Postgraduate Course: The Middle East in International Relations (PGSP11275)
Course Outline
| School | School of Social and Political Science |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | The main aims of this course are to: 1) provide substantive knowledge on the international relations of the Middle East (ME); 2) familiarise students with International Relations theories and their applicability to the ME; and 3) familiarise students with the foreign policies of states and non-state actors in the Middle East. The course divides will provide an an introduction to the ME and a historical examination of the origins of the state and state-system in the ME. It will examine the main theoretical approaches and conceptual tools relating to the study of ME International Relations. |
| Course description |
The course aims to give students a thorough grounding the contemporary international relations of the Middle East, integrated with historical understanding and a critical grasp of the relevant debates in IR theory as a sub-discipline of social science. While providing an in-depth understanding of the particular themes and events that distinguish the Middle East, the course will also set these within the context of transformations at the level of global politics and the Global South: a central aim of the course is for students to understand Middle East IR not just as foreign policy process but as social phenomena.
Outline Content
Week 1 'Fractured Lands': The International Relations of a Region in Crisis
Week 2 Historical and theoretical context: external dominance and the states system in the Middle East
Week 3 'Modernity¿ I: The International Relations of Developmental Nationalism and Populist Authoritarianism
Week 4 'Modernity¿ II: The International Relations of Post-populism in the Middle East
Week 5 Political Economy, Oil, and International Relations
Festival of Innovative learning
Week 6 Empire of Freedom? The Unipolar Moment in the Middle East and the 2003 invasion of Iraq
Week 7 (Counter) Revolution(s): The Arab Uprisings and International Relations
Week 8 The Rise of the ¿Peripheries¿:Turkey and the Islamic Republic of Iran
Week 9 Islamism, ISIS and IR
Week 10 Special Topic: Conflict, with reference to the Arab Israeli-Conflict
The course is taught through lectures and seminars with 2 hours of teaching per week: a 1-hour lecture and a 1-hour seminar. Emphasis is placed on the students self-study and critical engagement with the material. Students are expected to read at least the core readings each week for the seminar.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
| Additional Costs | N/A |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2020/21, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: 60 |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 10,
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 10,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
176 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
There are two components of assessment for this course.
Firstly, students will be required to write a review on a book that is related to ME politics in general, or to the themes discussed in this course in particular. The book review should be 1,500 word and forms 40% of the total grade.
Secondly, students will need to write a 3000-word essay; students can choose to answer one of a pre-assigned list of research questions. The essay forms 60% of the total grade.
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| Feedback |
Students will have two opportunities to reflect on the feedback received for their performance in the course. These are the book review, for which the deadline occurs early in the course, and the essay, which has a deadline later in the course. The essay is a more substantial piece of work than the book review, so students can use their reflection on the feedback they receive for it to build on and improve their performance in the essay. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Have a substantive and academically informed understanding of the Middle East international relations
- Have an understanding of International Relations theories pertaining to the region
- Develop an independent and critical knowledge of ME International Relations
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Reading List
| http://resourcelists.ed.ac.uk/lists/AB0E251F-5A58-B90E-DADF-035F08B4E279.html |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Additional Class Delivery Information |
1 hour(s) per week for 10 week(s). In addition to lectures there is a 1-hour seminar per week |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Nida Alahmad
Tel: (0131 6)51 1368
Email: nalahmad@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Mrs Casey Behringer
Tel: (0131 6)50 2456
Email: Casey.behringer@ed.ac.uk |
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