CODE | TTC1123 | ||||||||
TITLE | Malta and the Mediterranean: Culture and Identity | ||||||||
UM LEVEL | 01 - Year 1 in Modular Undergraduate Course | ||||||||
MQF LEVEL | 5 | ||||||||
ECTS CREDITS | 4 | ||||||||
DEPARTMENT | Tourism Management | ||||||||
DESCRIPTION | The Mediterranean Sea and its peoples are testimony to the great cultures that have shaped the political, social, religious, and economic structures of modern western civilization. This study-unit is meant to introduce students to basic issues of culture and identity in the Mediterranean. Locating Malta within the developments that unfolded through time allows the student to explore and further understand Malta’s culture and identity as a product of the various events that have dominated the Mediterranean through time. Against this background, references should be made to aspects of population movements and the fusion of cultures to highlight the various values that come to dominate this region and which are among the most important markers of Malta's tangible and intangible cultural heritage tourism product. Study-unit Aims: This study-unit aims to examine Mediterranean society and its culture from a multi-disciplinary perspective in order to answer the question: "What is the Mediterranean?". While searching for an answer, students will explore the evolutionary Mediterranean mind-set, including the involvement of Malta in the exchange of people, goods and ideas than have shaped the Mediterranean. In an attempt to understand current affairs within the region, students shall be encouraged to develop their sensitivity to different aspects of the cultural diversity of the region, and of the relevance of cultural issues to identity formation - essential aspects which are necessary for operators in the tourism industry. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Evaluate, from a historical perspective, current trends and issues experienced in the region; - Assess broad concepts related to culture and identity from an interdisciplinary approach; - Assess and explain basic issues related to culture and identity that resonate both for Malta and the Mediterranean; - Examine what constitutes Maltese cultural identity as well as to identify and assess how it is lived, imagined and manifested; - Examine the forces of ‘otherness’, including modernization, in nation-making and self-preservation; - Explore the role of tangible and intangible cultural heritage in the making of a tourism product. 2. Skills By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Analyse Malta's chequered past from a broad Mediterranean perspective; - Evaluate traits and practices, similarities and differences that constitute Mediterranean societies; - Value what Malta’s national culture and identity mean and how these evolve and change over time; - Examine how Malta's cultural traits contribute towards the tourism product. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main Texts - Abulafia, D. (2012) The Great Sea. A Human History of the Mediterranean: Penguin. - Anderson, B. (1991) Imagined Communities: Verso. - Cassar, C. (2000) A Concise History of Malta: Mireva. Supplementary Texts - Cassar,C. (2000) Society, Culture and Identity in Early Modern Malta: Mireva. - Frendo, H. & Friggieri, O. (eds.) (2000), Malta: Culture and Identity: Ministry for Justice and the Arts, Malta. - Gambin, F. (ed.) (2004) Malta. Roots of a Nation: Heritage Malta. - Horden, P. & Purcell, N. (2000) The Corrupting Sea. A Study of Mediterranean History: Blackwell. |
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STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture and Independent Study | ||||||||
METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
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LECTURER/S | Carmel Cassar |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2024/5. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |