists of approximately 400 pages.

The reading list is published by June 1st. for the autumn semester and by December 1st. for the spring semester.

Course Evaluation
The course unit will be evaluated regularly.
Examination Support Material
-
Programme Committee
The Programme Committee for The Study of Religion
Course Coordinator
The Programme Committee for The Study of Religion
Course Administrator
Department of Archaeology, History, Cultural Studies and Religions