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 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).