Module ARA3163 for 2016/7
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
Undergraduate Module Descriptor
ARA3163: Politics and Reform in the Gulf
This module descriptor refers to the 2016/7 academic year.
Module Aims
The module aims to provide an understanding of political dynamics in the Gulf states in the aftermath of the Arab Spring. The core focus of the module is the debate over whether authoritarianism is likely to persist in the region, or whether recent political developments in the region bear witness of the beginning of a so-called ‘Gulf spring.’ Moreover this module is designated to provide you with a better and nuanced understanding of the individual regimes in contemporary Arabian Peninsula and the Gulf in comparative perspective. A further aim of the course is to develop your analytical thinking skills as independent researchers and to develop intellectual ability to place issues discussed in a wider context, beyond common knowledge immediately available in the media.
| On successfully completing the programme you will be able to: | |
|---|---|
| Module-Specific Skills | 1. demonstrate an ability to locate, appraise and use main sources of information and data relating to the Gulf states' politics; 2. demonstrate an understanding of the main issues in the politics of the Gulf, including the politics of reform; 3. demonstrate a grasp of different analytical approaches towards the study of the Gulf's political systems, and an ability to make informed judgements regarding the similarities and contrasts of different Gulf polities; |
| Discipline-Specific Skills | 4. demonstrate an ability to analyse political factors and dynamics comparatively, drawing from broader concepts in comparative politics and democratisation; 5. demonstrate an ability to draw on the wider area studies sources and literature relating to the Gulf region; |
| Personal and Key Skills | 6. demonstrate skills of reasoned and supported argumentation in writing and in oral presentation; 7. demonstrate skills of independent research and teamwork; and 8. demonstrate skills of finding, analysing and synthesising information from a range of sources. |
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 Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 22 | 128 | 0 |
...and this table provides a more detailed breakdown of the hours allocated to various study activities:
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching activity | 22 hours | 13 hours of lectures and convenor-facilitated discussions regarding materials covered in lecture; 9 hours of group presentations and class discussion regarding presentations |
| Guided Independent study | 128 hours | 33 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 assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class discussion | Weekly, during lectures | 1-5, 7-8 | Direct 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.
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | 0 | 0 |
...and this table provides further details on the summative assessments for this module.
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | ||||
| 2 group presentations | 50 | 15-20 minutes each + 2 page document summarising main points | 1-8 | Written feedback |
| Essay | 50 | 2500 words | 1-5,7-8 | Written 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 assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Group presentation | Individual presentation to module convenor | 1-8 | August/Sept re-assessment period |
| Essay | Essay (2500 words) | 1-5, 7-8 | August/Sept re-assessment period |
Indicative Reading List
This reading list is indicative - i.e. it provides an idea of texts that may be useful to you on this module, but it is not considered to be a confirmed or compulsory reading list for this module.
Key Reading:
Davidson, Christopher (ed.). Power and Politics in the Persian Gulf Monarchies (London: Hurst, 2011).
Foley, Sean. The Arab Gulf States: Beyond Oil and Islam (Boulder: Lynne Rienner, 2010).
Nonneman, Gerd, 'Political Reform in the Gulf Monarchies: From Liberalisation to Democratisation? A Comparative Perspective', in Anoushiravan Ehteshami and Steven Wright (eds.), Reform in the Middle East Oil Monarchies (Reading: Ithaca Press, 2008), pp. 3-45.
Indicative reading list:
The Middle East and North Africa 2013 (London: Routledge, 2012): chapters on Bahrain, Kuwait, Iraq, Iran, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE. This reference work provides a descriptive account of the political histories of these states - as well as lots of information on the economy, and directories of political parties, media organisations, etc, plus a bibliography on each of these states.
Aarts, Paul & Gerd Nonneman (eds.). Saudi Arabia in the Balance (London: Hurst, 2005) Abrahamian, Ervand. A History of Modern Iran (Cambridge University Press, 2008)
Al-Rasheed, Madawi. A History of Saudi Arabia (Cambridge University Press, 2002).
Axworthy, Michael. Revolutionary Iran (London: Allen Lane, 2013).
Ayubi, Nazih. Over-stating the Arab State: politics and society in the Middle East (London: I.B. Tauris, 1995).
Beblawi, Hazem & Giacomo Luciani (eds.). The Rentier State (London: Croom Helm, 1987).
Champion, Daryl. The Paradoxical Kingdom: Saudi Arabia and the Momentum of Reform (London: Hurst, 2003).
Crystal, Jill. Oil and Politics in the Gulf: Rulers and Merchants in Kuwait and Qatar (Cambridge University Press, 1995). Davidson, Christopher. The United Arab Emirates: A Study in Survival (Boulder: Lynne Rienner, 2005).
Davidson, Christopher. Dubai: The Vulnerability of Success (London: Hurst, 2008).
Davidson, Christopher. After the Sheikhs. The Coming Collapse of the Gulf Monarchies (London: Hurst, 2012).
Dodge, Toby. From War to a New Authoritarianism (London: Routledge, 2013).
Dresch, Paul & James Piscatori (eds), Monarchies and Nations. Globalisation and Identity in the Arab States of the Gulf (London: I. B. Tauris, 2005).
Fromherz, Allen J. Qatar. A Modern History (London: I. B. Tauris, 2012).
Gause, F. Gregory. Oil Monarchies: Domestic and Security Challenges in the Arab Gulf States (New York: Council on Foreign Relations Press, 1994).
Herb, Michael. All in the Family. Absolutism, Revolution and Democracy in the Middle Eastern Monarchies (SUNY Press, 1999).
Hertog, Steffen. Princes, Brokers, and Bureaucrats: Oil and the State in Saudi Arabia (Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 2010).
Kamrava, Mehran & Zahra Babar (eds). Migrant Labor in the Persian Gulf (London: Hurst, 2012).
Kostiner, Joseph (ed.). Middle East Monarchies (Boulder: Lynne Rienner, 2000).
Lacroix, Stéphane. Awakening Islam. The Politics of Religious Dissent in Contemporary Saudi Arabia (Harvard University Press, 2011).
Moore, Pete. Doing Business in the Middle East: Politics and Economic Crisis in Jordan and Kuwait (Cambridge University Press, 2004).
al-Naqeeb, Khaldun. Society and State in the Gulf and Arab Peninsula (London: Routledge, 1990). Niblock, Tim. Saudi Arabia: Power, Legitimacy and Survival (London: Routledge, 2006).
Stansfield, Gareth. Iraq: People, History, Politics (Oxford: Polity, 2007).
Teitelbaum, Joshua (ed.), Political Liberalization in the Persian Gulf (London: IB Tauris, 2009)
Tetreault, Mary-Ann. Stories of Democracy: Politics & Society in Contemporary Kuwait (New York: Columbia University Press, 2000).
Valeri, Marc. Oman: Politics and Society in the Qaboos State (London: Hurst, 2009).
