The Middle East in Global Order (952M1)
The Middle East in Global Order
Module 952M1
Module details for 2009/10.
30 credits
FHEQ Level 7 (Masters)
Module Outline
The Middle East is almost constantly in the news. From Israel and the West Bank to Iraq and Saudi Arabia, the region is often a byword for political instability and a recurring state of Western political and military interventions. This course explores some of the political, economic and cultural dynamics that lie behind the crisis-ridden headlines. It considers how and why the Middle East differs from other parts of the world; analyses the roots of Western policy towards the region; investigates the extent to which the region has been structured by international and global as well as against domestic factors; and also explores how the region is predominantly represented within Western media and society.
The course begins by examining major issues in the political economy of the Middle East, specifically economic and social development, the national and global political economy of oil and the political economy of water and food. We then examine some key political forms and forces, including the authoritarian rentier state, and the rise of political Islam. The final part of the course concentrates on two particularly important sites of conflict and intervention, Iraq and Israel and the Palestinian territories. Central questions addressed by the course include: to what extent has the Middle East been structured by its late and uneven incorporation into global capitalism. Are Middle Eastern ¿water wars¿ on the horizon? Why are democratic processes and forms so under-represented in the Middle East? Why is the US so supportive of Israel? And what have been the impacts of globalisation on Middle East politics and society.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the course, a successful student should be able to:
1. Identify the major economic, political, social and security features of the contemporary Middle-East, and of selected Middle Eastern states and societies.
2. Formulate historically informed explanations of the prevailing economic, political, social and security features of the Middle East.
3. Identify the place and significance of the Middle East within the contemporary global order.
4. Understand and evaluate contending theoretical accounts of Middle Eastern development, state formation and international relations.
| Type | Timing | Weighting |
|---|---|---|
| Short Term Paper (5000 words) | Summer Term Week 1 Mon 16:00 | 100.00% |
Timing
Submission deadlines may vary for different types of assignment/groups of students.
Weighting
Coursework components (if listed) total 100% of the overall coursework weighting value.
| Term | Method | Duration | Week pattern |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring Term | Seminar | 2 hours | 111111111100 |
How to read the week pattern
The numbers indicate the weeks of the term and how many events take place each week.
Dr Kamran Matin
Assess convenor
https://www.sussex.ac.uk/profiles/138207
Mr Zdenek Kavan
Assess convenor
https://www.sussex.ac.uk/profiles/1451
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