Module POC2123 for 2021/2
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
Undergraduate Module Descriptor
POC2123: Politics of the Middle East
This module descriptor refers to the 2021/2 academic year.
Please note that this module is only delivered on the Penryn Campus.
Module Aims
This module aims to provide an introduction to the main themes and dynamics in the politics of the contemporary Middle East at the domestic, regional and global levels. It considers the political, economic, and social changes that have affected the region since the birth of the nation-state. In doing so, the module provides you with the cognitive skills and academic inquisitiveness that are necessary to nuance your understanding of the region.
| On successfully completing the programme you will be able to: | |
|---|---|
| Module-Specific Skills | 1. evaluate the enduring legacies of colonialism on the politics in, and discourses about, the region and analyse the process of state-formation in the contemporary Middle East; 2. assess critically the impact of globalisation on economic and political liberalisation and appreciate the transnational dynamics of civil organizing and political mobilization in the region. |
| Discipline-Specific Skills | 3. evaluate different theoretical and practical approaches in the study of politics of the Middle East; 4. construct coherent yet concise arguments. |
| Personal and Key Skills | 5. write analytically for an academic and non-academic public; 6. develop good research and indexing praxis (on line and in the library); 7. defend ones position on seminar discussions. |
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 of the following topics or readings:
- Politics and Area Studies: Beyond Orientalism/Occidentalism and East/West
- Empire, Colonialism and the Birth of the Middle East State (Egypt, Algeria, Turkey)
- Beyond TH Marshall: Citizenship(s) in the Middle East (Gulf, Lebanon)
- Oil Wealth/Curse: Modernization, urban development and neoliberal policies (Gulf, Algeria, Libya)
- NGO-ization or the Liberalization of Politics (case study: LGBT activism vs. “Gay Internationalists”)
- Informal Politics, Resistance and Encroachment (a view from Egypt and Gaza)
- Sect, Sectarianisation and the State (Iran, Yemen)
- Transnational Solidarity and the Middle East (Kurdistan)
- From the War on Terror to the War on Iraq: Reading the ME through a Feminist IR Lens
- The Arab Spring and Masculinist Restoration (Bahrein, Syria)
- The Universalization of Human Rights: What Challenges for the Middle East?
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 | 22 | 11 x 2 hr seminars |
| Guided independent study | 128 | Private study students are expected to read suggested texts and make notes prior to seminar sessions. They are also expected to read widely to complete their coursework assignments. More specifically, students are expected to devote at least: 66 (6 hours per topic/week) hours to directed reading; 6 hours to completing the formative research outline; 42 hours (3 hours/day over two weeks) for completing the essay; 10 hours (2 hours/day over 5 days) for completing opinion pieces. The 4 remaining hours serve as a margin to be adjusted depending on the student in question |
Online Resources
This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).
- ELE – College to provide hyperlink to appropriate pages
- Kanopy;
- podcasts;
- blogs and vlogs;
- cultural productions (songs; music videos; films; performances);
- policy briefs;
- annual reports from selected international organizations
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Group Presentation | 18 minutes | 1-7 | Written or Verbal |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Attendance reflection | 10 | 200 words/topic | 1-7 | Written and/or Oral |
| Essay | 60 | 2,500 words | 1-7 | Written |
| Review Piece | 30 | 900 | 1-7 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attendance reflection | Opinion piece (200 words) | 1-7 | August/September reassessment period |
| Essay | Essay 2,500 words | 1-7 | August/September reassessment period |
| Review Piece | Review piece (900 words) | 1-7 | August/September reassessment period |
Re-assessment notes
Review Piece (30%) of 1,000 words. Students write a critical review on one of the essential readings encountered throughout the year. Convenor to designate 10 pieces for students to choose from.)
Essay of 2,500 words (70%) August/September reassessment period (Students to write an essay answering one question out of 5 provided).
