Postgraduate Module Descriptor

ARAM235: Contemporary History and Politics of the Gulf and the Arabian Peninsula

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

Module Content

Syllabus Plan

Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, the syllabus will cover all of the following topics:

  • Introduction and Module Organisation
  • How to Think about Legitimacy, Ideology, and Power
  • Foundational Histories: Colonialism, Conquest, and Modern Statehood
  • Imperialism and Capitalism in Arabia and the Indian Ocean in the 19th Century
  • 20th-Century Political Movements, Uprisings and Rebellions
  • The History of Oil and the Practice of Statecraft; Rentierism and its Critics
  • Current Political and Economic Dynamics of Capitalism
  • Islam and Politics in the Gulf and the Arabian Peninsula 1920-1990
  • Contemporary Social and Political Movements (1990-Present) (the Arab Uprisings and Beyond)
  • The Gulf in the Global Economy; Post-Oil Economies, and Business Elites
  • Narratives of the Future: ‘Visions’, Revolutions, and Reforming Princes

Learning and Teaching

This table provides an overview of how your hours of study for this module are allocated:

Scheduled Learning and Teaching ActivitiesGuided independent studyPlacement / study abroad
222780

...and this table provides a more detailed breakdown of the hours allocated to various study activities:

CategoryHours of study timeDescription
Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities2211 x 2-hour seminars
Guided independent study108Essay (72 hours reading, 36 hours writing)
Guided independent study80Weekly reading (10 x 8 hours per week)
Guided independent study90Reaction notes (5 x 12 hours reading, 6 hours writing)

Online Resources

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

Other Learning Resources

Gulf States Newsletter (GSN) and the Economist Intelligence Unit’s reports on the Gulf states, electronically;

The International Crisis Group’s reports at www.crisisgroup.org;

Human Rights Watch (Middle East) produces good reports on the states of the Arabian Peninsula: http://www.hrw.org/en/middle-east/n-africa

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 discussionsWeekly, during class1-7; 9Direct verbal feedback in seminar

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
10000

...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
Essay504,000 words1-9Written feedback (and verbal feedback during office hours, if needed)
Reaction notes505 x 700 words1-9Written and verbal feedback
0
0
0
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 (4,000 words)1-9August/September reassessment period
Reaction notesReaction notes (5 x 700 words)1-9August/September reassessment period