Module ARA3198 for 2021/2
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
Undergraduate Module Descriptor
ARA3198: European and US Democracy Assistance in the Middle East and North Africa
This module descriptor refers to the 2021/2 academic year.
Module Aims
The module aims to provide you with an understanding of the subject of European and US democracy promotion in the Middle East and North Africa. The module makes use of various books, practitioner reports and policy papers on European and US democracy support, all of which are both theoretical and empirical in nature. You will gain the skills to discuss the topic both in a country specific and a theoretical setting. A final aim is to provide you with a level of knowledge that allows you to discuss the topic of European and US democracy assistance and the state of democracy, not only in the selected cases, but across the Middle East and North Africa.
On successfully completing the programme you will be able to: | |
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Module-Specific Skills | 1. demonstrate comprehensive knowledge of key issues in the debate on European and US democracy promotion, including international relations and development studies; 2. demonstrate comprehensive knowledge of the state of democracy in the Middle East, not only at the regional level, but also in individual cases. |
Discipline-Specific Skills | 3. find, use and analyze secondary and primary data relevant to specific issue areas, particularly Middle Eastern current affairs; 4. place issues discussed in a wider context and deploy critical arguments relevant to the field of Middle East politics and international relations. |
Personal and Key Skills | 5. demonstrate critical and analytical skills through readings, class/group discussions and presentations; 6. exhibit your ability to undertake political analysis at an advanced level. |
Module Content
Syllabus Plan
The module will consist of 11 sessions which will emphasize different aspects of democracy support, the debates in international relations, the different types of actors, and the challenges and opportunities facing these. 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:
- The history of democracy promotion
- Debates in international relations
- Who supports democracy? Case study on party assistance
- Domestic politics challenging democracy support: the Daily Mail effect
- Local politics: populism and corruption
- Local reception of democracy support: who do you think you are?
- Illiberal alternatives and appeal
- Youths: disaffection, perceptions and priorities
- How to overcome the challenges of democracy support
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 Activities | 22 | 11 x 2hr sessions consisting of a mix of mini-lectures, workshops and class/group discussion with presentations organized around a specific theme for each session |
Guided Independent Study | 75 | Reading for assignments and preparing for class /group discussion |
Guided Independent Study | 10 | Synopsis preparation |
Guided Independent Study | 35 | Essay preparation |
Guided Independent Study | 8 | Presentation preparation |
Online Resources
This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).
Online library
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 assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
---|---|---|---|
Presentations (individual or group) | 5 minutes per person or 10 minutes per group, including a PowerPoint, Prezi or similar slideshow | 5-6 | Oral feedback from the lecturer |
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.
Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
---|---|---|
100 | 0 | 0 |
...and this table provides further details on the summative assessments for this module.
Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
---|---|---|---|---|
Synopsis | 20 | 1,000 words | 1-6 | Written feedback from the lecturer |
Essay | 80 | 3,000 words | 1-6 | Written |
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 assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
---|---|---|---|
Synopsis | Synopsis (1,000 words) | 1-6 | August/September re-assessment period |
Essay | Essay (3,000 words) | 1-6 | August/September re-assessment period |
Indicative Reading List
This reading list is indicative - i.e. it provides an idea of texts that may be useful to you on this module, but it is not considered to be a confirmed or compulsory reading list for this module.
Basic reading:
Alessandri, Emiliano, Oz Hassan and Ted Reinert (2015) 'U.S. Democracy Promotion from Bush to Obama', Euspring, working paper no. 1. Available online at http://aei.pitt.edu/64170/1/us_dem_promotion_april15.pdf.
Babayan, Nelli and Thomas Risse (eds) (2015) 'Democracy Promotion and the Challenges of Illiberal Regional Powers', Democratization 22(3).
Börzel, Tanja (2015) 'The noble west and the dirty rest? Western democracy promoters and illiberal regional powers', Democratization 22(3): 519-35.Bridoux, Jeff and Milja Kurki (2014) Democracy Promotion: A Critical Introduction. London: Routledge.
Burnell, Peter (2017) Promoting Democracy Abroad. London: Routledge.
Bush, Sarah Sunn (2015) The Taming of Democracy Assistance. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Carapico, Sheila (2014) Political Aid and Arab Activism. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Carothers, Thomas and Marina Ottaway (eds) (2009) Uncharted Journey: Promoting Democracy in the Middle East. Washington, D.C.: Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
Ciplak, Bilal and Ahmet Keser (2016) 'The Militarization of the Turkey's Democracy Promotion Policy in the Arab Middle East (AME)', International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Invention 5(10): 63-75.
Dandashly, Assem (2018) 'EU democracy promotion and the dominance of the security-stability nexus', Mediterranean Politics 23(1): 62-82.
Huber, Daniela (2015) Democracy Promotion and Foreign Policy. London: Palgrave Macmillan.
Ikenberry, John, Thomas Knock, Anne-Marie Slaughter and Tony Smith (2009) The Crisis of American Foreign Policy: Wilsonianism in the Twenty-first Century. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
Isaac, Sally Khalifa (2014) 'Explaining the Patterns of the Gulf Monarchies' Assistance after the Arab Uprisings', Mediterranean Politics 19(3): 413-30.
Magen, Amichai, Thomas Risse and Michael McFaul (eds) (2009) Promoting Democracy and the Rule of Law. London: Palgrave.
McKoy, Michael and Michael Miller (2012) 'The Patron's Dilemma: The Dynamics of Foreign-Supported Democratization', Journal of Conflict Resolution 56(5): 904-32.
Mounck, Yascha (2018) The People vs Democracy. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Yanguas, Pablo (2018) Why We Lie About Aid. London: Zed.