Postgraduate Module Descriptor


ARAM198: Political Economy of the Gulf

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

Module Aims

The main objective of the module is to provide you with specialised knowledge and critical understanding of the main themes and dynamics in the political economy of the Gulf, at the domestic, regional and global levels. This module aims particularly at exploring how politics and economy inform each other, at developing an understanding of processes of economic change in the Gulf monarchies and Iran, and of the way these processes have shaped the existing political realities of the broader Middle East. The module will thus equip you to analyse and make informed and critical evaluation of the contemporary politics and economy of the Arabian Peninsula and Iran.

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 Skills1. Identify and critically assess the main issues in the political economy of the Gulf, including the politics of economic development; the main economic factors in domestic and regional politics; the political economy of oil; and the changing role of the Gulf in the global economy.
2. Locate, appraise and use main sources of information and data relating to the Gulf countries
3. Use different analytical approaches and concepts towards the study of the Gulf's political economies and social systems, and to make informed judgements regarding the similarities and contrasts of different Gulf polities.
Discipline-Specific Skills4. Analyse and assess academic texts and prevailing notions critically;
5. Connect political and economic factors and dynamics in their domestic-international linkages;
6. Draw from broader concepts in political economy and to compare the Gulf with other regions of the world;
7. Embrace a multi-disciplinary approach in order to gain a comprehensive understanding of the topic.
Personal and Key Skills8. Demonstrate skills of reasoned and supported argumentation in writing and in oral presentation;
9. Demonstrate skills of independent research and teamwork;
10. Demonstrate skills of finding, analysing and synthesising information from a range of source

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 discussionsWeekly1-7; 9Verbal 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.

CourseworkWritten examsPractical exams
50050

...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
Essay505,000 words1-9Written feedback
Individual presentations (x2)5015-20 minutes each + 1,000-word document summarising main points1-9Verbal and written feedbacks
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
EssayEssay (5,000 words)1-9August/September reassessment period
Individual presentations (x2)Individual presentations (2 x 15-20 minutes) - see re-assessment note below1-9August/September reassessment period

Re-assessment notes

For the purposes of re-assessment, the number of presentations depends on how many were missed (i.e. 2 presentations missed means 2 separate presentations that must be re-assessed).