Postgraduate Module Descriptor

ARAM054: State and Society in the Middle East

This module descriptor refers to the 2021/2 academic year.

Module Aims

This module explores concepts, themes, ideologies and issues which are key to the study of politics and society in the Middle East. The aim of this module is to enable you to understand the patterns of state-society interaction, the bases upon which social and political forces are constituted, and the forms of power deployed in the interplay between state and societal actors. The module has three main objectives: examine the analytical and conceptual tools used to understand and explain state-society relations; familiarise you with the different perspectives and debates within the field of Middle East politics; expand your empirical knowledge of the region by examining specific case studies during the seminars.

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 politics and society in the Middle East. 2. Show familiarity with the forms of societal organisations and modes of social and political action.
Discipline-Specific Skills	3. Critically analyse primary and secondary source material. 4. Understand and use social theory.
Personal and Key Skills	5. Work effectively in a group and independently 6. Conduct critical analyses and evaluation of the subject topics in writing and oral presentations

Module Content

Syllabus Plan

Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover some or all of the following topics:

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. Informal Politics: Poverty, Power and Resistance

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	11 x 2 hour seminars
Guided independent study	120	Reading for seminars
Guided independent study	158	Completion of course work

Online Resources

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