Undergraduate Module Descriptor

POC3092: Comparative Government, Politics, and Society in the Contemporary Middle East

This module descriptor refers to the 2016/7 academic year.

Please note that this module is only delivered on the Penryn Campus.

Module Aims

This module will:

  1. Develop your understanding of the Middle East, and the region's social, political and cultural dynamics, through an in-depth focus on individual and comparative case studies from the Middle East;
  2. Introduce key concepts and questions of comparative politics and apply them to Middle East case studies;
  3. Offer you the opportunity to engage with the most important debates on the economic, social and political issues in the study of the politics of the contemporary Middle East;
  4. Develop a more detailed knowledge of the political, social and cultural development of the country/society of your choice.
  5. Provide you with the opportunity to develop a range of study skills, including the ability to work individually and in a group, evaluate and constructively critique peers’ work, and to construct a coherent and well-reasoned analysis of the issues discussed in both oral and written forms.

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. Demonstrate a knowledge of various society forms and political systems in the Middle East;
2. Demonstrate an understanding of the major political and social forces and trends of the contemporary Middle Eastern region, and of major states within it;
3. Demonstrate a capacity to form opinions on the social, political, cultural, and economic issues in the study of the politics of the contemporary Middle East through comparative analysis;
Discipline-Specific Skills4. Process information, and skills of political analysis, through critical reading and informed discussion, and in the writing of essays.
5. Deploy theoretical arguments and apply them to empirical case studies in the politics of the Middle East
6. Build and present rigorous, adequately supported arguments;
Personal and Key Skills7. Analyse readings and exchange ideas in groups;
8. Construct coherent and well-structured arguments in both verbal and written formats.
9. Prepare and deliver presentations to peers; respond critically, yet constructively, to presentations by other students;
10. Plan, research, and organise time effectively to meet deadlines;
11. Appropriately use ICT.