Undergraduate Module Descriptor

ARA2171: A History of the Modern Middle East, 1900-2014

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

Module Aims

This module aims to develop your skills in historiographical as well as historical analysis in the manner in which it looks at the ways in which different pasts, histories and memories have been created across the modern Middle East. It will contrast Orientalist forms of scholarship with more critical approaches and aims to develop the conceptual and theoretical capabilities of students, as well as their subject knowledge. Additionally, the module will explore the methods of comparative, transnational and global history, exploring how these ideas are developed in scholarship and how they can be deployed in your work.

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. Appreciate the diversity/uniformity which marked the historical development of modern states in the region, and to evaluate it in the light of current debates on colonial and post-colonial socio-political systems. 2. Demonstrate an in-depth critical understanding of the relationship between ideology, politics and culture as forces which have shaped the modern Middle East;
Discipline-Specific Skills	3. Discuss empirically-based research in the light of wider theoretical frameworks and to critically evaluate historical processes from a range of cultural perspectives; 4. Understand historical change through a multi-disciplinary approach; 5. Demonstrate an understanding of the interdisciplinary methods upon which Area Studies and Middle East Studies are based; 6. Appreciate the strengths and weaknesses of a variety of types of history and forms of historical evidence;
Personal and Key Skills	7. Study independently and in and group work, including participation in oral discussion; and 8. Organise data effectively to produce a coherent argument to a deadline, both orally and in writing. 9. Reflect on complex academic debates and re-present such work in an accessible and personal form through a blog.

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:

World War I and the Partition of the Ottoman Empire
Ataturk and the Creation of Modern Turkey
The Mandates, 1920s-40s
European Imperialism, 1830s-1960s
Palestine and Zionism, 1880s-1948
The Arab-Israeli Conflict, 1948-
The Age of Revolution, 1950s-60s
Iran under the Pahlavis, 1925-79
The Lebanese Civil War
The Iranian Revolution and the Islamic Republic, 1979-
The Gulf Shaikhdoms
Review for final exam

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 classes. Students will need to complete all readings prior to class and be ready to participate. On some occasions students will be asked to make presentations.
Guided independent study	130	Reading and research
Guided independent study	74	Completing assignments
Guided independent study	74	Preparing for assessments

Online Resources

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