Postgraduate Module Descriptor

ARAM188: The Middle East since 1945

This module descriptor refers to the 2019/0 academic year.

Module Aims

Students taking this module should develop the kind of broad picture of the history of the modern Middle East which will be essential to all those undertaking further graduate work, and of real value across Masters courses. In particular, the module aims to explore the analytic value of conceptual categories (such as modernity), the great variety of approaches to history (cultural, political, economic etc) and to introduce students to techniques of close-reading and documentary analysis which will be of broader value across their studies. These skills are then tested and explored in assessments and the module aspires to include a great deal of formative feedback so as to ensure that students are able to draw on their analyses of others’ histories in their own production of assessed work.

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. gain a broad understanding of the history of the modern Middle East, including Turkey, Iran and North Africa. 2. identify and evaluate a variety of modes of historical practice. 3. make connections across discrete historical cases so as to identify the value and weaknesses of broad themes such as modernity and Pan-Arabism. 4. understand the place of historical analysis in research in both Humanities and Social Sciences branches of Middle East Studies.
Discipline-Specific Skills	5. appreciate cultures and historical contexts by heightening a sense of the past and the present as a shared human experience. 6. gain an awareness of the importance of using primary sources, on the one hand, and evaluating the contingent nature of secondary literature, on the other;
Personal and Key Skills	7. demonstrate critical and analytical skills are developed through seminar discussion of theoretical approaches, primary texts and appropriate references, in addition to essay work; and 8. develop the ability to conduct a structured dialogue, address an audience and construct coherent arguments.

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 discussions and presentations	Weekly	1-6	Verbal feedback

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
Essay 1	50	4,000 words	1-6	Written feedback
Essay 2	50	4,000 words	1-6	Written feedback

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
Essay 1	Essay (4,000 words)	1-6	Next reassessment period
Essay 2	Essay (4,000 words)	1-6	Next reassessment period