Undergraduate Module Descriptor

ARA3163: Politics and Reform in the Gulf

This module descriptor refers to the 2016/7 academic year.

Module Content

Syllabus Plan

Introduction and module organisation; traditional socio-political characteristics and dynamics of the Gulf states.

The politics of oil and rent in the Gulf; historical review of political reform trends in the Gulf

Politics and Reform in Saudi Arabia

Politics and Reform in Kuwait

Politics and Reform in Bahrain

Politics and Reform in Oman

Politics and Reform in Qatar and the UAE

Politics and Reform in Iran

Politics and Reform in Iraq

Media, women and human rights in the Gulf

Conclusions: towards democratisation or liberalised autocracy?

Learning and Teaching

This table provides an overview of how your hours of study for this module are allocated:

Scheduled Learning and Teaching ActivitiesGuided independent studyPlacement / study abroad
221280

...and this table provides a more detailed breakdown of the hours allocated to various study activities:

CategoryHours of study timeDescription
Scheduled Learning and Teaching activity 22 hours13 hours of lectures and convenor-facilitated discussions regarding materials covered in lecture; 9 hours of group presentations and class discussion regarding presentations
Guided Independent study128 hours33 hours of reading for class; 95 hours of preparing for assignments through researching, planning and writing an essay

Online Resources

This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).

How this Module is Assessed

In the tables below, you will see reference to 'ILO's. An ILO is an Intended Learning Outcome - see Aims and Learning Outcomes for details of the ILOs for this module.

Formative Assessment

A formative assessment is designed to give you feedback on your understanding of the module content but it will not count towards your mark for the module.

Form of assessmentSize of the assessment (eg length / duration)ILOs assessedFeedback method
Class discussionWeekly, during lectures1-5, 7-8Direct feedback in seminar

Summative Assessment

A summative assessment counts towards your mark for the module. The table below tells you what percentage of your mark will come from which type of assessment.

CourseworkWritten examsPractical exams
10000

...and this table provides further details on the summative assessments for this module.

Form of assessment% of creditSize of the assessment (eg length / duration)ILOs assessedFeedback method
0
2 group presentations5015-20 minutes each + 2 page document summarising main points1-8Written feedback
Essay502500 words1-5,7-8Written feedback
0
0
0

Re-assessment

Re-assessment takes place when the summative assessment has not been completed by the original deadline, and the student has been allowed to refer or defer it to a later date (this only happens following certain criteria and is always subject to exam board approval). For obvious reasons, re-assessments cannot be the same as the original assessment and so these alternatives are set. In cases where the form of assessment is the same, the content will nevertheless be different.

Original form of assessmentForm of re-assessmentILOs re-assessedTimescale for re-assessment
Group presentationIndividual presentation to module convenor1-8August/Sept re-assessment period
EssayEssay (2500 words)1-5, 7-8August/Sept re-assessment period