Undergraduate Module Descriptor

ARA3163: Politics and Reform in the Gulf

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

Module Aims

The module aims to provide an understanding of political dynamics in the Gulf states in the aftermath of the Arab Spring. The core focus of the module is the debate over whether authoritarianism is likely to persist in the region, or whether recent political developments in the region bear witness of the beginning of a so-called ‘Gulf spring.’ Moreover this module is designated to provide you with a better and nuanced understanding of the individual regimes in contemporary Arabian Peninsula and the Gulf in comparative perspective. A further aim of the course is to develop your analytical thinking skills as independent researchers and to develop intellectual ability to place issues discussed in a wider context, beyond common knowledge immediately available in the media.

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. locate, appraise and use the main sources of information and data relating to the politics of the states of the Arabian Peninsula and Iran; 2. demonstrate an in-depth understanding of the main issues in the politics of the Gulf monarchies, Yemen and Iran; 3. demonstrate an in-depth understanding of different analytical approaches towards the study of the political systems of the region, and a capacity to make informed judgements regarding the similarities and contrasts of different Gulf polities;
Discipline-Specific Skills	4. comparatively analyse political factors and dynamics to draw from broader concepts in comparative politics and democratization; 5. draw on the wider area studies sources and literature relating to the Gulf region;
Personal and Key Skills	6. demonstrate skills of reasoned and supported argumentation in writing and in oral presentation; 7. demonstrate skills of independent research and teamwork; and 8. demonstrate skills of finding, analysing and synthesising information from a range of sources. 9. demonstrate skills of using and appraising knowledge, theory and methodology in a critical, evaluative, analytical and exploratory way.

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:

Pre-oil socio-political characteristics and dynamics of the Gulf states
The politics of oil and rent in the Gulf; historical review of political reform trends in the Gulf
Politics and reform in Saudi Arabia Politics and reform in Kuwait
Politics and reform in Bahrain Politics and reform in Oman
Politics and reform in Qatar
Politics and reform in the UAE
Politics and reform in Iran
Politics and reform in Yemen
Towards democratisation or liberalised autocracy?

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	128	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 Activity	13	Lectures and convenor-facilitated discussions regarding materials covered in lecture
Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activity	9	Group presentations and class discussion regarding presentations
Guided Independent Study	33	Reading for class;
Guided Independent Study	95	Preparing for assignments through researching, planning and writing an essay.

Online Resources

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

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 Gulf states: http://www.hrw.org/en/middle-east/n-africa
Middle East Economic Digest (MEED) (weekly)