Module ARAM188 for 2019/0
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
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.
On successfully completing the programme you will be able to: | |
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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. |
Module Content
Syllabus Plan
1. Iran, Religion, Revolution and Modernity
2. Turkey and Democracy, 1945-2000
3. Arabism, the Military and Modernity
4. The Arabian Peninsula: Oil and Modernisation
5. Yemen: Socialism and Territorial Unification
6. Palestine, Zionism and the struggle for independence and security
7. Libya: from Monarchy to Revolution
8. Democracy, Sectarianism and Political Development in the Sudan
9. Lebanon: Civil Strife and Liberalism
10. Social Transformation and Land Reforms
11. Civil Society and Urban Life
12. Middle Eastern Oil, the United States and the Arab-Israeli Conflict
Teaching is by two hourly seminars, once a week. Seminars provide the opportunity for detailed discussion of a particular topic. The tutor introduces each seminar. Students will be given guidance in the selection of texts for presentation purposes and in assessing the availability of core texts.
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 | Seminars (2 hours per week) |
Guided independent study | 278 | Independent study, consisting weekly of 7 hours reading, 2 hours preparation for presentations and 1 hour to consider assigned questions for that weeks topic, along with 84 hours assigned work for each |
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 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 |