PIR-30143 - Module Specification
School of Social, Political and Global Studies
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

Programme/Approved Electives for 2023/24

Available as a Free Standing Elective

Co-requisites

None

Prerequisites

N/A

Barred Combinations

N/A

Description for 2023/24

This module aims to acquaint students with the domestic politics, foreign policies, and international relations of the Middle East region, stretching from Morocco in the West to Iran in the east. Students will be encouraged to develop a critical awareness of the historical, social, political and geopolitical transformations of Middle Eastern states by (a) acquiring knowledge of important actors and events in the region, and by (b) developing a critical understanding of the key scholarly and popular debates about domestic and international politics of regional states. Material covered will include the historical formation of the state system in the Middle East region; the role of collective identities and political ideologies in the politics of the region; the Cold War period and its impact on Middle East politics; Civil Wars in the Middle East and North Africa, the Arab-Israeli Wars; the Palestinians and the Peace Process; Iraq's Wars and Reconstruction; and American Middle East policy.

This module aims to deliver a broad-based introduction to the history, politics and international relations of the modern Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Students will gain familiarity with key facts in the political history, geography, and demography of the MENA region, attain knowledge about the different political and ethnic groupings in parts of the Middle East, together with an understanding of their key ideologies and social identities. In particular, the module aims to facilitate critical evaluations of the causes, contexts and manifestations of political conflicts in the Middle East and North Africa.

Intended Learning Outcomes

Explain the key developments in the political history, geography, and demography of the Middle East region since 1900.
:
Evaluate the constitution of the different political and ethnic groupings in parts of the Middle East, together with their respective ideologies and social identities.:
Critically evaluate key debates in the region as well as about the region, the latter in academic as well as policy circles.:
Analyse causes, contexts and manifestations of political conflict in the Middle East and North Africa.:
Engage effectively in verbal discussions and formulate critical ideas in spoken discourse about the politics and international relations of the region:

Study hours

seminars: 10 x 2-hour seminars (20 hours)
preparation for seminars: 10 x 4 hours (40 hours)
preparation for presentations: 1 x 10 hours (10 hours)
researching and compiling short paper: (30 hours)
researching and writing essay: (50 hours)

School Rules

None

Description of Module Assessment