SGIA2391: Middle East and the International System

• Any level 1 SGIA module

• None

• None

• The aim of the module is to provide an empirical and theoretical overview of the regional and international interactions of Middle East states and their impact on the international system. Students will complete the course having gained an insight into an often-misread region that is not only central to understanding a number of the worlds longest running conflicts but is also home to the worlds greatest hydrocarbon resources and has played a key role in the War on Terror.

• This module will begin by providing a brief historical background to the Middle East and its interaction with the international system. Particular emphasis will be placed on Britains informal empire in the Persian Gulf, the Anglo-French mandates in Egypt, Iraq, and the Levant, the period of Arab nationalist revolutions, and the Middle Easts role in the Cold War. It will then move to discuss more contemporary issues such as the Arab Israeli conflict, the Arab uprising, regional rivalries and conflicts, terrorism, migration, and nuclear proliferation. The regional and international implications of each of these developments or issues will be discussed extensively.
• The module will consider various theories of international relations and their applicability to the Middle East before assessing the impact of the contemporary international system on the region.

Subject-specific Knowledge:

• Important theoretical frameworks and concepts used to explain the Middle Easts place within the international system and its development;
• Middle East regional developments and the mutual impact of Middle East and the international system on each other;
• Major political dynamics shaping the contemporary Middle East, including key historical international and regional events and developments.

Subject-specific Skills:

• Through the module, students will acquire and demonstrate the following subject-specific skills:
• Synthesize and evaluate primary and secondary sources relating to the international history and politics of the Middle East in support of structured analysis;
• Identify and select appropriate international relation theories and concepts to explore a range of problems and questions.

Key Skills:

• Independent learning within a defined framework of study at an advanced level
• Independent thought in analysing and critiquing existing scholarship on the subject area and in evaluating its contribution
• Advanced essay-writing skills and the ability to work to a deadline
• Identifying resources on their own initiative and assessing their suitability and quality for the project in hand
• Time management
• Effective interpersonal skills including active listening, as well as effective and constructive oral communication skills

• The teaching methods of the module are intended to provide the empirical, historical and theoretical framework via lectures. This framework is then used in seminar discussions to support and promote in depth learning and the required evaluative skills.
• Students will be required to select readings from the online reading list and, where appropriate, independently identify additional sources in advance of seminars and prepare for active contribution through making informed comments during seminar activities and discussions.
• The formative assessment will provide students with the opportunity to reflect on their learning, write an essay based on both empirical and theoretical knowledge, and offer written feedback supporting students learning and preparations for the written summative examination.
• The summative assessment in the form of a final written exam will test skills of synthesis and evaluation with reference to material drawn from all or most of the module.

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