Undergraduate Module Descriptor

POL3156: Central Asian Politics

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

Module Aims

Central Asia is a region which has received greater international attention since the emergence of the newly independent states after the end of the Soviet Union and the increased interest in the Afghanistan conflict after 2001. It is often misunderstood and is relatively inaccessible to those without a background in the region. This module will introduce you to Central Asia politics through an inter-disciplinary study of its politics and international relations. It explores the historical emergence of Central Asia and the principal schools of thought with respect to understanding its politics. The second half considers issues of contemporary Central Asian politics through issues, case studies and key events. The module draws on film and non-academic literature as well as introducing you to the key academic texts in the study of Central Asian politics

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. critically analyse the modern political history and historiographies of Central Asia. 2. critically analyse and deploy theories and discourses of Central Asian politics. 3. critically analyse and evaluate concepts and contexts of Central Asian politics 4. critically analyse and evaluate themes and cases of Central Asian politics
Discipline-Specific Skills	5. critically analyse both empirical and theoretical material. 6. deploy theoretical arguments and apply them to empirical case studies 7. engage in critique.
Personal and Key Skills	8. comprehend, analyse and evaluate academic texts. 9. comprehend, analyse and evaluate primary sources, both verbal and visual. 10. construct reasoned argument. 11. communicate effectively through well-structured speech and writing. 12. work independently and with peers to achieve goals.

Module Content

Syllabus Plan

Indicative course outline (may change from year to year):

1-2. Introducing and imagining Central Asia: literature, travelogue and film.
3-6. History and historiography: before, during and after the Soviet Union / the making of modern Afghanistan.
7-11. Theories and approaches: transition / political economy / state formation / nation, ethnicity and clan politics / symbolic politics.
12-22. Issues and cases: Gender and bride-kidnapping / Livelihoods and labour migration / Religion and political Islam / Sovereignty and regional cooperation / Water politics and the Aral Sea crisis / Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and the resource curse / Intervention in Afghanistan since 911 / Peacebuilding in Tajikistan / Uzbekistan and the Andijon Uprising / Kyrgyzstan and the Tulip Revolution / China & Xinjiang

Seminars:

Subject knowledge will be communicated in short talks, and developed through private study, reading review exercises, seminar discussions, presentations and assignments. Talks will introduce intellectual and historical contexts and draw on textual sources and cinematic representations as well as case studies as examples.

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
44	256	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	44	22 x 2 hour seminars.
Guided Independent study	256	A variety of private study tasks directed by module leader. This includes class preparation (@5 hours per week), presentation preparation (@20 hours), essay researching, drafting and writing (@2 x 30 hours), book review researching, drafting and writing (@ 20 hours), and various extra-curricular activities which will differ from year to year including special seminars and film showings.

Online Resources

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

Moodle

Other Learning Resources

Audio-Video: Central Asian cinema; Fiction and travel writing