Postgraduate Module Descriptor

POLM651: State and Society in the Middle East

This module descriptor refers to the 2017/8 academic year.

Module Aims

This module explores concepts, themes and cases which are crucial to an understanding of modern Middle Eastern politics. While political science often conceptualize politics as synonymous with presidents, parties and parliaments, this module studies political power in its broader social setting. By adopting a critical, sociological approach to forces such as ethnicity, religion and nationalism, it seeks to explain Middle East politics with reference to its underlying social dynamics. The module thus examines the interaction between the institutions and ideas of the state, and the social context in which that state is rooted.

Each seminar takes one or two case studies as a means to examine key concepts and theories in political sociology. This allows students to expand their empirical knowledge of the Middle East, as well as their knowledge of debates in the field. Furthermore, students may choose which countries to focus on in their assessed work, so have the option of developing special expertise in particular areas of interest.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
This module's assessment will evaluate your achievement of the ILOs listed here - you will see reference to these ILO numbers in the details of the assessment for this module.
On successfully completing the programme you will be able to:
Module-Specific Skills	1. Demonstrate familiarity with concepts and analytical tools applied to study domestic politics in the Middle East. 2. Show understanding of the patterns of state-society interaction in the region. Show understanding of the processes of state formation and of the constitution of social and political forces. 3. Show familiarity with sources of data on these issues and countries of the region. 4. Demonstrate awareness of the different perspectives and debates within the field of Middle East politics.
Discipline-Specific Skills	5. Critically analyse primary and secondary source material. 6. Understand and use social theory. 7. Assess the merits of different conceptual, theoretical and methodological approaches 8. Construct coherent yet concise arguments in both written and verbal formats.
Personal and Key Skills	9. Work effectively in a group and independently 10. Communicate effectively orally and in writing 11. Digest, select and organise material. Manage time and meet deadlines 12. Articulate and defend positions on the seminar topics 13. Comment critically but constructively on the arguments of others.

Module Content

Syllabus Plan

1. Orientalism, Area Studies & Social Science: Approaches to Middle East Politics
2. Historical Sociology of the State in the Middle East
3. Nationalism: Theory, Ideology and Practice
4. Authoritarianism: Violence, Discourse and Symbolic Power
5. Military Politics: Armed Forces and Society
6. Sectarianism: Politics outside the State
7. Religion and State-Building: Modernity without Secularism
8. Political Islam and Civil Society: Inside or Outside the State?
9. Ethnicity: Primordial Ties and Imagined Communities
10. Corruption, Economic Reform and Neo-Patrimonialism
11. a) Informal Politics: Poverty, Power and Resistance
b) Revision

Teaching will take place through two-hour weekly seminars. Discussions are student-led. Each seminar begins with a student presentation which seeks to answer a set question relating to the specified readings for that topic. The presentation is, followed by a 5 minute intervention from a discussant, who will respond directly to the argument presented by the first student. Open debate then follows. The seminar strongly encourages students to engage with one anotherï¿½s opinions and perspectives, in addition to the weekly readings. It provides a forum for intra-group learning aided by prior experience and both directed and independently-researched reading and thinking. In addition to the formal assessment, students submit a formative (unassessed) essay and receive feedback on written work at an early stage of the module. This eases the transition to a Master's degree by allowing students opportunity to adjust to the more demanding academic requirements expected at this level.

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	278	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 Activities	22 hours	11 x 2 hour seminars
Guided independent study	128 hours	Independent study

Online Resources

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