Intl Rels of the Modern Middle East (L2065S)

International Relations of the Modern Middle East

Module L2065S

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Module details for 2009 cohort.

30 credits

FHEQ Level 6

Module Outline

The Middle East remains at the centre-stage of international politics and media. Yet its specificities and complexities continue to challenge politicians and academics alike. This course explores the explanatory potentials of a three-dimensional international, social and historical approach to modern political history of the Middle East. It consists of three major parts. First, it critically surveys the traditional theoretical approaches to the analysis of Middle East politics. Second, it delineates the broader historical contours of the contemporary politics of the region by retracing the socio-international context and outcomes of the formation of 'modern' Middle Eastern states. Thirdly, and drawing on the second part, it provides in-depth analysis of three major contemporary political developments in the region, namely The Iranian Revolution, the Arab-Israeli conflict and Iraq War. The course concludes by a brief evaluation of the broader implications of an international-historical approach to the study of the Middle East for theory and practice of international relations.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course, a successful student should be able to
1. Display a deeper appreciation of the basic theoretical and conceptual issues involved in the study of the modern poltics and history of the Middle East.
2. Form a broad historical and international perspective of the contemporary social and (geo)political structures and processes in the Middle East.
3. Exhibit an intellectual sensibility to historical, political and cultural specificities of the Middle East and its interrelatins with broader international trends.
4. Articulate theoretically and empirically informed arguments on the main aspects of modern Middle Eastern politics.
5. To write a substantive piece of work on the contemporary politics of the Middle East drawing upon a wide range of literature and informed by a theoretical and empirical awarness of the broader and deeper international and historical dimensions of the region's socio-economic and (geo)political structures.

View timetable

Type	Timing	Weighting
Dissertation (7000 words)	Summer Term Week 5 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	3 hours	111111111100

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School of Global Studies